President assures Bill on PC election to be presented to Parliament shortly

President Maithripala Sirisena said that the amendments needed to be passed to hold Provincial Council Election have been completed it  will be presented to the Parliament next week. He was speaking at a workshop held at Foundation Institute in Colombo yesterday. The workshop was organized to make plans at local government institutes for waste management and dengue prevention.

“There are various criticisms in the media which state that the government is not holding elections. But the actual reason for us not hold elections was the irregularities in the bill which had been made in relation to election of representatives for local government bodies”, the President explained.

“There hasn’t been any scientific, permanent program for waste management by any of the previous governments. All those who think without political hypocrisy will acknowledge that. The current government will end this garbage issue so that any future governments will not face this problem”, he said.

President Sirisena said that Mayors and Provincial Secretaries should be committed to perform their service properly, using their institutional powers. “I have received information that some local government institutes are still being controlled by former chairmen and mayors, misusing the vehicles and other resources of the institutes for their private and political needs”, he said.

He said according to the political culture we were used to, the government officers had to behave in accordance with the qualities and characteristics of the political leadership. “But today all public servants can perform their duties correctly and properly without any such undue influence”, the President stated.

He said a proper restructuring program will be formulated within next few months after obtaining ideas and proposals from all relevant persons about the posts and duties of the secretaries of local government institutes.

The workshop has been organized by the Ministry of Local Government and Provincial Councils, under the theme ‘Thirasara Yugayak – Pirisidu Purayak’ (Sustainable Era – Clean City). The report on proper waste management and dengue prevention was presented to the President by Minister Faizer Mustafa.