Chanaka Bandarage

The essence of democracy is that representatives are elected by the people.

If those who are rejected by the public in the election are later allowed to sit as MPs in the parliament through the National List, that will be directly in conflict with the concept of democracy. Effectively, it is  making a mockery of our democracy.

People did not vote for them because they did not like them. Sometimes, people wanted to punish them.

Once people have stated ‘No’, that should be the end of it.

Then, why should the defeated candidates be allowed to enter the parliament?

This provision creates an unhealthy environment. It is a fertile ground for mischief. By vying for the available MP spot/s, lots of corruption/bribery, violence, and other vices can take place.

Notorious thugs, corruptors, cheats, and drug peddlers can enter the parliament this way.

Allowing those who are rejected by the people to come to the parliament through the backdoor is a slap in the face of the voters.

Voters can get extremely dejected thinking that their vote has no value.

Surely Sri Lanka must be the only country in the world where defeated candidates can come to the parliament through a (dubious) National List.

Through this election the whole world is impressed with us. We have shown to the world that we are an advanced society – an achievement even the developed world could not achieve. So, why we now add a smidgeon of dung to our pot of fresh milk?

The honourable thing for the Defeated candidates to do is to withdraw their candidature for the National List MP positions. 

The Election Commission is bound by laws. Surely, it has made the ruling upon reviewing the prevailing laws and perhaps case law.

Thus, one cannot criticise them/Courts.

This is an area where the law needs amendment.

Over to the new Government!

Re. the National List – this is fundamentally contrary to the principles of democracy. No matter how educated or clever a person is, if they want to enter the parliament, they must come by the pubic ballot. This is the universal principle of democracy (Westminster style). In the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, Singapore and Malaysia; they do not have a National List.

Since the National List was introduced in 1988, there have been hundreds of such MPs. How many have made substantial contributions to the country? Only a handful.

There are 29 National List MPs – over 8% of the total MPs. This is far too many.

In the next (22^nd) Amendment to the Constitution, steps must be taken to abolish the extremely undemocratic National List.