Election law amendment :

New vista to achieve development

Sanjaya ASELA MATURATA

The amendments to the local institutions elections laws now before Parliament are aimed to direct local institutions towards a new direction and enable the country achieve its development targets by making people’s representatives more attached and responsible to their constituents, said Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

He was addressing an awareness seminar on the proposed new local institutions election system held at the Keppetipola Hall, Kandy on Monday.

The Minister said the people had elected President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his Government with a two third majority and vested all Provincial Councils with the UPFA to enable him to change the country’s corrupt electoral system introduced by President J R Jayewardene and his UNP Government.

He said the number of representatives elected will not be decreased under the proposed ward system. The proposed one third proportional representation system will enable technocrats including doctors and engineers to came forward to develop their native areas.