Election participation can empower Tamils

Colombo, Sri Lanka — With the race for the Sri Lankan presidency getting increasingly close and uncertain, there has been considerable speculation as to why President Mahinda Rajapaksa chose to shorten his presidential term. The president called for fresh elections two years before they are due.
A common explanation is that he wished to take full advantage of his victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Prior to the sudden and surprise entry of former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka to the presidential contest, Rajapaksa was in a position to claim full credit for the war victory as head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

However, the president himself has given a different reason, a more compelling democratic one, for calling for early presidential elections. Few Tamil voters, even those outside the north and east, felt inclined to cast their votes in these circumstances. According to the president, he decided to call for early presidential elections to obtain a fresh mandate for the post-war reconstruction of the country, and obtain it from the Tamil people of the north and east as well.

This rationalization by President Rajapaksa is a positive one. It needs to be built upon to counter ethnic fragmentation and to ensure national unity.

One of the most vivid descriptions of the manner in which Tamils view elections was given to me by a Tamil government officer who was born and served in Jaffna. He contrasted the euphoria and celebrations in the south that accompanied the announcement of election results, at least on the winning side, with the sense of apprehension and uncertainty in the north. Whereas in the south there was a sense of "our government" being elected by the majority of people who voted for the winning side, in the north it was more of a sense of "their government" and of a government over which the Tamil people would have no influence at all.

The forthcoming presidential elections are unusual in that the ethnic minority can play a decisive role in determining its outcome. This is because the entry of General Fonseka into the electoral contest and the inevitable sharing of the credit for the war victory with the president have rejuvenated the opposition political parties.

As the Tamils of the north and east are the largest of the ethnic minorities, their choice can tilt the outcome of the elections in a decisive manner. This has led both presidential candidates to visit the north, with the president making two such visits to demonstrate his keenness in obtaining Tamil support.

The forthcoming elections are also especially significant, in that they are the first in which voting can take place in all parts of the country due to the end of the war with the LTTE. As a result, sections of the population who lived under LTTE control, and who could not vote in the past, will be able to participate in the democratic process for the first time in over two decades.

These new voters need to receive every encouragement to cast their votes and become participants in the democratic process. Their participation in the elections can reduce ethnic fragmentation and enhance the unity of the country. There is a need to restore confidence in the democratic process among these people who lived in the conflict zones of the north and east.

The issue of most concern to the Tamil polity, as has historically been the case, is to secure a system of governance that ensures a voice and decision-making abilities for the elected representatives of the Tamil people in matters that affect their lives. This is the main issue that has rankled and kept the spirit of rebellion alive within the Tamil polity from the dawn of Sri Lanka's independence, and for which so many Tamils have been willing to lay down their lives.

So far neither of the two main presidential candidates has been prepared to address this concern in their election manifestos. As a result of this lacuna the incentive for Tamil voters to go to the polls on Election Day is not likely to be compelling.

Another factor that may influence some sections of the Tamil electorate not to participate in the elections is the fear that they will become victims of the politics of revenge if they choose to go with the side that does not win. Indeed, the politics of revenge is a fear that goes beyond the Tamils or ethnic minorities to include the larger Sri Lankan polity as a whole.

The current elections are possibly the most bitterly contested ever. The stakes have become very high because of the accumulation of power and resources in the hands of the executive presidency over time. In addition, the bitterness of the contest has been exacerbated as two former allies, who fought against the LTTE on the same side, are now pitted against each other, with each nursing a sense of betrayal.

The reports of election violence and electoral malpractice are in excess of previous elections. They are so serious that the commissioner of elections, who is entrusted with conducting a free and fair election, has virtually thrown up his hands and threatened to step down and said he can do no more.

Therefore, without further delay, the two main presidential candidates need to consider jointly calling for a restoration of law and order with regard to the current election campaign. The government needs to immediately implement this call. The rival candidates need to also make a pledge that they will not engage in the politics of revenge after the election, but strictly adhere to the rule of law. This will encourage voters from all communities to participate in the elections and be stakeholders in the outcome, as empowered citizens of a real democracy.

It is important to keep in mind that participation in a process legitimizes continued participation in that process. The electoral process is the main source of legitimacy in a democracy. This suggests that to the extent that the Tamil electorate participates in the presidential elections, they and their representatives will be empowered to demand further participation in governance after the elections.

The converse is also true. To the extent that the Tamil electorate fails to participate in the elections they will lack legitimacy when it comes to claiming the right to participate in governance after the elections.

--