Rejected MPs should have no place in the National List
Posted on August 21st, 2015
Shenali D Waduge
If a government is supposed to be by the people and for the people why should MPs who have been rejected by the people be brought back into Parliament through the backdoor using the provision of the national list. What a mockery when parties hand over their individual national lists with names before election only to replace these names to accommodate shock defeats of MPs who have been rejected by the people. It is an affront to the names already given by parties when names are removed to include the names of MPs whom the people have rejected. What is the point in claiming to be following good governance when all political parties are guilty of bringing rejected MPs through the backdoor? These are politicians who know they cannot go before the people and win votes but somehow wriggle their way to enjoy 5 years of parliamentary privileges at the cost of the tax payers!
More often than not these rejected politicians who come through the backdoor without people’s mandate are given strategic portfolios too. Given that they have no clue as to what the common man’s needs are nor do they even care, the damage they do with their portfolios become irreversible.
In the history of the national list we can be proud of only one man’s entry without contesting election and that is the choice of late Lakshman Kadiragamar who did justice to being made an MP and Foreign Minister without having to contest elections. All others have done more damage than good.
Nowhere else in the parliamentary systems being practised is such malpractice taking place where rejected MPs some needing to be sent on retirement due to being over 75 years still clinging on to power and being accommodated through the national list which originally was meant to accommodate people of outstanding contribution to society.
However, instead of people of integrity being inducted the 29 seats of the national list has become a highway for the entry to all rejected MPs and old fossils.
Ideally the national list should be scrapped completely because people of integrity and those that contribute to society can be invited as advisors to committee level stages when bills are being drafted to obtain their inputs. Intellectuals do not need to be turned into politicians they can be tapped as per their expertise depending on the need by Parliament and a pool of such eminent persons can be given to the Speaker by the different political parties.
The national list is a violation of the voters rights given in the Constitution for 29 people are turned into politicians from the back door and adding further injury to the voters is to have MPs whom they rejected to be brought back in and given strategic portfolios as well.
This is a violation of the voter’s fundamental rights. The election commissioner must take a call as should the Attorney General.
Shenali D Waduge
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2015/06/09/sri-lanka-does-not-need-national-list-mps/
August 20th, 2015 at 7:56 am
National government – Please any one can explain what RW jilmal about this National Government .
SLFP have been decided to sign a memorandum of understanding with the UNP on a coalition government- than my sinhala brothers Please can you give opposition leadership to TNA Sampanthan (than 90+ years Old man can dead in peace) as have 16 seats more than JVP /EPDP/MC.
August 20th, 2015 at 8:40 am
Shenali actually my heart is crying for my country and I thought my hero and the man who saved our Motherland will become the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka after Aug elections but for everybody’s surprise it didn’t happen because of rigged elections under the Gestapo Govt of Ranil and the stooge Sira.
If this mentally retard Sira appoints losers as Parliamentarians or Ministers from S.L.F.P I will never give my vote again to any mother’s son in any election. I will stand with only one man in this country and that is my only favorite politician and a Gentleman Mahinda Rajpksa no one else. We are living freely because of him and the war heroes not because of dirty liars like Ranil,Sira,Kiriella,Ravi the dirty bunch. This whole election was a farce. Ranil’s win was planned before hand by Americans and Indian parasites with the help of our local stooges and puppets. My anger on these cowards and traitors will be there for long.I hope Sri Lanka’s favorite son one day will come victorious and rule this land of paradise for everybody to live happily ever after. Thanks shenali for standing with the truth and letting people knows what they cannot get from media or TV channels because of Gestapo restrictions.
August 20th, 2015 at 9:41 am
I THOUGHT THAT **MAGEY THUNA** WILL SCRAP THE NATIONALIST SYSTEM, BUT HE KEPT IT TO ACCOMODATE HIS ABALANG WECHCHA AYA, HENCHAIYYAS. SHAME.
August 20th, 2015 at 5:11 pm
SA K !! There is no Jilmal. The government is also giving you a seat to lend a hand in governance. BEEEE HAPPY.
August 20th, 2015 at 7:17 pm
Sham politics.Sira is a disgrace for the party which had great leaders in the past. Maru Sira acts like a Grama Sevaka not as a President. Just look at him when he give press conferences. No personality nothing just a puppet on a string.
People who supported the S.L.F.P and United Front should oppose all these losers when they come to their electorates. They should not allow them to work. In their platform they said that they will never join the UNP Govt but now it’s a different story which we cannot accept. Mahinda must object to any national Govt because he repeatedly said he is not for a national Govt. He was the leader of the United Front in the election and these politicians in the party won because of him not because of Sira or Choura. Choura Rejina must be expelled from the party for supporting a UNP candidate in Gampaha. These are all traitors to the party and the candidates who won should not listen to them except Mahinda their only leader. Mahinda supporters must stand with him firmly and fight this illegal Govt of traitors from the Opposition bench. People gave their vote to Mahinda not to Sira or anyone. They should reject all Sira followers and rally behind Mahinda to go forward. Mahinda should not let down the masses who were behind him from Jan 8th. Any decision he takes we are with him for ever. May triple Gem be upon him and his supporters.
August 20th, 2015 at 8:09 pm
The constant ‘anti Christian rhetoric’ that was rife in the posts to this website by a section of the writers, contributed to the defeat of the UPFA.
August 20th, 2015 at 9:10 pm
…….Is it my imagination or are a group (or single person with multiple handles) of Ranil and MY3 fans starting to populate this forum? This also happened after the 8th of Jan presidential elections as well.
August 21st, 2015 at 12:08 am
L Perera,
“The constant ‘anti Christian rhetoric’ …………by some…………. contributed to the defeat of the UPFA.”
SPOT ON.
I warned but without success.
Singhala Christians are 5% of voters. Looks like all of them voted for UNP. The GAP between UNP and UPFA is just 4%. IF UPFA won 2% of it, UPFA would be 44% and UNP 44%.
A similar thing happened with Muslim voters (10%).
UPFA won only ONE minority MPs. 2 from Nuwara Eliya are from CWC.
1. HAD UPFA public supporters been a LITTLE considerate of MUSLIMS, Batticaloa 1 seat could have been WON. We lost it with just 120 votes!!!
(Muslim minority in Batticaloa and Tamil Christians – led by THAMBIMUTTU a Catholic voted for UPFA.)
2. HAD UPFA public supporters been a LITTLE considerate of MUSLIMS, UPFA could have won 1 more seat in AMPAREI – Sarath Weerasekera
Funnily enough some were talking against Christians and Muslims BUT expecting HINDUS to join in!! NOT a single UPFA HINDU MP elected!! The 2 from Nuwara Eliya are NOT UPFA but CWC.
August 21st, 2015 at 1:46 am
Lorenzo,
Now I can see exactly what Ananda has been saying about you.