Polls Chief praised for halting JRJ’s transfer

Polls Chief praised for halting JRJ’s transfer Jan 4, 2010
Police headquarters yesterday acknowledged that Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake had cancelled the transfer of SSP Ampara J. R. Jayawardena to Kilinochchi allegedly over the removal of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s cutouts in Ampara. Several organisations engaged in election monitoring called for Dissanayake’s intervention to prevent the government from interfering in police operations to remove propaganda materials ahead of the January 26 polls. The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections praised the Polls Chief for having swiftly acted on its complaint to cancel the transfer concerned. Its spokesman Keerthi Tennakoon said that Dissanayake’s intervention was evidence that the Elections Secretariat could protect public servants, who had the courage to act regardless of political pressure. UNP sources said that the Polls Chief’s action would give a tremendous boost to public servants and a signal that the government could not play politics with police. Courtesy: Island