Manipulation possible?

By Rajasingham Jayadevan

(February 02, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) BBC news ‘Computer manipulation 'impossible' is appended below. Will the BBC investigate the story that some soldiers held the Election Commission staff under siege for six hours to doctor the results in favour of the President? This revelation is coming from a relative of a staff held in captivity by the soldiers.

Sri Lanka even used its paid experts to ridicule the killings of Tamils exposed by the Channel 4 television.

When serious allegations are made on the outcome of the election, it is expected a transparent investigation is undertaken without indulging in a vindictive mission to suppress the voice of the people.

Dr Ruwan Weerasinghe! If (subject to) the above claim is true, isn’t it correct to assume that the guns are more powerful to abuse the controls you have put in place to produce honest results. The system you have put in place is only good for the government machinery that values good governance. In the militaristic democracy of Sri Lanka anything is possible.

BBC News : Computer manipulation 'impossible'

The computer expert who was involved in presenting the final results in the recently concluded presidential polls has categorically rejected the accusations that the count was rigged using the latest technology.

Dr. Ruwan Weerasinghe, Director of the School of Computing, University of Colombo, told BBC Sandeshaya that the results were entered to the computer system after several verifications and cross checking.

"There were about 25,000 polling stations in Sri Lanka. The results from these centres are brought to about 880 counting centres," Dr. Weerasinghe said.

"Hand counted results from these centres are faxed to the commissioner of elections after the polling agents sign the results, the count is supervised and signed off by agents from political parties,” he added.

'Unbiased organisation'

The Director also said that the results are checked again before they are entered to the computer.

"We have a reputation of being an unbiased organisation,” he said.

He was responding to allegations by the main opposition that results of the election were manipulated using computer technology.

The School of Computing, University of Colombo was in charge of computerising the result of 26 January presidential elections.

Spokesman for main opposition candidate Gen Sarath Fonseka, Mangala Samaraweera, MP, has told media that it was the first time in the world that computer technology has been used to rig elections.

Dr. Vickramabahu Karunaratne, the candidate for the Left Front, echoed similar accusations.

"It was a computer conspiracy that involved senior officers and computer specials," he told journalists on Sunday.

But Dr. Weerasinghe says rigging the result of an election using computer technology, after such checks and balances, is almost impossible in Sri Lanka.