Around 300 voters in Ambalangoda, coincidentally the hometown of National Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya, had a rather novel experience last week. They stood in line to vote at a ‘mock’ election, a prelude to what could be seen on the actual date of the poll, August 5, 2020.
The voters and election staff had to wear face masks, wash their hands, get their body temperature checked and then maintain social distancing in the queue and inside the polling booth. The indelible ink was applied using a brush, without any physical contact between the official and the voter. Voters were urged to bring their own writing instrument. Upon exit, the voters’ hands were sanitized again. The polling station and the associated equipment/furniture too were sanitised frequently. There was a team of doctors and nurses too on standby.
This process was repeated at another mock election held yesterday at a makeshift polling station in Horowpathana in the Anuradhapura District. The only difference was that this ‘election’ was conducted in the afternoon, when the voter turnout would be low under normal circumstances.
But then, these are not normal circumstances by any means. These are extraordinary circumstances which call for an extraordinary response. However, life too has to go on despite the emergence of a deadly and invisible pathogen that has claimed more than 400,000 lives worldwide. This was the rationale behind the Government’s decision to gradually open the country to everyday social and business activity. So far, we have succeeded in keeping the Coronavirus at bay among the greater community, thanks to the heroic efforts of health personnel, Security Forces personnel and essential services personnel under the guidance of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and the rest of the Government.
But opening does not mean that we can basically go back to our previous lifestyles. Hence, the term ‘New Normal’ to denote life under the shadow of the Coronavirus. Health experts say that we will have to wear face masks, observe hand hygiene and follow social distancing norms at least for two more years, until a viable vaccine becomes available.
But democracy cannot lie idle for two or more years until the Coronavirus threat fades away. In fact, EC Chairman Deshapriya alluded to this saying that any unnecessary delay in holding elections may lead to trends that run counter to our cherished democratic ideals. The initial delay in holding the election was inevitable, given the imperative need to contain the Coronavirus contagion, but any further delay will not be healthy in more ways than one. It had been postponed twice already (April 25 and June 20), depriving the public of the opportunity to elect their representatives on time.
Thus the mock elections have demonstrated that it is possible to hold elections while observing all the health and safety guidelines recommended by the Director General of Health Services, which have been published widely in the newspapers. These cover the entire gamut of polls operations from polling to counting and the best practices as in some of the recent elections held in countries such as South Korea. The next few mock polls to be held in several districts will help the EC to find out any shortcomings and fine tune the ‘new normal’ electoral process.
In fact, the election held in South Korea was the most successful one ever held in that country as all voters and officials strictly adhered to the health guidelines publicised in advance. There were no reports of any Coronavirus spikes as a result of the poll. Since then, several other countries have used South Korea as a model to plan or conduct elections.
As several political analysts have noted, this is not the first time that Sri Lankans will be voting under trying circumstances. No Sri Lankan Government halted polls during the 30-year-war against terrorism. The polls were even held in the LTTE-dominated North, albeit on a limited scale and some people braved LTTE threats to cast their vote. The 1989 election was held in the midst of the Southern insurgency amidst many threats against candidates and voters. Yet, many voters braved the risks and went to the polling booths. Such is the faith of Sri Lankans in the franchise.
Granted, this is an altogether different challenge – the only difference being that we are not alone this time. The entire world has been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic, so we are all in this together. But worldwide, both governments and people have realised that the Covid-19 virus must not be allowed to take over lives and dictate terms to us.
This is especially so with regard to our cherished democratic traditions. We risk sliding into anarchy the moment we neglect our democratic institutions and traditions for whatever reason. To its credit, the Government insisted throughout that elections must be held as soon as possible, even though no one would have blamed it if it cited the Coronavirus pandemic as a reason and delayed the election. That it chose to hold the election without any undue delay augurs well for democracy and the franchise. The credit must go to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had always argued the need for a strong Parliament to take his vision and program forward. This will be the ultimate victory for democracy and Sri Lanka’s plans to fight the Covid-19 pandemic with even more vigour and determination.