New COI on electoral reforms a time-buying exercise

President Ranil Wickremesinghe this week appointed a Commission of Inquiry (COI) tasked with examining all existing election laws and regulations and making recommendations to suit current needs. The factors to which the Commission has been asked to give special consideration include increased women and youth representation, introduction of electronic voting using modern technology instead of printed ballot papers, and providing facilities for voting by Sri Lankans overseas.

The Opposition has voiced suspicions over the timing of the appointment of such a Commission saying it could be a ploy to postpone elections.

When it comes to electoral reforms, Sri Lanka has been going around in circles for more than two decades with parliamentary committees, public discussions, election promises, etc. but the only changes made has been to the Local Authorities (LA) election laws but that too a muddled one which neither the voters nor the candidates seem to understand. During the last Government, changes were made to the Provincial Council Election law but that too was so complicated that its implementation remains in limbo. 

Since the enactment of the new PC Election Act in 2017, no elections to the PCs have been held and nor has there been a serious attempt to revert to the earlier electoral system and hold the election under the old system. The amendment was to ensure that future elections to Provincial Councils will be under a hybrid system where both Proportional Representation (PR) and Westminster (and first-past-the-post) system will apply but non-agreement on the delimitation report regarding the PC electorates has put the entirety of the new law in cold storage.

In the midst of this the President has appointed a Commission to look into electoral reforms and make recommendations. This seems more a time-buying exercise than a genuine effort to bring about changes to the country’s election laws.

Much of the criticism of the country’s existing election system comes due to the PR system of electing members. It was introduced in 1978 when the new Constitution name came into effect. The first Provincial Councils were held in 1988 under the PR system followed by the parliamentary elections in 1989 when people got a first taste of the rather complicated system as compared to the pre-1978 first-past-the post system when a voter only had to mark a cross in front of the symbol of the party of their preference. The PR system gave voters the choice of not only choosing a party but also three candidates from the party who they would like to see elected. The PR system is a more democratic system giving the voter more choice but its introduction in Sri Lanka has seen the worst in our politicians who have turned elections into a dog-eat-dog contest with infighting among candidates of political parties and millions being spent to shore up the image of individual candidates. Electoral reforms so far have aimed at introducing a hybrid system for LA, PC and parliamentary polls but how a system works will depend a lot on voter education.

Issues such as better representation for women and youth as well as enabling Lankans overseas to vote are important changes that must be made but a new commission is not needed when detailed reports are available from parliamentary committees that have looked at electoral reforms in-depth and made solid recommendations.

When it comes to electoral reforms what is needed is agreement among all political parties to make the necessary changes that benefit the country and empower voters.