International focus makes northern poll crucial: Karu
Friday, 12 July 2013 05:02
-
- {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Now more than ever the onus is on the Commissioner of Elections to ensure that the election for the Northern Provincial Council and the two other provinces that will poll on the same day is abundantly free and fair, United National Party Parliamentarian Karu Jayasuriya said yesterday.
Charging that no election held since 2005 have been free or fair, Jayasuriya said that the rampant abuse of state resources by the incumbent regime raises serious questions about elections in Sri Lanka and whether they have genuinely tested public opinion of the rulers.
“Therefore there is a great responsibility on the Commissioner of Elections at this juncture more than any other occasion. It is the duty of the Commissioner of Elections to protect the rights of the voters of the North and the South to elect representatives according to their conscience, especially in a situation where the attention of the International Community is drawn,” he told a media conference yesterday. Jayasuriya called for the reinstatement of the 17th Amendment and the independent elections and police commissions ahead of the crucial polls. “When the representation of true public opinion is blocked, one thing that could happen is the pressure of the people could explode at any moment against the ruler,” the UNP MP said, citing recent examples of Egypt, Syria and Libya. (DB)
