A contentious issue has emerged in Sri Lanka surrounding the administration of Local Government (LG) councils, with allegations of illegal appointments and the absence of people’s representatives.
The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has raised concerns about attempts to govern local bodies without holding elections, leading to a lack of accountability and transparency.
Government officials, however, deny any improper appointments and emphasise the role of appointed commissioners in overseeing administrative activities.
The situation has prompted calls for elections to be held promptly to restore democratic representation and enable necessary reforms.
Opposition stance
SJB MP Tissa Attanayake has accused chairpersons of District and Provincial Coordinating Committees of attempting to make political appointments for the administration of LG councils, labelling such actions as both wrong and illegal.
Attanayake argues that these appointments, made in the absence of elections, allow the Executive to govern the local bodies without democratic legitimacy.
“Chairpersons of the District and Provincial Coordinating Committees were attempting to appoint their own representatives to carry out the administration of the LG councils. This is completely wrong and illegal. Right now, at a time when the LG councils have been dissolved due to a lack of elections, the district secretaries and provincial secretaries are acting as special commissioners.
“When there was an attempt to make political appointments, we immediately expressed our concern and opposition to it because it is simply an attempt to govern the local bodies by the Executive without holding the due elections. What we have been told is that this move to make political appointments has been halted following our opposition to it.”
Govt. perspective
Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils, and Local Governments Secretary K.D.N. Ranjith Asoka asserted that LG secretaries, urban commissioners, and council secretaries were in place to oversee administrative activities in the absence of elected representatives.
Asoka denied any knowledge of moves by governors to appoint representatives to oversee administrative work in LG bodies, emphasising that governors possessed power over the LG councils. He suggested that inquiries should be directed to the governors themselves regarding their authority to make such appointments.
“The Local Government secretaries, the urban commissioners, and council secretaries are there to overlook the administrative activities of the LG bodies. I’m not aware of any moves by the governors to appoint their representatives to oversee administrative activities of the LG bodies. It is the governors who have power over the LG councils. Inquiries on whether they can make such appointments, however, will have to be directed to the governors themselves,” Asoka said.
Governors and appointments
Meanwhile, Sabaragamuwa Province Governor Navin Dissanayake clarified that commissioners had been appointed to oversee the administrative activities of LG councils. Dissanayake asserted that these appointments had been made recently and were consistent with professional management practices.
He denied any intentions by governors to interfere in the local bodies and affirmed that they should not possess such powers, emphasising that commissioners ensured the smooth operation of LG bodies.
“No moves by governors to make appointments to oversee administrative work of the LG bodies have materialised. Governors should not have the power to interfere in the LG bodies; they are run professionally by the commissioners, so that is a satisfactory state of affairs.”
SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne expressed deep concern over the absence of people’s representatives and the concentration of power in the Executive and the governors. He criticised the delay in holding elections despite provisions to postpone them for a year, arguing that the lack of democratic representation undermined accountability.
Wickramaratne insisted that elections were crucial for enacting reforms and urged the Government to hold elections promptly, including for Provincial Councils and LG bodies and even Presidential Elections if the President deemed it necessary.
“We are very concerned because there are no people’s representatives and everything is coming under the Executive – the President of the country via the governor. How are these things being administered without accountability? They were allowed to postpone elections by a year and that provision was utilised, so after that they definitely needed to have an election. But they are not doing that and they are basically trying to use Executive powers in making appointments, so who they appoint and how they act are the issues.”
Call for democratic mandate
The SJB emphasised on the need for a democratic mandate to facilitate accountability and enable effective governance. Wickramaratne highlighted that without elected representatives, the implementation of reforms became challenging.
The party advocates the holding of elections across various levels of Government, including Provincial Council and Local Government elections. It expressed readiness to participate in any election and stressed on the importance of a democratic mandate to drive meaningful change.
“We have been discussing it. What we are saying is that elections must be held because people’s representatives are needed. So many elections are due and we are open to any elections – Provincial Council Elections are needed, Local Government Elections are due, and we are open to having a Presidential Election if the President wants to bring it forward. What we are saying is that a mandate is needed, because you can’t even push reforms through without a mandate,” MP Wickramaratne said.
The absence of elections in Sri Lanka’s Local Government bodies has sparked concerns regarding accountability, transparency, and the concentration of power in the Executive. While allegations of illegal appointments have been raised, Government officials maintain that appointed commissioners oversee administrative activities. The Opposition meanwhile is stressing on the need for elections to restore democratic representation and enable crucial reforms.
As the debate continues, the timely holding of elections across different levels of Government will be crucial to address these concerns and ensure effective governance in Sri Lanka.