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Campaigning for votes on ethnic lines will backfire: CaFFE

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14 January 2018 11:20 pm - 4     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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Political parties had not understood the new mixed electoral system properly, election watchdog Campaign For Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) Executive Director Keerthi Thennakoon said today.

He told the Daily Mirror that in many areas politicians had resorted inciting communal feelings ignoring the composition of the population in their respective wards, as they had done during the previous elections, which were conducted under the Proportional Representation (PR) system.

"Those days they exploited the communal feelings as they wanted to attract voters of their community from all over the respective local government area or the district, whereas now they have to address all communities in the respective wards, which is good in a reconciliation perspective," he stated.

Tennakoon said that his organisation has initiated an awareness programme around the country to educate the candidates contesting the local government elections scheduled to be held on February 10 on the new electoral system.

Some candidates in the north could face repercussions of using the LTTE propaganda materials in their election campaigns, such as the songs used by the LTTE in their propaganda activities.

"Their campaign will be hampered if one candidate is arrested on the grounds that the LTTE propaganda materials they are using are illegal," he stated.

He added that apart from the SLFP which had played LTTE songs at a meeting in Jaffna last Thursday, several other political parties, as well as independent groups, had been using LTTE songs and slogans in their meeting in Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu Districts, just to exploit the feelings of the LTTE sympathisers among Tamils in those areas.


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  Comments - 4

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  • Voter Monday, 15 January 2018 08:15 AM

    So, why don't you throw water on the backs and put out the fire?

    SN Monday, 15 January 2018 09:21 AM

    Do you have a list of those contesting who are backed by MEDIA?

    BuffaloaCitizen Monday, 15 January 2018 09:22 AM

    Those songs are being used due to failure of the Government (which is Sinhalese) to bring into effect a political solution to the issues of the north. The same restraint is used by southern politicians denying giving a solution to the north which is again a vote puller with the Sinhalese voter. How many people and wars do we need to fight b4 we realize to respect each other and bring in legislations that enables the same?

    Sangaralingham Monday, 15 January 2018 09:49 AM

    Think look analyse know the candidate vote for the right man /woman who is honest truthful socially respectful not known to be in trouble with rest of the society respectful to all citizen has good background trustworthy


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