DailyMirror.lk:
The fact remains that whatever the outcome we witnessed at yesterday’s polls, the masses in their day to day battle against survival remain the losers. The victors will always remain those in power having the world at their feet or those with a closer proximity to them. The actual voter whose engagement with the political entity, be they national or at Pradeshiya Sabha level is at a continuing distance, the best reflection of the vacuum existing between the people’s concerns and the lack of remedial measures adopted by their representatives. A factor, that was reflected in the low numbers who were moved to the polls yesterday.
The sad plight of the local political scenario is best comprehended by the antics that were the order of the day in the run up to the polls. From members destroying public property to displaying scant disregard to the law enforcement officers, the future of the country with regard to such politicians was on open display. A large percentage of the candidates feared not exposing their true faces to a gullible voter public, nor their intimidating and shockingly undemocratic ways of delivering their message to the people. In clear confidence of the strength they enjoyed with the unlawful means with which they today enjoy such public displays, these were a people who believed in the immunity they today enjoyed.
Such political impunity however is not a recent phenomenon but a curse left over, over the last quarter century of the country’s political history. A political culture that has learnt the fine art of giving voice to its needs by the use of the gun, or taking refuge in intimidating and illegal means, the expressed lack of respect for democracy and rights is a scenario that has its roots cemented in the unspoken manifestos of every known political party in the country.
Unless and until there is genuine political commitment from the political hierarchy, to remedy this dangerous situation, the threat facing society and the values that it has held so strong to is considerable. It is imperative that the post-war political equation of Sri Lanka, institutionalize democracy, individual rights and equality as key components of its future. The longer the country turns its back towards these aspects and the threat facing every voter before the present political culture, the deeper the ills destroying every human value we based on our very belief systems.