JVP calls for joint action to prevent election rigging

By Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema

The JVP has called on all political forces to join together to fight against election violence and to safeguard the people's right to exercise their franchise at the forthcoming North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council elections.

The Sunday Leader learns the JVP and the UNP are in discussion to have a joint strategy on election day to protect the polling booths and the ballot boxes with high level coordinating committees already formed

JVP's chief ministerial candidate for the Sabaragamuwa Province, Chameera Koswatte told The Sunday Leader that irrespective of party politics, all forces should join hands to fight against election violence and any plan that could be launched by the government to rig the polls.

Koswatte said that the JVP has already launched a campaign simultaneous to its election propaganda campaign to create awareness among the people of the need to unite to safeguard their rights, especially to exercise their franchise at the elections on August 23.

He noted that with only a few days left for the elections, the state has unleashed a terror campaign against candidates as well as supporters of opposition parties and that complaints made in this regard have been disregarded by the police.

"There has been a drastic increase in violence in the election areas, but the police has not acted on any of the complaints made."

"Even a request made for the IGP to intervene to minimise the violence has been ignored," he said.

Koswatte alleged that on the day of the election, the government could take several measures to rig the polls.

"The first act would be to collect the polling and ID cards of the people to prevent them from voting, the next would be to prevent voters from entering polling booths and to create mayhem within booths that would poll votes against the government and the final act would be to stuff the ballot boxes," he said.

According to Koswatte, action should be taken to prevent such incidents from taking place and the best way of  achieving that was to create a united force among the people, especially at village level to fight against such acts.

He said that discussions would be held with the Elections Commissioner to ensure the safety of polling agents designated to the respective polling booths and the need for independent observers to be present at each polling station.

JVP's chief ministerial candidate for the North Central Province, Wasantha Samarasinghe told The Sunday Leader that members of the JVP, UNP and even the SLFP should work together to fight against election violence and any attempt to rig the polls.

He said that committees have already been set up to protect the polling booths on the 23rd, adding that it was an open invitation for any interested party to join the programme to prevent the government from rigging the elections and prevent the people from exercising their rights.

Samarasinghe alleged that the reluctance of the police to take action against the complaints made on election related violence has in fact caused an increase in  violence in the election areas.

He charged that even when the complaint has been made on assault cases where the victims were receiving treatment in hospitals, the police had remained silent.

Samarasinghe also alleged that the government was using the high security zone (HSZ) in the Anuradhapura town as the base to plan and unleash all the violence.

"These goons are all housed in the President's House in Anuradhapura next to the Sri Maha Bodhi. Since it is a HSZ no one else can go there and the police is keeping silent," he alleged.