“Change is the law of life. Those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future”— late US President John F. Kennedy.
Ever since we became a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed by the United Nations (UN) in 1948, our political and civil democrats constantly agitated for “free and fair elections” whenever “elections" are called. This phrase was based on Article 21(3) of the Declaration which reads as follows: “The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of the Government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.”
It may be assumed that the words “free and fair” were substitutes for the words “universal”, “genuine", and “equal suffrage” in Article 21(3). Recently, a United States Senator too urged the Sri Lankan Government to hold free and fair elections.
However, the sad irony we face today is the relentless clamour to hold “run-of-the-mill” elections by so called democratic politicians, blinded by power hunger and political expediency, knowing very well that our existing electoral systems are flawed and not genuinely “free and fair”. In the melee, a coterie of political pundits, academics and non-governmental organisations too have jumped onto the "bandwagon" hot on the heels of the historic and peaceful “aragalaya” (the public protest movement to overthrow the former Government led by then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa) that shook the world when they desperately leveraged on the dire need for “system changes” in our defective and unproductive electoral and political administrative systems through slogans such as “Ditch the 225” (a reference to the 225 Parliamentarians) and “Gota go home”. All of them very well knew that such slogans of the “aragalaya” were triggered by the underlying undemocratic and unproductive four tiered political administration structure replete with nepotism and corruption instead of meritocracy, that led to a politicised, inefficient public service too, over the last several decades.
At least now, if our intelligentsia who joined the political “bandwagon” stop barking at the wrong tree and start to clamour by pen for system changes that ensure a genuine free and fair electoral system, the countrywide sovereign voters could be assured of the equality of the vote asserting “Sri Lankan-ness” and the advent of the best fit and proper “country first – political professionals” to represent them when they face the next election. It will surely treat the root causes and lead to the achievement of the real objectives of the Parliament, the Provincial Councils (PCs) and the Local Governments (LG), portending a much better future for a bankrupt country.
A summary of the holistic “system changes” related proposals under electoral reforms
1. Abolish "mixed member voting", "preference voting" and "crossover" mechanisms to pave the way for the election of wise and genuine "country first – political professionals" from "District-wise merit lists" of parties selected through a robust, standardised procedure, subject to minimum eligibility criteria and a structured interview mechanism with a common marking system laid down by the national Election Commission. This is a fundamental "system change" sought by the peaceful youth of the "aragalaya"
2. Members to PCs and the national Parliament to be elected purely on District and countrywide "percentage representation" basis, respectively, thus enabling all voters in the North, South, East, and West to vote for only the party of their choice as "true Sri Lankans", carrying a ballot paper of "equal value", untainted by race, caste or religion as proclaimed under the UN Declaration 1948. This is an important prerequisite for the success of the national reconciliation exercise
3. Secure female and youth representation (20% each) by mandating the inclusion of at least one female and one youth (below 35 years) among every five persons in all District or electorate nominee lists in merit order
4. A "sustainable Sri Lankan Cabinet of Ministers" to be constituted based on the national vote percentage, so that smaller parties too will be entitled to join the Cabinet. This step will greatly assist in resolving our national issue
5. Brand the five-year party election manifestos as regulated, prosecutable documents that would primarily determine the voter decision
6. Objectively strengthen the PCs and rationalise the role and fringe benefits of MPs.
7. Take cost effective steps to ensure the maximum productivity of the electoral system. E.g. Hold General and PCs elections and if possible, the relevant referenda too on the same day after introducing an electronic voting system
Recently improved "system changes" to rationalise the political administration structure
- A method to rationalise the corrupt and unproductive bottom LG tier to achieve its real objective
A simple alternative based on the "Grama Rajya" concept is proposed to rationalise the bottom layer of our political administration system.
As the taxpaying citizens are now fed up with the existing politicised LG administration where political bias, corruption, arrogance, and self-aggrandisement are the hallmarks, they desperately look forward to "system changes" to ensure that: i. the real needs of the specific locality are identified and resolved under an intensive approach; ii. the real objectives of the LG machinery are met; iii. there is sustained impartiality sans any political bias or corruption; iv. there is simplicity of the system in keeping with Sri Lanka"s size; and v. the cost effectiveness of the system.
Independent “Jana Sabhas”
With the establishment of the "Jana Sabhas", proposed by the National Movement for Social Justice to create a sustainable nation through an advanced participatory democracy, the following simple method is proposed to depoliticise the LG machinery and to integrate it with the Divisional Secretary (DS) Divisions; i. At the next LG elections, allow each Jana Sabha to nominate three honest, impartial and socially acceptable candidates (one male, one female and one youth) with high integrity, residing in the relevant Grama Niladhari (GN) Division, so that the highest vote receiver shall become the Jana Sabha representative for the said GN Division, taking up their Jana Sabha recommendations and issues with the LG authorities at the "Pradeshiya Sabha (PS)/Urban Council (UC)/Municipal Council (MC)" level and at the DS Division level; ii. To avoid wasteful costs and administrative bottlenecks, each DS should conduct the election using the officers in his/her DS Division in the presence of polling agents from each Jana Sabha in the Division; iii. The office bearers at the "PS, UC and MC" level can be elected from among the Jana Sabha representatives by vote; iv. The 14,000 strong Jana Sabha representatives will surely make the LG machinery more objective, meaningful and effective than the existing politically biassed and corrupt LG system; v. They may be paid a monthly allowance that ensures a lesser total outlay compared to that of the existing politicised members; and vi. These representatives will eventually graduate as proven Provincial Councilors and MPs by becoming members of political parties of their choice with a "country first" attitude.
- Rationalisation of the top tier – Executive Presidency
The Executive Presidency should be abolished with effect from a specified date, through a referendum (if possible on the same day of the General and PCs Elections) and replaced with a Parliament and Provincial Councilor appointed hybrid "Executive Governor General" as the Commander-in-Chief with the usual ceremonial powers, plus, limited powers to enforce and execute Parliament approved laws, programmes, and national and decentralised budgets through Provincial Governors appointed by him/her. The Constitutional Council shall nominate three candidates for the post of the "Executive Governor General" who when elected will report to the Supreme Parliament.
3. Key "system changes" to rationalise the public administration structure
These include: i. Reengineering and rationalising the public service administration structure; ii. Infusing appropriate work ethics, discipline, technology and methods for productivity enhancement of our workforce through training; and iii. Instilling a "country first" attitude among the human capital involved in the above areas plus in schools and universities.
Conclusion
Due to corrupt, unprofessional, parochial and confrontational party politics, Sri Lanka has missed several golden opportunities to change systems after overcoming uprisings and disasters such as the 1971 insurrection, the 1989-1990 insurrection, the 2004 tsunami, the 30-year war, the 2019 Easter carnage and the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, the 2022 "aragalaya" did pave the way for an "interim, multi party Government" which is the ideal body to forge the above "system changes" without leaving room for any single party/alliance to take political advantage in the process. At the beginning, it received the blessings of the people, all religious leaders, scholars, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka and the political parties. Unfortunately, it has not seen the light of the day yet, as the aforementioned collectives have mysteriously given up their struggle towards crucial "system changes".
Therefore, we as citizens with the country at heart, re-appeal to the President, the Prime Minister, the Opposition Leader and the entire Parliament to place the country first and to exercise their political will in unison, irrespective of narrow party politics, colour, creed, and caste, to speedily legalise the above objective "system changes", thereby leading to "genuine free and fair elections" and an efficient political and public administration system as suggested above, and to replace this failed and rotten system of "corrupt and confrontational" politics with a "clean and consensual political culture".
Such a paradigm shift combined with corresponding changes in our peoples" and the media culture to reflect a staunchly independent, "country first" outlook will surely convince and prevent our frustrated new generation and professionals from seeking greener pastures. Thereby, our bankrupt nation can be saved from being thrown to the dustbin of history. If the latest news report that four elections will be held in 2024 is correct, there is more than ample time to ensure the passage of the aforesaid "system changes".
Therefore, let us all unite and make this "cultural revolution" etched in golden letters in our history books so that the world at large will not only hasten to pay a glorious tribute to Sri Lanka but also provide us with the much needed economic assistance to redeem our country from its present plight.
“Change is the only constant in life. Thus, if there is a will, there is a way too”.
(The writer is a former Deputy General Manager of the Bank of Ceylon)
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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.