20 June 2023 12:00 am Views - 95
By Yohan Perera
The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) yesterday urged the authorities concerned to return the deposit monies handed over by the political parties and the candidates to contest the Local Government elections, which were postponed indefinitely early this year.
SJB National Organiser Tissa Attanayake told a media briefing that it was illegal to use the funds which the political parties and candidates had paid as deposits. ““We see that the Government is utilizing the funds which the parties and candidates have deposited with the Elections Commission.”
“This is illegal and therefore we request that these monies should be returned to the candidates,” Mr Attanayake said.
“We would continue our cry for those elections and demand the Government to hold an election and get a fresh mandate from the people,” he said.
Referring to reports that a group of SJB MPs were waiting for a signal from the President to cross over, the SJB National Organizer said SJB supporters at the grassroots level are with the party though some individuals could shift their sides.
Attanayake also warned of another economic crisis if the Government went ahead with domestic debt restructuring.
“We request the Government to go slow with domestic restructuring as hurried decisions would result in adverse situations where the banks are concerned, while the value of the deposits which are held by banks will also go down,” he said.