Greater powers of the State ... to Maithri or Ranil? -- Verdict on 24th

Greater powers of the State ... to Maithri or Ranil? -- Verdict on 24th

Has President Mr. Maithripala Sirisena more powers of State or Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasingha? The Joint Opposition say that the result could be seen on 24th this Friday in parliament and that they are keeping their eyes open about it.

Several parties of  the government and the United National Party are already getting prepared to defeat the proposal being brought forward in parliament on 24th this month by a minister of the government itself. Ratnapura District member of parliament and the deputy chief organiser of Joint

Opposition, Mr. Ranjith de Soysa  said that it is clearly evident that the internal struggle for power has aggravated.

What is on the cards in parliament on that day for debate is the report by the commission about delimitation. Provincial committee and local government and minister of sports, Mr. Faizar Mustapha is expected to table the report for debate in parliament. If this commission report is passed with a two-thirds majority on that date, the provincial council elections will take a new facelift. However, several political parties including minister Rauf Hakeem, minister Rishad Badiurdeen, minister Mano Ganeshan and parties they represent and other political parties have expressed their total opposition against it saying that delimitation has a number of issues connected to it.

As a result of this delimitation, these political parties have made a request from Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasingha and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa not to delay the local government elections and to hold the local government elections because of this delimitation and conduct it according to the old system. What a senior minister of United National Party said was that issues relating to delimitation be solved and the provincial council election be held without delay to be taken into consideration while attention of the United National Party has been focused on this delimitation commission and not to provide support to the report. On a question posed to minister Duminda Dissanayaka of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, what he said was that the stability of conducting the provincial council elections according to the new election system. As such, minister Duminda Dissanayaka said that minister Nimal Siripala de Silva is having discussions with other political parties in order to pass this delimitation commission report in parliament with a two third majority.

Minister Duminda Dissanayaka pointed out that if there are issues relating to the delimitation commission report, those issues could be settled and proceed forward. The deputy chief organiser of Joint Opposition Mr. Ranjith de Soysa mentioned that all 69 members of parliament are seriously anxious and alert about proceedings in parliament on 24th Friday and because various strategies to delay the provincial council elections could occur at that time, action will be taken to hold the provincial council elections soon. What Tamil National Alliance has stated was that the provincial council elections be held as fast as possible either according to the old system or new system.

EPDP leader Mr. Douglas Devananda and minster Mr. Mano Ganeshan have expressed their protest over the new election system. In this connection, when the publicity secretary of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, member of parliament Mr. Vijitha Herath was questioned, what he said was that the delimitation commission report would be studied in depth and that their opinion would be made known on the 24th in that context.

MP Mr. Vijitha Herath further explained that even if Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna would fall in line with the new election system, if action is taken to further postponing the Provincial council elections by making that mew method the scapegoat, their party would would be against it.

W.K. Prasad Manju