‘UNP, UPFA OK WITH PR SYSTEM’

The UNP and the UPFA are agreeable to hold the Provincial Council elections under the old (Proportional Representation, PR system) and both parties agreed on this matter during the party leader’s meeting, Public Enterprise, Kandyan Heritage and Kandy Development Minister and Leader of the House Lakshman Kiriella told Parliament yesterday.

UPFA MP Dinesh Gunawardena raised a question regarding the failure of the delimitation report review committee, headed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to present the delimitation review report to Parliament.

During the debate on the delimitation report and the review committee’s delay in presenting their review report to the President, several MPs expressed their views. The delimitation report was presented to Parliament but was defeated in Parliament.Thereafter, the Speaker appointed a five member committee, headed by the Prime Minister to look into shortfalls in the report in August 2018.

“Only two months could be given to the Prime Minister by such a committee. But the two month’s time period has lapsed and the Prime Minister has failed to present this report to Parliament or to the President.According to Parliament laws, once the two month period had lapsed, the Speaker or the Prime Minister should send this report to the President to hold the Provincial Council elections,” UPFA MP Dinesh Gunawardena inquiring from the Deputy Speaker or the Leader of the House if either one could provide an answer as to why there is a delay in handing this report to the President.

In response, Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasiri said this matter was discussed at the party leader’s meeting and according to his knowledge the report should be handed over to the President by the chairman of the review committee.

He asked the Leader of the House if he had anything to say on this matter.

Leader of the House, Minister Lakshman Kiriella said this was a matter for the Speaker and he should send the report to the President and they were agreeable to it.

Both Kiriella and Gunawardena told the Deputy Speaker that both parties were agreeable and that the Speaker should send the report to the President.

The Deputy Speaker said that he would discuss the matter with Speaker Karu Jayasuriya upon his return and take measures to have it done.