UNP for holding PC elections under old electoral system | Daily News

UNP for holding PC elections under old electoral system

The UNP’s official stance is that the next Provincial Council Elections must be held under the preferential votes system, UNP backbench MP S. M. Marikkar said.

The MP, addressing a press conference at Sirikotha yesterday, said the main reason for opting for the old electoral system was the mess experienced during the recently concluded Local Government Elections.

“If the Joint Opposition genuinely wants the PC elections to be held soon, it can bring in a motion in Parliament to hold them under the old system till the loopholes of the new system are rectified. We will raise both our hands to vote in favour of it. But I doubt that they will do it, because they know it very well that they cannot obtain at least 50 percent of the votes in the Northern and Eastern Provinces and in the rest of six Provinces for which the elections are due. It is the SLFP that wants to delay the elections,” he commented.

The MP, with reference to national level elections, said that his party is not for holding snap elections.

“We got a mandate for five years and a lot more work is to be completed within the remaining period of our Government. We saw how the former President inviting trouble by calling for snap elections two years ahead of time,” Marikkar replied.

Responding to a question by journalists on the court verdict on the case of former Minister Johnston Fernando, the MP said that the FCID was a clear loser in that case.

“What we can construe is that either the way the FCID handled the evidence of the case was faulty or former Minister Fernando had not commited the said offence. We cannot speak on court verdicts as we have an independent judiciary now. Had we followed a method similar to the previous regime, one needs not necessarily commit any wrong doing to be taken in. How the previous Government treated former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka was a fine example,” he noted.

He also expressed his displeasure that the incumbent Government took so long to initiate the special high courts to try the large scale corruption charges. “Now the rogues have become heroes. We should have initiated the special courts at the very beginning of our term,” he added.

Replying to the questions on the IGP, the MP stated that the IGP should be conscious about the majority of people’s impression about him.

“We cannot remove the IGP. It is a long process that requires the President to present a motion carrying six counts in Parliament.

The motion has to be endorsed by Parliament and the Supreme Court must appoint a committee to investigate. He can only be removed if the charges were proven. But he can be sent on compulsory leave. The other option is that he can resign, bowing down to the people’s majority view. When the time is ripe for you to leave you must accept it. For example, former President Chandrika Kumaratunga clung to the Executive Presidency for so long that she lost the people’s respect. She could not earn it back,” he remarked.

 

 


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