ELECTIONS NEWS

A better tomorrow for people of NCP - Berty Premalal

Question: You’ve been saying the UPFA would secure a super victory at the polls. How can you be so positive and optimistic?

Answer: We have uplifted infrastructure facilities in North Central Province such as drinking water, health, roadways, electricity and education. The people living in Padaviya, Kebithigollewa, Welioya, Wilachchiya and Kekirawa who proceed to Colombo or to Anuradhapura in need of medical treatment could get these facilities now at the hospitals located in their divisions.

These rural hospitals have been upgraded to base hospitals equipped with X-ray, blood bank, clinical facilities and also with specialised physicians. Those who suffered for decades in want of adequate pure drinking water in remote and difficult villages now enjoy pipe borne water facilities.

Even the most remote school has been provided with adequate teachers and facilities such as computer rooms.

As a whole during the last four years, under my guidance the Provincial Council has spent Rs. 100 billion or more to develop Rajarata and for the empowerment of livelihoods of our people, most of are Samurdhi recipients.

Q: The Opposition accuses you and the UPFA of causing violence to frighten the supporters of the UNP and the JVP. Is there any truth in this allegation?

A: No, that’s a false allegation. From the very start of our campaign we have been assured of our victory.

Our conclusion is based on the volume of development work we have rendered to the people irrespective of party politics or other differences. Up to August 1, a peaceful atmosphere prevailed and the UNP started harassing our party offices and assaulting our supporters.

Up to date more than 25 UPFA party offices have been damaged. About 10 of our people were injured.

They have resorted to unwarranted activities to cover the nakedness of their defeat at the elections. And now they are making room for excuses that their election campaign was sabotaged by the UPFA.

We have instructed our supporters and candidates too not to get agitated responding to provocative acts by the UNP and JVP and not to retaliate.

Q: At a propaganda rally held at Nochchiyagama the Prime Minister said that Major General Janaka Perera has appealed to the people to bless him to enable him to strengthen the hands of the President, at a UNP meeting organised at Eppawala with Ranil Wickremesinghe in the Chair. Any comments on this ?

A: Most probably his subconscious mind would have uttered such a story. There is a saying that though ‘the mouth utters a lie the tongue would tell the truth’.

My view is that Janaka Perera’s consciousness would have made him speak in that manner if he actually came out with such a statement. He knows that he is on the wrong side since he is, according to him, anti-LTTE.

I believe his assignment as the UNP Chief Ministerial candidate is a disgrace to the war heroes. After holding the elections if you analyse you will understand that even the Armed Forces personnel have not sympathised with him.

Q: You have been often saying on the stage that Perera is just an aged, retired Army general who is not aware of the boundaries of the NCP.

He does not have his franchise in Anuradhapura nor has he a permanent address in the area. Do you not accept him as a ranking war hero who did an immense service in the battle against LTTE while on duty ?

A: I basically accept his credentials as a war hero. But he has not fought a successful battle.

It is a fact that President Premadasa lulled the LTTE Tigers in the past offering them ammunition, weapons, cash and even two lorry loads of ‘safety shoes’ for their use.

The Tigers received the guns at the government expense not to keep them in their stores under lock and key. They used them to shoot our war heroes and innocent civilians.

General Janaka Perera was in Welioya when such unpatriotic incidents were committed.

Q: There is a talk among the political circles that there is a threat to you concerning preferential votes from several contestants fighting the elections in your own team, jeopardising your own election campaign to become the Chief Minister. Is there any truth in it?

A: No. We are a team and believe in team work. We don’t have a fight among us. On the other hand no one is able or strong enough to damage my vote base and or political foundation strongly laid with the blessings of the people, during the last two decades.

I have veteran, experienced, intelligent and energetic members in the team of candidates contesting under UPFA ticket. The Opposition both the JVP and the UNP in their usual vituperative political campaign propagate such baseless stories to break the unity in our team and to wreck our political vigour.

But on the other hand I have information that UNP’s district Members of Parliament, especially P.

Harrison have been campaigning against the UNP’s Chief Ministerial candidate in stealth, to boycott voting for him. In my point of view this is reasonable since district leaders like Harrison would feel that the immigration of a personality such as Janaka Perera to the NCP makes it a threat to their political future and stability.

So rather than slinging political mud at the UPFA contestants maliciously, Janaka Perera and his team should beware of such politically motivated blows and threats, in and within his own party.

Q: Is it confined only to political rhetoric, your saying that Janaka Perera has no right to contest the Chief Ministerial chair just because he is not born and bred in Rajarata. Is it unconstitutional or contrary to the Provincial Council Act for him to be the UNP’s chief ministerial candidate ?

A: The Government decentralised power with the purpose of vesting administrative powers to the people in a particular province or a district.

Even the Election Commissioner is said have indicated that it was more appropriate if the candidates contesting at Provincial Council preferably would be those who represented the particular jurisdictions of the division, district or the province.

Whatever could be the legal interpretation it is not virtuous too.

In this context many UNP supporters including ardent party men feel that they have been unheard and underestimated by UNP hierarchy.

Q: What do you feel about JVP ? Are they a threat to you in your political campaign ?

A: The JVP is no match for me in the elections. There is nothing important to speak about the JVP and their politics. Those JVPers who have now joined us reveal as to how the ‘so called’ JVP leaders misappropriated tsunami funds pretending that they are really people-friendly and genuine Leftists.

There is no challenge at all by either JVP or UNP. As A.H.M. Azwer the Presidential advisor stated at Kekirawa and Nochchiyagama election rallies, in the presence of the Prime Minister I will become the Chief Minister for the third time, consecutively, making a ‘hat-trick’, in the ‘cricket’ game of politics.

Q: You have said that the people in NCP have rendered a yeoman service to the Nation. Apart from such development work, have you any new plan to empower the livelihood of the people in the NCP ?

A: Yes, of course. I have already planned to remedy the dearth of teachers in the province with the blessings of the Higher Education Ministry. My first duty after becoming the Chief Minister would be to give teacher appointments to 1,200 graduates.

I have also introduced a concept initiated by me to encourage the people to give up wheat flour and take to rice and rice flour based food.

I have a plan to establish small scale fruit processing factories at the Pradeshiya Sabha level and as an initiative at domestic level.

Simultaneously the existing programme of establishing fruit villages will be expanded and school leavers will be instigated to join the fruit villages and fruit processing ventures.

The maize cultivation which was started four years back under my guidance confined to a few acres in last Maha season has been expanded to 50,000 acres. It will be extended to 100,000 acres in Maha in 2009, with the aim of producing the whole requirement of maize of the country from the North Central Province.

I have planned to elevate the tourist industry since we are endowed with two ancient kingdoms Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa within our province, where the potential is very high for such development.

I promise the people in NCP a better tomorrow, full of prosperity and glory.

4,000 officers to man election duties - Assistant Elections Commissioner

Around 4,000 officials have been deployed to man election duties in the district which houses 231 polling stations to cater to 277,056 voters, Assistant Elections Commissioner for Polonnaruwa District W.H.R. Wijekumara said.

“We have had extensive discussions with the Police regarding security and got an assurance that all measures will be taken on the polling day”, he said.

All officers have been advised to strictly impose the new provisions brought in with regards to Identity Card and those not possessing a valid identity card will not be allowed to vote, he added.

As for the Polonnaruwa Election Secretariat, all measures are afoot for a smooth election on August 23, the Assistant Elections Commissioner said.

500 election observers for Polonnaruwa- PAFFREL Deputy Director

The PAFFREL will deploy around 500 election observers on polling day which would include mobile patrols and monitors inside all 231 polling stations in Polonnaruwa, Deputy Director of PAFFREL Rohana Hettiarachchi said.

We have received complaints regarding 34 incidents of election related violence which include eight assaults resulting in grievous injuries to the victims, he said.

Polonnaruwa has recorded fewer incidents where campaigning seems to be on a low key, in comparison with other three districts he added.

“We will keep a close eye on developments in the coming days and specially on the election day and prepare a comprehensive report on our observations.”