Govt. readying for vote robbery - Opposition

July 8, 2012

By Piyasena Disssanayake

Opposition political party leaders yesterday alleged that the government was getting ready for a massive ‘robbery of votes’ at the forthcoming Provincial Council polls.

They said that despite the Elections Commissioner, too, recently pointing out the possibility of such a ‘robbery of votes’ no action had been taken to prevent it.

Addressing a press conference at the Opposition Leader’s office in Colombo, UNP MP Mangala Samaraweera, TNA MP M. A. Sumanthiran, and New Left Front Leader Dr. Wickramabahu Karunaratne said that the government had already begun its campaign to win those provincial councils through terror and intimidation.

Soon after the elections were announced the government had effected the transfer and promotion of State officials in the three provinces. Despite there being laws prohibiting promotions and transfers in public service during elections, the government had done so with impunity.

The government used State resources, officials and funds for their campaign in the provinces and this had caused severe injustice to other parties in the fray, the Opposition politicians said.

The lower rung politicians in the provinces were using undemocratic methods and unleashing violence to force voters to support the UPFA candidates, the party leaders said.