Government’s local council woes

It was second time lucky for the ruling National People’s Power (NPP) led Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) when at the second attempt, the Council’s Budget passed by a thin majority. The Budget was passed yesterday with 58 members voting in favour, while 56 voted against. Two members abstained from voting. The CMC Budget was put to a second vote after its first try in getting the Budget approved on 22 December failed with 60 voting against and 57for it. A gap of a few days seems to have worked magic for the NPP and helped it get the requisite numbers.

While the CMC is the icing on the cake of the local authorities in the county., since the elections were held in May 2025 to the local bodies, many have been mired in controversy with allegations of corruption, intimidation and arm twisting in a bid for the NPP to secure a majority in councils which it does not have a majority. Opposition members too have been causing chaos in some councils. 

Firstly it was at the time that the Mayors or chairpersons of the councils were being elected. There were obviously deals done and though the NPP managed to get their persons elected to head a majority of the councils, many of these same councils have failed to get their Budgets passed.

The ugly politics being played out through the local bodies is clearly evident from the chaos that ensured in the Galle MC on Tuesday.  Five members of the GMC were arrested in connection with the skirmishes at the Council meeting. The arrested members were those representing the United National Party (UNP), the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).

The Galle MC Budget was first presented on 15 December and it was defeated by a majority of two votes A second attempt was made on 24 December and here there were 21 votes in favour of the Budget and 15 against. Opposition councillors caused some ugly scenes alleging fraud in the vote count. Similar scenes were reported on Tuesday leading to the arrests.

Local authorities are bodies where all have to work in an apolitical manner if any progress is to be expected, but ever since the elections they have become place of political acrimony . There has been fisticuffs inside councils, officials have been threatened and intimated and the councils have had to adjourn on many days due to such scenes.

This does not auger well for the county where political infighting has cost the country heavily. The NPP no doubt wants to save face by ensuring that at least in the councils in which had a majority initially, they can get their Budgets passed but that hasn’t always been easy. The Opposition too is eager to assert themselves as collectively Opposition parties have a majority in many councils; as they say, politics makes strange bed fellows and this has been the case in many councils.

Amidst all the drama, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed a Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate, examine, and report on alleged corruption and irregularities at the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC).

Former High Court Judge Piyasena Ranasinghe, Chartered Accountant E. R. M. S. H. Ekanayake, and former Senior Superintendent of Police D. S. Wickramasinghe have been appointed to investigate alleged acts of corruption, fraud, criminal breach of trust, and criminal misappropriation of property that are said to have taken place at the Colombo Municipal Council during the period from 2010 to 2025.

This coming on the heels of the NPP’s woes at the CMC, no doubt arises many questions. Is this commission meant to intimidate opposition members? Or is it a genuine attempt to expose corruption?

On the face of it does looks like the President is wielding his powers to keep the Opposition members from jumping too high. Given that many in Opposition have too many skeletons in their cupboards, they would want them to remain hidden. Only time will tell if the Opposition will be intimated or continue to take on the Government.