Manaape amanaaape

(Likes and dislikes)

No sooner the Parliament has been dissolved enterprising prospective candidates have come out with posters and cutouts displaying their image and self-proclaimed virtues in public. The spread of these visuals is an ominous sign that predicts the fierce poster wars and cutout wars that could take place as the campaign proper begins and develop.

Election law prevents such displays but the prospective candidates ignore the law with impunity. Even if the Police were to act the victim would be a poor supporter who would have to face the music in the Courts while the real culprit goes from stage to stage with public acclaim.

What is more sickening is that it is public money that is spent on the removal of these objectionable and offensive displays. This shows the utter contempt with which the future legislators view the law and the utter disregard they have for wastage of tax money on the removal of these displays.

The argument is that the electorates are so large that the candidates must display their images since the voters may not know them personally. While there is a grain of truth in their excuse, it is a telling indictment on the candidates if the public is unaware of them as they were public figures as Ministers, MPs or party organisers. Had they served the public in the pre-election period, had they become popular, there is no need to violate election laws by pasting posters and putting up cutouts. Besides, the electronic and public media are available for advertising their images and messages. They could also save a lot of money.

Though these individuals are unaware, such vulgar display of their images and the amount of money wasted on these displays arouse revulsion and contempt in the minds of the ordinary voters and the response could very well be the opposite of what is anticipated. We even found some prospective candidates at the forthcoming General election putting up their images in every lamp post along roads and even by lanes during the Presidential election campaign. Incidentally they refrained from displaying the image of the candidates whom they were supporting at that election.

Now that the general election has been declared the same lesser minions would display their images with that of the President or their party leaders in order to tax the popularity of the leaders to their advantage.

It is not only this vulgar display but also the threats to law and order that emanate from that display. It has been found that most incidents of violence reported during elections are related to intra-party disputes over the manaape than inter-party disputes. When candidates of the same party clash it cats a negative reflection on the party to which they belong. A classic example was witnessed in Galle during the Southern Provincial Council election when disputes between two candidates escalated to the level of clashes, death threats and breach of law and order. It provided a golden opportunity to the rival political parties to make capital out of the situation. Another factor these candidates forget is the effect such behaviour would have on the bulk of the voters who have no direct party affiliation.

Though the preferential system could be considered theoretically as a positive measure where the most popular candidate would get more votes the under-developed political culture in the country leads to its abuse. As it is, the earlier this manaape is got rid of the better. It is also an indictment on the legislators that they have been only talking about getting rid of it without any action being taken for the duration of at least two Parliaments.

Stars of astrologers

Elections are coming. Thousands would contest. Each candidate would want some prior knowledge of the possibility of success at the polls. Some would base their calculations pragmatically on their own experience and on the pattern of voting in the recent past. Others would believe in the power of green bucks.

A more convenient and hassle-free method would be to consult the astrologers who would predict your success or failure (with an error of infinity!). Whether their clients would win or lose the astrologers would faithfully inspire optimism in them an even if there were any negative influences of the planets they would prescribe offerings and rituals to overcome them.

One thing is certain. The stars of the astrologers and other various practitioners of occult sciences look brighter than that of their clients.