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Ending polls violence

It was reported in the newspapers yesterday that the Government has decided to pay compensation to all victims of election violence at the just concluded Provincial poll.

Government Ministers at a news briefing stated that they would evaluate all incidents and assess the damage before deciding on the compensation.

Recently President Mahinda Rajapaksa also paid compensation to all victims of political violence at the 2005 Presidential elections. A majority of them were UNP supporters and therefore loyalties did not figure in the payment of compensation which was a salutary feature unprecedented in our elections history.

Earlier it was the practise for only the victorious party at elections to compensate partymen. While paying compensation to victims of political violence is laudable what is required is to stamp out election violence as a whole.

We are only treating the symptom without delving into the root cause. One cannot hide from the fact that election violence has been common currency in our national polity. Its institutionalisation commenced in 1982 with the infamous referendum. Since then violence accompanies every election and compensation paid to victims of political violence albeit on party lines.

However no efforts have been made to tackle the problem of election violence. Besides such compensation can only beget more violence as the perpetrators would have no qualms of inflicting the maximum damage knowing their victims would be looked after by the State. In the end the it is the public who has to take the tab.

What is necessary is taking measures to discourage violence and obviate the need for compensation. The Government should necessarily take cognizance of what this (compensation) entails.

To the perceptive observer this no doubt would smack of an acceptance that election violence is part and parcel of the country’s election culture. A wrong message is sent to the outside world.

The authorities should desist from treating election violence in Sri Lanka in the context of an occupational hazard. Compensation could only aggravate things. It would certainly undermine democratic institutions if election violence is treated as matter of routine.

What the authorities should do is take measures to instill the in the public the whole concept of democracy so that its finer points would be grasped by one and all eliminating the chances of violence.

Democracy should be promoted as a system that underlines healthy political rivalry where one agrees to disagree without taking recourse to violence. This is the hallmark of all mature democracies as seen recently in the US Presidential Primaries where the cut and thrust of political debate was the dominant feature.

Violence and coercion are unheard of in such polities where voters are provided the chance to make informed decisions. It is too much to expect Sri Lanka to make an overnight change to adopt these values and systems that are practised in the more mature democracies in the West.

Indeed even in India which is a boiling pot of ethnic cultural diversities elections by and large are violence free and this in a country whose literacy rate is much lower than in Sri Lanka.

All political parties should join hands to effect this transition to bring the country on par with mature democracies in the world.

Law enforcement agencies should be strengthened and given a free hand to stamp out election violence which would act as a deterrent against such conduct. There is no point in the two major parties blaming each other for the present state of affairs.

What is needed is a well mapped out strategy to minimise violence during elections. In the past we did not have election monitors coming to this country to supervise elections as things proceeded smoothly. Elections were peaceful affairs in the post independence era and was even looked forward to by the populace as a welcome diversion from the meandering slow pace of life in those spacious days.

Things have changed drastically with the present PR system exacerbating the problem. The time is ripe for all concerned to make a determined effort to arrest the decline. It therefore behoves on both major parties to work collectively work towards exorcising the genie of election violence from the national polity enabling the country to stand on par with mature democracies in the world.

The Aid Game Now

We were also helped by relatively responsible statements from the UN that has been assisting us, making it clear that things were under control now, though they could of course get worse. A particularly crass headline, trying to attribute to the UN an attack on the Government that that particular media outlet was pursuing, led to a firm response by the UN,which made it clear that they would notlet themselves be used.

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Child Safety on the Information Highway

In some cases child molesters have used chat areas, e-mail, and instant messages to gain a child’s confidence and then arrange a face-to-face meeting.

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Say ‘no’ to pornography

Porn is the name of a dangerous game. To eradicate porn parents as well as teachers need to be strong. For parents who have porn addicts in their families must realise that patience is king in such circumstances. When you cultivate patience you can change a whole army of addicts.

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