Political parties should contest collectively to gain power in LG bodies: Champika
The Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka yesterday urged the government to conduct the local government polls without further delay and added it will be difficult for any political party to establish power in most of the local government bodies single handedly.
Minister Ranawaka emphasized that even if there were any minor legal barriers that may crop up in the process, the local government polls must be held immediately.
Expressing his displeasure over the continuous delay in holding the local government polls, Minister Ranawaka said the Elections Commission was ready to release the relevant gazette notification indicating the polls to be held between January 25 – 31 in 2018. However, the Court of Appeal has issued an injunction suspending the preparation for polls until December 4th considering a petition filed by a group of voters crating a huge controversy among voters, the media, political parties and the society. The joint opposition puts the blame on the government for the delay in holding local government polls.
“We cannot forget the fact that the sovereignty on the term of our Constitution is an
The Elections Commission was ready to release the relevant gazette notification indicating the polls to be held between January 25 – 31 in 2018.
unquestionable fundamental right of the people. It cannot be changed even by the legislature. The sovereignty cannot be changed without the consent of the people. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to conduct the local government polls as early as possible without any further delay. However, there are several factors that led to the delay for the local government polls. The electoral system was subjected to drastic changes during the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime. There were proposals to introduce a new electoral system to local government polls but former President Rajapaksa forced into hold local government polls under the old system as a majority of SLFP ruled Pradeshiya Sabha chairmen opposed vehemently,” Minister Ranawaka recalled.
Before the Pradeshiya Sabha system was introduced in 1991, the ward system that elects a member to the ward directly was in practice. Under the proposed system, 70% of members to local government wards were to be elected under the first past the post system and 30% under the PR system. However, there were protests from almost all the political parties, from minority parties in particular when the first delimitation report was published during the previous administration as demarcation of wards afresh was required to put in place the new electoral system. A second five member delimitation committee was appointed to look into the weaknesses and blunders that had been made in the first report and election of members was changed to 60% directly and 40% through PR system.
Finally, when the government was on the verge of conducting the local government polls, there was a Court of Appeal ruling preventing then process, Minister Ranawaka added.
Minister Ranawaka pointed out that the Jaithika Hela Urumaya (JHU) supported the new local government electoral system with the hope that it provides an opportunity to elect a member to a local government body who would be responsible to the voters directly. But the delay and now the postponement of the polls had shattered those hopes.
We cannot forget the fact that the sovereignty on the term of our Constitution is an unquestionable fundamental right of the people
However, a positive features of the new system are the mandatory requirement of 25% women representation in local bodies and the doubling of the number of elected members, he said.