The Hon. Rohana Bandara

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, more than a year has passed without holding the due local government elections. As Samagi Jana Balawegaya, we went to court seeking to hold the election and created the discourse that led the court to order expeditious conduct. Since this Bill seeks to annul past nominations and call fresh ones, it must be passed with a two-thirds majority.

¶ 02 We are very disappointed that a component of people’s sovereignty—the grassroots tier—was indecently removed from the electoral map for over a year. Yet, I am pleased we are debating to hold the poll; importantly, that the election must be held.

¶ 03 I entered politics through youth representation at a Pradeshiya Sabha in 2008 and now I am in Parliament. Due to the current distorted local government law, a member elected to a Pradeshiya Sabha has little pathway to advance to Parliament. It was framed to build clientelism for dynasties: if the father is a Minister or Organizer, the son can advance; but the smallest grassroots worker who wins a ward often lacks knowledge of the entire local authority. Many members did not even know all villages of their authority.

¶ 04 This law created many issues. Even when a party won all wards, in some cases it still could not consolidate power in the council. Budget votes led to shifts of control despite anti-defection rules, due to internal clashes as limited resources were managed among increased numbers of members. In 2018, after that election, we saw many chairmen losing office during the 2019 budget cycle. The present law has many such problems. New faces have no path for a long political journey; chairmen lose their power quickly. Thus, this has become a distorted law.

¶ 05 On the other hand, we welcome stabilizing women’s representation. But there were instances where, to ensure women’s quotas, those who campaigned hard and spent resources were sidelined and others were appointed—though not everywhere. Therefore, certain aspects need reconsideration and more amendments.

¶ 06 Although we speak here in this august House about Pradeshiya Sabhas, many personally are not satisfied with this Bill. If we revert to the old system, most Pradeshiya Sabha candidates would be happier.