Elections Commissioner of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Deshapriya has decided to hold the elections for the two local government bodies in war-ravaged Mullativu District on March 24.
Elections Commissioner met with the representatives of political parties today to discuss the elections for the Puthukudiyiruppu and Maritimepattu Pradeshiya Sabhas in the Mullativu District.
The elections for the two local bodies were postponed due to the resettlement programme and the de-mining programme that were continuing in the area. Elections have already been held for the rest of the local government bodies in the Northern Province.
Asked why political parties, particularly the UNP, couldn’t ensure a fair share of nominations to youth and women, the UNPer said that political parties would never address such issues without parliamentary intervention.
Parliamentarian Premadasa alleged that the proposed Local Government Election Amendment Bill had recommended the reduction of the youth representation to 12.5 per cent from the present 40 per cent. Responding to a query by The Island, Premadsa said according to the proposed Bill, those in the age group of 18 to 35 would receive 12.5 per cent of total nominations, while the women would receive a 12.5 per cent share.
Premadasa said that each category should be given a 25 per cent share in nominations. Nothing could be as bad as reducing the youth representation at a time the country needed young blood to take the lead. Asked whether he would raise this issue in parliament, Premadasa said that he intended to move an amendment to the Local Government Election Amendment Bill seeking 25 per cent share of nominations to those in the age group of 18 to 35 and the women.
UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday criticized a move to reduce the representation of the youth in local government bodies.
Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) yesterday accused the police of ignoring Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya’s instructions to provide adequate security in Kolonnawa, resulting in tragedy on polling day.
CaFFE Executive Director Keerthi Tennakoon said Mr. Deshapriya had instructed the Elections DIG to provide adequate security in Kolonnawa after he received several complaints about growing tension in the area.
The instruction sheet sent by the polls chief had said a Colombo District United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) MP was applying undue pressure on voters at several polling stations including Kadulla, Wadulwatte, Jana Sabha, Kelanipura and Kambi Kotuwa on polling day.
Mr. Deshapriya had also instructed the returning officer in the area to take this matter into consideration before the counting. Mr. Tennakoon said the Mulleriyawa tragedy could have been avoided if the instructions given by Mr. Deshapriya were followed.
A UNP spokesperson, speaking to The Island, in the absence of the General Secretary Tissa Attanayake, who has gone abroad, said that the duo have been given seven days time to answer the charges. They have also been accused of ignoring requests by the General Secretary to perform their duties and violating party discipline by their public conduct over the last two months.
However, Southern Provincial Council Member Maithri Gunaratne said that the suspension of Lakthilaka and Pathirana had not been endorsed either by the Advisory Council or the Working Committee and therefore violates the principles of natural justice.
He claimed that the letters had not been signed by Attanayake, who was away in London and was therefore an arbitrary decision taken by UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.Prior to suspension a show cause notice has to be issued, but that has not been done in this instance, Gunaratne noted. He observed that Wickramesinghe has either not understood the party constitution or was being intellectually dishonest. Gunaratne said that it was due to Wickremesinghe’s dictatorial conduct that so many UNPers had crossed over to the government and even he (Gunaratne) had to go to Court.
The UNP’s Chief Organiser for Kotte and WPC member Shiral Lakthillaka and Matara District MP Buddhika Pathirana were suspended from the party yesterday, for allegedly failing to perform their duties and also supporting an independent group during the third phase of the Local Government Polls which concluded on October 8.
When provincial politicians undermine the rule of law
Relative calm prevailed in the 23 Municipal and Urban Councils which went for elections on, apart from the shooting incident in Mulleriyawa, Kolonnawa which took the life of former MP Baratha Lakshman Premachandra.
However large number of election law violations was reported in all areas where the election was held, except two. The biggest election law violators were provincial level politicians who are just entering national politics. Through out the Election Day such individuals including Rohana Dissanayake of Matale, Johnston Fernando and Jayarathne Herath of Kurunegala and Duminda Silva of Colombo, roamed the streets in vehicles with a large number of supporters. Apart from the above mentioned areas such activity could also be seen in Rathnapura, Hambanthota, Galle and Matara.
Vehicle Parades All Around
Although the Department of Elections successfully intervened to stop vehicle parades in Matale and Kurunegala, they were unable to do so in Kolonnawa. Unfortunately one of these illegal vehicle parades was the main cause of the shoot out in Mulleriyawa which lead to the death of Premachandra.
The SLFP-led UPFA secured 21 out of 23 LG bodies at Saturday’s polls while the UNPwon the Colombo Municipal Council and the government ally, the SLMC, secured the Kalmunai MC, where the TNA came second.
The UPFA won the Anuradhapura MC, the Badulla MC, the Dehiwela-Mt. Lavinia MC, the Sri Jayewardenapura Kotte MC, the Moratuwa MC, the Kolonnawa UC, Kotikawatte-the Mulleriyawa Pradeshiya Sabha, the Galle MC, Negombo MC, Gampaha MC, the Hambantota MC, Sooriyawewa PS, the Hambantota PS, the Kandy MC, Kundasale PS, the Kandy Gravets and Gangawatta Korale PS, the Kurunegala MC, the Matale MC, the Matara MC, the Nuwara Eliya MC and the Ratnapura MC.Saturday’s third phase of LG polls covered 23 LG bodies in 13 electoral districts but elections to two LG bodies in the Vanni East were postponed due to landmine clearing operation.
The UPFA secured 250 LG bodies in the first and second phases, TNA 30, UNP 09, SLMC 04,National Congress 02, TULF 02 and Up Country People’s Front (UPFA ally) 01. The JVP failed to secure a single LG body in all three phases.
Led by former WPC member A. J. M. Muzammil, the UNP obtained 101,920 (43.01%) votes to win the CMC. The UPFA polled 77,089 votes (32.53%), while the Democratic People’s Alliance, which received the support of the TNA secured 26,229 votes (11.07%). The SLMC, which contested on its own in spite of being invited by the UPFA to field candidates on the UPFA ticket, managed to obtain 9, 979 votes (4.21%).
Political sources said that an attempt by the UPFA to persuade some of Muzammil’s team to switch allegiance ahead of the Oct. 8 poll failed to materialise. Addressing the UPFA’s final media briefing at the Mahaweli Centre last Wednesday, MP Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene claimed that several UNP candidates would join the UPFA.
The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) said today that the concluded Local Government elections, was not free and fair. Speaking to the Daily Mirror online Executive Director of CaFFE Keerthi Tennakoon said that there was heavy violation of election laws in the run up to the elections. “There was heavy misuse of state property and the law enforcement authorities did not act as was expected. There was also illegal propaganda and campaigning which marred the polls," he said. He went on to note that despite the Department of Elections taking all necessary measures to curb illegal activity during the run up to the elections many politicians flouted the law.
However, he went on to note that overall there was a peaceful atmosphere prevalent during election day, October 8. "Except for the very unfortunate incident that occurred in Mulleriyawa the other parts of the country where the election was held saw a very peaceful atmosphere in the overall context. There were 86 violations of election laws and five reported cases of intimidation and assault but we saw a very peaceful environment in which the voter was not afraid to go to the booth," he said.
Commenting on the shooting that took place in Mulleriyawa today, Tennakoon said this was the boiling point for which there was a build-up. "During the run up to the elections there were many cases of assault and intimidation in the area, these went unreported, due to the prevalent violence. During the run up to the elections there were extra monitors put on duty to areas. Even the Elections Department was aware of this situation and today’s extraordinary incident summed up the election in the area which was marred by violence throughout," he said. (HF)
Campaign trail winds up on Wednesday Polls monitors say people apathy due to lack of aggressive campaign by opposition parties By Mirudhula Thambiah
More than 1.5 million voters will go to the polls on Saturday, October 8 to elect representatives to 23 local bodies including the crucial Colombo Municipal Council (CMC). In the third phase of the election to local authorities in the country, members will be elected to 17 municipal councils, five Pradeshiya Sabhas and one urban council.
The campaign trail ends on Wednesday and the next couple of days will see final ditch efforts by the candidates to win over voters. The total number of registered voters in these areas stands at 1,589,622 with the highest number being from within the Colombo Municipality-consisting of 393,085 voters followed by the Dehiwala- Mount Lavinia Municipality with 132,903.
Polling will take place in 1,167 booths with 6,488 candidates contesting for 420 seats. Postal voting was held on Thursday and Friday. Some 4,505 public servants were eligible for the postal vote.
The Sunday Times learns that the ballot sheet for the Colombo Municipality poll would be two-feet long as it accommodates nine political parties, 10 independent groups, 19 symbols and 1,121 candidates.
It is six more days to October 8, for the local government elections to be held to elect members for 23 local government bodies with seventeen municipal councils, one urban council and five pradeshiya sabhas. The number of candidates contesting to win 412 seats in these local bodies is 6488 from political parties and independent groups.
The main focus is on Colombo municipal council with the main political parties UPFA and UNP keenly campaigning to win the election. The CMC has been dominated by the UNP for over five decades but during this period the number of shanty towns has come up in nearly 1,500 localities in the city, notably in the north of the city as well as in several other areas. Though the UNP heavily banked on the votes of the Tamil and Muslim minorities some of their leaders have crossed over to the UPFA while the Ceylon Muslim Congress and Democratic People’s Front are contesting independently. These two parties would take a large percentage of the votes that went to the UNP earlier.
The contest for Colombo is so keen that UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe himself is leading the city campaign but the UPFA mayoral candidate former UNP minister Milinda Moragoda is in the forefront with his charismatic personality and his known international connections. There are candidates of eleven political parties and twenty independent groups contesting Colombo and it is known that some dissident UNP front line politicians are backing at least one among these groups.
The Milinda Moragoda camp, during their campaign for the Colombo Municipal Council election yesterday, challenged the UNP to show how it planned to develop Colombo into a 'Garden City' without the government's assistance and by only utilising the CMC 's revenue.
Deputy Economic Development Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana, addressing a news briefing in support of UPFA mayoral candidate Milinda Moragoda said that the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) had used its entire revenue of Rs. 6,768 million last year to pay the salaries of its 6,000 plus work force.
"We would like to hear from Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe or Mr. A.J.M. Muzamil where they would find the billions of rupees required to transform Colombo to their dream city. It is impossible to develop Colombo without the central government's strategic and financial assistance as it would involve hundreds of billions of rupees. The UPFA government has already shown how it could be done with the already launched development programmes in the city," said Mr. Yapa.
Mr. Yapa said that making Colombo the 'Centre of Excellence' would not be a difficult task for Mr. Moragoda as he had the vision, the skill and the right connections to achieve this ambitious target. Therefore, if any citizen wishes to see this miracle become a reality in his lifetime Mr. Moragoda will need to be made the mayor.
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