Colombo will be on par with modern cities soon - Azath Salley

By P. Krishnaswamy

One-time UNP stalwart and Deputy Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), Azath Salley, who joined the UPFA in 2010 and was unsuccessful at the April 2010 parliamentary election having polled over 15,000 votes spoke to the Sunday Observer about prospects of his being named the UPFA Mayoral candidate and his future aspirations and ambitions. He outlined his plans on developing Colombo as a modern metropolitan city to bring it on par with cities in developed countries.

Excerpts of the interview

Q: Your prospects of being named the UPFA Mayoral candidate?

A: The President is yet to take a decision on it although I have already made my claim. While in the UNP, I have been a Counsillor, Deputy Mayor and Acting Mayor of the CMC. I joined the UPFA when I was named as the UNP mayoral candidate. In the last parliamentary election I was successful in getting a considerable percentage of the UNP's Muslim votes to the UPFA. I would be able to do much better if I can lead the UPFA team in the upcoming CMC polls.

Q: There are reasons to believe that in the upcoming CMC polls minority votes will get scattered among the many minority candidates contesting from the national parties as well as from the Tamil and Muslim parties. So how do you propose to tackle this situation?

A: I am a person who has been accepted by all communities.

At the height of insurgency in the country when the UNP leader was President R. Premadasa and party chairman was Karu Jayasuriya, the UNP mayoral candidate got 42,000 and I got 32,000 having contested on an independent group.

In the last parliamentary polls I got 15,000 votes defeating the Muslim candidates Muzzamil and Safeek Rajabdeen. UPFA candidate A.H.M. Fouzie won because of the 15,000 new votes that I got for the UPFA.

Q: There were City Fathers worthy of high respect in the past while we also had some who were unpopular and unsuitable for the position. In your opinion what exemplary qualities should a Mayor possess?

A: All what the people of Colombo want is a good administrator, who is accessible to people of all walks of life and one who knows the problems of the poor masses.

It will not be difficult for the UPFA to capture the CMC provided a suitable mayoral candidate is fielded.

We have won Akurana, Beruwala, Sammanthurai and Batticaloa. I have a huge plan for Colombo.

We have to be thankful to Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa because the CMC administration was virtually handled by him. What the city has achieved under his administration would not otherwise have happened even during the next 25 years.

Q: Don't you think the projects that are being implemented by the UDA will clash with the CMC administration?

A: I believe that the CMC, the UDA and even the Western PC have to work together. Decisions of this kind may be very hard to digest but I would like the UDA and the CWC to draw up a development plan for the next five years whereby development projects as in Malaysia and Singapore can be implemented.

Finding the finance would not be difficult if the CMC collaborates with the private sector.

The Hawkers' Street concept was initiated by me when I was Deputy Mayor. Under this concept all five star hotels have been brought to the heart of the city, near the main highways.

The Colombo by Night concept was also promoted by me after I visited France and saw the Festival of Lights in Paris.

The Town Hall is now being lit up and also all five star hotels. But in spite of it Colombo is a dead city after 10 pm. You have to introduce new entertainment so that Colombo will be vibrant not only as a business hub but also as a city of entertainment.

I, as Chairman of the Sathutu Uyana , introduced so much of changes and enhanced the revenue of the CMC.

We had even finalised a joint venture with the private sector to make Sathutu Uyana a mini Disney Land. Compared to other countries, we are lagging very much in giving our children the modern technology. When we left the CMC in 2006, we had paid up all the outstanding loans and had left enough funds for the smooth functioning of the next council.

While nominating a candidate it should be ensured that he will work for the well-being of the people. Garbage disposal has been given to a private company instead of finding a permanent solution to the problem.

The proposals we submitted to the Ministry of Environment in this respect have not seen the light of the day due to bureaucratic red tape. Highly sophisticate plants which burn garbage at a high temperature and producing electricity are in use in many countries. This has not so far come to Sri Lanka because of bureaucratic delays and the influence of some interested parties. It should otherwise have been implemented 15 years ago.

The city is getting flooded for the slightest rain. We have drawn up plans for tackling this as well as other problems due to the changing climatic conditions.

Q: Do you welcome a common metropolitan administration for areas under the jurisdiction of several LG bodies in the Western province?

A: The concept of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to bring the LG bodies of Colombo, Mulleriyawa, Kolonnawa, Kotte and Dehiwala-Mt.Lavania is a welcome move. Some councillors help their supporters to put up unauthorised constructions detrimental to common welfare in an effort to make quick money.

Under the metropolitan city plan and under the overall administration of the Defence Secretary such things will not take place.

Q: Allegations have been made by Opposition political parties that people of minority communities are being evicted in a systematic manner to give a facelift to the Colombo city?

A: These are false propaganda of the UNP and the JVP. People are being moved from shanties and slums to better housing complexes in an effort to improve their standard of living. For example the people who were moved from Slave Island ,first relocated at Weligoda, Thotalanga, and now living at the housing complexes at Baseline Road told me, when I visited them, that "they are now living in a paradise" compared to life in slums.

They are very happy and all anti-social activities among them have disappeared.