CMC Mace taken away in protest

July 30, 2012, 9:51 pm

By Lal Gunesekera

UPFA Councillor Anura Sujeeva yesterday forcibly took the Mace, of the Colombo Municipal Council, out of the chamber, during the monthly Council meeting at the Town Hall, in protest against Mayor A. J. M. Muzammil excluding a UPFA motion from the agenda.

UPFA spokesman Riza Zarook told The Island that UPFA Councillor Kahandagama had proposed a motion to thank the Defence and Urban Development Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa for gifting four jet bowsers to the CMC, through the Ministry of Local Government and Provincial Councils, at a cost of Rs. 160 million. But the Mayor had excluded the motion from yesterday’s agenda of the Council, while accepting a motion from the JVP, which was not relevant to the CMC.

Zarook said that they (UPFA) had urged Mayor Muzammil to take up UPFA motions, too, at monthly Council meetings without any success.

When UPFA Councillor Roy Bogahawatte objected to the JVP motion and Mayor Muzammil not accepting Kahandagama’s motion, Sujeeva, had taken the Mace out of the chamber he said.

Zarook said that the Mace was in the custody of the UPFA group and was still within the CMC premises and would be returned after a compromise was reached with Mayor Muzammil.

During Prasanna Gunwardene’s Mayoralty too the JVP’s Sunil Watagoda made an unsuccessful attempt to take away the Mace from the chambers.

Mayor Muzammil said that he suspended sittings for sometime and concluded the Day’s proceedings thereafter. He also said that the Mace was not necessary for the Council to have proceedings.