Commissioner General of Elections, Saman Sri Rathnayake yesterday said that it would be ethical and appropriate for the directors, the chairmen, and others who were appointed under the previous Government to vacate their posts, rather than resisting their removal and challenging the new Government’s decisions.
This follows the Election Commission receiveing a number of complaints from board members and senior officials who said they are being replaced by the newly-elected Government. These officials said that their removal violates human rights and election laws.
Rathnayake questioned the ethics of such political appointees clinging to positions given to them by their former political backers. “It would be appropriate for them to step down rather than seeking intervention from the Election Commission. After all, they did not approach us when they were appointed, nor when their predecessors were replaced,” he said.
The Election Commission’s primary focus, he emphasised, was to ensure the smooth conduct of the Parliamentary elections, not to mediate in disputes over politically motivated appointments.
When asked about reports regarding the appointment of a new Managing Director to the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), replacing the former appointee, he said that The Election Commission was investigating the matter after the outgoing Managing Director, who claims to be a permanent employee of the SLPA, had filed a complaint.
“We need to verify whether his own appointment was made due to political influence, bypassing a more suitable senior candidate for that position,” Rathnayake said.
He added that the Commission has called for a report from the Secretary of the Ministry of Ports and Aviation to ensure that the appointment adhered to the legal framework.
Criticising political appointees who now seek legal redress for their removal, Rathnayake said, “Some of these directors and chairpersons should be ashamed of themselves.
These were political appointments. They accepted their positions without protest, yet now that they are being replaced, they cry foul and resist change.”
“Why don’t they leave quietly, just as they came in? That would be the ethical thing to do,” he added.
