Text and picture by PRIYAN DE SILVA

The Coalition for Democratic and Inclusive Elections (CODI) held a meeting between heads of Election Monitoring missions and leading trade unionists to prevent the misuse of state resources for campaigning at the forthcoming LG poll,

Heads of the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), Campaign for a Free and Free Elections (CaFFE), People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL), Institute for Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES) and Mothers and Daughters of Lanka (MDL) met with over fifty leaders of powerful trade unions in the country at the Renuka City Hotel on Tuesday (24) morning.

The objective of the meeting was to encourage the trade unions to act as whistleblowers whenever state resources are being used for campaigning. The TU leaders said that misuse of state resources for campaigning was inevitable if the local government bodies were functioning and said that it was imperative that the present LG bodies be dissolved immediately.

The Election monitors pointed out that the Election Commission of Sri Lanka by government gazette No 2313/32 of 4th January 2023 had issued

Directions to prevent the misuse of movable or immovable properties belonging to the State, State Corporations or Statutory Boards during the period of an election for the promotion of or in prejudice to any party, group or candidate or obstructing the conduct of the election.

The polls monitors requested the trade unions to inform them together with sufficient evidence if state resources are being misused and reiterated that the Administrative Secretary or the Municipal Commissioner of the local government body would be answerable.

Silja Paasilinna Country Director of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), Udeni Dissanayake (Chairman of the All Ceylon Management Services Officers Association), Dharmasiri Nanayakkara (former Deputy Commissioner of Local Government) Manjula Gajanayake (Executive Director IRES and Convenor CODI), D M Dissanayaka (National Coordinator CMEV), Daya Herath (National Coordinator MDL), Rohana Hettiarachchi (Executive Director PAFFREL), Sankhitha Goonerathne (Deputy Executive Director TISL), Manas Makeen (Executive Director CaFFE) and Harindra Banagala (Director-Legal CaFFE) addressed those present.