Translated by :A.A.M.NIZAM – MATARA

Given below is a translation of a media release issued by the former President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakssa. 

The forthcoming Local Government election will be the beginning of a chain of elections running up to the next Presidential Election

Now nominations have been accepted for the local government elections which were delayed for three years owing to the fear of going before the people. Although the local government election does not change a ruling power this particular local government election has a special significance since it is the first opportunity got by the people of this country to register their protests against the government.  The last election held in the country was the 2015 General election and people know what and what shameless things were done by Sirisena to make the United National Party victorious in that election and to destabilize the election campaign of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) by issuing statements unfavourable to the UPFA a few days before the election and simultaneously dismissing the General Secretaries of both UPFA and the SLFP.

The message sent to the country by these shameless acts was that the spoon is in the hands of the President and even if the UNP gets defeated in that election it will be the victors.  It is how Sirisena engineered the UNP victory in that election.  That is why the joint opposition is facing this election under a new organization and a new symbol.  The objective of the joint opposition is to provide an alternative to the people opposed to this government.  Although the SLFP group in the government makes public statements against the UNP they remaining as partners in the Cabinet provide all assistance and support in all matters to run and sustain this coalition government.  

The SLFP Ministers vote for the UNP budgets every year.  The whole country witnessed them vote for the UNP’s 2018 budget a few days ago. Both parties work in cooperation for selling of national assets.  When the Minister appointed through the UNP opposed the deal relating to the Hambantota harbour he was replaced by a SLFP Minister and that adverse deal initiated by the UNP was concluded by the SLFP.  The whole country witnessed the show of UNP Prime Minister holding the dummy cheque of US$ 292 million received by selling Hanbantota to a foreign company and dancing and the SLFP Ministers clapping their hands.

The SLFP group is working in close coordination with the UNP to bring in a new constitution to segregate this country into nine federal sovereign states.  It is only for the matter of abolition of the executive presidency proposed in the new constitution the SLFP group opposes. The SLFP has not even opposed the ETCA which the UNP is going to sign with India.  The whole country witnessed the SLFP group in the government and the UNP working in collaboration for postponement of local government elections and elections for provincial councils.  When the war heroes are being imprisoned in tandem what the SLFP President has done instead of cooperating with it?

Although the JVP acts as a political party of the opposition it is also a main partner of the yahapalana combine.  This government has received from the very beginning the cooperation of the JVP for all its anti democratic activities.  The JVP leader was a member of the committee comprising members of the yahapalana ministers, politicians and NGO activists that was steering the activities of the FCID.   They extensively criticize the joint opposition but criticize the government very lightly.  The JVP is supportive of the proposed new constitution.  It was the JVP that provided the 2/3 majority required in the Parliament to change the election system to refrain from holding provincial council elections and postponing these elections.  .       

Before that the JVP extended its support to the government to change the local government election Laws in violation of standing orders of the Parliament and in violation of the constitution.  The JVP under the leadership of Mr.Somawansa Amaraasinghe which supported me in the 2005 election to prevent Ranil Wickremasinghe coming to power has now become a cat’s paw of the UNP under a different leadership.  Therefore all voters should understand that the joint opposition is the only anti government force in the country contesting in the forthcoming local government election.

The local government election that is to be held in February 2018 will be the first of a series of elections running up to the next presidential election. According to the change effected by the 19th Amendment to Article 30(2) of the Constitution, the term of office of the President was reduced to five years. By the provisions of Section 49(1)(b) of the 19th Amendment, that change has been made specifically applicable to the incumbent President as well. Hence the term of office of the incumbent President ends on 9 January 2020.According to Article 31(3) of our Constitution, a Presidential election has to be held not more than two months and not less than one month before the incumbent President’s term of office expires. Hence the next presidential election will have to be held between 9 November and 9 December 2019.

When the mandatory periods between the declaration of the election, calling for nominations and the subsequent period up to the poll laid down in the Presidential Elections Act of 1981 are taken into account, it is clear that the next presidential election process will have to begin by October 2019.Hence there will only be around 18 months between the local government elections of February 2018 and the beginning of the next Presidential elections process in 2019.The government will have to hold the postponed provincial council elections as well before the next presidential elections. The Sabaragamuwa, North Central and Eastern provincial council elections have already been dissolved and the Northern and Wayamaba Provincial Councils will also stand dissolved next year. Since this government was elected to power on the majorities received from the north and east, they will not be able to face the next presidential elections without functioning provincial councils in those two provinces.

Mahinda Rajapaksa

Former Prewsident of Sri Lanka

(courtesy : LankaCNews)