Vote buying. Bribery. Corruption. Practices that have become commonplace in our democracy and our electoral processes. Practices that have increased with intensity rather than reduced. This being my 7th Parliamentary election, I have witnessed over time how it has evolved...(1) 
...with vigor and effectively eroded not just the principles and established practices of how voters chose their representatives, but also led to poor governance in all our levels of government...(2)
I am fed up and frustrated. My district of Batticaloa is one of the poorest in the country with a populace that has been ravaged by civil wars and natural disasters alike. (3)
My people are vulnerable, as many live below the poverty line and are in desperate need of socioeconomic development. It is unto us, as elected legislators to ensure cohesive, sustainable enrichment of their lives with accountability and responsibility. (4)
Every election, we see these innocent people being used as pawns, and their rights manipulated for the benefits of others. (5)
This election is no different, in fact it’s much worse. In my own experiences in Batticaloa especially over the last few days, as campaigning has now officially commenced, innocent people who are struggling in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic are victims at the hands...(6)
of those candidates who have garnered ill-gotten wealth and are going to great lengths to shower them overtly in plain sight with handouts, bribes and other perks in an effort to manipulate their rights. (7)
So much so, that it is now becoming an expected norm by the public: “you have to give to get.”
I have not and will never stoop to that level. (8)
I have not and will never stoop to that level. (8)
What’s worse is that despite the numerous complaints I have made just in the last three days to the police, Election Commission, election watchdogs and others, NO TIMELY ACTION IS TAKEN. (9)
This is unsurprising, as it was only last week that I received a call from the police who were following up for the first time on a complaint I had filed with the CID regarding an election offense against me during the Local Elections in December 2017! (10)
This election may well be my last, and I fear for the precedent this sets for our future generations which is why why I felt the need to speak up. (11)
People need to understand that when a candidate chooses to pay for support rather than compete fairly, what’s to stop them from using that same strategy in other areas of governance? (12)
Further, this almost always results in the candidate with the deepest pockets winning an election, rather than those who can best serve their constituents. (13)
This is detrimental to our entire system and our future, as it deters aspiring leaders from running for office because it suggests that money, rather than ideas, qualifications or experience, is how to win an election. (14)
We reap what we sow, and if this culture of impunity against the right of franchise of the people by undesirable elements who vie for power and glory goes unchecked, then us proudly claiming that we live in the oldest democracy in Asia is a reflection of...(15)
...our collective ignorance and incapacity to comprehend that we have already failed as a state.
With an election around the corner, let us use this golden opportunity to salvage and safeguard what’s left of our democracy. (16)
With an election around the corner, let us use this golden opportunity to salvage and safeguard what’s left of our democracy. (16)
I hereby pledge that I will not engage in vote-buying, bribery and corruption in any shape or form for the course of my candidacy in this General Election, and if elected shall continue to do the same in Parliament as I have done throughout my years in my public life. (17)
I plead to the public to hold me accountable to my plans, ideas and aspirations to what I can do for you and to the service I have rendered to you, rather than what I can give you in the midst of this election. (18)
I wish to call on my fellow candidates in Batticaloa and all over Sri Lanka to do the same, for our authorities to strive further towards preserving the integrity of our electoral process, and for you all to please join me in this call to #PreserveDemocracy in Sri Lanka!
