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Delimitation Report an exercise in futility to buy time
View(s):The Report of the Delimitation Committee (DC) for the Delimitation of Electorates in Provincial Councils (PC) was unanimously rejected by Parliament on Friday. In the division that was taken, no votes were cast in favour, while 139 voted against it. The Report had to be approved by a majority of two-thirds voting in its favour, in terms of Section 3A (11) of the PCs Elections Act. It was presented to Parliament on 06.03.2018 by Provincial Councils & Local Government Minister Faiszer Musthapha.
Faiszer Musthapha
The DC was appointed in October 2017. Its members were Kanagaratnam Thavalingam (Chairman), retired Surveyor General Dr. Anila Dias Bandaranaike, retired Assistant Governor of the Central Bank, Prof S.H. Hisbullah, Prof Sangara Wijeyasandiran and retired Assistant Elections Commissioner Premathilaka Siriwardena. The Report of the DC was presented in February 2018.
The DC called for written submissions from interested political parties, public organisations and the general public, and held public hearings in 25 districts. It received 678 responses (both written and verbal) from the public for consideration, in the discharge of its mandate. The DC discussed and incorporated the submissions relevant to its mandate, to demarcate 222 PC electorates within 25 administrative districts, to elect 50% of the members based on the simple majority system to the 9 PCs
The Report was submitted to Parliament by Minister Faiszer Musthapha on March 6 and debated on Friday (24). Following are excerpts of views expressed by MPs from various parties during the debate:
Provincial Councils & Local Government Minister Faiszer Musthapha:
“The DC was appointed according to the Law and I did not interfere in its affairs. It worked independently. My responsibility was to present its Rreport to Parliament and it is up to Parliament to either accept or reject it. I too have the same right. There are loopholes in the Report and hence, I too, am rejecting it. A Delimitation Appeals Review Committee headed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will be appointed and the shortcomings in the present Report addressed. The country cannot go forward, if we continue to oppose progressive proposals such as the new electoral system.
Chief Opposition Whip JVP Leader MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake said:
Changing the electoral system alone will not help to change the damaging political culture in the country. There is no point changing a system, if politicians continue to be corrupt. Today, politicians have become a commodity to be bought and sold. People who enter politics from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, turn into wealthy businessmen, once in office. It is obvious from the debate on the DC Report, that the UNP, as well as the UPFA, including the JO, have joined hands to defeat this Report. This shows they are not interested in holding the PC polls.
SLMC Leader- City Planning & Water Supply Minister Rauff Hakeem:
The DC has not looked into the interests of the minorities in its Report. The Government must consider creating multi-member constituencies for the benefit of minor and minority party candidates who contest the PC polls. The Muslim community in particular, was discriminated in the manner in which constituencies were demarcated.
Leader of the House, Minister Lakshman Kiriella presented a draft amendment to repeal the PCs Elections (Amendment) Act, No. 17 of 2017, and to hold the PC elections under the old electoral system.
Leader of the House- Public Enterprise and Kandy City Development Minister Lakshman Kiriella said:
The UNP, too, wants the elections held as soon as possible but, there is no consensus on the delimitation process. UNP MPs, too, have raised questions about the delimitation methods. We discussed with the Joint Opposition, on the possibility of introducing amendments, but there is no consensus on the delimitation Report. If we wait till a new electoral system is introduced, it may take several years for the PC polls to be held. It is my opinion and my Party’s opinion that the PCs elections should be held under the existing electoral system.