CMEV calls on public to vote for good governance

The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) requests the voters to cast their votes for better governance, against corruption, against the culture of impunity and for promoting human rights at the forthcoming Parliamentary election on 17 August.

The CMEV expects to deploy over 6,000 observers in polling stations across the country on election day. “There was a dynastic project underpinned by the militarisation and authoritarian rule. We should not have that again,” said Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Co-Convenor of CMEV.

Following are the excerpts of the interview:

By Shanika Sriyananda

Q: What are the plans for the August 17 election?

A: As the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), we will put our field monitors into every polling station during the campaign. They will report back to us on incidents of violence and malpractice, which we will then check before we release the news to the media. In addition, on election day, we will have monitors in polling centres as well as in counting centres. The Election Commissioner gave us permission to go into counting centres at the presidential election on 8 January. Basically, our focus will be largely on the incidents of election violence and malpractices.

Q: How do you plan to ensure free and fair elections through the polls monitoring process?

A: The argument is simply this. We will put up information with regard to elections violence and malpractices and wherever we can we will name the alleged perpetrator. Then the public has to decide whether they want to vote for the people who have been accused of engaging in elections violence and malpractice or not. The whole rationale is to inform the voters so that they can make proper informed choices. As far as violence and malpractices are concerned they are their individual acts and people must take responsibility of it. If there are allegations against individuals people must know about them.  

Q: What are your comments about pre-election situation so far?

A: Well, still it is only a few days but there has been some violence. The more intense the competition within a political party or between parties, the greater the likelihood of violence.

Q: Do you have any special plans to implement to strengthen the polls monitoring process if the pre-polls violence situation becomes more intense?

A: We will continue to use social media like Facebook and Twitter to inform the people about elections violence. We have been using social media since 2005. We will continue to use social media as well as Google maps in order to give a sense of the range of violence and malpractices.

It depends on how the campaign proceeds. As it stands now, we feel that the methodology we have used in the past is more than adequate to deal with the challenges but if something else comes up we have to respond.

As I said earlier, the more intense the competition within political parties or between them, then there will be more violence and we have to think of putting in more polls monitors.

Q: Some politicians have accused poll monitors of being biased during the last 8 January elections, for taking the side of President Maithripala Sirisena. Will this accusation affect the credibility of your monitoring?

A: That’s for the public to decide as to whether it will affect credibility as to whether the monitors are independent or not. We will report on violence and malpractice. It has always been the case in the Sri Lankan context that by and large a predominant amount of violence is committed by the party in power – the State. They misuse State resources and they interfere with the work of the Police. Therefore, invariably they accuse anyone who exposes what they do as biased. As far as we are concerned, this is the situation on the ground and we have to call it as we see it. Invariably, the monitors will be accused of being biased towards one or the other and it is up to the public to decide.

"We will put up information with regard to election violence and malpractice and wherever we can we will name the alleged perpetrator. Then the public has to decide whether they want to vote for the people who have been accused of engaging in election violence and malpractice or not. The whole rationale is to inform the voters so that they can make proper informed choices"

Q: The Government has done some Police transfers just before declaring elections. What do you have to say?

A: Any transfers or any interferences with the officers of the State who have a role to play in the electoral process must be exposed and it shouldn’t be tolerated.

Q: What are your plans to get the support of the media, especially the State media?

A: What we normally do is, we send out public releases to them. But you know how the media operates. Some newspapers are friendlier than others.

Q: What is the message to the voters?

A: They are the important deciding factor in any election. In January this year, we started off with something in terms of voting for better governance, against the corruption, against culture of impunity and for promoting human rights, etc. We need to continue that and need to make sure that the trend is not reversed.

We need to make ensure that trend becomes clear State policies of the country and it is institutionalised. We should not be voting for people who are corrupt, who have overseen the situation of impunity with regard to corruption and with regard to gross human rights violations. The allegations which have come up during the last six months are allegations with regard to the systematic impunity of the State. There was a dynastic project underpinned by the militarisation and authoritarian rule. We should not have that again. Hopefully, the voters will make sure that is not going to return.