GOVT. CONFIDENT ON LG POLLS IN JANUARY - MUSTHAPHA

I strongly believe that the Local Government polls could be held in January 2018 as scheduled,” he added. He told the Daily Mirror soon after returning from Malta after participating at the Commonwealth Local Government Forum last afternoon, that the Local Government Ministry would retain a team of lawyers to make a strong bid to prove as to why the Local Government polls should not be postponed any further.“the Elections Commission, the Government, the UNP and the SLFP, the voters and the officials are ready for the polls,” he said.

“Then, why should I want to postpone it. I am a professional and a politician who has high regards on the free franchise and people’s sovereignty. Therefore, I flatly reject the accusations that the Government or I attempt to postpone the Local Government polls,” he said.“i did all I can in my

I strongly believe that the Local Government polls could be held in January 2018 as scheduled

command as the Subject Minister to expedite the process and hold the Local Government polls as early as possible. Those who blame me must go to the bottom of the problem to see where the delay was, and now the Court injunction that prevented the holding of the Local Government polls.

“If the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime did not attempt to exploit the delimitation process to their advantage and released a highly controversial and flawed Delimitation Report, the Local Government polls would have been held in early 2016.“Now the Joint Opposition and the JVP blame me for appointing the Asoka Peiris Delimitation Committee representing all political parties and for rectifying the blunder that led to the delay of the polls,” Minister Mustapha lamented.

Dismissing suggestions that the petitions filed in the Court of Appeal against the delimitation were his work, Minister Mustapha said petitioners were total strangers to him and he had never met them and added he got to know about the petition through the media.

Responding to the allegation that he went abroad ignoring President Maithripala Sirisena’s instructions not to go abroad during the budget debate, Minister Mustapha said he presented the Cabinet Paper seeking approval to participate in the Commonwealth Local Government Forum last week at a Cabinet meeting

The Elections Commission, the Government, the UNP and the SLFP, the voters and the officials are ready for the polls

also attended by Chief Whip of the Government Minister Lakshman Kiriella.

I did all I can in my command as the Subject Minister to expedite the process and hold the LG polls

“I got the permission to go abroad and participate in the global forum from the Cabinet as well as President Maithripala Sirisena. I was surprised to learn that Minister Kiriella has said he was not aware of my overseas official assignment,” Minister Mustapha said. He said he made a strong bid to conduct the next Commonwealth Local Government Forum in Sri Lanka in 2019 and he got the support of a majority of members for Sri Lanka’s bid.

There were two other bidders except Sri Lanka to host the 2019 form in Northern Ireland and Rwanda.