Parliament adjourned as opposition MPs protest demanding election

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By Editor_1
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has said there is no legal provisions for him to exercise the powers of Parliament himself - parliament.lk

COLOMBO – Sri Lanka Parliament was adjourned for 24 hours on Tuesday (21) morning, after opposition legislators staged a protest chastizing the government for alleged attempts at delaying local government elections.

Members of the main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) stood in front of Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena Tuesday morning blocking his view of the chamber with placards calling the government out for what the SJB called its cowardice.

SJB and other opposition MPs as well as members of the government that now sit in the opposition as independents were heard shouting slogans decrying the government for its actions in delaying the election.

The Election Commission (EC) informed Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court on Monday (20) that it will not be able to hold the local government polls scheduled for March 9 on that day.

Speaker Abeywardena said a party leaders’ meeting will be held at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday.

SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella said all government institutions must support the conduct of an election once the Election Commission has announced an election.

“If they do not extend their support, the officials who run those institutes can serve a three year prison sentence, according to the law. Today, the Ministry of Finance is telling the Election Commission that it cannot allocate funds for the polls. The Government Printer is saying it cannot print ballot papers. The government has an obligation to provide the funds needed for the election commission,” Kirella elaborated.

The MP said that as per the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Sri Lanka has ratified, the island nation stands to lose access to the Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP) Plus, a 500-milllion dollar trade concession. The election delay will cause problems to Sri Lanka internationally, he claimed.

SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara noted that Parliament has the authority on public finance.

“We have allocated 10 billion rupees for the election. I would like to ask you if this dictatorial act by either the finance ministry secretary or even the president is correct,” he said.

“As the head of Parliament, please issue a directive instructing the release of funds as needed,” Madduma Bandara urged Speaker Abeygunawardena.

MP Wimal Weerawansa, a former government minister who now sits in the opposition, said postponing the local government polls on the argument that the government lacks the funds can set a precedence of delaying even national elections except for a parliamentary poll being delayed on similar reasoning.

“A parliamentary election cannot be postponed without a referendum, but other elections can be delayed this way. Not only that, if the president decides that running Parliament is a nuisance he can even stop proceedings claiming that there is no money,” said Weerawansa.

A back and forth ensued between government and opposition benches, as SJB lawmakers started to shout “Diyawu, diyawu, chande diyawu (give us the election!)”, drowning the voice of Plantations Minister Ramesh Pathirana who stood to make a statement on a crisis faced by the tea industry.

At this point SJB MPs Nalin Bandara led the “diyawu diyawu” chant to the Speaker’s desk, as his colleagues joined him carrying placards that read ‘The corrupt government afraid of elections’.

-economynext.com

 

 

 

Editor_1
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