TMVP to support Govt at Eastern PC polls

by Shanika Sriyananda

The nomination lists for the forthcoming Eastern Provincial Council elections are to be completed before April 3. It is reported that except the UNP, the other political parties have completed their nominees' list for the Eastern Provincial Council.

The rift between the UNP and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), according to informed sources, is due to the symbol, which the two parties have not agreed on so far, was the main reason for the delay.

The nomination committee comprising SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena, Leader of the House, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva and the Senior Presidential Advisor MP Basil Rajapaksa will finalise its nomination list today.

The nomination list of the UNP will be finalised by the Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, who returned to the country today after a three-day Indian visit. According to party sources, the selection board which comprises its Leader Wickremesinghe, Party Chairman Rukman Senanayake, General Secretary Tissa Attanayake, Daya Palpola, Shibly Aziz and Joseph Michael Perera would arrive at a decision on the Alliance with the SLMC and other issues related to the polls.

The UNP General Secretary said that there were over 100 applications and the final decision would be taken today. "The working committee of the UNP had given the authority to our Leader to take a decision on the proposed alliance with the SLMC", he said adding that the SLMC will also announce its decision today whether they would join the UNP or not.

He said that the UNP would welcome the SLMC if they want to form an alliance with the UNP but the issue of the symbol that the two parties should contest would be decided on at today's committee meeting. SLMC sources told the 'Sunday Observer' that the SLMC was strong enough to contest independently as the majority of the people of the Eastern region were with the SLMC. " We do not want to have an alliance as we know that our 'symbol' is much stronger to contest alone", he said.

He said that the SLMC will take the right decision at the right time. Meanwhile, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) is in the process of finalising its nomination list and has decided to select the candidates representing the Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese. The JVP Propaganda Secretary said that the JVP opposes the PC system and would contest the elections to defeat separatism.

The Pillaiyan Group the TMVP will decide whether to join the government and also nominate its Leader Pillaiyan as the Chief Ministerial candidate at a meeting with the Government scheduled for today.

The TMVP spokesman said that there were a large number of applications and the Politburo of the party was in the process of selecting the candidates and will finalise the list of nominations at this meeting. He said that the TMVP would join the Government in the PC polls and hopes that their candidates could help develop the Eastern Province if they remain with the Government.

"The Government has promised to solve the various issues of the people of the East. We have faith in the Government and do not want to contest independently", he said adding that the general view of the people of the East was that the Chief Minister of the region should be a Tamil.

The Provincial Council polls is scheduled to be held on May 10.