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| Sunday, 28 March 2004 |
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Opportunists have joined the UNP - Ravindra Randeniya Actor-turned politician Ravindra Randeniya was a Gampaha district parliamentarian. He has been appointed Elections spokesman of the UNP. He was interviewed by the "Sunday Observer" on his role in the UNP and the electoral prospects of the UNF. Excerpts of the interview by Don Asoka Wijewardena: Q: As a popular film actor what made you take to a political career? A: As far as I am concerned every person has a responsibility to serve his or her motherland. I entered politics in 1997 without any wish for personal rewards and gains because I was convinced that serving the nation was a worthy cause. The other reason was that the UNP never paid lip service to national problems. For example, we were on the brink of defeat without any political settlement with the LTTE. I dare say that the UNP was able to extricate the country from ethnic war and we are happy to say that one of our missions has been completed. I took to politics to serve the country not as an actor but as a dutiful citizen and I have consistently been supportive of the UNP. Q: Do you think your being a film actor is an advantage when campaigning? A: Of course. It is a great advantage as an actor to go before people and convince them that film actors are not only artistes for art sake but also have very important tasks to complete for the country's sake. My fame in the silver screen has been an asset to my political career in many respects as it is combined with a genuine interest and correct vision. At present I have been assigned to organise campaigning throughout the country and I am certain that I will be able to seize every opportunity to convince people of our party's future plans and policies. Q: In the 2001 elections you were the last man in among the UNPers. With a visible swing for the Freedom Alliance how are you going to edge out your own party candidates to enter Parliament again? A: In 2001 General Elections I was the last man elected in the Gampaha district because I had to contest without a proper organisation in the electorate. I relentlessly campaigned within a period of three months and it was a uphill task. It was a great challenge to me but I faced it. I do not say that the UNP has no omissions and commissions and there can be a number of opportunists who have joined the party for their personal gains. Q: As the UNF Elections spokesman, how do you assess the performance of the UNF at the April elections? A: It is quite obvious to people that the performance of the UNF has attracted people of different walks of life. We have been launching our political campaigns in all electorates with some principles. The UNF has no intention of cheating the masses and the UNF is a task-oriented party. Our concept is based on performance. I think people are fully aware of our performance during the last two years. The UNF took a bold decision to talk with the LTTE and sign a ceasefire agreement with the LTTE and it was a success. If the UNF government had not taken that decision things would have been different in the country. In my opinion any government elected by people must have a practical structure adopted to prioritise the most affecting issues of people and resolve them as quickly as possible. The UNF has been able to perform a number of duties and the party has a proven record of its performance. Even international donor nations and the international community have evaluated the UNF performance to the entire satisfaction of theirs and have granted an unprecedented financial assistance to us to develop the country within a set period of time. I am confident of winning the elections because the performance of our party has been held in high esteem. |
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