The much awaited Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Bill was passed in Parliament on Friday (August 25) with a majority of 120 votes, paving the way to hold the long overdue Local Government Elections under a new electoral system.
Despite, the big hue and cry made by the Joint Opposition (JO) over the past few months to move the relevant Bill and conduct early LG elections, 44 JO members abstained from voting when all UNP, JVP, TNA and SLFP members in the Government voted in favour of the Bill.
However, 60 MPs were not present in the chamber at the time of voting.
The Government facilitated a full day debate on the Bill on Thursday (August 24) and took up the Third Reading of the Bill on Friday (August 25). The Third Reading amendments took about one and a half hours.
Several last minute amendments proposed by the JVP and the JO were also accommodated.
Barrier
Yet another notable feature was that Labour, Trade Union Relations and Sabaragamuwa Development Minister W.D.J.Seneviratne abstained from voting against an amendment proposed by the JO seeking permission for public servants to contest elections, while all Government Ministers and MPs voted against the amendment.
According to the provisions of the Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Bill, public servants are required to resign a year prior to contesting an LG election.
The JO proposed an amendment to remove that barrier from the draft bill, but Government law makers rejected the amendment and a vote was taken.
Earlier in the day, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya had to suspend sittings due to a request made by Leader of the House and Higher Education and Highways Minister Lakshman Kiriella.
Delimitation
The Minister called for the suspension of the proceedings to hold a Party Leaders meeting as the JO MPs demanded that their amendment be included. When the House resumed sittings, Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister Faiszer Musthapha presented amendments to the draft bill.
Commencing the full day debate on the Bill, Minister Musthapha told Parliament that the Government did not postpone the LG elections.
He pointed out that the delimitation process didn’t mete out justice to each political party and we realized we can’t assure justice to each political party without amending the Bill.
Therefore, the Ministry had to go for a delimitation appeal process and it took about one and a half years.
Minister Musthapha said, the dates of LG elections are decided by the Election Commission and the Chairman of the Election Commission has said that he can conduct elections in 55 days after the Bill is passed in Parliament.
Deputy Power and Renewable Energy Minister Ajith P. Perera also stressed that the UNP has no intention to postpone the election or prevent the passing of the Local Authorities Elections Bill. The UNP believes this new electoral system is by and large fair and just.
Joint Opposition Leader Dinesh Gunawardena told the House that Minister Musthapha has moved 50 new amendments to the Act submitted by the Chairman of the Election Commission.
Gunawardena queried whether the Attorney General has given his approval to these 50 amendments.
He attempted to convince the House that the intention of these 50 new amendments is aimed at winning elections. MP Gunawardena called upon the Government to make a statement as to when they would hold the elections. The MP said “ we will support any nonsense, but explain what that nonsense is.”
Debate
However, Minister Kiriella who followed MP Gunawardena’s speech said, the MP in his speech didn’t move any amendments at all, but merely delivered a political speech.
MP Gunawardena’s attempts were a tactic to postpone the passing of the Bill in Parliament, the Minister alleged.
Interrupt MP
Yet another highlight was that a No-Confidence Motion signed by 39 MPs of the JO against Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne was handed over to the Speaker’s Office on Thursday (August 24).
UPFA Ratnapura District MP Ranjith de Zoysa had later told the media that the motion sought to oust Minister Senaratne based on 11 charges levelled against him.
MP Zoysa said, the JO would request the Speaker to include the motion in the Order Book of Parliament and take it up for debate as soon as possible.
The MP said they hoped the JVP MPs and SLFP MPs in the Government ranks would also vote in favour of the motion.
A heated exchange of words ensued between Health Minister Dr.Rajitha Senaratne and JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake on the floor of the House on Wednesday (August 23) when the Minister attempted to interrupt MP Dissanayake.
Verbal blows
The MP questioned the Minister why he had sought treatment in a foreign hospital if the services rendered by Government hospitals were satisfactory.
Moving an Adjournment Motion, for debate, on the plight of people suffering from the prevailing drought, the JVP Leader said, drought stricken farmers were suffering as hospitals in their areas were experiencing a severe drug shortage and farmers were compelled to buy their medicine from private pharmacies.
At this point, Minister Senaratne who interrupted the MP’s speech questioned, and requested him to tell him where the hospitals without medicine are? The MP in his response cited the Moneragala Hospital.
The Minister told the MP he would conduct an investigation against the director of that hospital. However, this led to heated verbal blows between the MP and the Minister.
Despite the attempt by the Minister to say something, the JVP Leader continued his speech without leaving room for the Minister to clarify the position.
Dissanayake in his hard hitting remarks asked, if the hospitals could provide the best of services, why did the Health Minister obtain Rs.10 million from the President’s Fund to go to Singapore seeking treatment at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital? He asked, if the Government health service is so good, how come there are so many private laboratories located near Government hospitals? And he continued, if Government hospitals have ample stocks of medicine, why are there so many pharmacies around Government hospitals?
The other MPs too started shouting and the Speaker asked the MPs to sit down. MP Dissanayake asked the Speaker why should he sit down, when it was his time.
The MP told the Speaker to ask the Minister to sit down. “ Do not make me speak more about you,” Dissanayake retorted.
Worship
The MP charged that Minister Senaratne lost his MP post because he did business with the state. Therefore, he should worship Ranil Wickremesinghe for giving him an MP post through the UNP National List.