Polls
chief’s wish to be fulfilled?
Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake is once again in the
limelight with elections around the corner. His repeated pleas to
successive governments to allow him to go on retirement have fallen
on deaf ears. So when he met journalists last Friday his first remarks
were “I thought I’ll miss seeing you all again after
the Presidential elections but it has not become a reality.”
With no scheduled election for at least another four years, maybe
Mr.Dissanayake’s wish will finally come true and he will be
able to retire before the next polls.
Food
for thought
The Elections Chief is also disappointed about the majority of the
political parties in Sri Lanka. He said that only one recognised
political party had managed to file all its nominations properly
for the Local Government polls despite the fact that the Department
had sent out clear guidelines to all the parties on how to file
their papers. He couldn’t help wondering how a political party
which cannot file its nominations papers properly can run a council.
Food for thought especially for the voters.
Residents
liable
Cabinet has given its approval to Health Minister Nimal Siripala
De Silva to bring to Parliament a new Bill to prevent the breeding
of mosquitoes. The idea is to make residents of each area responsible
for preventing the breeding of mosquitoes in their vicinity.
The
all important question
The Chief Minister of the Western Province Reginald Cooray was among
those attending a press conference at the SLFP headquarters on Friday.
The CM who has a running battle with the JVP was waiting for a journalist
to ask about this dispute but there were no such queries. Finally
the disappointed CM couldn’t help saying aloud “You
have not asked me the most important question.”
The journalists were amused but no one asked him the question he
was waiting to answer so eagerly.
One
fine mess
Meanwhile an Additional Director of the Corporation who has defaulted
a sum of Rs400, 000 on car loan payments and Rs75,000 on phone bills
has got a letter recently from the Director General that they have
been written off.
However, the Chairman says he must pay the money. So it’s
one fine mess at this television house with stories and allegations
flying to and fro.
Dollars
for what
The Rupavahini Corporation Chairman who accompanied the Government
delegation to Geneva, Switzerland had allegedly taken US $ 3000
from the SLRC.
His
expenses were, however, paid by the President’s Office as
he was Director Media of the President’s Media Unit. Insiders
say he claims he had taken the money from the SLRC for camera hiring.
But shouldn’t a cameraman be carrying the camera and not the
Chairman?
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