For a free and fair election to take place in the north the rights of the individual citizens should be protected said Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) executive director, Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon at the opening of CaFFE’s Jaffna district office yesterday (July 11.)
He added that the basic human rights are the basis of a free and fair election as the freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, right to engage in political activity and freedom of movement are essential for various political actors to convince the voters of their agenda in a peaceful manner. In turn the enshrinement of basic human rights gives the voter the freedom to make a choice based on his liking.
Addressing CaFFE local media Tennakoon added that a free and fair election could be held if the candidates and political parties desire that. However the lack of discipline among candidates and their supporters, the feeling of impunity, and the pressure to win at any cost has made it extremely unsuitable for a free and fair election. In addition the heavy presence of the military, the perceived biasedness of the security forces and the recent change in the behavior of the northern media has also cast doubts about holding a free and fair elections.
Tennakoon added that CaFFE has continuously expressed its grave concern over the media culture of self-censorship developing in the north due to continuous attacks. There have been continuous attacks/ attempts to intimidate journalists and newspaper distributors of Uthayan, Yaal Thinakural and Weerakesari in recent times. In the face of growing suppression media ownership has also begun to pressurize journalists to avoid writing on certain issues. This self censorship, especially in regarding human rights, rule of law and democracy, in the run up to the Northern Provincial Council election is unacceptable
In addition there is no freedom for the youth to engage in mainstream politics and many fear to join a political party of their liking due to the abduction of political activists like Lalith and Kugan of Frontline Socialist Party (FSP.) These abductions and attacks in a city, which has a great military presence, have caused distrust among the ordinary residents. Not only youth activists but also senior respected politicians including opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has been prevented from visiting certain areas in the north. These limits on people’s fundamental rights, enshrined by the constitution, has a direct impact on the peoples participation/perception of elections.
The people of the north have been battered by continuous war for nearly three decades and often they are not interested in elections or politics, as shown by consistent low voter turnout in recent elections. Realizing that civil society organizations must take the initiative and encourage them to participate in the democratic process, CaFFE in recent times have conducted mobile clinics to provide valid identification cards and birth certificates to the residents of the north. In addition it has carried out voter education programmes to educate the voters on the importance of provincial councils for the development of the region.
The opening of the CaFFE district office is simultaneous with its most recent drive to assist 85,000 eligible voters in the north who do not have officially recognized identity cards, through it's sister organization -- Center for Human Rights and Research (CHR).
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