Independent Liberal candidacies

Given the above factors, the Liberal Party decided a couple of years ago that it was best to stand for election on its own, and attempt to build up a party that could advance liberalism direct instead of being dependent on others. In accordance with this view it put forward lists in several Districts at the Provincial Council elections that took place in early 1999. Though it won no seats, it obtained a few votes in each electorate, and the Party Executive decided therefore to put forward a candidate of its own for the Presidential election that was held in December 1999, in the person of Prof Rajiva Wijesinha, President of the Party, who had become leader after Dr Amaratunga’s demise.

This proved in the end a very satisfactory decision in that it ensured that the Party once more became known as an active national party. Though the entire expenditure for the election was less than Rs 200,000 (US $ 3000), which was about the cost of the full page colour advertisements placed in profusion by the major party candidates, the Liberal Party came 6th out of 15 candidates, and did better than more established politicians. It came 3rd, after the two major parties, in some minority areas, and 4th in many others, behind the two major parties and the JVP. Though the gap between it and those 3 parties is very large, it has established itself as the only party to have done substantially better than expected, and this may contribute to its being seen as a reasonable prospect for the future.

In one sense the theoretical need for liberalism no longer needs to be argued, since both major parties accept that an open economy is a necessity, and that this must be must be accompanied by openness and competition. The maintenance of democratic norms and the need for devolution are also widely accepted. Strengthening of fundamantal rights and justiciability and the importance of independent institutions are also advocated more prominently than in the days when it was assumed that everything had to be subordinate to whatever political dispensation ruled.

At the same time the acceptance of such ideas by politicians who are still accustomed to the unbridled powers of the past is noticeably precarious. The reduction of the overweening powers of Jayewardene’s Executive Presidency is promised but postponed. Recently there was talk of another referendum to extend the life of parliament and, even though the President declared that she would not countenance this, there are those in her party, as well as renegades from the UNP, who see nothing wrong with such practices.

Similarly, neither major party seems to have understood the need to limit the role of the state in social, educational and cultural activity. What should be a safety net was turned in the socialist heyday into monopolistic control, and the opportunities for patronage this offers are too useful for politicians to abandon them. In this regard the liberal insistence on maximizing choice has to be stressed much more.

Current Liberal priorities

Meeting with Kim Dae Jung, President of South Korea

The Liberal Party accordingly recognizes the need for even more concerted activity than in the past to convey its message. Now that, following the Presidential election, it has got rid of its old image of being an elitist group that was incapable of contesting elections on its own, it can put forward ideas with much more confidence. In this regard it plans a series of weekly articles on constitutional reform, which it trusts will contribute to the discussion the government has reopened with regard to its own package of changes.

Areas it has concentrated in this respect include institutionalization of a separation of powers, with a clear-cut devolution of power on the basis of the principle of Subsidiarity. At the same time it proposes a strengthening of regional power at the centre through the creation of a second chamber elected on a provincial basis. Fixed terms for the executive and the legislature, and a constitutional limit to the number of cabinet members are also suggested.

The strengthening of Civil Society is also necessary. In this regard the Liberal Party has proposed a very thorough programme of media reform which will enshrine the principle that the state has no role to play in the control of public information, and should have only limited powers with regard to dissemination. The socialist assumption that information needs to be controlled is still strong in both major parties, especially when they hold the reins of power.

The independence of the judiciary and the acceptance of judicial review of legislation as a fundamental principle also need to be pursued. An independent public service has to be established, together with provision for special commissions such as the one against Corruption that was set up in Hong Kong. For all this it will be necessary to have an appointing agency that is based on a bipartisan approach. The acceptance of such principles again demands rejection of the centralizing tendency that was so marked in previous exercises in constitution making. Given that most politicians now active came to maturity when that tendency was unquestioned, and given that most young people grew up in a climate that encouraged nothing else, it is education at all levels that is perhaps the most important role of the Liberal Party now.

In this regard, the Party has begun to set up Provincial branches, and hopes to engage in a series of workshops designed to enlighten young people nationwide. In this respect it has gained useful experience in that it conducted workshops on Liberalism for the FNS in India, Pakistan and Nepal, and has assisted with the establishment of a Liberal Forum in Pakistan. The Party also produced a book entitled ‘Liberal Values for South Asia’, which is recognized, largely due to the seminal contributions of Chanaka Amaratunga, as an invaluable handbook for the region with regard to the enduring appeal of liberalism in the South Asian context. When the principles enunciated there gain wider provenance, it will be possible to hope for more coherent solutions to the various problems with which we are now beset.