The lack of awareness and consensus in accepting the proposed local government electoral system by the political parties will further delay local government polls, Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Nandimithra Ekanayake, said on Monday.

At a press conference held at the Information Department about recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry on Local Government reforms the minister said that there is a misunderstanding about the proposed electoral system among minority political parties.

The commission appointed by the president to inquire into local government reforms in 1998 headed by Dr. H. A. P. Abeywardena considered five main matters. They are policy reforms, legal reforms, other reforms which can be implemented within a short period, reforms relating to human resources and institutional development.

Under policy reforms the commission suggested doing away with the present Proportional Representation (PR) system and re-introducing the ward system. It also recommended the creation of ward committee with legal powers at ward level, nominations to be received outside the political party system and electing of the mayor/ deputy mayor, chairman, vice chairman by majority vote of the elected representatives. "But the parliamentary select committee appointed afterward did not completely approve this proposal", Ekanayake said. The minister said that re-introducing the ward system will affect the minority party representation in local governments. "That is why the parliamentary select committee decided to introduce the German system which is a mix of both PR system and ward system", he said. The minister pointed out that some minority political parties have not understood this correctly.

Ekanayake said that when the matter was put forward before parliament on May 22, the debate could not go on because the Muslim Congress and the National Unity Alliance (NUA) opposed it. "Their objections were based upon wrong understanding that we are going to re-introduce the ward system" the minister said. Ekanayake also said that Minister of Rural Housing Development Mrs. Ferial Ashraff has agreed to talk with the two parties and make them understand the system. "Until then the parliamentary debate is on hold" Ekanayake said.

The minister also pointed out that the delay in finalizing policy reforms affects the work on legal reforms too. "These delays will mean that the Local Government polls will be delayed further, if we are to conduct the elections under the old PR system it can be done even tomorrow", the minister said. (IW)