Provincial Council Elections must be held immediately, Governors’ Forum says, accusing the government of hiding behind a Select Committee.
Provincial Council Elections must be held without further delay, the Governors’ Forum has declared, accusing the government of using a Parliamentary Select Committee to keep the long-postponed polls from taking place.
In a media release, the Forum said the continued functioning of Provincial Councils under Governor rule, without elected representatives, has weakened provincial administration and pushed the system away from its democratic purpose. It said almost all active political parties have no objection to holding the next election under the former district-based electoral system, and therefore urged the government to take immediate steps to restore Provincial Councils with people’s representatives.
The Forum noted that from 2017 to 2019, the terms of Provincial Councillors expired on several occasions, leaving councils to function without elected public representation. It alleged that only MPs representing the ruling party are now intervening in the daily affairs of Provincial Councils, creating a single-party structure of control and undermining the original objectives for which the councils were established.
According to the statement, this has left Provincial Councils subject to the arbitrary direction of the executive. The Forum warned that when governance is centred around a single individual, the principle of separation of powers is effectively denied. It added that a Provincial Council without public representation becomes nothing more than an extension of the bureaucracy.
The statement also criticized Mr. Tilvin Silva, who, it said, holds no government or public service position and is only a party secretary, for reportedly stating in Jaffna that Provincial Council Elections would not be held this year. The Forum said no party secretary has the authority to decide the future of Provincial Councils, adding that the multi-party system that began with Sri Lanka’s independence from Britain must not be destroyed.
Citing Article 3 of the Constitution, the Forum said sovereignty in Sri Lanka is vested in the people and is inalienable. It stressed that sovereignty includes the powers of government, fundamental rights, and the franchise, and therefore no politician or official can obstruct it. It also recalled that during the first term of Honourable President Chandrika Kumaratunga, when an attempt was made to postpone the North Western Provincial Council Election, the Supreme Court ruled that an election could only be postponed by the will of the people through a referendum.
The Forum further said the Supreme Court’s decision on the postponement of local government elections made clear that failing to hold an election on time amounts to a violation of rights.
It alleged that the government has now postponed the Provincial Elections by hiding behind a Parliamentary Select Committee. The statement said the time given to the committee is also nearing its end, yet the government has taken no positive step to conduct the polls. It added that the government could amend the Provincial Council Elections Act No. 17 of 2017 with just a few sentences and hold the election under the old system.
Respecting the Constitution and the basic principles of democracy, the signatories requested the Honourable President and the Cabinet of Ministers to take the necessary steps to hold the Provincial Council Elections as soon as possible.
The statement was signed by
- Sendil Thondaman
- M.L.A.M. Hisbullah
- Shan Wijayalal de Silva
- Tikiri Kobbekaduwa
- Asath Sally
- Surein Raghavan
- Lalith U. Gamage
- President’s Counsel Maithri Gunaratne
- Sarath Ekanayake
- Peshal Jayaratne
- Anura Widanagamage
- Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena
- Rajith Keerthi Thennakoon
