There is no fear for the SLFP or the Government to hold the Local Government Elections as mentioned by some during the May Day rallies.
The LG polls will be held early next year once the delimitation process is completed, Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister Faizer Mustapha said. Addressing media during a press briefing held at his office in Colombo he said that holding LG Polls according to the old system without completing delimitation process is simply going against the people's mandate given to President Maithripala Sirisena during the presidential election, who promised the people to abolish the corrupted preferential system based on money power.
According to Minister Mustapha, even the UPFA General Secretary wanted him to hold the LG Polls as soon as possible because there is an advantage for the UPFA to win the election at this moment. But it cannot be done because what is more important is protecting people's democratic rights than following time frames. There are over 2000 complaints with the Delimitation Commission. Some ethnicities do not have a representation in some electorates.
Minister Mustapha pointed out that one more month will be given to the commission from August 1st to complete its work. Delimitation should be done for more than 1000 electorates. I do not interfere with the committee which is represented by all political parties.
Nobody raised hands against holding the LG Polls according to the new system when the issues was taken up in the Parliament. There are both good officials and good politicians while there are both bad officials and bad politicians. It depends on the persons and not on the fact that whether a person is an official or a politician. Therefore all LG bodies will be monitored and managed properly until the LG Polls hold.
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