Brighter future for East under UPFA

Jayasiri MUNASINGHE in Trincomalee

TRINCOMALEE: The people in the East are confident that the Government which liberated them from LTTE clutches will find lasting solutions to their daily problems as well. Therefore they will ensure a convincing victory to the UPFA at the May 10 Provincial Council election, Agricultural Development and Agrarian Services Minister and SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena said.

Addressing a press conference at Trincomalee Welcome Hotel yesterday, Sirisena said the people in the East have already concluded that only the UPFA group contesting the Eastern election was capable of further consolidating communal amity and ensure an accelerated development programme in the region.

As such no one could prevent the ‘Betel Leaf’ symbol winning and gaining control of the Eastern Provincial Council, he said.

Sirisena said UNP supporters including party activists in entire villages were abandoning the party and flocking round the ‘Betel Leaf’ symbol in large numbers.

This tendency could be observed throughout Trincomalee, Digamadulla and Batticaloa districts. This was due to the massive trust placed by the people in the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

People in the East are very intelligent and they are aware that the future welfare of their families and children are fully dependant on President Rajapaksa and his Government. They would never be misled by the false propaganda carried out by Ranil Wickremesinghe and Rauf Hakeem, the Minister said.

Sirisena said the UNP and SLMC combine facing imminent defeat at the May 10 election was trying to find flimsy excuses to hide their improving setback.

He would advice the UNP and the SLMC to allow people in the East to elect an administration of their choice without engaging in various theatrics to deceive them.

Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services Minister Rishard Bathiutheen said a UPFA victory was a foregone conclusion as all Tamil speaking people including Muslims have flocked round its banner.

Power and Energy Minister and Tricomalee District UPFA election Campaign Committee Chairman W. D. J. Seneviratne alleged that the SLMC was spending heavily on its election campaign but the people’s votes could not be bought over for money.

Justice Minister Dilan Perera, Ministers Abdul Majeed and N. Najib and UPFA (TMVP) candidates K. Hemachandra and Nanda Gopan also spoke.