Comments from candidates

by L.S. Ananda WEDAARACHCHI

[UPFA - Colombo District]

Education Minister and General Secretary of the UPFA, Susil Premajayantha :

The government had rendered a great service to the education sector. The government had increased the number of teachers to 223,000 by 2010 from 187,000 in 2005 recruiting more than 36,000 teachers including 21,000 graduates. Tamil and Muslim teacher volunteers were given teaching appointments upto 4,700, he said.

He said that the comments on national education made by Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe recently were totally wrong.

He made those comments without giving consideration to facts, he said.

The party would secure a minimum of 11 seats from the Colombo distrait at the forthcoming elections. The voters in the Colombo district are fed up with UNP infighting and are disappointed with the party while the regard they had for the JVP too has declined.

"Due to this factor many of the UNP and JVP supporters would vote for the UPFA while another section would refrain from voting," he said.

"Mahinda Chintana has already created development storm and its second part would lead the nation to be the 'Wonder of Asia," he said.

The Minister said that the new voters too are with them as they would look at the policies of the party and the development plan spelled out in it towards creating a better tomorrow for them.

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Environment and Natural Resources Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka:

A set of constitutional amendments would be introduced on priority basis soon after the new UPFA government is formed after the April 8 General election, said Environment Minister, Patali Champika Ranawaka.

The proposed constitutional amendments will abolish the Executive Presidency and will strengthen Parliamentary powers and make the 17th amendment more effective among other constitutional measures instead of a new constitution, he said.

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Irrigation and Water Management Minister Jeevan Kumaratunga said that people should support the government to form a stable parliament to take the country forward to realise its goals.

A two-third majority is not really essential to safeguard democracy or provide relief to the people. But we need a two-third majority to provide a meaningful solution to the national problem and introduce certain amendments to the Constitution.

A strong parliament should be formed to defeat conspiracies hatched by anti-Sri Lankan elements, he said.

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Minister of Sports and Public Recreation Gamini Lokuge said that he was one of the first politicians in 1983 to say that the LTTE should be militarily defeated. "It was President Mahinda Rajapaksa that did this and this was one of the main reasons for me to crossover and support the Government at a crucial time," he said.

He said one of the burning issues of the Kesbawa area is the lack of pipe-borne water and this problem is now being addressed to with the building of two huge water tanks.

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National Democratic Front leader Wimal Weerawansa said that before moving in for mega development projects and infrastructure development the government that would be elected at the upcoming general election has a big responsibility in alleviating poverty in the country.

"Although we have militarily defeated terrorism, to derive the real benefits of our sacrifices, we need to alleviate poverty and develop the socio-economic level of the masses," he said.

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Thilanga Sumathipala said "Five of the main pillars of making Sri Lanka the Wonder of Asia, the Colombo Seaport and the Airport, Trade and Commerce and most importantly the IT workforce are in the Colombo district and my intention is to take the lead in the campaign to make Colombo, the "Miracle of Asia."

"This was one of the main reasons for me to contest the forthcoming general election."

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Chandana Kathriarachchi said that the pulse of the people can be felt if the politicians choose to live with them.

"I had never let down my voters. I lived with them and I will continue to serve them as I did in the past.

We must eradicate poverty and pass the benefits to the suffering masses," he said.

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Justice and Law Reforms Minister Milinda Moragoda said that he did not believe in achieving any popularity or support through posters but would personally meet the voters and have a dialogue.

"We know how the elections are conducted in developed democratic countries such as the United kingdom, Australia, and many European countries as well which follow pure democracy candidates of any party in those countries never resort to this type of cheap publicity to gain mileage in their political campaigns, he said.

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Urban Development and Sacred Area Development Minister, Dinesh Gunawardena :

The threewheeler operators are inconvenienced in every town due to the absence of a permanent parking area. Parking space in every town will be provided said Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

"We also hope to grant various concessions to trishaw owners through state banks. They will get loans up to Rs. 200,000. They will also be assured of a pension scheme through a special fund to be setup in the future. The new parliament to be elected will definitely solve the problems faced by threewheeler drivers, he said.

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Trade, Marketing Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs Minister Bandula Gunawardena said: The government has removed taxes completely on the import of petrol, kerosene, wheat and gas to provide relief to the public for the Sinhala and Hindu New year and the prices of those items will drop in the market.

Adequate stocks are available in the market, with a bountiful paddy harvest doing the current maha season and the arrival of large scale agricultural and fish products from the North to the South following the end of the war, the Minister said.

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Foreign Minister, Rohitha Bogollagama said that the development of Colombo presented a challenge and it could soon be developed to be for Sri Lanka what Hong Kong is for China. "I see Colombo as a district with potential, opportunities and challenges.

My vision for the Colombo district is to exploit its full latent potential, thus evolving it into a city that stands at the forefront in the Asian continent. I do envision to provide to the best of my ability the necessary ingredients and elements in order to attain this feat," he said.

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R. Duminda Silva said "My firm intention from my school-days was to work for the benefit and welfare of the needy with justice and fairplay."

"I don't like to categorise people according to their caste, creed, ethnicity or social strata. All are Sri Lankans. I have many friends and relations in the elite groups. However, once I entered politics and started moving around with the low income groups I understood that it is this category that needs my assistance most, and their uplift will automatically uplift the standard of society and make this country a paradise."

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Azath Salley said that due to poverty many people including low income families still live in cadjan huts or shanties which are unlawfully erected.

"I have decided to build housing schemes for such families in better environmental conditions outside the city limits," he said.

Salley was very much concerned with creating a dengue-free environment and said that mosquito breeding grounds are in abundance due to non-removal of garbage in a proper and methodical way.

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Sudharman Radhaliyagoda said: "Politics is not totally strange to me although I worked as an electronic media journalist. From childhood I had a political background at home. My father was very much involved in politics.

Mediamen as well as politicians do the same job in two different ways. As a media personality you can inform authorised bodies of the problems people face and can reveal incidents of corruption. But you cannot find solutions to problems. That's where the services of the politician are needed."

[UNF-Colombo District]

Opposition and UNF leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said:

"Give us two years and we will implement a wide economic development program.

"It is not necessary to build flyovers as we have them already but we have to concentrate on economic development and eradicate corruption and violence. When we come to power we will tell the countries that had lent us funds to give us two years to clear the debt."

"On April 8 a UNP Government will come to power and with the cooperation of the other political parties, we will resolve the economic disaster that the country is facing.

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WPC member Sujeewa Senasinghe said that he had identified unemployment as the major issue faced by the public. I am providing modern vocational training free to a large number of youth seeking foreign employment, a loan scheme for the poverty stricken communities in Colombo and a scholarships program to schoolchildren were also implemented.

He said that the theme of his political campaign is "not to betray your party."

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Western Provincial Council opposition leader, Rosy Senanayake said:

"UNF would win Colombo district with a massive majority. The people can see and feel the hardships. The UPFA is not fielding a single female candidate in the Colombo district.The UPFA should keep its election pledges , Rosy Senanayaka said.

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Dr. Karunasena Kodituwakku said: "We should usher in a new era similar to the era where leaders such as DS, Dudley, Kannangara and JR lived. Remembering those great leaders is not enough. We should work for educated, trusted leaders with integrity to be elected to Parliament which is the legislature of the country and the assembly which manages the country's budget.

"The members of the governing party as well as the opposition have to play a vital role for the country's development.

[DNA-Colombo District]

Sunil Handunnetti said that their (JVP MPs) parliamentary salaries were deposited in a salary fund account in the Nugegoda Bank of Ceylon. We used those funds to give milk free to the pre-school kids in Tissamaharama, provide free computer education to the youth from our islandwide network of computer centres and to finance tsunami housing projects and to build the Galle bus stand that was destroyed by tsunami.