Negombo: religions together against hatred and corruption in the administrative vote

Ahead of the local council elections on 9 March, the local interreligious committee appealed for religious and ethnic affiliations not to be used as an instrument of division. 'Let us together promote respect for popular sovereignty in Sri Lanka'.

Negombo (Asia News) - Religious and ethnic affiliation in the election campaign should be used not to divide society, but to create a clean and corruption-free political process, promoting harmony. This is the appeal made by the Negombo Regional Interfaith Committee ahead of the local elections set by the Colombo government for 9 March next, the first political appointment in Sri Lanka since the protests that led to the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa last summer.

With one month to go before this deadline, the Committee organised an awareness conference at the Indira Festival Hall in Negombo attended by Christian and Muslim leaders, civil society leaders and election candidates.

"These elections will be a test for the sovereignty of the people in the country. They must not be postponed for any reason and must be held according to the law,' warned Rohana Hettiarchchi, executive director of People's Action for Free and Fair Elections.

"Rulers,' he added, 'always want to make laws to maintain their power. But when these laws challenge popular sovereignty, people have the right to oppose them. There is no law against it."

Finally, Rohana Hettiarchchi emphasised the responsibility of religious leaders to prevent corruption and to awaken and motivate people to use their vote.

Nirmala Fernando, one of the candidates for the Negombo City Council, emphasised how this district where all religions and nationalities are represented can set an example for the whole of Sri Lanka. "Without influencing any political party,'" she added, "it is the responsibility of all religious leaders to help citizens vote responsibly."

For his part, Pastor Kusumsiri, who attended the event, recalled how the very relationships built over time between Christians and Muslims in Negombo prevented mass unrest and further killings during the days of the Easter 2019 attacks. "If Muslim brothers work with us more closely and come forward, it will be another strength to build harmony," he concluded.