Silencing opposition members of local bodies is the ruling party’s latest tactic; MP

By Yohan Perera   

Requesting the members of independent groups and minor parties in the opposition to be neutral has been the latest tactic of the ruling National People’s Power (NPP) to secure the local councils where it does not have a majority, a Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP said yesterday.   

“Rewards have been offered to independent groups and minor political parties to either abstain from voting or to absent themselves when votes are taken up to elect heads of local bodies,” SJB MP Mujibur Rahman told a media briefing yesterday.   

MP Rahman was of the opinion that local bodies should be activated by holding polls to elect the heads of local bodies. “It is the elected members of local bodies who should elect the heads of local bodies as per election law. Therefore we call for the holding of these polls as soon as possible so that the crisis which has arisen in forming the administrations of local bodies could be resolved soon,” the MP said.   

He said the SJB would prefer open vote rather than a secret vote to elect the head of local bodies.   

Asked about the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), the MP said the SJB will try to get one of its members elected as the Mayor of Colombo. However, he said the SJB will promote a member who has been elected as the Mayor of Colombo. “We will nominate a person who has been in the CMC for 20 years and who has served in the standing committees of the CMC in the past,” he said.   

Mr. Rahman said the NPP has even approached those from his party as well to woo them to support the ruling party.   
NPP obtained 48 seats of CMC while SJB obtained 29, UNP 13, SLPP 5, SLMC 4, Sarvajana Balaya 2 while independent groups and minority parties shared the rest.