UNP, JVP attempt to cover up bankruptcy

By Ranil WIJAYAPALA

A politician who represented national and provincial level politics Mahipala Herath now the Chief Minister of Sabaragamuwa emphasises that a close relationship should exist between line ministries and Provincial Councils (PCs) for the PCs to cater to the needs of the people.

As chief minister and education minister of the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council, he is pleased with the progress the province has reached the past five years, and achieving third place in the education sector in 2010.

"We are determined to carpet the entire road network in the province by 2015", the determined Chief Minister said while explaining the progress of road development in the province, in an interview with the Sunday Observer.

He said that the issue of nominations has been taken by the UNP and the JVP for the forthcoming local government elections to cover their nakedness and political bankruptcy.

He is confident the UPFA under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa will win all local government bodies at the election. Following are excerpts of the interview:

Q: What kind of problems do you see in the PC system of the country?

A: As MP, Deputy Minister and Cabinet Minister I served the country at national level for nearly ten years. On the request of then political leaders I switched to provincial level politics to face the PC elections resigning my Cabinet portfolio. I saw that the PCs and the Parliament are two institutions that can work closely to serve the people of this country. What is lacking is closeness and coordination between PCs and Line Ministries of the Central Government. PCs are very close to the people. If the national level leadership hands over the responsibility of implementing national level policies to the PCs aspirations of national level leadership, the provincial leadership and also of the common masses of the country can be catered effectively.

Q: Education and Health are handled by the PCs and the National Government. Is there a clash between policy decisions taken at provincial level on these issues?

A: What we are doing is following national level policies at provincial level. We are one government. We are trying to continue this process with no clashes. If our aim is to produce well educated citizens and provide a better health service there is no question about who took the policy decision if the policies are implemented within a proper mechanism. What I am trying is to resolve issues through discussion after closely working with the line ministries.

Q: There are problems with regard to the implementation of the teacher transfer scheme. How do you tackle the issue and overcome the teacher shortage in provincial schools?

A: When I took over the Education Ministry in the province there was a teacher shortage by 6,000. With the help of the Provincial Education Secretary, officials of the PC and the education ministry of the central government we could recruit 5,300 graduates as teachers through a competitive exam. There may be shortcomings and instances we could not release some teachers even on humanitarian grounds. There are some instances where we could not transfer teachers whose transfers were recommended by the teacher transfer boards. Transfers as recommended by teacher transfer boards will be given after recruitment of new teachers with the help of the Education Ministry of the Central Government.

Q: The education sector of the Sabaragamuwa Province was relatively at a low level some years ago. What progress could you achieve during your tenure as Chief Minister and Education Minister?

A: When I took over the education ministry some schools in Kegalle and Ratnapura districts were controlled by volunteer teachers. There were schools without principals. That was the status of schools for more than 15 years. Our prime task was to change this system. The governor gave us assistance. President Mahinda Rajapaksa also gave his support to fill teacher vacancies. According to examination results at O/L and A/L examinations our province was in forth position at national level in 2009. We reached third place in 2010. The principals and teachers of the Education Department of the Province have implemented our program at grass roots level. Considering the challenges and difficulties we faced and the resources we had in the province it was a miracle. All can be happy when they compare the education level of the province five years back with its current situation.

Q: How could you remedy the situation with regard to the road development sector in the province?

A: Not only us, all provinces are facing the problem. For the past thirty years our country was not in a position to invest funds for road development. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has allocated funds with the assistance of JAIC to improve the road network of the country. Rs. 800 million has been allocated for the road sector this year. The economic development minister under the instructions of President Rajapaksa allocated Rs. 900 million for the two districts to improve the road sector in 2010. The PC has more than 2,100 km of roads under its purview. Ratnapura and Kegalle are remote districts and we experiencing heavy rains during the year. The roads get damaged. There are complaints against us about road development. With the assistance of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and under the guidance of Minister Basil Rajapaksa we are determined to carpet the entire road network by 2015. Road Development Minister Athula Kumara Rahubadda and I work according to plan to achieve this.Politically, the UNP and JVP are bankrupt

Q: There is an objective to provide electricity for every household by 2012. As Chief Minister how are you going to achieve this objective at provincial level?

A: Only 27 percent consumers were in the country in 1994. This figure has increased to 87 percent by 2010. We achieved this whilst engaged in an expensive war effort. In Sabaragamuwa there are some areas that cannot be provided electricity from the national grid. To overcome this, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has instructed to get foreign technology.

The Power and Energy Ministry also has a five year plan to provide electricity for all villages and households. In Rambukkana electorate only a handful of projects are needed to provide electricity for all households. The government has taken a big initiative to provide electricity for the people. In turn people also should make their contribution for the economic development of the country by making maximum use of the facility, by commencing household industries. We must conduct a survey to find how effectively people are making use of this facility for economic development. In the Kegalle district there are remote villages which cannot be fed electricity by the national grid. We are implementing mini hydro power projects to supply electricity to them. But from this year funds have not been allocated by the finance commission to implement electrification projects at village level. Funds have been allocated for minor power projects but not for rural electrification. This is very unfair by the Provincial Councils.

Q: On what grounds has this decision been taken?

A: I am not aware of the reasons. As the ministry for power of the province we can work very quickly to provide electricity if funds are allocated for these projects. This is very impractical considering national development. The PCs are close to the people and can easily implement such projects.

Q: Mathata Thitha is a prominent program under the Mahinda Chinthana. How is it implemented in the Sabaragamuwa Province?

A: As a person who is well aware of the consequences of alcohol consumption and as a person who is not consuming alcohol, I am of the opinion the police and the excise department should work together to tackle this situation.

These two institutions are running on two tracks. Together they should take action against officials who sponsor such activities. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has launched this program to inculcate good qualities in people. Only with such people can we take the country forward. Those who consume alcohol cannot initiate to development. I requested the new DIG of the province to assist us to help minimize alcohol consumption. The Governor of the Province also assists us in this regard.

Q: Alcohol consumption is reportedly very high in the province. Why?

A: Statistics reveal that alcohol consumption is very high in the Ratnapura district. We are trying our best to control this situation with the help of government officials. We will get the assistance of the police and the security forces to control this menace. The poverty level is also a contributing factor. When people cannot find solutions to their problems they turn to alcohol. Some are addicted to this. With the Sambuddha Jayanthi we will be able to get assistance from the temples to inculcate good habits among people and to reduce alcohol consumption in the two districts.

Q: President Mahinda Rajapaksa has declared that Sri Lanka would be transformed into the miracle of Asia. As Chief Minister what are you aiming for the province?

A: We in the Sabaragamuwa Province must give our maximum support to the President's endeavour. People of this country have given their mandate to the President at two different elections to achieve this. Recent reports have indicated that the per capita income of the Sabaragamuwa Province has increased bringing down the poverty level. This situation has been created as we have fulfilled the requirements of the people by bringing in investments to the province. Due to these programs people have been able to improve their living conditions. We have a plan to establish 2,000 dairy villages in the province. What we are expecting through this program is to uplift living conditions. Not only are we developing roads and bridges we try to improve the living conditions of the people. The prime reason I see in this process is when the level of education is improved in the province, we are able to build a better and well planned lifestyle among people. This will contribute to the economic development of the country. When the country becomes the miracle of Asia people of Sabaragamuwa will be a part of it.

Q: The main Opposition is carrying out its election campaign based on the rejection of the nomination lists of the UPFA. They say that the fall of the UPFA has begun. Your comments?

A: The Opposition is trying to pick on a minor incident as there is no issue for them to talk about. They are trying to cover up their internal conflicts by raising these minor issues at the election campaign. Politically, the UNP and the JVP are bankrupt parties. There is another aspect for the rejection of nominations. People of this country should realise that there are a section of officials who follow the rules and regulations to the letter. If we had a dictatorship all 39 nominations could have been accepted. The nominations would have been rejected due to some shortcomings in the UPFA. I am confident that the UPFA can win all the other local government bodies under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. President Mahinda Rajapaksa is there to take the country forward internationally. When he is leading the country people should realise that the LGs should also be given to a party under his leadership. Whatever said and done by UNP and JVP to cover their nakedness we are confident of a great victory at the LG elections.

Q: The rising cost of living will be one of the main issues? The Opposition is already making use of the issue in their campaign.

A: There is no country in the world which can reduce the cost of living. It is going up day by day. We should face this reality. We have to create a good economy and for this we need a good leader. Our President when the country was engaged in war, took steps to launch Api Vavamu - Rata Nagamu program. Now we are self sufficient in rice. He is going to provide a fertilizer subsidy for other crops also. People tend to engage in agricultural activities and earn money. People of this country were never in hunger. In other countries people die in hunger in such situations. As a person from the rural area I don't see situation of people dying of starvation. That has never happened in this country. I am confident that as a country which is being developed, the President will bring down the cost of living also.