| 8 September 2010 |
| Bishops want politicians to set code of conduct |
COLOMBO (APEN) – A group of Catholic and Anglican bishops has urged the political leaders to set a “self-imposed code of conduct, especially as we approach a general election.”
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According to an official announcement here, elections to the 225-member Sri Lankan parliament would be held on 8 April.
In a statement, “Post presidential election realities,” six bishops said that it is “bad practice” after the elections to intimidate and harass candidates, their supporters, and the media people who have expressed their views.
The bishops urged Mr Mahenda Rajapaksha, the new president elected on 26 January, and all political, civil society and religious leaders “to set the standard in healing tensions and ensuring justice and protection for all.”
They urged the newly elected president, the cabinet and the opposition to focus on political devolution, good governance, media freedom, economic development, equal rights for the vulnerable, independence of judiciary and poverty alleviation.
The bishops expressed concern over the huge amount of money spent for the election campaigning.
“This raises ethical questions of leadership qualities in a country striving to eliminate poverty and bring justice…,” the bishops noted in the statement.
They voiced concern over the rewards and punishments for “certain styles of political behavior” during the election, which they felt could “undermine good governance.”
The 8 February statement by the bishops was issued in the background of possible general election-related violence in the country.
The statement has mentioned about the “willful violation of electoral laws which sadly demonstrated that might is right.”
Election-related violence is common place in the country. More than 1,000 cases of violence were reported before and after the presidential elections.
The statement was signed by the Anglican bishops Kumara Illangasinghe of Kurunagela and Duleep de Chickera of Colombo, Catholic bishops Thomas Savundaranaygam of Jaffna, Rayappa Joseph of Mannar, Joseph Kingsley Swampillai of Trincmallee, Batticaloa, and Norbert Andradi of Anuradhapura.
The statement has noted that people in some Tamil area could not vote due to lack of transport.
Those who could vote but did not vote could be an indication of “lack of confidence in an electoral contest…which offered little in terms of the problems faced by Tamils,” the bishops said and added that, “Their silence may be seen as a clear message that their expectations were not being addressed.”
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