Kandy District of Sri Lanka has had no parliamentary representation for
the Upcountry Plantation Tamils for the last many years this has called into
question the nearly 154,321 Tamil people residing in the district. The
background for this setback needs to be gone in to a dialogue under the theme “Parliamentary
Representation and Challenges of Kandy District up Country Tamil
People” was held on 8 February 2015 (Sunday) at Hindu Cultural Center Hall,
Kandy. In this dialogue facilitated by HDO Director Mr. P.P. Sivapragasam, over
350 actives participated. The participants included Politicians, Kandy based
political activist, trade unionists, teachers, businessmen. universities
students, plantation leaders, professionals, journalists and religious
dignitaries.
Central Provincial Council Member, Mr. T. Mathiyugarajah and Mr. Velu
Kumar, Mr. S. Rajaratnam (former Member), Democratic People’s Front Leader Mr.
Mano Ganesan, Up-Country People’s Front Ref. Mr. S.Vijeysandiran and Dr. A.S.
Chandrabose, Librarian of the University
of Peradeniya Mr.R. Maheswaran, Attorney at – Law Mr. Parmsothy, and Central Provincial Hindu Forum Secretary
Mr. P. Rajanathan Shared their vies.
Presentation of Mr. P.P. Sivapragasam
Speculations are rife that a parliamentary general
election will be held after April, 2015.
This election is foretold to be of historical importance, as per ongoing
debates, whether it will be held under the present system or the former
electorate electoral system or under the system mixed with both systems. In the
meantime an importance for political parties, Social Organizations and Trade
Unions to come together in order to know
how hill country Tamil people representation can be secured and sustain has
arisen.
Speculations are rife that a parliamentary general
election will be held after April, 2015.
This election is foretold to be of historical importance, as per ongoing
debates, whether it will be held under the present system or the former
electorate electoral system or under the system mixed with both systems. In the
meantime an importance for political parties, Social Organizations and Trade
Unions to come together in order to know
how hill country Tamil people representation can be secured and sustain has
arisen. Figuring prominent in this respect is on how representatives can be
elected from the Kandy District. There are approximately 100,000 Tamil voters
in the District, but there had been no representatives elected for the past
many years.
In short, the district has been political orphaned,
calling in to question the rights, aspirations and expectations of nearly
154,321 (2012) Upcountry Tamil people living in the district. A need has arisen
to examine the background in which representatives should not be elected to
represent them in the parliament. Only when a community knows its strength and
weakness can that community rid itself of the weaknesses and sustain itself.
No Tamil representatives had been elected in the 2001,
2004 and 2010 general election. While this state of affairs continues to date,
meanwhile the Muslim community was able to elect 2 representatives in 1997.
They have now 4 representatives, due chiefly their right inclined far thought.
Parliamentary Representational Status of Kandy District:
No
|
Ethnic Group
|
Population
|
No. of Members
|
|
2001
|
2012
|
|||
1
|
Sinhala
|
947,900
|
1,023,488
|
8
|
2
|
Muslim
|
168,049
|
191,570
|
4
|
3
|
Tamil
|
155,674
|
154,321
|
0
|
Total
|
1271,623
|
1,369,379
|
12
|
The loss of Tamil representation can be attributed
to various fundamental flaws which need to be probed. As per Kandy District
voters, candidates in the past elections and political parties, the state,
administrative aspects of the flaws are:
Administrative Reasons:
1. Plantation Voters having not been duly registered in
the voters list;
2. Weaknesses in the local administrative machinery
including lack of opportunities for voters to access to the Grama Niladhari,
Divisional Secretariat etc;
3. Language barrier;
4. Voters not having National Identity Card and their
lack of interest or failure to obtain temporary identity card;
5. Polling booths being located far outside the
plantation areas where the voters have to go past villages. Limited accessibility
to transport facilities for old aged, disabled and pregnant women.
Political Reasons :
1. Tamil candidates contesting from various political
parties and minor parties being fielded at the whims and fancies of the party
leadership.
2. Votes of plantation voters are diverted to non Up
county Tamil candidates;
3. Failure on the part of the candidates or the parties
fielding candidates with an agenda of identified needs and problems of Kandy
District Tamil voters.
4. Absence of candidates or upcountry political parties
with the leadership capacity to fulfill the aspiration of the people of the
area;
5. Political parties fielding candidates of their
choice, ignoring the preference of the voters;
6. Plantation voters being compelled to vote for
candidates preferred by Trade unions of Political Parties without allowing them
(Voters) to freely exercise their franchise;
7. Non Upcountry Tamil voters (Sinhala and Muslim) not
casting their votes to Up-County Tamil candidates, though a fare number of Upcountry Tamil votes go to non Upcountry
Tamil candidates;
8. Weaknesses and shortcomings of selected candidates
and general discontent among voters.
The Social Reasons:
1. Wide spread treat, intimidation, assault and poll
card snatching targeting Tamil voters in the previous elections in the
Nawalapitiya, Patha Dumbara, Gampola and Theldeniya Electorates.
2. Slackness of voters in elections. This is general.
Even the Tamil voters in the cities, an especially women are disinterest in
voting;
3. Absence of organized activities or unity among
plantation Tamil voters;
4. Rejection of votes polled. This is due to the
voter’s ignorance, lack of training on how to mark. Political Parties which are
interested in collecting votes, are not as much interested to create awareness
among plantation voters on this aspects;
5. Refusal of leave to voters at work places: In the
plantation sector the voters are released from workplaces only in the
afternoon. it is too late, and also, generally violence erupts in the
afternoon. The voters in order to avoid risks are reluctant to go to the
polling booths. Those employed in the non-formal sector in urban areas are not
granted leave. This end up in many youth not getting the opportunity of casting
their votes;
6. Many plantation voters do not vote for policy than
favors and privileges. Trade Unions cheat
plantation voters with goods, and also non Tamil candidates deliver
goods of pay cash – taking advantage of the prevalent poverty- to get their
votes;
7. Enslaving the plantation voters (especially male)
for liquor.
8. Indirect influence of cast system on both,
candidates and voters.
Among all these factors, the research (where
selected eligible voters from various parts of the Kandy district participated
and shared view) found a few be of paramount importance. Political and social
factors figured prominent. The delay on the part of voters to register
themselves in the voters list was cited as the reason for 6% of the voters
loosing the right to vote. Some short coming in the local administrative
machinery, such as Grama Sevaka – coupled with lack of Sinhala knowledge is one
of the reason.
Since the Tamil voters live scattered over many
geographical areas, there is a trend of them casting their votes to Sinhala or
Muslim candidates. This amounts to about 20% and causes the loss of Tamil
representation. Since those polling the highest number of preferential votes
are declared won, it could be said that it leads to a competition to rob the
Tamil vote. Although this is not a problem of candidates, it nevertheless is a
serious problem for the voters as well as the community. This problem is not
limited to Kandy district alone, but general in Matale, Ratnapura, Kegalle and
Badulla. Hill country political parties fielding candidates separately and
Tamil candidates contesting from separate political party because the Tamil
vote to scatter. This too adversely affects the prospect of securing Tamil
representatives.
There appeared to be a general discontent and
criticism about the candidates’ past performances. 7% of the voters had no
confidence on or respect for the candidates put forward by political parties
with Trade Union base. They charged that such nominations were being motivated
by self-interest of the party leadership. More over their appeared to be
discontent among the voters over the very political parties fielding candidates
regardless of peoples wish and utilizing catechism as an indirect factor in
promoting candidature.
As far as the social factors are concerned, bout 11%
of the voters sighted the incident of treat, assault, intimidation on and
snatching of poll card from the Tamil voters during the past elections in the
Navalapitiya, Patha Dumbara and Teldeniya areas of Kandy District for example.
These are the areas where there are more plantation Tamil voters in the Kandy
District, and it is noteworthy that election related violence were reported more
from this areas. The plantation voters had been forced to vote for ruling party
candidates or to keep away from the polling booths, for this purpose the
supporters and the candidates sometimes took advantage of their alliance to the
ruling party.
Since in most of the cases, the polling booths are
located in villages and far outside of the plantation, the women, through fear
are reluctant to go to polling booth. Old age, disable and pregnant women
mostly keep away from voting due to inadequate transport facilities. Voter
disinterest is common between the plantation and urban sector. The attitude of
voters in both sectors, namely: why we should vote and what benefit it accrues
to us, leads to the entire community loosing it right. There is a general grievance
that the Tamil women in cities over whelmingly keep from voting. It is pointed
out that those who talk of politics of Indias – Tamil Nadu, do not take
interest in the politics or their immediacy.
This has made a serious impact on the question of
Tamil representation in the Kandy District, and therefore it warrants a serious
attention. Another sad state of affairs
is the culture of distributing goods, food and liquor to plantation voters at
election times. Although this goes on in the Kandy District at much law a scale
than in the Nuwara Eliya District, it is a well known fact that some trade
unions have been in the habit of distributing liquor , food, cloths etc. for
generations. This is followed such by non Tamil Candidates as well, to catch
votes, supported some times by Tamil candidates.
Anyhow, as far as the forth coming Parliamentary
Election is concerned the Kandy District Upcountry people and those in the
other district as well, will have to face challenges since they are determined
to regain the Tamil representation which was lost some years back. This can be
realized through a concerted effort and in that context; attention must be
given to the following which are a per requisite:
1. Upcountry political parties, instead of fielding
party wise candidates, jointly field one or two candidates.
2. In the context of the current political environment,
the candidate or candidates should be fielded through a party that can win.
3. Candidate should be acceptable to the voters and
amenable to the proposed code of conduct of the present government for
politicians
4. People’s views be sought on the candidate
5. Any activity carried out in this respect, should
include the plantation people, business persons, religious organization, civil
society, youth groups, political parties, trade unions, business community,
sports clubs, intellectuals, teachers, media and professionals.
6. Drawing and implementing a brought base voter rights
awareness rising programmers
7. Uniting the voters on the basis of social well being
of the Upcountry community
8. Creating a safety network for the
Upcountry-plantation voters at election times and ensuring that they exercise
their franchise freely and fearlessly.
9. Obtaining leave on election days for workers and
those employed in the urban non formal sectors enabling them to cast their
vote.
If the
above recommendations are given due and favorable consideration, we believe the
hurdle in attaining Tamil representation for the Kandy District Upcountry
Tamils can be easily got over. been in the habit of distributing liquor
, food, cloths etc. for generations. This is followed such by non Tamil
Candidates as well, to catch votes, supported some times by Tamil candidates.
Anyhow, as far as the forth coming Parliamentary Election is concerned
the Kandy District Upcountry people and those in the other district as well,
will have to face challenges since they are determined to regain the Tamil
representation which was lost some years back. This can be realized through a
concerted effort and in that context; attention must be given to the following
which are a pre requisite:
1. Upcountry political parties, instead of fielding
party wise candidates, jointly field one or two candidates.
2. In the context of the current political environment,
the candidate or candidates should be fielded through a party that can win.
3. Candidate should be acceptable to the voters and
amenable to the proposed code of conduct of the present government for politicians
4. People’s views be sought on the candidate
5. Any activity carried out in this respect, should
include the plantation people, business persons, religious organization, civil
society, youth groups, political parties, trade unions, business community,
sports clubs, intellectuals, teachers, media and professionals.
6. Drawing and implementing a brought base voter rights
awareness rising programmes
7. Uniting the voters on the basis of social well being
of the Upcountry community
8. Creating a safety network for the
Upcountry-plantation voters at election times and ensuring that they exercise
their franchise freely and fearlessly.
9. Obtaining leave on election days for workers and
those employed in the urban non formal sectors enabling them to cast their
vote.
If the
above recommendations are given due and favorable consideration, we believe the
hurdle in attaining Tamil representation for the Kandy District Upcountry
Tamils can be easily got over.
Panelists
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