{"id":134683,"date":"2014-12-11T12:55:25","date_gmt":"2014-12-11T07:25:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=134683"},"modified":"2014-12-11T14:05:24","modified_gmt":"2014-12-11T08:35:24","slug":"electing-a-president-the-critical-days-ahead-friday-forum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/electing-a-president-the-critical-days-ahead-friday-forum\/","title":{"rendered":"Electing A President -The Critical Days Ahead: Friday Forum"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Friday Forum<\/span><\/a> (FF) has called upon all officials and candidates involved with the upcoming Presidential election process to protect and uphold the franchise pointing out it is not just a fundamental right but part of the very sovereignty of the people.<\/p>\n

In a media statement issued in light of the critical days ahead due to the upcoming polls, the group has called upon the Elections Commissioner, officials of the Elections Department and all public officers concerned with the conduct of the election to implement election laws independently and impartially and to ensure the conduct of the polls are done with integrity and honesty.<\/p>\n

\"Saliya<\/a>

Saliya Pieris<\/p><\/div>\n

The organization has also urged the IGP and the Police department to not be deterred by political interference in implementing their duties and particularly ensuring elections laws are upheld, pointing out that they need to ensure that their role would not be called into question unlike during previous polls.<\/p>\n

FF members Jayantha Dhanapala<\/span><\/a>, Saliya Pieris<\/span><\/a> and Shanthi Dias on behalf of all members of the organization has also asked the all candidates contesting at the upcoming elections including the incumbent President to ensure election laws are respected and refrain from misusing state property during the campaign.<\/p>\n

The group has also called upon media institutions to ensure a balanced coverage at the polls as well as members of the public, civil society and grassroots leaders to be vigilant and ensure that preservation of the role of law and to be proactive in combating violations of electoral law.<\/p>\n

Below we publish the statement in full:<\/p>\n

Electing A President<\/b><\/p>\n

The critical days ahead<\/i><\/p>\n

The Presidential Election of\u00a08\u00a0January\u00a02015\u00a0is\u00a0significant not only because it is the first time an incumbent President is seeking office for a third term, but also because it is the first Presidential Election conducted after the Eighteenth\u00a0Amendment to the Constitution.<\/p>\n

Keeping in mind that franchise\u00a0is not only a fundamental right but part of the very sovereignty of the people,\u00a0the\u00a0Friday\u00a0Forum calls upon\u00a0the following to protect that right.<\/b><\/p>\n

The Commissioner of Elections and Officials of his\u00a0Department<\/b><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Commissioner of Elections, officials of the Elections Department and all public officers concerned with the conduct of the election are urged\u00a0to implement the election laws independently and impartially,\u00a0and to\u00a0take necessary action to prevent violations of the law especially the Constitution and the Presidential Elections Act.<\/p>\n

We call upon all of them to\u00a0ensure that the conduct of the election,\u00a0the counting process and the declaration of results are done\u00a0with integrity and honesty,\u00a0in a manner that the\u00a0results and impartiality would not be called into question.<\/p>\n

The Inspector General of Police\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0Police<\/b><\/p>\n

The\u00a0role of the Police has\u00a0been called\u00a0into question at many elections. The Eighteenth Amendment\u00a0to the Constitution has dealt a severe blow to\u00a0the credibility and independence of the police. There has been a perception that the appointment of the present Secretary to the Ministry of Law and Order has been effected to ensure the pliability of the police at election time.<\/p>\n

We urge\u00a0the Inspector General of Police and the police not to be deterred\u00a0by political interference in carrying out their duty to the people, especially in carrying out election laws pertaining to the display of cut-outs and posters and bringing miscreants to book irrespective of political affiliations.<\/p>\n

The Incumbent President,\u00a0the Common Opposition Candidate\u00a0and all other candidates<\/b><\/p>\n

We call upon the President, the Common Opposition Candidate and all other candidates at the election to\u00a0comply with the law\u00a0and to\u00a0urge their supporters and agents likewise.<\/p>\n

We strongly condemn the misuse of state property during the campaign\u00a0and the use of any authority to commit corrupt acts tantamount\u00a0to bribery or treating.<\/p>\n

We call upon the candidates\u00a0to\u00a0publicly declare their Programmes of Action\u00a0and commitments,\u00a0with target dates,\u00a0and\u00a0to release\u00a0their Declaration of Assets and Liabilities.<\/p>\n

Above all, we stress\u00a0the need for the contestants and political parties to ensure that\u00a0harmony and co-existence amongst ethnic and religious\u00a0groups are not imperiled\u00a0in the election campaign. We urge them and their supporters to refrain from making unacceptably vituperative statements.<\/p>\n

Media Institutions\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

We urge the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, Independent Television Network (ITN), the Lake House Group of Newspapers and the private media to ensure that a balanced coverage is given to all parties at the election, that election coverage is done in an\u00a0objective\u00a0manner, and to refrain from giving publicity to\u00a0defamatory and vituperative statements.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0State Media should not be abused in favour of the candidate of the ruling party.<\/p>\n

Members of the Public,\u00a0Civil Society and Grass-root Leaders<\/b><\/p>\n

We call upon the people,\u00a0including civil society and grass-root leaders, to be mindful that the present election is perhaps the most crucial this nation has faced in many years,\u00a0and\u00a0that the\u00a0public have a vital role.\u00a0 We call upon all segments of the public to be vigilant to\u00a0ensure the preservation of the Rule of Law and to be pro-active in combating violations of the electoral law.<\/p>\n

We also urge all voters to exercise their franchise and not to refrain from voting on election day,\u00a0giving due\u00a0consideration as to how each candidate\u2019s campaign was conducted, to\u00a0long term interests of the nation, to\u00a0ensuring\u00a0a governance structure that combats corrupt practices and\u00a0upholds\u00a0democracy, Rule of Law, human rights, equity, justice, media freedom,\u00a0tolerance and harmony in our pluralist society.<\/p>\n

\u200bConclusion<\/b><\/p>\n

This policy statement of the\u00a0Friday\u00a0Forum is based on\u00a0the priority we place on\u00a0good governance, maintenance of\u00a0the\u00a0Rule of\u00a0Law,\u00a0and other civil society expectations.\u00a0We\u00a0call upon all parties to protect and uphold the franchise, which\u00a0we the people have enjoyed for over eight decades, and in the\u00a0free and responsible exercise of which lies the hope for future generations.<\/p>\n

Jayantha Dhanapala\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Saliya Pieris\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Shanthi Dias<\/b><\/p>\n

On behalf of The Friday Forum;<\/p>\n

Mr. Jayantha Dhanapala, Mr. Saliya Pieris, Ms. Shanthi Dias, Dr. G. Usvatte-Aratchi, Ms.\u00a0Suriya Wickremasinghe, Rev. Dr. Jayasiri Peiris,\u00a0Mr. Priyantha Gamage, Mr. Pulasthi Hewamanna, Professor Camena Guneratne, Mr. Suresh de Mel, Professor Arjuna Aluwihare, Professor Gameela Samarasinghe, Mr. Ahilan Kadirgamar, Rt. Reverend Duleep de Chickera, Professor Ranjini Obeyesekere, Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy, Mr. Faiz-ur Rahman, Dr. Deepika Udagama, Mr.\u00a0Tissa Jayatilaka, Mr. J.C. Weliamuna, Professor Gananath Obeyesekere, Dr. Selvy Thiruchandran, Dr A.C.Visvalingam, Mr. D Wijayanandana, Dr. Jayampathy Wickramaratne, Mr. Ranjit Fernando, Ms.\u00a0Manouri Muttettuwegama, Mr. Danesh Casie-Chetty,Ms. Damaris Wickremesekera, Mr. Chandra Jayaratne.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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