Voters reiterate confidence in UPFA
Compiled by Ananth Palakidnar, Uditha Kumarasinghe
and L.S.Ananda Wedaarachchi
The Local Government polls concluded successfully on Thursday and as
anticipated most people of the UPFA recorded a resounding victory in
over 95 percent of the local bodies. The Sunday Observer sought the
views of some of the key players in the election campaign and some
coalition partners of the UPFA and other party leaders. Here is a cross
section of views.
Sri Lanka Freedom Party General Secretary and Minister of Health
Maithripala Sirisena
All
elected representatives should work for the country’s progress. He said
the time had come for all political parties to work in unity to ensure
the prosperity of the country. The newly elected members must understand
their responsibilities and work for the common good of the people, he
stressed.
The results of the election focus our attention on key points. Not
simply because we are a political party but also because of the love we
have for this country and its people, we are taking election results
into consideration when we plan for the future of the country, the
minister said.
Minister of Power and Energy Patali Champika Ranawaka
This
election was a good example to show that democracy prevails in the
country.
We hold elections in time and we proved this when we held the
presidential and parliamentary elections on the due dates. The Local
Government election leaves no room for the Opposition political parties
to cry foul with regard to elections, the minister said.
This election is similar to a referendum and goes to show that the
majority of the public is with the government, the minister said.
Construction and Engineering Services Minister Wimal Weerawansa
The
people have given a resounding mandate to the Government towards its
attempts made to rebuild the country. He said the election results
clearly demonstrate that people have placed utmost confidence in
President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Government.
Minister Weerawansa said all the predictions that he made before the
election have come true. “ I also said the headlines to be carried in
the newspapers after the election to read as the UPFA achieves a
resounding victory and the JVP lost even Tissamaharama Pradeshiya Sabha.
According to the election results, the UNP and the JVP have faced a
severe setback. The JVP has been able to obtain only two votes at
Haputhale Pradeshiya Sabha. The JVP has come down to third place at
Tissamaharama Pradeshiya Sabha. It has been clearly shown the JVP has no
future under the present leadership and the party will be further
ruined, he said. The Government has achieved a resounding victory, and
now it has the responsibility to safeguard the trust placed upon by the
people on it, he said.
Co-operatives and Internal Trade Minister Johnston Fernando
People
through the election results have given a strong signal to the entire
world that they are fully with the Government.
The Opposition in its recent election campaign attempted to create an
impression that they should vote for the JVP to shake the Government.
But the people have completely done the opposite by further
strengthening the Government. The people are well aware that this is a
people, friendly Government, he said.
The Minister said the entire UPFA election campaign was conducted
under the supervision of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Therefore the UPFA
could successfully conduct its election campaign throughout the country.
According to the election results, the UNP and the JVP have been
rejected. After the results, the JVP said it was the people who were
defeated and not them. This is just another comment made by the JVP to
cover up their humiliating defeat. The JVP has lost even Tissamaharama
Pradeshiya Sabha.
The people have put a fullstop to the JVP, he said. If the UNP says
the Government attempts to promote a dictatorship, the people have fully
realised it is the UNP which has a dictatorship within the party.
The UNP’s dictatorship has been defeated by the resounding mandate to
the people-friendly Government. The outcome of the election clearly
shows, the UNPers have completely rejected both Ranil and Sajith, the
Minister said. The Minister said that it was a very free and fair
election.
Women’s Affairs and Child Development Minister Tissa Karaliyadda
The
local government election victory of the UPFA would help to continue the
massive development activities undertaken by the government.
He said the people have defeated the UNP as well as the JVP. The
village population and the city talks reaffirmed their confidence in the
Mahinda Rajapaksa government.
The minister said that the people who lived in fear over a period of
30 years are now living in peace without any fear because President
Mahinda Rajapaksa wiped out terrorism in the country.
Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage
People
in villages have given a resounding victory to the Government at the
Local Government polls.
The people in villages are always with the Government and they have a
lot of affection for President Mahinda Rajapaksa as a Leader who is very
close to their heart. Therefore the people in villages have given a
resounding victory to the Government.
The outcome of the election clearly indicates the people have
extended their fullest cooperation to the President to turn Sri Lanka
into the wonder of Asia like they extended their support to defeat
terrorism, he said.
The Minister said the people through this election result have also
given a very good response to those who have engaged in various
conspiracies against the country. Because the people realised very well
whatever comments were made by the UNP, they help the international
community clandestinely to hatch various conspiracies against the
country.
The people have also very well identified the true nature of the JVP
as a group which attempts to destabilise the country through their false
propaganda campaign. The dates for the Local Government bodies for which
the elections were postponed will be announced shortly and the
Government will definitely achieve a landslide victory at them as well.
Communist Party, Senior Minister DEW Gunasekera
Over
twenty CP members who contested on the UPFA lists had been elected.
The people had endorsed the policies of Mahinda Rajapaksa government
again. The government will have to look at the public servants and urban
population, the minister said.
The Tamil National Alliance’s
Performance
at the Local Government polls has strengthened the party further in
meeting the political aspirations of the Tamils in the North and East,
the Jaffna district Parliamentarian and the TNA spokesperson Suresh
Premachandran said.
Commenting on the outcome of the LG polls Premachandran told the
Sunday Observer that the TNA has won twelve local bodies and emerged as
the party second in line winning more local bodies in the overall
performance in the LG polls.
“TNA is happy to note that the people in the North and East have
reiterated their confidence in the party. The TNA even emerged as a
formidable political power in the Parliamentary polls. Wherever we
campaigned we urged our voters to stand by us in winning the political
aspirations of the Tamils.
Therefore the people in the North and East have responded in a big
way in strengthening the TNA. The TNA’s performance also delivers the
message to the political forces in the South that the political
aspirations of the Tamils should be met as early as possible,”
Premachandran said.
The SLMC General Secretary Hasan Ali
SLMC
aligned with the UNP and contested in the previous polls.
But this time its coalition with the ruling UPFA has strengthened its
overall performances in the LG polls.
The SLMC contested in certain areas on its own and in some areas the
party contested in coalition with the UPFA, according to Hasan Ali.
Industries and Commerce Minister Rishard Bathiudeen
Tamil
National Alliance’s (TNA) - interpretation on Thursday’s North - East
election results is misleading.
TNA Suresh Premachandran has said that Tamil people in the North and
East have voted for a political solution based on a Federal system, the
Minister said. However the total votes obtained by UPFA and SLMC were
more than what TNA has received in Mannar, Mulaitive and Vavuniya
districts.
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna - JVP, General Secretary Tilvin Silva
The
people would realise before long the value of the JVP’s policies, which
he said have always been on the right track.
If anyone thinks the JVP could be politically eliminated, he is
mistaken. Nearly 200,000 people have voted for the JVP at this local
government election, he said.
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