Friday Nov 15, 2024
Friday Nov 15, 2024
Wednesday, 10 January 2018 00:05 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Lanka National Federation of Self-Employers (LNFSE), which claims that a large number of noted criminals have given nominations from all the political parties to contest in the forthcoming Local Government (LG) polls on February 10, has requested the Elections Commissioner yesterday to take action to stop them sworn in as members of the respective local government bodies, if they are elected.
The LNFSE, which handed over a letter to the Elections Commissioner has also requested him to obtain police and grama seva niladharis reports before they sown in as members of local bodies to prove their track records.
In its letter, the LNFSE has stated that there were drug dealers, underworld kin pins, brothel owners and illegal liquor sellers (kassippu) among those criminals who are contesting from all the political parties including the UNP, SLFP and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).
The LNFSE, with a membership consisting of 178,000 three-wheel owners and 22,000 self-employers has commenced a voter awareness campaign on selecting educated and respectable candidates in their respective electorates and has requested the voters to avoid casting their votes to candidates with criminal records.
The LNFSE has informed the Commissioner that some of the political party organizers and candidates in Colombo and Sri Jaywardenapura are accompanying the noted underworld thugs and drug dealers in their door-to-door political campaigns and this has become a threat to the lives of the voters. The LNFSE has requested the Elections Commissioner to inform the IGP
The letter signed by the LNFSE president Sunil Jayawardena has claimed that not only the underworld operated by the Sinhala gangs but also the Muslims underworld kin pins have also got involved in the polls campaign in this local government elections.
He has requested the Elections chief to take actions against those candidates under the legal powers given to him and also to inform the IGP about this situation that would threaten the lives of the voters.
According to the LNFSE, the number of candidates, who are engaged in drugs dealings, underworld, illegal liquor selling and operating brothels, from Kotte 12, Maharagama 9, Kaduwella 6, Kelaniya 5, Kesbawe 6, Dehiwala-Galkissa 9, Ratmalana 9, Galle 12 and Matara 12.
“They are representing all the political parties. The highest number of criminals is contesting from the Colombo district,” Jayawardena has noted in his letter to the Elections Commissioner.
The LNFSE have already requested their members, their families, relatives, and friends not to exercise their franchise to elect any candidate with a criminal record.
