Proportional Representation System killed democracy in Sri Lanka
Dr Sudath Gunasekara
The Proportional Representation system that has messed up and ruined
the entire election system was introduced to Sri Lanka in the 1978
Constitution. Prior to that, representatives to Parliament were elected
on a simple electoral basis where each had one vote. Under that system
elections were held by electorates and voters cast their vote to the
candidate of the party of their choice.
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Voters mark four votes under PR system. File photo |
The candidate who got the highest number of votes was declared
elected and he/she represented the people of that electorate directly in
Parliament. He was also directly responsible to his electorate.
Accordingly every electorate had a representative in Parliament unlike
the present Parliament elected on the PR system where you get a large
number of electorates without MPP. After the 2004 elections Kandy alone
had eight such electorates. The people also had a representative to let
out their grievances under that system. Those were some of the salient
feactures of representative democracy.
The Proportional Representation system turned this system upside down
and killed the foundation and the spirit of representative democracy in
this country. Meanwhile politicians also were compelled to run about the
whole district like rabid dogs to collect preferences killing each other
for political power.
The change
The new system entitled each voter four votes. The first one called
the vote had to be cast to the party of his choice. The other three
which were called preferences, they could give to three candidates of
the same party if it is a Parliamentary election.
Even under this system elections were conducted on the basis of
former electorates. But the election of representatives to Parliament
was done on a district basis.
The total number of preferences polled from the whole district was
the basis of election.
Accordingly they came to be known as District MPP. So the designation
of MPP as Senkadagala or Udadumbara as hitherto practised ceased to
exist thereafter. However, the old seats were retained for organizing
the electorate politically by the parties and the person assigned for
that purpose was called the Organizer. He was appointed at the
discretion of the Party Leader.
No choice
The electors of a given electorate had no choice but to vote the
candidate imposed from above. In this manner the democratic rights of
the electors to select, elect and reject a person of their choice were
forcibly taken over by the party and the party leadership.
Representative democracy also died a natural death along with this
trend. Under the new system a candidate had to run all over the district
to collect preferences where as earlier he had only to canvas within his
electorate. For example a candidate contesting election in the Kandy
district today has to run from Sripada to Matale and Kadugannawa to
Mahiyangana.
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A few guidelines to make your
choice |
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If he is a
standing member,
* See what he has done to the
electorate during the past six years as an MP. How many schools,
bridges, miles of roads and dispensaries he has got for the
electorate.
*See how many times he has visited the electorate during this
six year period (visits to attend his own things, functions, and
to woo for your vote should not be taken into account)
* See whether he has behaved well as your MP for the past six
years.
* See how much he has earned during the period, how many houses
he has built
* See whether there are allegations against him regarding his
character, use of public property and abuse of authority
* See whether he has considered public good above personal
considerations
* How much has he wasted on the manapa fight
* See whether he has the brain, character, education and the
commitment to serve the people
* Whether he has changed his party for personal gain like
getting a portfolio
* How many duty free permits he has taken and how many have been
sold.
* Has he revenged his political opponents after the elections
* Whether he has taken the salary and the other benefits for the
months of January, February and March for sitting in Parliament
for two hours on January 6 to vote for the emergency
* What is the new contribution he has made to the political
field of the country?
* Has he ever risen against injustice, corruption and nepotism?
* Ask him whether he is prepared to work without a salary and
benefits for at least one year, if he is elected. |
The latest addition to this trend is introducing candidates even from
outside the district. Under this move a man from Colombo could be
nominated to contest even Jaffna or Batticaloa or a person from
Hambantota to contest Gampaha or Kandy.
You need only the consent of the Party Leader for that. You don’t
have to have a minimum residential qualification as in countries like
USA where a minimum of eight years for the Congress and 10 for the
Senate are compulsory. Accordingly the voters of an electorate do not
have even the right to select their candidate.
The party system and the leader has thus annulled and made
representative democracy and made it a huge mockery. The whole country
has thus become a pray to the dictatorship of the party leader and the
party. One should not be surprised even if they import people from
abroad to contest elections in this country in future.
Voters’ role
It is high time to change this sad situation without waiting for a
blood bath. That could be done only by intelligent voters. Because the
politicians either in the right, left, centre, liberal or ultra-left
will never do it, as it goes against their own interests.
Their attitude towards service to the people is clearly demonstrated
when you look at how they have together passed their pensions law as
enactment No. 1 in 1977 and got the same thing legalized for their wives
and private staff thereafter, placed themselves in the salary scale of
Supreme Court Judges, obtaining Rs 65 to 350,000 worth duty free vehicle
permits and making a mint of money by selling them, even though they
cannot be transferred for five years.
They enjoy other enormous benefits while the people are starving,
suffering and dying. Pension’s Act was the first Act passed in the 1977
Parliament. What more evidence is required to prove their priorities?
You can change this by using the so-called sovereignty you are
supposed to have under the Constitution although you have that power
only for a few seconds during the Election Day until you mark the cross
and put your vote into the ballet box. If you do not make the correct
decision you will be cutting your own neck with your own hands.
You may not be able to fulfil all this on the April 8 as it is also
held under the same corrupt system. But you can select at least a few
men and women whom you think are above board and who would consider
public good than their own or at least consider 10 percent public good
as against 90 percent of their own.
The writer is
Mahanuwara Senior Citizens Movement President |
