SJB: NGO-funded workshops no substitute for LG polls

Former Parliamentarian Mujubur Rahuman yesterday (13) said that having postponed local government elections indefinitely, the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government was now conducting workshops to teach Secretaries how to run local government bodies in the absence of elected members.

The SJB’s mayoral candidate said that President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the ruling SLPP should call for local government polls without further delay.

The top SJB spokesperson was commenting on the inauguration of a three-day workshop for officials in the Western Province on Friday (11 Aug.) by State Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Janaka Wakkumbura.

The one-time UNPer questioned the rationale in the Sri Lanka Institute of Local Governance (SLILG) initiative funded by One-Text Initiative, a civil society organization.

Three day-workshops for Northern and Southern Provinces are scheduled to be conducted, beginning 18 August and 15 September, respectively.The SLILG said that this was an initiative of Dr Suratissa Dissanayake, Director/CEO.

Mujibur Rahuman said that the government should be ashamed of its conduct, regardless of the Supreme Court directive issued in early March this year to conduct elections (SF)