Sri Lanka’s poll monitors concerned over misuse of public resources by president’s group

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Nadishani Perera, Executive Director of TISL (centre) addressing the media in Colombo Friday (September 6, 2024) -EN

COLOMBO – Local election monitors in Sri Lanka have raised concerns over the misuse of state resources by the current president’s independent group during the campaign for the 2024 presidential election and urge the Election Commission to take “decisive action” to halt such violations and uphold the “integrity of the election process”.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is contesting as an independent candidate at the September 21 election in a broader coalition and the current ruling party, has control of most of the state institutions.

Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL), a local arm of Transparency International, said it had identified alarming instances where government vehicles, including those of the state-owned Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) and the Sri Lanka Air Force, have been used for election campaigning.

It also said that reports have surfaced of public officers, including those in senior categories who have only limited political rights, actively campaigning for political parties both in person and on social media.

The TISL has lodged complaints with the Election Commission (EC) and the respective heads of government institutions, calling for the reconsideration of deploying such officers for election duties.

“The recent decisions to write off crop loans for farmers and integrate school development officers into the teaching service are concerning,” Nadishani Perera, Executive Director of TISL told reporters in Colombo on Friday (6).

“While we support benefits reaching the people, announcing them during an election period in a way that favours certain candidates is an abuse of entrusted power,” she said.

“Citizens need to remain vigilant and not let their votes be manipulated or bought. To the candidates we say, your actions now will demonstrate the type of leader you will be if elected. People are watching.”

President Wickremesinghe, who had a tight grip on the economy to ensure recovery from an unprecedented economic crisis, has written off crop loans and promised salary hikes for state employees before the ongoing postal votes.

“The citizens’ ability to live with dignity, enjoy rights and freedoms, ensure economic stability, and secure their future all depend on a free and fair election,” Perera said.

“This is the citizens’ opportunity to elect their representatives to make critical decisions for the next five years. They must be allowed to do so without interference.”

Professor Arjuna Parakrama, Chief Operating Officer at the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) said there are a number of conflicts of interest because President Wickremesinghe has been making some decisions while he is also contesting in the upcoming poll.

He criticized the appointment of former Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara and Minister of Tourism Harin Fernando as advisors for the same ministries they had been handling before the Supreme Court ruling last month.

“They are now functioning as unofficial ministers and misusing state resources for the presidential elections,” Parakrama told reporters at a media briefing in Colombo on Friday..

“The salary increase has been done for 16 state sector services and the military. But the issue is the same government two weeks before told some protesting state sector employees that it does not have money to raise salaries. But they announced increments a day before the postal vote started,” he noted.

-economynext.com

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