Govt. needs to allow people to vent their anger through elections – JVP Leader

By Saman Indrajith

The government had to to let people express the anger and frustration they feel through the ballot, leader of the JVP and Jathika Jana Balavegaya (JJB) Anura Kumara Dissanayaka told Parliament on Thursday.

Commenting on the Regulation of Election Expenditure Bill, debated and passed, he said the government insists that they did not have money for an election.

“If the government has destroyed the country’s economy so badly, it has to resign. This is exactly why we need to have an election. If the government is incapable of feeding the people, they must resign,” Dissanayaka said.

While campaign financing is important, this Bill is a ploy to delay the local council election. “The government is desperate. The President has no mandate. Neither does the government. If an election is held, the unpopularity of the government will be exposed. Everyone knows that this Bill was brought to delay elections,” he said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told Parliament that the Regulation of Election Expenditure Bill will create a level playing field in the coming polls.

“The Election Commission wanted to regulate campaign finance. Whenever I met them they insisted on the dire need for this. The Minister of Justice presented this Bill, taking into consideration the requests of the Commission,” he said.

The Regulation of Election Expenditure Bill was passed in Parliament, Thursday evening, with amendments, with a majority of 61 votes.