Wilson
Gnanadass
Q: You have monitored two
elections prior to this in Sri Lanka. Was the monitoring of this
election any different to the earlier elections?
A: We
have not yet concluded the elections but much that is told by people is
that the level of violence in this election is considerably low. I mean
compared with the two previous ones. People also say that serious
violence has occurred not because of clashes between political parties,
but because of divisions within organisations outside the elections.
Just because the level of violence is low this time we can’t be
complacent. Sri Lanka has a proud tradition of democracy since 1931.
This is something we don’t find even in some of the countries under
the European Union.
The reason that is indicated to
us for the low level of the violence is the enforcement of law related
to posters. We understand this has contributed to serious violence in
the past. Another factor contributing to this is the establishment of
the Police Commission. The commission has been very positive and this
has been the cause for the lower level of incidents.
Q: What are the areas of major
concerns to you in this election?
A: Whether
or not they have equal access to the media, whether there has been abuse
of state resources, whether the impact of election violence affected the
outcome of the election among others, have to be analysed later. And the
media has been one of the controversial issues up to now and what we are
doing now is compiling statistics of our analysis to assess the charges
of biased reporting. And of course lots of people have logical criticism
about the state media being in favour of the Freedom Alliance. But
equally I must say at the same time that private media has also been
accused of being biased towards the UNF. But until we complete our
findings it would be difficult for us to come to a comprehensive
conclusion. I suppose we have to take note of the fact that the
elections commissioner himself has a strong case against the state media
and appointed a competent authority to run it.
Q: How do you view the role of
the media at this election particularly the state media?
A:
Well we need to complete our analysis to comment on it properly. But the
very fact that the elections commissioner took strong action implies
that there is certainly great concern about the state media.
Q: Did all the political
parties contesting the election extend their cooperation to enable you
to discharge your duties sufficiently?
A: We
have met leaders and members from all the political parties that were
contesting the election. I have had many discussions with various
parties not only here but even in places like Kurunegala, Jaffna and
Trincomalee. Almost all political parties expressed to me that they are
in favour of a free and fair election minus violence.
Q: What is your assessment of
the role played by the police at this election?
A: Almost
everyone has been saying that the police has been acting in a de-politicised
manner this time. They also said that they were impressed with the
creation of the Police Commission. But they were also concerned about
police transfers. Allegations of some police officers being transferred
have been brought to our notice and we are in the process of
investigating these allegations.
Q: President Kumaratunga as the
Interior Affairs Minister through the IGP affected many transfers as
reported in the media bypassing the Police Commission for the specific
purpose of handling election issues in several districts. Would you say
that this is improper conduct at a time of an election?
A:
We are trying to clarify the basis of these transfers. If the action
taken outside the election rules is in conflict to the 17th Amendment of
course it would be improper, but we cannot come to a conclusion as yet
on this because we a are still carrying out our investigation into this.
Q: The President is also the
leader of the UPFA and she has used her official status as well as her
official residence to conduct election propaganda meetings with full
state media coverage. In your view is this unethical and against a free
and fair election?
A: We
have received complaints about the abuse of public property and
departments controlled by the government and the departments controlled
by the President. These once again are allegations, which we are
compiling information on and we will answer later on.
Q: How serious in your view
have been the abuses of the electoral process on the part of the
government, especially in the use of state resources?
A:
In the two previous elections there was considerable emphasis laid on
the use of state resources. There have been enough complaints on the
misuse of state resources in this election too. Allegations have been
made against a lot of people misusing state resources and some
departments under the control of the President. Nevertheless in
comparison with the previous two elections it is happening on a much
lesser scale.
Q: You came out with a strong
statement following the murder of the TNA candidate in Batticaloa last
week. Are you holding any party responsible for the murder?
A: The
general belief in the area is that it has more to do with the split
within the LTTE. We are not in a position to come to a conclusion at
this moment. But there is a general perception that it has something to
do with the internal politics in Batticaloa.
Q: Would you say that the
conditions in the north-east are conducive to hold a free and fair
election?
A:
I am surprised that in some parts there has been such a low level of
statistics in violent incidents. I am also glad that all political
parties are taking part in elections in these areas. However, some
political parties have told us that it is hard to contest while other
parties have said it is possible to contest. So this is also our concern
as to whether or not the decision to locate the polling stations is to
prevent violence or malpractices.
Q: Are you satisfied with the
arrangements made for the Tamils to cast their ballot in the north-east,
particularly where cluster polling is concerned?
A:
This was an issue I strongly criticised last time. People coming from
the uncleared areas were prevented from voting. I am hopeful that this
time there would not be a repetition of the earlier situation.
Q: Going by the number of
election related incidents that have been witnessed, how would you
compare Sri Lanka with other developing countries?
A: I
was also monitoring elections in Pakistan and there was more violence
that has occurred in Sri Lanka than in Pakistan. But when I concluded
the election in Pakistan it was found that the election was a seriously
flawed one. But in Sri Lanka I must say that democracy is put under
pressure and acts of violence are carried out by the democratic
politicians. It is rather ironic that democratic parties put democracy
under pressure. It is the politicians who could bring an end to
violence. However, for them it is to get into power at any cost
Q: Would you say that most of
the incidents are politically motivated?
A: Yes. The
clashes among supporters and rival parties and clashes within the
parties are all indications. The problem is the electoral pattern and
the preferential voting system that is prevalent in the country. But I
think disciplinary action against those who are responsible for this
must be taken.
