Election commission hopeful of holding LG polls : Punchihewa

3 April 2023 12:01 am Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 2 Bookmark

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Expects to discuss polls delay with the PM this week

By Sandun A Jayasekera

The Elections Commission (EC) is keenly awaiting a discussion with the Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardana to take a final decision on the conduct of the repeatedly postponed Local Government (LG) polls, EC Chairman, Nimal G Punchihewa said yesterday.

However, the EC has not given up hopes to hold the much delayed polls on an earliest possible day if and when the government releases sufficient funds for the EC as ruled by the Supreme Court he added.

“We have not been invited as yet by Prime Minister Gunawardana as the Minister of Local Government and Provincial Councils to discuss the LG polls delay. But he has made a statement to that effect in Parliament recently. Therefore, the EC expects an invitation from him this week for a discussion. The EC will be in a position to take a final decision on the conduct of the LG polls only after the talks with the PM,” Punchihewa told Daily Mirror last morning.
He lamented that there was no response of any sort from the Finance Minister or the Treasury Secretary for letters sent to them in March by the EC demanding to release funds for the LG polls as ruled by the highest court in the country.

The Treasury has given only Rs. 165 million to hold LG polls up to now from the Rs. 10 billion allocated for the EC from the budget 2023, he said including Rs. 40 million to the government printed and Rs. 25 million to the Police Department.

The EC will hold a discussion tomorrow (4) to review the current situation of the LG twice postponed PG polls and also to focus on issues to be discussed with the Prime Minister when he summoned them mist probably this week,Punchihewa noted.

Comments - 2

LG polls will happen when money is available Monday, 03 April 2023 01:02 AM

It is disgraceful that EC decided that budget allocation is tantamount to funds available. Then they stated Police and Printer get money after election. Since there is no money the EC seems to have been conducting a scam, a sham of all activity with others paying, and at this time no one will pay for their shenanigans. There is probably a lot of fraud that happens with allowance leading up to LG poll, and government when it does have funds must ensure ministration of public money used.

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Drought and diseases kills the money on growing on threes Monday, 03 April 2023 01:22 AM

There is a saying do not count your chickens until they hatch. Punchihewa is the epitome of those who count the eggs believes all will produce perfect chickens. He anyway talks about budget allocation as if budget is forecast of money grown on trees. Let's go on with that he sees money in budget as coming from grown on trees. Sometimes there is drought, other times there is disease, and then there are pests who eat the trees as well so reducing the money growing on the trees. Punchihewa is just law man, without firm grounding in reality of life. Poor decision to appoint such to the Commission.

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