By P. Soma Palan –                                                   

P. Soma Palan

I refer to the above headed article by Mr. Anura K.T. De Silva (AKTDS) in the Colombo Telegraph of 17th September 2025, and wish to add more with my views as follows:

1. The transition from British Colonial rule to Sri Lanka’s Independence came in stages. The Donoughmore Constitution of 1931 paved the way for the grant of Universal Adult Francise and for elections to the State Council. This gave rise to Political Parties amongst which Ceylon National Congress, the precursor of the United National Party, was in the vanguard for the struggle for Independence from colonial rule. There were other left wing Political Parties as Sama Samaja Party, and the Communist Party, Tamil Congress.

2. The next stage was the grant of fully-fledged Independence under the Soulbury Constitution in 1948, and elections was held in 1950. Thus, Colonial power was transferred to a motley of elites of the United National Party to rule the country. Thus, began the enthronement of Political Party system of government, followed with the breakaway Sri Lanka Freedom Party in 1956, ushering in the Sinhala communal Party. Since then, we have had a hollow Democracy ruling the country to the present time, as stated by Mr. AKTDS. He states that “elections have become little more than power grabs by omnipotent elites”. I would say more correctly and directly Political Parties, which are owned and controlled by family elites, which he refers to as Political Cartels. What is Democracy? The traditional definition of Democracy is the rule “of the People, by the People and for the people”. Theoretically, it is so, but practically the entirety of the People cannot govern a country. Hence, the People elect their representatives at an Election to govern the country. The Parliament is the forum or the Assembly of Government. But it has produced a hollow Democracy. This is demonstrably revealed in the electoral process in which Elections are conducted to choose the representatives of the people to form a government to rule the country. AKTDS quite rightly states that “elections will regain their true meaning when people retain ownership of governance instead of outsourcing power to a centralized political elite”. I would say boldly to Political Parties. The peoples’ right to elect their representatives to form a government after elections, have been outsourced to Political Parties, which is true.

3. Do the people truly elect their representatives at an election to form a government? The answer is categorically No. Instead, people only vote for the candidates already chosen by the Political Parties. The people have only a Hobsons choice. Presently, the right to nominate candidates for elections is an exclusive right of the Political Parties. True Democracy prevails only when any citizen has the right to nominate himself for elections directly, subject to the required qualifications. Can an independent individual nominate himself for elections. Theoretically yes. But can he win elections against candidates fielded by powerful and resourceful Political Parties, is the question? The answer is crystal clear.

4. Therefore, to reclaim the Nation from the fake and hollow democracy, the indispensable need is the deregistration of Political Parties. Political Parties, undermine not only true form of democracy, but is the root cause for many evils in the country today, such as bribery and corruption, abuse of power, nepotism and favoritism, lack of meritocracy in governance, Party interest overriding national interest, divisions in social fabric etc. Democracy has been perverted into a government of the Political Parties, by the Political Parties and for the Political Parties. Every citizen, male or female, has the right to contest for elections to form a government to rule the country. But this right has been controverted to a monopolistic right by the Political Parties to nominate candidates for elections, resulting in “hollow democracy “of a government of mediocracy than meritocracy. Nomination for elections is based on the criteria of popularity and thus sportsmen, film stars, drug peddlers and criminal mafia are also nominated. The people had to vote for those nominated by the Political Parties as stated aptly by AKTDS “as indentured servants”.

5. To “reclaim real and true Democracy that the nation deserves”, the demise of Political Parties is an imperative need. The environment must be created for any citizen with the required age, and minimum education of a University Degree or an equivalent Professional qualification the freedom to nominate himself or herself as an independent candidate for election as a peoples’ representative to form a government to rule the country. An enabling amendment to the Electoral law in the Constitution is a dire need. A structural change is required than a mere superficial reformatory change to overcome the evils of a hollow democracy.

6. Once Political Parties are deregistered and debarred from contesting elections, the features of the existing hollow democracy will automatically disappear.

7. Elections will be opened only to independent individuals to nominate themselves. Candidates for elections will organically emerge from the people and not from institutionalized political entities called Parties.

8. Elections must revert to the earlier Electorates based system, instead of Districts based system, which is a cumbersome method with Proportional Representation and allocation of seats on National List to Political Parties as at present. The elected MPs will represent a definite constituency of the people and promote a real nexus between the MP and the constituency. That would be real democracy, direct and palpable, not a hollow one. It will lead to simplification of the electoral process. The result of election would be on the “first past the post” principle. This electoral process will eliminate high cost of election, public meetings with placards, banners and other political tamashas. Canvassing for votes of the people is by house to house and distribution of leaflets giving personal information of age, education, professional experience and candidates’ plan of work and vision for the constituency and the nation at large.

9. I shall briefly state the process of forming the Government. All candidates who are voted and win the election assemble in Parlement for election of office as The Speaker, Prime Minister, Cabinet of Ministers and Deputy Ministers. The meeting to be presided by the Commissioner General of elections until the Speaker is elected. Initially, three candidates for each post of Speaker and Prime Minister in order of highest number of votes polled to be proposed and chosen by secret ballot by all the MPs. Thereafter, elected Speaker will preside and conduct the proceedings. The elected Prime Minister will choose his Cabinet of Ministers for various Portfolios (15) and equal number of Deputy Ministers, based on evaluation of the personal written data submitted to him by all MPs and having affinity to the Ministerial functions.

10. As Political Parties are abolished, it will be a Government without a Formal Opposition as earlier, which was not only financially wasteful but of no utility value. It will not mean the Government will be one sided uniformity, without thrust and parry of debate, disagreement and opposite views.

11. The government will not be one of the Political Party, but truly a National Government. All the elected MPs will participate in Government and not   merely vote for Laws and resolutions as at present. Each Ministry will be headed by the Minister and assisted by Executive Committees comprising five or six MPs, formed from all the rest of the MPs. They will oversee the functions of Departments and Institutions coming under a Ministry. Each Executive Committee will submit periodic reports of progress to parliament. This is real action in Democracy.

12. A government without Political Parties will have a multitude of desirable benefits:

a) It will truly be a National Government. Political Parties claiming ownership of governments will end. The urge to form governments with two third majority, buying of opposition candidates for this purpose by offering unnecessary State ministerial posts, and coalition governments, will cease. Will rid the country from divisive Political Party polarization.

b) Simplification of Elections and cost of electioneering will be minimal.

c) Confrontational Party politics will end.

d) Deregistration of Political Parties leads to end of racial, religious and family oriented Parties.

e) Free Trade Unions from Political Party control. Being a government of independent individuals, there will be mutual checks between them, hence scope for wrong doings will cease, unlike under political Party governments, where Party solidarity, mutual complicity and backscratching was the norm.

f) Being independent individuals who have come together for the common purpose of governing the country, a bond of inherent transparency in ruling, would prevail.

g) There is a very close connection between Political Parties and the business community who fund them for favors in return. This connection will cease as the government as a whole cannot be influenced as it is made of independent and disparate individuals.

h) Ensures stability of government and reclaiming the nation from hollow democracy to genuine democracy.

Conclusion                                                                                                                       

Only a subsisting Government can facilitate the change to a Government without Political Parties. No external agency can do it. No government under the Political Party system will ever undertake the suicidal mission to abolish itself and all other Political Parties. This demonstrates the stranglehold political parties have on the nation. The only way is for the educated and intellectual people of the country to combine as a unified force aligned to the creed of individualism and independence, not as a political party, but with the pledge to abolish Political Parties by contesting and winning the next election and form a government and abolish Political Parties, constitutionally. Whether this solution is feasible or not, has to be explored.