Several employees at the Labor and Manpower Ministry have been assigned to Labor Minister Mervyn Silva’s work force from December 17, 2009 till December 27, 2009 on an order issued by Silva on December 14, 2009.
The employees who have been released for election work are H.D.K.H. Gunapala, W.R.M.P. Preeti Viraj, Mangala Ravindu Fernando, M.M.S. Senaratne and K.V. Anura Ratnayake.
The election laws in the country permit only the Election Commissioner to get election related work done through public sector employees. However, every ministry has released employees and vehicles for the Presidential election campaign. A Maga Neguma employee recently
died when he met with an accident while traveling in a Maga Neguma vehicle to paste posters for the President’s campaign. The governing party has resorted to using state vehicles and employees to paste the President’s posters as no other persons have come forward for it.
