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| Wednesday, 11 February 2004 |
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Politics | |
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| Political parties urge : Sack all non-Cabinet Ministers, seize vehicles by Anura Maitipe Political parties have urged President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga to sack the 71 non-Cabinet Ministers and Deputy Ministers of the UNF caretaker Government who do not resign immediately conforming to time honoured practise. They together with the People's Action for Free and Fair Election (PAFFREL) have also asked the President and the Commissioner of Elections to order the seizure of 355 State owned vehicles being used by these errant Ministers and Deputy Ministers if they are not being returned immediately since these could be used illegally for election work. It is revealed that each minister had at least five vehicles at his command. There were 32 Cabinet Ministers, 27 non-Cabinet Ministers and 12 deputy ministers in the UNF administration. The President has also been urged to reduce the caretaker Cabinet to 15, from the present 32 to minimise State expenditure during the campaign period. Non-Cabinet Ministers and Deputy Ministers are required to resign after the dissolution of Parliament. The use of vehicles and other State-owned facilities for election purposes is a clear violation of election laws. Secretaries of ministries and heads of Departments, corporations and other statutory bodies are obliged to take immediate action to secure the release of vehicles attached to Ministers. PAFFREL Executive Director Dr Kingsley Rodrigo said his organisation would employee 20,000 persons to monitor any illegal usage of state vehicles during the elections period. "We will have at least two persons at each polling booth to cover the 9,950 centres islandwide." In addition, Dr Rodrigo disclosed that a mobile unit would also be in operation to nab any State-owned vehicle likely to be used for election work by the prospective candidates. |
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