No minority nominee puts CC on hold

Pramod de Silva and Ranil Wijayapala

KOTTE: The delay in nominating a member of a minority party representing Parliament has put the setting up of the Constitutional Council on hold, Leader of the House and Health and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told Parliament yesterday.

Responding to questions on the setting up of the Constitutional Council, during the Emergency Debate, Minister de Silva said the Government cannot be held responsible for the delay as alleged by Opposition parties.

He said five members have already been nominated with the discretion of both Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader and it was upto minority parties to nominate their member to the Constitutional Council.

"The minority parties should meet together and nominate their member soon to expedite the process of setting up the Constitution Council," he added. The Minister said the establishment of the Independent Police Commission too depends on the constitution of the Constitutional Council.

De Silva added that Government will take steps to ensure free and fair local polls as it did during the Presidential elections.

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake too pointed out that the delay of setting up the Constitutional Council was due to problems connected to the nomination of a member from minority parties.

"The five members that have to be nominated with the discretion of the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader have already been nominated and the delay is on the nomination of a minority member," he said.

Wickremanayake said the 17th Amendment to the Constitution which stipulates the rules and regulation with regard to the formation of the Constitutional Council has not given powers either to the Prime Minister or the Opposition Leader to convene the minority parties to get their nominee.

"However, we the Government and the Opposition Leader will take steps to get the minority parties to nominate their member after a meeting with them," the Prime Minister added.

The Opposition members expressed views that the delay of setting up of the Constitutional Council has put Independent Commissions in jeopardy and it would result in major repercussions in the Local Government Elections specially due to the non-existence of an Independent Police Commission.