If Provincial Council Elections Are Held, the Government Will Suffer a Heavy Defeat: MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam

20-Nov-2025

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The government has no intention of holding Provincial Council elections. It is attempting to delay the polls by appointing yet another committee. Alongside the Trincomalee Buddha statue controversy, the government’s influence in the North and East has significantly declined. If Provincial Council elections are held, the government will face a crushing defeat, said ITAK Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam.

He made these comments during the committee-stage debate on the 2026 budget allocations for the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, and the Ministry of Industries on 19 November 2025.

He further stated:

When we met the President regarding the Provincial Council elections, we raised several issues, including those mentioned in his policy statement. We do not know whether the Provincial Council elections are important to other regions or other parties, but they are crucial to our party and our people. The mandate given to the government by the people of the North and East was based on the promise that elections would be held within one year. This mandate has now been violated.

We have received the Minister’s report on my Private Member’s Bill concerning Provincial Council elections, and the contents are completely false. We informed the President of the importance of conducting the elections. Opposition parties have expressed willingness to support taking up the Bill. If you have any political courage, you should proceed with it. If there are reasons for delaying the elections, state them openly. Do not hide behind legal excuses, form committees, and attempt to evade responsibility.

The government is afraid of conducting the elections. With the controversy surrounding the Buddha statue in Trincomalee, its influence in the North and East has vanished. The President may claim that this is a closed matter, but as long as the statue remains at that site, the issue is not closed. For us, it stands as a symbol of the government’s racist actions. Dr. Archana has already stated what should be done—when people see the statue, they will know whom to vote for, just as one chooses to eat with the left hand instead of the right.

ITAK will therefore call for a division against the budget allocation for the Provincial Councils Ministry. One reason is the government's misconduct regarding Provincial Councils; another is the continued manipulation surrounding the Kalmunai North Divisional Secretariat, which has fuelled discord between Tamil and Muslim communities for over a year. Whether the elections are held today or a year later, the government will lose. If it fails to hold Provincial Council elections, it will also lose the parliamentary elections.