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| Friday, 5 March 2004 |
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Polling in uncleared areas: UNP ploy to support LTTE vote rigging by Anura Maitipe and Uditha Kumarasinghe Pressure mounted on the Elections Commissioner by the UNP to hold elections in uncleared areas is a ploy to extend indirect support to the LTTE for vote rigging in uncleared areas to help TNA secure more seats in the North, PA General Secretary D. M. Jayaratne told the Daily News. His colleague in the Freedom Alliance, Wimal Weerawansa was also extremely critical of UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya's request to the Elections Commissioner to permit polls in the LTTE controlled areas. According to Weerawansa, no member of the security forces can enter the LTTE held areas under the MoU. "There is no permission for a political party to send its representative to any polling stations set up in the LTTE areas not to mention the absence of the law in these areas," Weerawansa told a media briefing yesterday. The Elections Commissioner's Department said they would not accede to proposals made by individuals. However, proposals by party secretaries will be taken into consideration on recommendations made by Returning Officers in the respective districts upholding recommendations made by the security forces on the ground situation. Minister Jayaratne said it was shocking to note that while the Elections Commissioner's Department has taken initiatives to arrange cluster polling stations in the cleared areas to facilitate voters in uncleared areas, that Karu Jayasuriya was mounting pressure on the Elections Commissioner to hold elections in uncleared areas. This is a clear indication that the UNP has realised that it cannot secure the necessary seats in Parliament to form a government after the April 2 General Elections. That is why they are trying to marry the TNA which claims to be the sole representative of the LTTE by extending indirect support to the TNA to have elections in uncleared areas, he said. Weerawansa said candidates not receiving LTTE backing have already been threatened to back out of the race while some have been killed. "Considering that a UNP candidate, too has been killed, the request made by Mr. Jayasuriya is a clear indication of how the UNP is treating the election in the North-East areas," Weerawansa said. The People's Alliance Government provided maximum security for all candidates during the General Election amidst a war in December 2001. It is however tragic today under the so-called peace created by the UNP that its own candidates are not secure in the North-East, Jayaratne noted. "This is the nature of the peace created by the UNP leadership. It is a well accepted norm and principle that if peace exists, all guns should fall silent and people should be free to express their views and exercise their franchise. If there is a peaceful atmosphere, then candidates representing any party should have an opportunity to participate and contest elections in any part of the country," he said. The killing of the UNP candidate in the Batticaloa district is a clear indication that such a situation does not exist. This was the nature of peace that the UNP leadership has created in the country, Jayaratne said. The UNP leadership urged public support to further strengthen the peace process signed by the UNF regime. Now it is very clear that it has left all the communities in the lurch. While knowing the situation in the North and East, the UNP's motive to pressurise the Elections Commissioner to hold elections in the uncleared areas is very clear, he added. According to Weerawansa, the UNP Deputy Leader's statement is a matter of serious concern. A question arises whether a democratic political party has a moral right to even imagine this kind of proposal, he said. "If the candidates outside the LTTE controlled areas have been denied the right to contest the election, how free and fair will elections be conducted in the LTTE controlled areas," he asked. Under the MoU, the Army or Police have no permission to enter into the LTTE controlled areas even with their arms or uniforms. Therefore a question arises whether the UNP has made this request in their right senses, he added. "If the Prime Minister or Prof. G. L. Peiris made such a statement, it is not a matter for surprise since they make such statements regularly. But it is astonishing that such a statement has come from a politician of the stature of Karu Jayasuriya," he said. President's Counsel and Alliance National list candidate M. M. Zuhair referring to the Prime Minister's statement at the UNP inaugural rally in Kandy that the UNF will win with an overwhelming majority, said they were not surprised that Minister Rauff Hakeem has somewhat diluted that prediction to having a hung Parliament which means that the UNF cannot win. "Clearly we know the difficulty that Hakeem is facing in the Eastern Province. He is telling the truth about his position. However, the Freedom Alliance will win with a comfortable majority," he said. Former PA MP Mangala Samaraweera said: "We are very confident that the Freedom Alliance on its own will obtain a minimum of 122 seats." |
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