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SJB General Secretary condemns 20A

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By Saman Indrajith

SJB General Secretary MP Ranjith Maddumabandara yesterday said that the proposed 20th Amendment to the Constitution had started with all signs of dictatorial regime and any one who cherished democratic values should abhor it.

Addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s Office in Colombo, MP Madduma Bandara said that only a very few members of the Cabinet of Ministers had seen the content of the draft bill of the proposed amendment. “Not even the Prime Minister has seen it.

Many ministers do not know what it was about. But they have been forced to pass it. Those are signs of a dictatorship being created. If this is the way the Prime Minister and the ministers of the cabinet are being treated before the 20th Amendment becoming law, we can imagine the way it will be once the amendment becomes the law,” he said.

“The MPs who vote for this bill will do so to prune down their powers themselves. Parliament has the supreme power over public finances. But as per the new laws proposed by the draft bill the parliament will lose those powers and they will be vested with the executive presidency. This bill is an attempt the undermine the powers of the legislature. So the MPs will lose their power. We hope that those in the government ranks will have clear understanding of the repercussions of this bill,” he said.

Kegalle District SJB MP Sujith Sanjaya Perera said: “The SLPP government was formed on a promise of bringing down the cost of living and provide relief to the people. They promised to produce the food needed for the country within this land. Now there is a shortage of fertilizer. Farmers complain of the collapse of their cultivations because of lack of fertilizers. Planters too complain of the fertilizer shortage. Nearly 50 per cent of tea industry has faced the problem. There would be food scarcity very soon. Farmers have no means to work for the next Maha season.”

Gampaha District SJB Member Harshana Rajakaruna displaying a coconut at the press conference said: A coconut is now priced at 100 rupees. A kilo of sugar is 150 rupees, a kilo of rice is sold at Rs 120 and the potato price has increased to 180 rupees a kilo. The cost of living is skyrocketing. Where is the relief package promised to people. That was promised at the presidential election campaign. It is nowhere to be seen.



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Schools closed on 13th and 14th November

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The Ministry of Education has announced that all schools in the island will be closed on 13th and 14th November due to the Parliamentary Election.

 

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Enthusiasm of voters and candidates at low ebb: Polls monitors

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Rohana Hettiarachchi

By Rathindra Kuruwita

More than 8,800 candidates were contesting this year’s general election, but fewer than 1,000 of them were actively campaigning, Rohana Hettiarachchi, Executive Director of the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), said yesterday.

“This low level of enthusiasm reflects the strain on political parties which have had to contest elections one after the other,” Hettiarachchi said, noting that voters themselves seemed less enthusiastic about the election. “There is significant disillusionment with traditional parties. Additionally, with campaign finance laws now in place, questionable individuals and entities are restricted from injecting money, leading many big spenders from previous elections to withdraw,” he said.

Although hundreds of political parties and independent groups were contesting and are allowed to establish around 600,000 campaign offices, only about 9,200 offices have been set up, Hettiarachchi added.

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SC halts Magistrate’s orders on release of unregistered jumbos

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…assumes jurisdiction over case

By A. J. A. Abeynayake

The Supreme Court issued an order yesterday (07) directing the immediate transfer of a case regarding the possession of several unregistered elephants from the Colombo Additional Magistrate’s Court to its own jurisdiction.

The Supreme Court also instructed the Magistrate’s Court not to take any further steps concerning the case. Additionally, it issued a stay order on all directives given by the Magistrate’s Court regarding the case filed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) until the conclusion of its examination of the related petitions.

This ruling was made by a Supreme Court bench, comprising Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and Justice Arjuna Obeysekere, in response to submissions by President’s Counsel Sanjeeva Jayawardena, who argued that the previous order issued by an Colombo Additional Magistrate’s Court, allowing the release of illegally held elephants back to the individuals in possession of them was unlawful.

The Centre for Environmental and Cultural Studies and several other parties had previously filed the case, which was called for hearing yesterday (07).

President’s Counsel Sanjeeva Jayawardena also brought to the notice of the Supreme Court that despite an order from the Court of Appeal preventing the release of elephants held by the Department of Wildlife in connection with this case, the Magistrate’s Court had recently issued an order releasing the elephants back to the individuals in possession of them.

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