Needed: Pest control

Editorial-May 28, 2015

The 19th Amendment is now law and the stage is currently being set for the presentation of the 20th Amendment to Parliament to introduce electoral reforms. With time running out for the government which is desperate to seek a popular mandate at a general election to consolidate its power some political observers argue that the fate of the 20th Amendment is in the balance. But, President Maithripala Sirisena, who does not want to antagonise the SLFP by dissolving Parliament without introducing the 20th Amendment, is sure to go the whole hog to secure its passage.

Our electoral system is seriously flawed and needs reform. It enables rich political dregs to go places by virtue of their ill-gotten wealth. But, as we always argue, introducing electoral reforms to keep social undesirables at bay is like ‘changing pillows to cure a headache’. For, with or without changes to the existing Proportional Representation system, those elements could be got rid of if the two main political parties stop fielding them at elections.

Prior to the last presidential election, the then Opposition which is now in power vilified some ministers by calling them drug barons and bootleggers. President Sirisena, who was a minister at that time, claimed that corruption as well as other illegal activities the then government MPs and their cronies were involved in was the main reason for his decision to break ranks with the UPFA and challenge the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the presidential fray. Some of the UPFA MPs are being probed for corruption etc. President Sirisena has recently renewed his vow to oust drug dealers and other criminal elements from Parliament. But, alas, we quoted the SLFP General Secretary Anura Yapa the other day as having said that all UPFA MPs in the present Parliament would get nominations to contest the upcoming general election! In other words, all the rogues President Sirisena bashed during the presidential election campaign and wants to banish from Parliament–and rightly so–will get nominations! How can the SLFP reconcile its grand plans to clean up Parliament with its decision to nominate all UPFA MPs including political pests? An explanation is called for!

Meanwhile, the Elections Department is reported to have told political parties that it does not endorse proposals to increase the number of MPs to 275 or even more from the present 225. Let it be thanked for its pro-people stance.

There has been much talk about the rat population in the city and ways and means are being explored to control it. Frantic efforts are also being made to eradicate mosquitoes as part of the ongoing dengue prevention programme. A similar attempt is called for to reduce the number of political pests.

It is seldom that Parliament has quorate sittings because MPs play truant. Not even those billed to open debates care to be present. Parliamentarians have proved that the country can do without most of them. It also does not make any economic or political sense to retain the same number of MPs let alone increase it. For, there are nine provincial councils and thier members including 45 ministers are doing precious little. Taxpayers are maintaining more than 4,000 elected representatives in Parliament, provincial councils and local government bodies and they must not be burdened further.

Electoral reforms are welcome and they deserve public backing, but the efforts being made in some quarters to expand Parliament must be defeated at any cost. As Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has famously said what is needed in a modern democracy is less government and more governance. This is something that our politicians who take pride in emulating Modi should take cognizance of. The time has come for pest control.