by Zacki Jabbar

The Government has decided not to object to bail applications, on behalf of Peoples Alliance (PA) members remanded in connection with incidents during the last parliamentary election, following PA complaints that they are unable to prepare for the forthcoming local government polls with many of its candidates and organisers behind bars.

Cabinet spokesman and Enterprise Development Minister G.L. Peiris told yesterday’s cabinet press briefing, at the Information Department, that any bail applications made on behalf of PA members, for the specific purpose of enabling them to take part in the local government elections, would not be objected to by the state.

He said the government has also acceded to a PA request that the proposed amendments to the Local Government Elections Ordinance be postponed and that Local Polls be held under the existing Ordinance.

"The request was made when an Opposition delegation led by Ratnasiri Wickremanayake met Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Tuesday. Elections to the Pradeshiya Sabhas and Municipal Councils will now have to be postponed by about a fortnight which means it will most likely be held by about March 15. However fixing of the poll date is a matter for the Elections Commissioner. In view of the change in the polls date the government proposed that the budget debate be shortened which was accepted by the opposition".

Peiris said the postponement of the poll has also ensured that the election campaign would not clash with the Haj festival which falls on February 23.

According to the amendment proposed by the government, with a view to eliminating the ill effects of a long election campaign, the period between the proclamation of the poll and nomination day was to be reduced from14-21 days to 7-10 days and the gap between nomination and election day from 6-8 weeks to 4-6 weeks.

On January 8, the day on which the amendment was to be presented to parliament, Opposition leader Ratnasiri Wickremenayake said the decision to amend the Local Government Ordinance would derail the ongoing peace moves.

However he did not say how the amendment would interfere with the peace process but hinted that the opposition may not give its fullest cooperation to the government if it went ahead with the amendment.