Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe emphasized in Parliament yesterday (5) that the government has not taken any decision to obstruct the work of the Election Commission or to change their agenda and no such notification has been made to the Commission.
The Minister said that the responsibility assigned to the Elections Commission should be fulfilled independently and it is requested to do it correctly.
After Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena presented a report on the Local Government Elections Amendment Bill to Parliament, the Parliament continued to comment and Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, who stood up, made these remarks.
There was a heated situation in the House due to the continuous comments by Opposition members stating that it is a ploy to postpone the elections.
Minister Rajapakshe said that no one should be bothered in the House about the Bill that was presented to parliament yesterday.
“According to the Constitution of the Government, there is a process that is followed after a Bill is submitted to Parliament. First it is referred to an advisory committee.
After that, if anyone wants to go to court against the relevant bill, they will be given two weeks to do so,” he said.
He added that court will be given three weeks to issue orders. Anyone with common knowledge understands that it takes two and a half to three months to implement any bill that is presented to this Parliament. It becomes law after the bill is passed and signed by the Speaker. We will not be able to do this for two and a half to three months. According to the methodology. By the time this becomes a law, this election will be over, he said.
Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa said that many do not believe that the government will allow the election to proceed as announced. “The nominations for the elections have been submitted and the dates have been decided. The government says that there is no money in direct and indirect ways. We request that the government provide all the facilities to hold this election on time, he said.
Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said: With your support, we have brought in the 21st Amendment to the Constitution regarding the conduct of elections and the dates and proper procedures. And the full power of that has been assigned to the Election Commission.
The Elections Commission has the power to hold the election and act on its behalf. Neither the government nor the Parliament has the power to order the Election Commission or change the decisions of the Commission. That power should be fully exercised by the Independent Commission.
The government has not taken any decision to interfere with or obstruct the work of the Election Commission or to change their agenda. Neither have we informed them of anything like that. Therefore, the Election Commission should fulfill that responsibility independently. We also demand that,” the minister said.
by Daily News Sri Lanka
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