Safety comes before franchise

Tuesday 29th December, 2020

The country’s focus is apparently shifting from the pandemic to polls, of all things. The government is in a mighty hurry to conduct the Provincial Council (PC) elections, and the Opposition has let out a howl of protest. The SLPP is trying to consolidate its power in the PCs before COVID-19 and the attendant problems take their toll on its popularity and electoral performance. Facing another election is a worrisome proposition for the Opposition, which is in disarray; hence its opposition to the PC polls.

A germ which is worse than coronavirus has afflicted Sri Lankans. It is divisive politics, which has torn society asunder and made people blind to reason. It has not spared even the country’s battle against COVID-19; the government and its opponents are engaged in a political war instead of joining forces to beat the virus once and for all.

Elections are ‘superspreader’ events in that politicians and their supporters throw caution to the wind as we saw in the run-up to the last general election several moons ago. There are two schools of thought as regards the beginning of the second wave of infections. One argues that there has been no second wave as such, and what we are witnessing is an extension of the first one, which could not be brought under control due to the general election; the other maintains that a group of garment factory workers flown here from India caused the explosive spread of COVID-19 in Minuwangoda and triggered the second wave. Attorney General Dappula de Livera ordered a probe, a few weeks ago, to ascertain how the current wave of infections had come about, but the police have been dragging their feet presumably under political pressure. Some government politicians have sought to obfuscate the issue by claiming that a group of Ukrainians were responsible for the Minuwangoda cluster. There is no gainsaying that the parliamentary polls contributed to the spread of the pandemic considerably.

What needs to be taken into consideration in deciding whether the PC polls should be held is not the ongoing constitution-making process or arguments for or against the 13th Amendment and the PC system. The national health emergency must take precedence over everything else when decisions are taken on elections.

Health experts are urging the government to adopt stringent measures such as travel restrictions and even lockdowns to curb the spread of COVID-19; they fear that the new coronavirus variant, which is ripping through the UK and some Asian countries, is likely to find its way here sooner than expected. The healthcare system is showing signs of being overwhelmed. There are only 641 state-run hospitals with 84,728 beds. About 510 patients can be treated in ICUs. The number of infections has already crossed 41,000 with 191 deaths; thousands of patients will require ICU treatment unless the spread of the virus is curbed.

Besides, problems abound on the economic front. The economy cannot take any more shocks. It is gasping on a ventilator, so to speak. The tumble of the rupee continues against all major foreign currencies, and the export sector is virtually crippled. It will be an uphill task for the government to bridge the budget deficit. The country cannot afford any more nationwide lockdowns. Businesses are collapsing and people are losing their jobs. Most people are struggling to keep the wolf from the door. Hence the need for the government to act prudently without resorting to anything that will aggravate the national health emergency and send the economy into a tailspin.

Troubled by the pangs of hunger and fear of death, the people need an election like a hole in the head, at this juncture. Safety comes before franchise. Polls can wait.