BY Methmalie Dissanayake
Speaking at a media briefing, EC Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said, in some Local Authorities, the party which has the second highest votes has to bear the full obligation of fulfilling the compulsory female quota. “It is true that female involvement in politics should increase.
“The EC wholeheartedly supports that. But if some party has to bear the whole obligation it is very unfair by them and the EC cannot agree with it,” he added.
According to the Section 27F of the Act, 25% of the total number of members in each Local Government body should be females.
Section 27F(1) notes, “Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in this Ordinance, not less than twenty five per centum of the total number of members in each local authority shall be women members: provided that, where the number constituting twenty five per centum of the total number of members in a local authority in an integer and fraction, the integer shall be deemed to be the number which shall constitute twenty five per centum for the purpose of this section.”
Section 27F(2) holds, “The Commissioner of Elections shall by notice published in the gazette, specify the number of women candidates to be nominated in respect of each local authority.”
However, if the number of members elected from a political party results in an ‘overhang’ and thereby exceeds the number ascertained to be elected and returned as members and such number of members do not include any female members, then the 25% female quota should be secured through the Proportional Representation (PR) seats of the other political parties.
Furthermore, the Act says that if a political party could not gain 20% of the votes in a local authority and gained less than three members, they are exempt from appointing females from the additional persons list.
However, with the results of the recent Local Government Elections, several parties face difficulties because the obligation of filling the said quota falls on the party which gained the next highest number of votes, Deshapriya said.
The Polls Chief said anyone can understand that such a situation is unfair for political parties that contested the Polls.
Therefore, the Act should be amended immediately, he said and added that a Section should be included to say that if a certain political party’s PR list does not have vacancies to appoint the number of female representatives that must be appointed mandatorily, such Local Authority can however function in the absence of 25% female representation.
Deshapriya said that the EC, during the discussions held prior to the Act being initially amended, had pointed out that such a situation could occur. But the authorities had at that juncture said that it will occur only in extreme situations, he noted. “They told us that we are talking about extreme situations. Now everyone can understand what we said.”
Deshapriya concluded, “Actually, the responsibility of ensuring justice in such situations does not belong to the EC. I can sign the representative lists and approve them without any problem. But there should be justice. We just cannot ignore that.”
Courtesy : Ceylon Today
