PAFFREL ready to find money for LG polls: Hettiarachchi

• Claims it could raise ample funds from local and global community

By Sandun A Jayasekera  

The prominent election monitoring NGO, People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) yesterday said it could raise ample funds to conduct the Local Government (LG) polls from the local and global community if the government has a genuine desire to hold LG polls.   

 Executive Director of PAFFREL, Rohana Hettiarachchi said since the PAFFREL mooted the idea to collect donations from mainly Sri Lankans living in and out of the country, the response had been extremely encouraging.  
“If the government is not ready to provide cash necessary for the EC to hold LG election, we can find money needed with the help of all Sri Lankans and other countries and organizations that are keen to see Sri Lanka’s democracy and universal franchise protected,” he told Daily Mirror.  

But there is a legal constraint. The EC, being an independent commission appointed by the Constitutional Council, cannot accept financial assistance from any other source but only from the Treasury. If we are to launch a campaign to collect money from donations, cabinet approval is necessary. After enough funds are collected we can debit them to the Treasury in full to make them state revenue. To do that, we need the government’s assistance Hettiarachchi said.  

Mr. Hettiarachchi expressed confidence that PAFFREL with the help and cooperation of other like-minded election monitoring NGOs, organizations and the blessings of the Sri Lankan community could raise sufficient funds for the election in the shortest possible time.  

“I have received a number of SMS’, WhatsApp, phone calls and many other messages offering support to raise an election fund. One doctor known to me and domiciled in a foreign country tells me he is ready to donate US$ 1 million. The enthusiasm is such to protect the universal franchise of 22 million Sri Lankans and their constitutional rights. But without the government’s help, we can’t do this, he added.

• If we are to launch a campaign to collect money from donations, cabinet approval is necessary