Sajith alleges govt. sabotaged meeting at EC

SJB and Opposition Leader, Sajith Premadasa, told Parliament yesterday that the government had prevented the Finance Ministry Secretary from meeting the Elections Commission yesterday morning.

Premadasa said that the government sabotaged the scheduled meeting, claiming that there was a National Security Council (NSC) meeting.

Premadasa said the government’s claim that there had been an NSC meeting was false. He asked how an NSC meeting was held when the President, the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister, were in Parliament.

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardane said that the President had come to Parliament after attending the NSC meeting. “As the Prime Minister, I informed the President that I would not attend the meeting,” the Premier said.

Opposition MP Chandima Weerakkody said a conspiracy to postpone the election was still in progress and the Finance Ministry Secretary had been prevented from attending the meeting with the Elections Commission this morning.

“The Finance Ministry Secretary informed the Elections Commission at the last moment that he could not attend the scheduled meeting as there was a NSC meeting. If there was a serious security issue in the country, how can the President come to Parliament, within half an hour? A conspiracy is being hatched to postpone the election,” MP Weerakkody said.