News
March 09 poll in the balance: Opp slams Govt. Printer, Treasury Secy. for not cooperating with EC
Nidahas Janatha Sandhanaya spokesman Prof G. L. Peiris, MP, yesterday (15) urged the Election Commission (EC) to summon Government Printer Gangani Liyanage over her refusal to cooperate with the independent commission.
Alleging that the Government Printer had deliberately undermined the conduct of Local Government polls on March 09, the former External Affairs Minister stressed that Liyanage owed an explanation. Prof. Peiris said so addressing the media at Nawala.
Prof. Peiris said that the Government Printer’s sudden declaration that she wouldn’t undertake printing until her department received the full payment should be examined against the backdrop of the assurance given by the EC to the Supreme Court that Local Government poll would be held as scheduled.
The former minister lambasted Finance Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana for depriving the EC of funds required to conduct the election. Stressing the responsibility on the part of relevant government officials to cooperate with the EC, Prof. Peiris questioned the rationale in Secretary to the Treasury refusing to release funds in spite of this year’s budget allocating Rs 10 bn for the EC.
Referring to earlier attempt made by Public Administration Secretary Neil Bandara Hapuhinna to interfere with electoral process, Prof. Peiris pointed out that SJB Mayoral candidate for Colombo Municipal Council Mujibur Rahuman recently moved court against Hapuhinna.
Meanwhile, at the meeting convened by the EC on Tuesday (14 February) morning to inform secretaries of political parties contesting LG poll, EC Chairman Nimal Punchihewa expressed concerns relating to holding the election as expected due to financial constraints. Punchihewa has said that the Government Printer has informed him in writing she was unable to continue printing of the ballot papers due to the lack of funds. Most of the participants present expressed their displeasure over the attempts made by the government to disrupt the election.
It was pointed out by many party leaders that the Election Commission has the necessary powers to conduct the election even if the government tries to stop the election by influencing various agencies that come under it, namely, the Finance Ministry, Government Printing Department and Police. It was even suggested that the finance secretary and the government printer be summoned by the Commission and questioned as to their lackadaisical approach and even to take legal action against them.
When the possibility of utilising the deposits made by the political parties towards the conduct of election was raised, it was revealed that 186 million rupees was collected as deposits and that has been dispatched to the treasury.
By Priyan de Silva
The Election Commission (ECSL) has opposed a move by the government to appoint representatives of the Chairpersons of the Regional Development Committee to monitor local government institutions.
ECSL Chairman Nimal G. Punchihewa told The Island that the government had informed the ECSL of its plan to appoint representatives of the Chairpersons of the Regional Development Committee to monitor the local government bodies and the ECSL had decided to write to the Ministry of Local Government opposing the move, he said. A Chairman of a regional development committee ESD a representative of a particular political party and it would be unfair by other parties for such appointments to be made, the EC Chairman said.
Punchihewa said that the administration of local government institutions could be done through Municipal Commissioners and Divisional Secretaries.Many political parties had complained against the government move, he said.
By Saman Indrajith
The JVP would file a fresh application before the Supreme Court against the government for not holding the local council polls, JVP MP Vijitha Herath said yesterday.Addressing the media at the party headquarters in Pelawatte, Herath said that his party had ascertained fresh information by invoking the Right to Information Act about the funds needed for the holding of the elections and his party would file another fundamental rights case against those responsible for conducting elections.
“The LG polls were to be held on 09 March. They were postponed until 25 April, and later they were put off indefinitely. The President appoints Governors to the provinces and the local councils are under them. Now, he says no party commands the support of 50 percent of voters.
Is this reason why he is not holding elections? His claim that there are no funds for elections is not acceptable. The Election Commission (EC) has, in a letter to the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, asked for Rs 1,100 million in installments for conducting local government elections. The Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, on 07 March, informed
the EC that the latter’s request had been referred to the Minister of Finance on the same day. But so far the money has not been released. As per a report released by the Treasury, the government revenue was Rs 177,900 million in January this year alone. Of that amount, Rs 156,760 was allocated to government institutions. The Treasury has Rs 21,410 million. In February, the government revenue was at Rs. 271,750 million and of that Rs. 208,620 million was spent. The balance was Rs 63,130 million. In January and February, the Treasury had Rs 84,270 million. These figures have been officially confirmed by a Deputy Treasury Secretary. The EC is seeking only Rs 2,460 million for elections. So, the claim that there is no money for elections is false as per official records. We will submit this information to the Supreme Court when we file a fresh application. We will prove that the government has lied to people,” Herath said.
SJB mayoral candidate for Colombo Municipal Council Mujibur Rahuman alleges that President Ranil Wickremeisnghe has violated election laws by appointing UNP’s mayoral candidate Rosy Senanayake as the Presidential Advisor on Local Government.
Participating in a talk show hosted by a private TV channel, Rahuman said that Senanayake was a candidate for the delayed local government polls. “She has submitted nominations for the Colombo Municipal Council from the UNP list. It is illegal to appoint a candidate to such a post pending an election. The local council polls have not yet been cancelled and cases pertaining to the holding of elections are in progress,” he said, adding that of all the posts the local government candidate had been given the post of Presidential Advisor on Local Governance.
“More than three months have lapsed since Senanayake stepped down from the Colombo Mayor post, but she is still occupying the Mayor’s Residence. The President says that he is implementing the system change demanded by people. The change he is actually doing is giving appointments to his cronies. Is it the change the people expected,” Rahuman queried.
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