Minority representation in danger of splintering and weakening at next SL election, new research reveals

Parliamentary representation of minority ethnic and religious groups is in danger of splintering and weakening in the forthcoming elections, affecting their capacity to effectively politically engage and promote the rights of minorities, a new European Commission funded research project reveals.

Major national parties such as the United National Party (UNP), Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) have successively reduced the space within their parties for minorities to participate and raise their issues; whilst minority ethnic parties are divided and their campaigning is shaped by the majority agenda rather than the needs and rights of their communities, research done by Oxford Brookes University as part of the Minority empowerment for democracy and pluralism program reveals.

“The main national parties in Sri Lanka have had a history of nominating representatives from minority communities who have gone on to take leadership positions. This is changing now, with minority politicians in these parties often feeling isolated and finding fewer opportunities to raise minority rights issues,” said Oxford Brookes University Lead Researcher Dr. Farah Mihlar.

Challenges for minorities through alliances

National parties now prefer forming alliances or coalitions with minority parties rather than fielding their own minority candidates. 

In this competitive alliance or coalition forming process, bargaining with minority party candidates has resulted in them criss-crossing between the major national parties, which compromises their credibility as it is seen by their electorates as acting corruptly on promises of ministerial portfolios or other gains.

“Minority MPs from the Muslim and Malaiyaga community prefer to be part of the Government because they see it as an opportunity to do something for their community. This recent desperation to move with power has seriously affected their legitimacy and credibility, leaving voters from this community in despair,” Mihlar added.

“This is especially a concern in the Eastern Province in this election, where we are seeing many new independent candidates contesting, and there are lots of splits in parties. This competition between parties and ethnic groups creates unnecessary tensions and increases the prospect of violence.”

Buhary Mohomed from the Eastern Social Development Foundation (ESDF) said: “Minority party leaders need to consider the longer-term impact to ethnic politics and minority rights rather than short-term gains of gaining power when they prepare nomination lists for the forthcoming election. The research reveals that minority politics is increasingly affected by unpopular leaders, allegations of corruption, and failure to promote rights of marginalised groups, which has been partly strategically caused by the actions of the big national parties.”

Minority women candidates

The research also reveals that political parties are neglecting the nomination of women from minority communities, and where women are making it into nomination lists, parties are not offering sufficient funding support, security, or opportunities for them to raise their profiles. 

Minority parties themselves are also failing to challenge their internal structures and cultural barriers to enable more women to contest, the research found.

“The main parties need to nominate more women from minority communities, and they need to offer them funds and support to be able to contest. We work with a lot of women who are strong leaders in their own communities, but they are not making it on to the platforms in party campaigns,” said Ponnaih Logeswary of the Human Development Organisation (HDO), an implementing partner on the project.

National People’s Party (NPP)

The newly elected President’s party, the NPP, also has significant work to do to promote minority representation and rights within their party. 

In the last election, the party fielded only one minority candidate out of a total of 15 in Colombo, at the last Presidential election they offered little to minorities on substantive issues of rights or reconciliation, and they mainly function in the Sinhala language, excluding Tamil speaking populations.

The NPP has made strong commitments towards increasing women’s representation in their nomination list, which they need to advance to those from minority communities as well.

Conflict-affected north and east

In the conflict areas, voters are deeply divided on ethnic and political lines which has significant implications for peace building and reconciliation. 

The research shows that, in the north, the voter base is fractured, with around one-third prioritising their economic development and wanting to engage with the State, and another one-third or so are on the opposite end, wanting to disengage with national politics. Tamil diaspora groups are being accused of influencing this latter group, whilst some candidates fielded by the national parties influence the former, but these candidates often have a history of violence and are seen to be divisive.

In the Vanni district and the east, there is serious ethnicisation of the electorate, which has increased with the competition among minority parties and the national parties. In a post-war context, such tensions can lead to conflict, which needs to be taken into consideration by all parties.

The research reveals that parties tend to politicise ethnic issues and campaigns respond to opponents’ claims rather than offering any constructive policies on rights or a political solution to the ethnic conflict.

“The main parties are still stuck on the 13th Amendment, which was negotiated over 35 years ago; they are offering little beyond this and ethnic minority parties are not effectively using election platforms to demand more or advance minority rights critical to their constituencies – instead, they mainly respond to the national parties,” Dr. Mihlar said. 

She added that reducing militarisation in the north and east, returning civilian land, and advancing the transitional justice process should be included in all party manifestos.

Monitoring and data

The research also shows a serious lack of disaggregated data on ethnicity, religion, and gender. National parties and State bodies, such as the Election Commission, need to collate information on minority political participation in order to better understand the challenges they face.

“Election monitors should also disaggregate data; they should research and analyse how targeted attacks on minorities can prevent a free and fair election,” Azad Mustaffa, Sri Lanka Development Journalist Forum (SLDJF) said.

Minority empowerment for democracy and pluralism is a two-year European Commission funded program that aims to strengthen political participation of minority groups in Sri Lanka. The project is jointly implemented by the Minority Rights Group, the Centre for Development and Emergency Practice (CENDEP) at Oxford Brookes University, the HDO, the ESDF, and the SLJDF.