A controversy over the chief ministerial slot for the Central Provincial Council spilled over to the council’s inaugural session today when at least seven Government councillors voted for the opposition candidate contesting the posts of chairman and deputy chairman of the council.
PM - DM
UPFA members nominated Councillor S.B. Ratnayake while the UNP nominated its councillor, Rohana Bandaranayake for the position of Deputy Chairman.
Ratnayake, the Government candidate won the contest with 33 votes, while Bandaranayake obtained 24 votes.
The total number of opposition members in the Central Provincial Council is 18. One opposition councillor was also absent at yesterday’s inaugural session making a total of 17 seats.
Bandaranayake’s vote tally proved that seven Government members had voted in favour of the opposition candidate.
The vote for the chairman of the council was even closer with the Government candidate obtaining 29 votes while the opposition candidate obtained 27 votes, proving that 10 Government councillors had voted for the opposition candidate.
The Central Provincial Council was mired in controversy after President Mahinda Rajapaksa overtook the province’s highest vote taker Anuradha Jayaratne for the post of Chief Minister and appointed Sarath Ekanayake who got only half of the number of Jayaratne’s votes. Anuradha Jayaratne is the son of Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne, a SLFP strongman in the Central Province. The President’s decision, based on the fact that the son of a prime minister could not be made chief minister of a province. The decision was despite several announcements before the provincial elections that chief ministers would be chosen based on the preferential vote tallies. Angry supporters of Jayaratne held a protest in Kandy against the President’s move. In a remarkable turn of events, the Prime Minister also participated in the protest.
The remarkable voting patterns at yesterday’s inaugural session is believed to be a continuation of the crisis in the Central Provincial Council with many of the councillors still displeased that Jayaratne was not given his due.
Bandara / October 10, 2013
However send this Rajapakshe family to home soon to Belleyetta.
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sarath / October 10, 2013
Dear bandara
yours is the minority view of the country.
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Rohan / October 12, 2013
Why? Do you believe that Mahinda and Gata will go to ‘live next to’ Charles Taylor in UK via Hague, Netherlands? When they are beaten, Kurakkan Brothers would have no chance of surviving in Sri Lanka, unless they maintain a private army.
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Backlash / October 10, 2013
Dimu knows he will be thrown out in the next Cabinet re-shuffle. Just as well. That other rogue Maitripla S – now a billionaire after starting in Bata slippers from his JVP days – is now a power house in the NCP/NWP together with his nondescript brothers. His false allegation against the Tobacco Company has backfired. He lodged this false complaint against CTC because he knew the Rajapakses are after him. He wanted the sympathy of the Cabinet and MPs to lay his claim for PM. It looks like he might sooner than later be removed even from his Cabinet post. It could be Basil until Namal’s training period is over. It is the same with familial despots all over the world.
Backlash
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Ben Hurling / October 10, 2013
What a bunch of thieves Sri Lankans have elected to run their country!
As if Rajapassa clan is horrific enough.
We also have our esteemed, hardly walking PM DM.
He is protesting finally. Not to save the nation. But, to save his own arse. And install his own son in Kandy. Before he kciks the bucket. While still holding on to PM’s office.
Congrats Sri Lanka. Keep electing these greedy, corrupt people.
Cheers!
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Ben Hurling / October 10, 2013
Ooops! As if Rajapassa clan is t nohorrific enough.
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Ben Hurling / October 10, 2013
Ooops! Ooosps! As if Rajapassa clan is not horrific enough.
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gamini / October 10, 2013
This man DMJ can easily rock the boat by resigning as then MR will be pressed to appoint a new PM that will further alienate MR from the SLFP brigade to expose MR’s family bandysm.
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Kalupahana / October 10, 2013
Good suggestion but this hopeless man is merely a vegetable. He has no brain or guts to protest MR. Was a former thug in Doluwa, Gampola.
although some people mistakenly taken him as a harmless (and useless) man he had played havoc in the area those days.
Delta estate was looted by this gang and killed many innocent estate workers in the 70s when Bathalawathi was the PM.
AS Gamini says if Deemu resigns MR will be in a critical position for sure, no doubt. Well said Gamini, wise idea. But pro-SLFP beggar never did anything wise or wont either.
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.medalankara de choppe / October 11, 2013
Gamini, Will that help? Look at Vasu,JRP suriyapperuma,Omalpe Sobitha, athureliya Ratana etc.
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Jim softy / October 10, 2013
CRAP.
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.medalankara de choppe / October 11, 2013
What is CRAP? Another name for Jim Softy
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Rohan / October 12, 2013
Thanks. You signed the name, but with an empty message
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crazyoldmansl / October 10, 2013
you know what a LIE is and who a LIAR is?
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Always Remember / October 10, 2013
Everyone who knows will remember the agile youngster thug who ran across the roof of the boutiques alongside the Gampola Railway Station chasing another and they who saw knows what happens next and had to remain silent!
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mike / October 10, 2013
… and now this thug of a PM is a vegetable??
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gampolaya / October 11, 2013
And he also destroyed the sanctity and natural beauty of the Gampola Ambulawa mountain by erecting a ghastly eye-sore of a tower and a sub-grade resort to make money for himself. Before he was only a vegetable seller along Hospital Road in Mariawatte. After becoming PM he donned gum-boots in a weed cleaning stunt for TV. Thanks to Bathalawathie for giving him his chance to ruin the country.
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.medalankara de choppe / October 11, 2013
What happened? Was he a homo.Was it not he who tried to set fire to the Gampola petrol shed?
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Voice of Justise / October 11, 2013
These corrupted ruling party and some of the opposition party politicians fight for money and power and for nothing else.Sri Lanka has already gone to dent.
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