Mini polls laid to rest amid presidential presence and opposition protests

The controversy over alleged attempts to prevent the upcoming local council elections from going ahead overshadowed all other Parliamentary business this week, as angry Opposition MPs staged protests inside the chamber.

Opposition MPs from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and the recently formed Freedom People’s Alliance (FPA) which consists of breakaway factions of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, protested inside the chamber on Tuesday and Thursday, denouncing the alleged Government attempts to obstruct the Election Commission (EC) from holding the polls as scheduled on March 9.

Tuesday’s proceedings were limited to less than 50 minutes as Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena was forced to adjourn sittings until the following day after protests by Opposition MPs made continuing the day’s proceedings impossible.

Opposition MPs raised issue over the Finance Ministry’s failure to release funds requested by the EC to conduct the elections, accusing the Government of holding back the funds with the aim of forcing the Commission to postpone the polls. SJB and FPA MPs came to the well of the House, with many carrying handwritten placards condemning the alleged moves to postpone the elections. Shouts of “Diyaw, Diyaw, Chande Diyaw” (Give, give, give us an election) echoed around the chamber, with MPs repeatedly disrupting Plantation Industries Minister Ramesh Pathirana, who was presenting several regulations under the Sri Lanka Tea Board Law. Some MPs even went near the Speaker’s Chair, holding up placards so that they were visible to Parliament’s TV cameras that were giving a live feed of the proceedings. The protests eventually forced the Speaker to adjourn Parliament till 9.30 am on Wednesday.

There were further protests on Thursday when President Ranil Wickremesinghe attended Parliament to make a statement on the polls.

Mr. Wickremesinghe dropped a bombshell, telling the House that “the election has not been postponed because there is no election to be postponed.” The President claimed that according to his understanding, no official date had been set for the elections as yet, despite “rumours” that it would be held on March 9.

He drew attention to a January 22 Sunday Times report which quoted EC Chairman Nimal Punchihewa as saying that three of the EC’s five members had been contacted virtually via Zoom and their consent (to hold the election) had been obtained, with only the Chairman and Commissioner M.M. Mohommed being present at the Commission office. Mr. Wickremesinghe noted that as per the Constitution, a quorum of three members is required for any meeting of the Commission.

“That means those two, the Chairman and M.M. Mohamed, took the decision. He said himself that he took the approval of the others. If you asked those three, they will not maintain the same view. I have proof to prove it. Then officially, they haven’t taken a decision to hold the election. So if the money was given to them, I will have to remove my Secretary and make a complaint before the Police against him. The same will happen to the Government Printer too. They all will lose their jobs,” the President claimed.

“We don’t need to postpone the election, but we don’t have money for it. If we need, we can discuss and come to a decision, but for the moment, we don’t have money. On the other hand, there is no election at hand as well,” Mr. Wickremesinghe added.

Noting that the EC was answerable to Parliament, he pointed out that a motion had been submitted to Parliament requesting the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to look into the EC’s conduct. The President requested Parliament to appoint the PSC without delay and submit its report to the Supreme Court.

“The economy is my top priority. We will not have a country if the economy does not develop. I ask this House one question. Is it possible to uphold the Constitution without losing the country? Only if the country is protected can the Constitution be protected,” emphasised Mr. Wickremesinghe.

The President’s remarks provoked fury from the Opposition benches, with MPs accusing Mr. Wickremesinghe and his Government of holding back funds needed by the EC over fears of the drubbing the Government would receive at the election.

Pointing out that Rs. 10 billion had already been allocated to the EC in the 2023 Budget to hold the local council elections, Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella questioned why the President as Finance Minister was not allowing those funds to be released. He said provisions in the Constitution had been cast aside by circulars and announcements issued by the Finance Ministry. “The Constitution is supreme, but today, public officials are citing Finance Ministry circulars and refusing to release funds required to hold the elections. This is a clear violation of the Constitution,” Mr. Kiriella argued.

Mr. Wickremesinghe, who had often spoken of the importance of protecting democracy, was now acting like Hitler, alleged SLPP dissident Weerasumana Weerasinghe, who is now part of the FPA.

Soon after, Opposition MPs once again came to the well, holding up placards and shouting “Ranil, Ranil Chande Diyaw” (Ranil, Ranil, give the election). President Wickremesinghe, who had already concluded his speech, left the chamber while the protest was ongoing.

“Who is Ranil Wickremesinghe to say that there won’t be an election? Is he the Commissioner General of Elections?” asked an angry SJB MP S.M. Marikkar. The MP asked where the Government found the money to hold the 75th Independence Day celebrations and the “Janaraja Perahera” if the state coffers were empty. The SJB will not allow the President to manipulate the EC and the Constitution according to his whims and fancies, Mr. Marikkar thundered.

The President made several blatantly false statements during his speech to the House, the FPA’s Dullas Alahapperuma alleged. He pointed out that though Mr. Wickremesinghe told Parliament that no official date had been set for the election, the United National Party (UNP), which he heads, had submitted nominations to contest for more than 100 local councils, including the Colombo Municipal Council, at the upcoming elections. “If there is no election, why did the party headed by the President make such a decision?”

The people and the media had pointed fingers at officials such as the Finance Ministry Secretary, the Government Printer and even the Election Commission for holding up the elections, Mr. Alahapperuma said. “However, today’s speech made clear to both this House and the entire country as to who is really behind the effort to delay the poll,” the MP said, adding that the remains of the local government elections were now “lying at the Wickremesinghe Funeral Parlour.”