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| Sunday, 4 September 2005 |
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PA, UNP woo SLMC, CWC by Jayantha Sri Nissanka, Ranga Jayasuriya and M. P. Muttiah The two Presidential candidates Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe are engaged in intense negotiations to obtain the one million bloc vote of the two dominant minority parties, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) to gain a clear edge at the 2005 Presidential Election. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse visited SLMC leader Rauf Hakeem at his residence on Friday and sought SLMC support for his campaign. However, Hakeem has not given a word to the Premier. The SLMC leader plans to meet UNP candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe too during this week. The party has also decided to meet SLMC intelligentsia and religious leaders before coming to a final decision. Senior party members of the two candidates are having continuous dialogues to win the CWC to their fold. But, the CWC has decided to take the final decision once other minority parties decide on their candidate. However, JVP last week decided to back Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse in the election. They are scheduled to announce it this week. Meanwhile, the Upcountry People's Front (UPF) suffered a major split when two members of the Central Provincial Council pledged their support to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse at the Presidential elections. They, along with over a hundred senior members of the Front and several Pradeshiya Sabha Members, met the Prime Minister on September 1 at the Temple Trees. Party Leader P.Chandrasekaran who is now in Pakistan had told other senior members that he would take disciplinary action against the deviants once he returns to Sri Lanka. CPC Members S. Arulsamy, who is also the Administrative Secretary of the UPF, and P. Digamparam told the Sunday Observer that the Prime Minister had agreed to look into several problems faced by plantation workers. They said that the Prime Minister had instructed the Highways Department to repair nearly 100 roads in the Nuwara-Eliya District that are in a dilapidated condition. This would be done on a priority basis. Arulsamy said that the UPF representatives had requested the Prime Minister to provide 10 perches of land to plantation workers to build their own houses. The Prime Minister promised equal employment opportunities for the educated up-country youths in the public sector institutions. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse also assured the UPF representatives that he would request the Medium and Small Scale Plantation Industries and Rural Human Resources Development Minister C.B. Ratnayake to commence 25 water supply and other infrastructure projects for the benefit of the plantation community in the Nuwera-Eliya District. Meanwhile, the two main parties are approaching the Tamil National Alliance for support at the forthcoming Presidential Election. A TNA parliamentarian said "They (the two contenders) didnot come in person, but they have sent emissaries requesting our support,". He however said the TNA had not yet decided on its support, which if ever to be extended will be conditional."The party will announce its conditions for support once nomination days are announced," he said. Meanwhile, a group of expatriate Sinhala organisations are lobbying the Jathika Hela Urumaya leadership to field General Janaka Perera as the JHU Presidential candidate. "These organizations representing Sinhalese in over 30 countries have suggested Gen.Janaka Perera as our candidate. We have not yet decided on his candidature, But we will seriously look in to it," JHU Parliamentary Group Leader Ven. Athuraliye Rathana told the Sunday Observer. However, the JHU has consulted Sri Lankan Ambassador in Indonesia, Janaka Perera and expect a word in the coming days. The JHU Central Committee which met yesterday gave an ultimatum to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse. But the PM has not responded yet. The JHU will announce their candidate if the Prime Minister fails to respond as soon as the nomination is called, said a spokesman of the JHU. The Election Commissioner's Department is seeing to all logistics for the election. The Commissioner will possibly issue a gazette notification announcing the election this week, sources said. |
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