Sri Lanka It's Happening

July 10, 2004

It's just three months since we had an unscheduled parliamentary election at the cost of a 650 million rupees. That figure does not take into consideration the campaign costs, the loss of productivity or the loss of business due to the instability caused by the disolution of parliament. Today we had an election to select councillors for 6 provincial councils.

Ask the provincial councillors to name 10 benefits of the provincial council system for the voters and they will be stumped. Ask the benefits to the provincial councillors themselves and the list will be lengthy (though none will have the courage to say any of it in public)

Ask the JVP, which once carried out serious agitations against the provincial council system why they are contesting, and they will as usual come out with an eloquenty speech. Finding a sentence of substance in it will be as hard as finding water in the desert.

According to news reports just in this election has seen the lowest turnout ever recorded at a Sri Lankan election. That is no suprise, the voters are faced with a hobson's choice with both main parties being equally repulsive.

The so called third force, the ayatollah in yellow robes is not contesting. That is no suprise either they would struggle to make up the numbers they achieved at the last election because they have proven themselves to be no better than the two main parties and they always appear to be on the verge of joining forces with the minority government.

Posted by raditha at July 10, 2004 1:25 PM