“Do your job without fear or favour”

SJB appeals to Elections Commission chairman

The main opposition SJB called on Chairman of National Elections Commission Nimal Punchihewa to commence elections process for the local government bodies.Chief Opposition Whip and SJB Kandy District MP Lakshman Kiriella last week said in Parliament that Elections Commission chairman not to be afraid of any repercussions and to go ahead with the election process.

“None has powers to exert influence on Elections Commission Chairman. We call on him to couragously hold elections. The entire nation is asking for elections. We and many other opposition parties are also demanding the same. The elections commission chairman can atone all his sins, mistakes and errors and have his name in the annals of history if he musters courage not to succumb government pressure to hold elections. He should learn from the folk poem ‘upanda sita karapu pavu nâta varak vândot Kâlaniya. (All sins committed from the time of one’s birth will be no more, if one worships at Kelaniya) and do this thing right,” Kiriella said.

He said that this country needs an urgent election. This is a country where a president and prime minister fled from their posts. The cabinet got dissolved as a result. There should be a new government. What we have is not a proper government with a peoples’ mandate. It should hold elections rather than plotting to put them off.

He said that he had been in governments and he knew how a government could influence independent commissions. He said he had been voting for independent commissions throughout his career. “I voted for the 17th, 19th and 21st amendments because they had provisions for the independent commissions. I voted against the 18th and 20th amendments because they ridiculed the independent commissions or rendered them ineffectual. Now we see the government is planning to exert its influence on Human Rights Commission and Elections Commission.