K Govindan
continues his look at Sri Lanka MARCH has been a month of elections in Sri Lanka and hopefully a sign of things to come.
First there were local government elections in the Eastern province amid much controversy. voting in this ethnically mixed area splintered on communal lines.
Splits
The Sinhala vote was split between the United National Party (UNP) and the opposition Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). The Muslim vote was swept up by the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and the Tamil vote by three independent groups fielding Tamil candidates.
Considering the UNP government's belligerent stance on the Tamil national question; the disappearances of 5,000 Tamil youth in the East and its shaky control of the region - the minorities deserted it giving the independent groups a clear victory.
Some Tamil parties such as the Eelam peoples revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) and the Tamil United Liberation front (TULF) refused to contest the poll and called on voters to spoil their ballot.
Mockery
'A mockery of democracy' was EPRLF spokesperson in Europe, K Thamba's, opinion of the exercise.
Speaking to Socialist Outlook he pointed out that a free and fair election when thousands of people are living in refugee camps and a war is being prosecuted in the North East was an impossibility.
The UNP motive for the election was two-fold. They have to convince the western donor community that they are sincere in seeking a political resolution to the ethnic conflict.
Also it was a carrot to the donkey of Sinhala chauvinism which opposes the merger of the North and East province.
FEATURE True to form, shortly after the polls President D B Wietunge announced that a referendum would be held to de-merge the province.
The North and East of Sri Lanka is where the Tamil community have historically been concentrated and a merged province with a unitary authority has been one of the key demands of the liberation struggle.
Later on in March elections were held for the Southern provincial council, by recent standards the UNP suffered a crushing defeat reduced to 23 seats while the Peoples Alliance (PA) won 32 seats in the 55 seat Presidential and Parliamentary elections are due around the year's end. The United National Party has been in power for 17 years too long.
Recent draconian emergency regulations on the press highlight the danger that from authoritarianism there could be a slide into dictator ship.
News of the government defeat in the South led to a slump in share prices at the Colombo Stock Exchange. Let's hope that with the next set of elections they take a dive. (The article in SO 59 was wrongly accredited, and was by K Govindan) On sex education, the Tories and bigots are all at sea.