Sajith slams CMC over irregular leadership appointment

Colombo, June 16 (Daily Mirror) - Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa raised concerns over how the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) recently appointed its leadership, saying it was done by ignoring proper rules and guidelines.

In a statement, Premadasa said the council’s actions went against democratic principles and basic rights. He warned that necessary steps will be taken to deal with these unfair actions.

He also questioned whether higher authorities had influenced officials to break the rules and said similar incidents had happened in other local councils as well.

Premadasa explained that the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government had clearly issued guidelines on how to choose a Chairman and Deputy Chairman when no single party or independent group had a majority. He said that when these guidelines were properly followed, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and other opposition groups were able to take control of several councils.

Calling the recent incidents a clear violation of democracy, Premadasa said immediate action will be taken to protect fairness and ensure that local government bodies follow the law.