News
Socialist Alliance demands PC polls
The Socialist Alliance (SA) has slammed the NPP over further delaying the Provincial Council polls.
The following is the text of the statement issued by Communist Party General Secretary, Dr. G.Weerasinghe, on behalf of the SA: “Provincial Council elections have been overdue since 2018, so that government-appointed officials run all nine provincial councils which means the absence of the public accountability, ensured through elected administrations. The prolonged delay has weakened democratic norms and transparency in governance, increased bureaucratic inefficiency, and contributed to social unrest, especially in regions dependent on Provincial Council-led services.
The National People’s Power (NPP) government continues to delay the long-overdue Provincial Council elections, citing incomplete boundary delimitation as the reason. This justification has been used by successive administrations since 2017 to postpone the polls.
The current government, which previously opposed such delays, is now employing the same tactic, raising doubts about its commitment to democratic processes. Legally, the government has viable options to resolve the impasse, such as forming a new committee to finalise boundaries or passing legislation with a simple parliamentary majority to use the old electoral system. Its failure to pursue these avenues suggests a lack of political will to hold the elections.
The Socialist Alliance (which comprised Lanka Sama Samaja Party, Sri Lanka Mahajana Party, Democratic Left Front and Communist Party of Sri Lanka) has always supported the devolution of power through the Provincial Councils. It calls upon the NPP Government to take action immediately to hold the elections, providing the public with a roadmap laying out target dates, including a date for holding the elections.
Further, the Socialist Alliance requested all political parties to come together in demanding the elections for Provincial Councils without any further delays.”
An accountant and a management assistant at the Mullaitivu District Hospital were arrested by the sleuths of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption for allegedly soliciting and accepting a bribe of Rs. 30,000 to release a cheque intended as the March payment for doing the laundry at the hospital.
The arrests were made at the Hospital’s Accounts Division on 18 April
Acting on a complaint lodged by a businessman in the Mullaitivu area, the CIABOC officers arrested the suspects.
UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has turned down SJB leader Sajith Premadasa’s invitation for his party to join the SJB-led May Day rally at P.D. Sirisena ground.
On behalf of the UNP, its General Secretary and former MP Thalatha Atukorale has issued a letter explaining their decision not to join the rally.
Atukorale has said that as May Day falls on a Poya Day this year, the UNP has previously decided to dedicate the day to religious observances.
She has recalled that during his tenure as Prime Minister, the late Ranasinghe Premadasa emphasised that it was inappropriate to engage in political activities when May Day coincided with a Poya Day.
Accordingly, she informed the SJB leadership that the UNP would not be able to participate in the May Day rally organized by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya or any other political party.
A nursing mother has been remanded by the Mallakam Magistrate’s Court over a land dispute following a complaint lodged by independent Jaffna MP Dr Archchuna Ramanathan, who was filmed brandishing a firearm during a confrontation with residents.
The incident took place on Saturday in the Periyavilan area, within the Ilavalai Police Division, on land claimed by the MP as ancestral property. According to Ramanathan, he had entered the plot to carry out clearing work when he was confronted by local residents who opposed his presence, alleging encroachment and disputing his actions, Tamil Guardian reported.
Eyewitness accounts and widely circulated video footage show a heated altercation between the MP and a group that included several women. During the confrontation, Ramanathan produced a handgun, reportedly issued by the Ministry of Defence for personal protection, an act that has drawn sharp criticism given the civilian nature of the dispute and the absence of firearms among those present.
Despite the presence of multiple individuals at the scene, it was a woman, identified in court as the mother of a one-year-old child, who was arrested after Ramanathan filed a complaint with Ilavalai Police. She was subsequently produced before the Mallakam Magistrate’s Court, which ordered her remanded until April 29.
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