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Socialist Alliance asks Prime Minister to call for early PC elections

Published

5 years ago

2021/01/31

The Socialist Alliance has urged Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to hold the Provincial Council (PC) polls without further delay.

The Uva and Southern PC elections have been delayed by more than a year. The Northern and North Western PC polls should have been held two years ago, while elections to the Eastern, North Central & Sabaragamuwa PCs are overdue by three years, leaders of the Socialist Alliance, Prof. Tissa Vitarana (LSSP), Dr. G. Weerasinghe (SLCP), Vasudewa Nanayakkara (DLF), Asanka Nawarathne (SLMP) and D. Kalansooriya (DVJP) said in representations made to the premier.

These are a blatant violation of the conditions laid down for the conduct of the PC elections by the Election Commission in terms of the gazette notification dated January 29, 1988 (Provincial Councils Elections Act, No. 2 of 1988). According to the Act, it is mandatory that the process of holding the PC election should start within one week of the dissolution of any PC and be concluded in about two months, the Alliance said in a letter to the Prime Minister.

This gross violation of the Provincial Council Election Act was deliberately committed by the UNP led ‘Yahapalana’ government. In 2017, the previous government moved an amendment to the Provincial Council Act to enable them to delay the holding of the PC election. The active support of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) was received for this ‘undemocratic act’, it said.

With the victory of Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the November 2019 Presidential Election and the near two-third majority secured soon after by the SLPP to form a government, the expectation was that steps would be taken to have the PC elections soon. This was especially after the safe manner in which the General Election was conducted. However, there appears to be reluctance to hold the PC elections despite the fact that there has been considerable delay after they were dissolved, it further said.

On the basis of the Dinesh Gunawardena Committee Report, one of the reasons given for the delay was the introduction of the mixed electoral system where 70% of the elected representatives were to be chosen on an individual electorate basis, while the balance 30% would be selected on a proportional basis. Some people claim there would be a delay in the process due to delimitation problems, it noted.

But a large number of political parties and the public, including the organization of former representatives of the PCs, have been strongly agitating for early elections to be held. This delay on the part of the government has led to much distraction and criticism by all these organizations, it added.

The letter further said: “Many of these organizations have demanded that the elections should go ahead, if delays are due to the new laws, even on the basis of the earlier proportional representation system, which will have to be re-introduced. There are others who do not want the PC elections to be held until after the introduction of the new Constitution. This is in spite of the legal requirement that the elections have to be held early, within about two months after dissolution.

“There are also some concerns regarding the nature of the new Constitution and the possibility of not holding PC elections or even getting rid of the system altogether. The Left parties, grouped together as the Socialist Alliance, oppose these arguments and takes a firm stand for the holding of the PC election as soon as possible. Even at the time when the JVP threatened to kill the first five voters and the candidates who participated in the first PC election, the parties of the Socialist Alliance defied these threats and went ahead and contested and also voted.

“The members of the Socialist Alliance have stood firm behind the demand for holding PC elections since then as an important step towards protecting the democratic rights of the people.

“The Socialist Alliance wanted the democratic process at the provincial level to be extended by holding elections not only at the level of local government, but also by restoring the Village Council (Grama Sabha) system. Further, the establishment of the PC system with the devolution of power also satisfied the people of the North and the East. This has reduced their movement for separation. The movement within the Tamil-speaking people to have adequate devolution within a unitary state has gathered momentum. Extremist views have fallen to some extent. These satisfactory trends have helped to remove the false notion that devolution would pave the way for separation.

“Another reason given by some for postponing the PC election is the Covid-19 pandemic. This view has been repudiated by the Election Commission. The successful holding of the General Election too has supported this point of view. The government has also called for a return to near normalcy and named it “New normal situation”. The people in general are unhappy with the dominance of the bureaucracy in the public sector due to the non-functioning of the PCs.

“Some bureaucrats not only neglect the people but also abuse the uncontrolled power they have acquired. The claim that bringing back the PCs would add to the economic burden to the country is without any foundation as the expenditure incurred by the elected representatives is estimated to add only about 1% to the total cost. Some members of the Central government try to gain an advantage by not having PCs so that they could abuse those powers as well.

“Under the circumstances, the Socialist Alliance strongly supports the holding of early elections to the PCs and demand that the government respects both the democratic rights as well as the welfare needs of the people. The Alliance favors the rapid introduction of the mixed system of elections, but if this is bound to get delayed, we would even support the introduction of the proportional representation voting system”.

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Cabinet Subcommittee on the Development of 25 Technical and Vocational Colleges meets under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister

Published

8 hours ago

2026/07/9

Priyan

The third meeting of the Cabinet Subcommittee appointed to oversee the development of 25 Technical and Vocational Colleges under the Department of Technical Education and Training was held today (09) at the Parliament Complex under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

The meeting focused on the proposed development programme for the 25 Technical and Vocational Colleges as a key step towards expanding access to vocational education, implementing plans to strengthen infrastructure, and creating new pathways for technical and vocational education in Sri Lanka. Members held detailed discussions on the measures required to advance these objectives.

The meeting was attended by the Minister of Ports, Civil Aviation and Energy, Anura Karunathilaka,the Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Planning, Dr. Anil Jayantha, the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, Dr. Upali Pannilage, as well as senior officials from the Ministries of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

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Representatives of the Organization of Professional Associations (OPA) of Sri Lanka meet the Prime Minister

Published

8 hours ago

2026/07/9

Priyan

Representatives of the Organization of Professional Associations (OPA) of Sri Lanka met with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya on Wednesday (08) at the Parliament premises.

During the discussion, the OPA representatives stated that the organization intends to establish a mechanism to provide direct professional advice to members of the public facing issues across various sectors. They also noted that OPA plans to implement special programmes to offer pre-advice and guidance through its member professional associations to people encountering issues in fields such as agriculture, construction, medicine, and law.

The Prime Minister commended the contribution made by professionals towards enhancing professional standards in the country and advancing national development. The Prime Minister further stated that the Government is ready to support efforts aimed at strengthening professionalism and fostering the sense of national service in the country.

The meeting was attended by the President of OPA, Vice President, and other office bearers of the Organization of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

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District Secretaries’ Conference Chaired by the President

Published

8 hours ago

2026/07/9

Priyan

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that the Government plans to allocate a separate contingency fund for every district under the forthcoming Budget, enabling District Secretaries to carry out urgent repairs to bridges, roads and public buildings identified at District Coordination Committee meetings without having to wait for approval from the Central Government.

The President also emphasised that the Government’s foremost priority is to address the basic needs of the people without delay.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake made these remarks while attending the District Secretaries’ Conference held this morning (09) at the Colombo District Secretariat.

The conference was convened with the objective of strengthening coordination among relevant stakeholders to ensure the more efficient and effective delivery of public services, while promoting district-level economic development by discussing local issues and identifying appropriate solutions.

The discussions also focused on reviewing the progress of district development projects, enhancing coordination between ministries and government institutions, identifying issues at the district level, proposing practical solutions, and assigning responsibilities and follow-up actions.

It was further emphasised that, in the interest of public safety, Divisional Secretaries should prevent people from resettling in areas identified as high-risk and refrain from approving basic utility services, including electricity and water, for such locations.

The President also reviewed the progress of efforts to establish a special authority with statutory powers to manage environmentally sensitive land in the Central Hills. It was noted that the relevant draft legislation has already been prepared and that the new authority is expected to commence operations next year.

The President further stressed that resolving the housing issues faced by war-displaced communities remains a Government priority, adding that plans are in place to resettle 13,000 war-displaced families during the coming year.

He also highlighted the need to systematically implement a programme to relocate people living in areas that are repeatedly affected by floods and landslides to safe and secure housing.

The President also drew attention to housing projects that had been initiated in an unplanned manner for various reasons, including political considerations, and subsequently abandoned midway. He stated that the Government intends to conduct a rapid survey to identify only those projects that are genuinely required by the public and implement a housing assistance programme to provide financial support for the completion of those houses.

The President further emphasised the importance of carrying out housing and other construction projects in accordance with a proper planning framework. He pointed out that numerous issues had arisen as a result of unplanned construction in the Southern Province and stressed that development in the Northern and Eastern Provinces should be undertaken in line with a systematic development plan.

He also noted that, while taking public needs into consideration, the Government is focusing on releasing privately owned land currently under the control of military camps. At the same time, attention is being given to making other large tracts of land available for investment. The President further stressed that, when allocating land for cultivation, measures must be taken to safeguard forest reserves and wildlife protection zones.

Reiterating the need for comprehensive public sector reforms to deliver a high-quality public service, the President stated that plans are in place to abolish non-productive institutions in order to improve the efficiency of the public service.

He further noted that steps have already been taken to fill vacancies in essential sectors, including health and education. The President also pointed out that measures are being taken to urgently fill vacancies in the Department of the Government Analyst in order to address delays in the issuance of Government Analyst reports, which have contributed to prison overcrowding.

Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Professor Chandana Abeyratne, Deputy Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Ruwan Senarath, Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Chief of Presidential Staff Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Aloka Bandara, Ministry Secretaries, all District Secretaries, Heads of Departments and other senior government officials were also present.

[PMD]