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| Sunday, 9 October 2005 |
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Politics |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Both
parties, allies equally confident
by Rashomi Silva As 13 parties forwarded their nominations last Friday for the country's top post, the Sunday Observer spoke to representatives of the two main political parties and their allies about how they foresee the outcome of the fifth Presidential Election. Maithripala Sirisena, General Secretary of the SLFP First of all I want to assure on behalf of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, the SLFP is committed to ensure a free and fair election. The democratic leader that he is he would grant the people of this country their first political right of selecting a leader of their choice. And I am sure that leader will be our Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse. Commenting on the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and Ceylon Workers Congress, joining hands with the UNP, he said that both parties were with the UNP in 2004, where the SLFP and JVP alliance managed to sweep the victory. The SLMC is utterly unpopular with the Muslim community and had let it turned them down very badly by joining with the UNP. The UNP and its present leader Ranil Wickremesinghe who has ruled this country and had been a one-time Prime Minister cannot claim themselves to be champions of minority rights. It is one of the biggest misconceptions for them to think that they can woo the minority votes in this election. Tissa Attanayake, Acting General Secretary of UNP We will win. We have the support of the SLMC and CWC, the largest minority parties in the country. If you take past Presidential Elections, you could see that the candidate who got the support of the SLMC and the CWC has always won. Our party, the United National Party is a truly united party and our candidate represents all communities and religions in this country and not just one segment of the population. How can you expect a party unable to put forward a manifesto, to run a country? On the other hand the UNP has answers for the country's burning national questions such as the North-East issue, cost of living, unemployment and so on. Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera, Jathika Hela Urumaya This is a fight between the terrorist forces who are seeking to divide the country and forces who trying to unite the divided country. Any patriotic man would know voting for the UNP, LTTE alliance means giving up the North and East to the Tamil terrorists. Even right thinking Tamil and Muslims have understood that. We are sure Mahinda Rajapakse would get the support of the masses of the country to unite the divided country. Nizam Kariapper, Member of SLMC high Command We are dedicated to ensure the victory of the UNP candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe. The UNP is not going to just win but to win with a thumping majority. The SLMC would be campaigning in the North-Eastern part and this time the UNP's victory in the N-E would be a historical one. Responding to the government claims that the UNP, SLMC and CWC alliance has failed to achieve victory in the 2004 General Election he said, the 2004 polling was one of the lowest in the party's (UNP) history. This was amidst propaganda of the PA, JVP and JHU alliance that the CeaseFire Agreement was endangering the National Security, but what did the PA do to improve the security situation in the country when in office? People cannot be fooled every time, they understand better and I am sure will ensure the victory of the UNP. |
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