PAFFREL-led civil society asks PM to hold long overdue elections

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena will inaugurate a three-day workshop today (15) for Commissioners and Secretaries of Local Government bodies in the Central and Sabaragamuwa Province at the Sri Lanka Institute of Local Governance.

According to a media release issued by the institute about 65 officials are scheduled to attend the programme. State Minister in charge of the subject Janaka Wakkumbura will attend the opening ceremony scheduled to take place at 8.30 am.

The institute said that the programme was meant to educate officials to cope with the absence of elected members due to the indefinite postponement of LG polls.

PAFFREL Chief Rohana Hetticrachchi told The Island that instead of workshops, the government should conduct long overdue LG polls.The civil society representative said that the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government couldn’t indefinitely put off the LG election.

Referring to workshops held for LG officials in other provinces a few months ago, Hettiarachchi said that the government should be actually ashamed to have put off polls regardless of the Supreme Court directive issued in March this year.

Supreme Court on March 3 issued an interim order to the Finance Secretary and the Attorney General who represent the Finance Minister preventing them from withholding any funds earmarked for the 2023 Local Government elections through the budget passed by Parliament. This order was made after the consideration of a fundamental rights petition filed by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) General Secretary MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara.

Hettiarachchi said that PAFFREL, in a letter dated Nov 27, 2023, urged Premier Gunawardena to release funds required to conduct LG polls.Pointing out that the government has allocated a staggering Rs 243 bn for a high profile social justice project, Hettiarachchi has asked why Rs 9 bn couldn’t be released for LG polls as Rs 1 bn was already spent.

Hetticiarachchi pointed out that if LG polls weren’t held as much as Rs 1 bn would be lost. PAFREL said that if such huge amount of funds were squandered the government should explain who would take responsibility for that loss (SF)