‘Interval in hell’

Saturday 25th February, 2023

The Election Commission (EC) has officially announced the postponement of the local government (LG) polls, which were initially scheduled for 09 March. The EC has done so for want of funds; the Finance Ministry has refused to make available money required for the mini polls, citing the current economic crisis as the reason. Announcing its decision, yesterday, the EC said it would meet again on 03 March to decide when the LG polls would be held. There is no point in deciding on a new date because the government remains determined to starve the EC of funds and derail the polls.

The EC has written to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, informing him of the circumstances that led to the postponement of the LG polls and seeking his intervention to urge the Treasury to release necessary funds. Parliament is responsible for public finance, and why the EC has made a request to the Speaker is understandable, but the question is whether he can or will care to grant it; President Wickremesinghe is the Finance Minister, and the entire government group including the Speaker wants the LG polls postponed for fear of losing them.

The UNP, which is led by none other than President Wickremesinghe, made deposits and submitted nominations in keeping with the EC decision to hold the LG elections on 09 March. It also launched its election campaign. It would not have done so unbeknownst to the President. Therefore, how can the President now claim the EC did not declare the LG polls in a proper manner? This is the question that Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and the Frontline Socialist Party have raised, pointing out that the UNP’s action has given the lie to the President’s claim at issue.

One cannot reason with a beleaguered government, which is worrying about its survival and ready to do anything to remain in power. There is nothing that the SLPP-UNP regime will not do to prevent a midterm electoral setback. Speculation is rife in political circles that President Wickremesinghe is planning to hold a snap presidential election and try his luck, and therefore does not want any other election until such time, but this certainly is a tall order. The government remains hugely unpopular; its incompetence, abuse of power, corruption, waste and cavalier attitude have incensed the public beyond measure. Tax and tariff hikes have sent the ordinary public reeling. Workers are already on the warpath. According to an opinion survey conducted by Verite Research, a Colombo-based think tank, the government continues to have a poor rating of 10% among the public. All governments have the state intelligence outfits conduct public opinion surveys ahead of elections, on the sly, and it is not surprising why the current administration is wary of facing an electoral contest.

The SLPP and UNP grandees must be partying, having derailed the LG polls, but let them be warned that what they are celebrating is only a temporary reprieve or what is popularly known, in this country, as an ‘interval in hell’. They cannot wish away the harsh reality.

Public resentment is palpable and welling up, and, at this rate, the day may not be far off when they regret having denied the people an opportunity to vent their anger in a democratic manner. They must not lose sight of the fact that even Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a former battle-hardened frontline combat officer, had to show a clean pair of heels. Therefore, they had better not postpone elections and land themselves in a situation where they will have to outrun the irate people in close pursuit.