SF voting on Saturday: Polls Chief says nobody raised objections
Elections Chief Mahinda Deshapriya yesterday maintained that whether General Sarath Fonseka has his civic rights or not did not concern him. If the SLFP had had any objections to his voting its area politicians should have objected when the voter register in that area was put on public display, Deshapriya said.
“Only if some one raises objections I can inquire and see whether he had registered in terms of the Voter Registration Act of 1980 and if Gen. Fonseka has registered in violation of the act I can institute legal action against him”, he said.
The address he had of Gen.Fonseka was Welipara, Katupotha, the Election Commissioner said, adding that, for that matter, even S.B. Dissanayake had contested after losing his civic rights, but no one had challenged it.
The Democratic Party said that under Section 89 (d) of the Constitution, Fonseka was not disqualified from casting his vote at an election and accordingly he had exercised his franchise on Saturday at the polling station at Sumanasara Maha Vidyalaya in Batakeththara, Piliyandala.
Fonseka told a news channel after voting, ” I came to this polling station today and cast my valuable vote for the Democratic Party, for the first time. Through this I have shown all people in this country who appreciate democracy that my civic rights have not been withdrawn.”He added: “The Elections Commissioner and the Elections Department have accepted today that constitutionally my civic rights are intact. For the first time in my life I went to the enclosure and marked my ballot. Although I have cast my ballot through postal voting in the past, I have not come to a polling station and cast my ballot. I did not think that one day, by the will of the gods, I would come to a polling station, enter the enclosure and cast my ballot as the leader of the Democratic Party – founded by me. This is a special occasion today.”
The former army commander was stripped of civic rights when he was jailed under the white-flag case. He was granted a conditional presidential pardon in May 2012.
(The Island)
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There is no way the civic roghts of Retd Gen Fonseka can be withdrawn.
Gen Fonseka is a Sinhala Buddhist; he is a citizen of the Sinhala Buddhist Republic of Sri Lanka.
Gen Fonseka led the Sinhala Buddhist war against the tamil terrorists to liberate the tamil speaking citizens of Sri Lanaka from the clutches of the World’s most ruthless terrorist, the Late Mr Prahakaram.
Gen Fonseka’s achievements as a servant of the public far exceeds that of any public figure including all politicians in the 60 years of freedom.
Whe compared with gen Fonseka, all living and dead Sinhala and Tamil leaders are “dust”.
We shall wait for the general to ascend the throne and on that day, Sri Lanka will be liberated form the shackles that it has woven around itself during the past 60 years. gen Fonseka is the only person who can liberate Mother Lanka from the Medamulana tragedy and the Green stupidity.