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Colombo’s mayoral spectacle now riding on flat tyre The chaotic spectacle over the Colombo Municipal Council election – seen as one of the biggest political fiascoes of recent times – is getting more chaotic day by day. UNP mayoral candidate Sirisena Cooray told The Sunday Times the newly appointed Mayor Mohamed Uvais Imthiyaz – a threewheeler driver who took his oaths in Tamil on Friday – was expected to step down soon to make way for a replacement.
The earlier plan in terms of an agreement between the UNP and the Independent Group 3, which contested under the Spectacles symbol, was for Mr. Cooray and other UNP members to replace the 23 Independent members who were elected. But with at least five members of the Independent Group going against their leader A. Rajendran and refusing to resign, the UNP plan has been derailed and the whole fiasco is likely to end up in courts. Mr. Cooray said his party expected a replacement from the Independent group itself though reports said Mr. Rajendran himself was not keen to accept the post. On Wednesday, Mr. Rajendran was allegedly abducted and he appeared at the Kotahena police station on Friday with the UNP accusing government elements of being involved in the abduction. With the political circus getting more farcical by the day, the next stage of the fiasco was uncertain amidst reports that a special commissioner might eventually take over. If Mr. Imthiyaz resigns, he will be the shortest serving mayor of Colombo besides contributing to a dirty political joke. |
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