Sri Lanka's opposition urges government not to convert CMC into an Authority

Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP) has urged the government not to dissolve the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) by converting it into an Authority
.UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya has said in a statement that the government should not make such a move in order to suit its political agenda and deprive the people of their right to have a Council run by elected representatives.

"This is a politically motivated, dishonest act, carried out with the intention of bringing under its control the democratically elected institutions," Jayasuriya has said.
Jayasuriya has cautioned the government saying the journey disregarding the will of the people is short lived and challenged the government to hold elections to the CMC and face reality.
"We are for a Municipal Council run by the representatives elected by the people. We are against the Municipal Council under the control of the President," the statement said.
The statement further notes that the CMC is the largest local government body of this country and according to historical records its first meeting was convened on January 16, 1866.
Western Provincial Council Chief Minister dissolved the Colombo Municipal Council in June over number of corruption charges and a special commissioner was appointed to oversee the functions of the municipality.