Let the Law triumph in both word and spirit

The Local Government elections that are to be held today are of exceptional interest. This is particularly true of the polls that are to be held in the Jaffna district. This is on account of the fact that the people of the district are being provided the opportunity of exercising their franchise after several years of their wilting in repressive conditions. Today, the people of the region will be given the opportunity of exercising their inalienable right of electing people of their choice to grassroots bodies which would be charged with delivering the goods and services which would ease their lot.

Our position is that the will of the people must prevail at these elections. In other words, law and order should be rigorously maintained and the people enabled to vote freely. The electors concerned would, of course, realize that the present conditions are a sharp about turn from their situation more than two years ago when a free franchise was unthinkable. In those times, LTTE terror stalked the province and talk of democracy and its institutions would have been anathema in the ears of the Tigers for whom only the law of the jungle mattered.

Considering all this, the inference one could draw is that May 19, 2009, marked a turning point in the lives of the Northern people. That was the day LTTE terror was resoundingly and conclusively defeated by the state security forces under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the people's seemingly unending suffering brought to an end. Above all, the people were free of the yoke of repression which the LTTE had foisted on them and which weighed them down for 30 long years.

From what we have learnt, the electioneering in the country has been largely trouble-free and we hope things will remain this way. It is up to the state to maintain law and order most stringently and to permit the people to cast their vote in an atmosphere free of fear and anxiety. What is important to note is that the electioneering in particularly the North has been most buoyant with President Mahinda Rajapaksa himself leading the UPFA campaign in the province.

This is a far cry from those times when lawlessness ruled the North and the democratic process eventually ground to a halt. Not only did the LTTE acquire a stranglehold over the people but the state too, under administrations from 1977 until those under President Rajapaksa were ushered in, turned a blind eye on the oppression of the North-East. The present President has broken with this bleak history of negligence and almost total indifference from the centre and has immersed himself in the affairs of the North-East as no Head of State and government has done so far, in a sure indication that the Northern and Eastern Provinces are very much part of the Sri Lankan family.

It is up to the state to ensure that the people of the North in particular do not feel alienated from the rest of the Lankan polity. The most vital thing to be ensured to the people is the democratic process. Come what may, this system must be kept going along with a strong connectivity between the North and the rest of the country, specially the South.

President Rajapaksa has done right to maintain a strong rapport with the numerous communities of this land and this is the way forward. However, it is also vital that the faith of our communities in the centre is not undermined in any way. The 'troubles' and crises which came to afflict this country for decades began with the weakening of the faith in the centre among some sections of our people. This should not happen ever again.

This is the reason why the Rule of Law should be made to reign over the length and breadth of the country. Conducting a trouble-free poll in the North is one vital step in the direction of promoting trust and understanding between the once conflict-ridden areas and the centre. It should not be a matter for concern in any quarter as to who triumphs in these local polls. What should be of paramount interest is the conduct of a fair and free poll which would be instrumental in keeping the democratic process alive and well. The truth is that democracy is the key to empowerment and this as an essential ingredient in peace and harmony.