Illegal settlers will not be ejected - Danasiri Amaratunge

By Ranil WIJAYAPALA

Danasiri Amaratunge a man born in Dehiwala who led the United National Party to the fore in Dehiwala is now giving leadership for the UPFA team for the Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council the second largest Municipal Council in Sri Lanka at the forthcoming election.

Educated at St. John’s College, Nugegoda, and at Royal College, Colombo he entered the political arena as an educated person after obtaining a degree in Business Management at the Los Angeles State University, USA. He first entered politics as a UNP candidate in 1997 for the Dehiwala–Mt. Lavinia Municipal Council and had the honour of being elected as the Mayor of Dehiwala–Mt. Lavinia at the 2002 Local Government election. In 2006, he was re-elected to the Dehiwala–Mt. Lavinia Municipal Council and served as its Deputy Mayor.He left the United National Party in 2009 as he felt he and his people were not looked after by the UNP leadership and joined the UPFA on an invitation extended to him by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and became the SLFP organiser for Dehiwala.

According to him running a Municipal Council like Dehiwala- Mount Lavinia is not a joke. “For that you need to be smart, straightforward and a man with a backbone. I know that I have that charisma”, says Amaratunge in an interview with the Sunday Observer.

He intends to beautify Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia area on par with the beautification program of the Colombo city under the directive of Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and is confident that UPFA will obtain 18 or 19 seats of the Council. Following are the full excerpts of the interview the Sunday Observer had with Danasiri Amaratunge the UPFA team leader for the Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council.

Q: As a whole what is the UPFA vision for the development of Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council and the theme of the UPFA campaign?

A: We are going to beautify the city just like the beautification program carried out in Kollupitiya area in Colombo city by Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He is doing a great job there. So, we are thinking of beautifying Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia like that. Before doing that, we are thinking of streamlining the garbage collection in the city. When I was the Mayor we used to collect garbage from houses every other day, but during the Mayoralty of Sunethra Ranasinghe they began collecting garbage from residences once a week and maximum two days a week. This situation was creating lot of problems in the area.

The second priority we are thinking of is the dengue eradication in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia area. We have to carry out something serious about the spreading of dengue in the city. We have to do fumigation, spraying, educating the general public and the cleaning of the drains and canals.

Third thing we are going to remove the unauthorised structures in the city. We have a beautiful beach in our area and it has been obstructed by some unauthorised structures. To make the beach areas accessible to the public and make the area more beautiful we have to remove those unauthorised structures and clean up the area and make them look nice.

Q: What kind of city are you expecting to create if you take over the administration of the Council?

A: We are thinking of creating a city like the Colombo city today in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. The Colombo city is beautiful now and if somebody comes to Sri Lanka after four or five years that person will be surprised to see a city of this nature.

Q: As an individual who has been born and grown up in Dehiwala Mount Lavinia, what is your impression about the city?

A: I was born in Dehiwala and it is a beautiful city where you can still improve a lot of things. As the Mayor I have made this Municipal Council the best Municipal Council in the Western province for two consecutive years. There are lot of things I can do considering the location, the people in the area and all the natural resources the area is having. So we can do a lot of things in the city. I think within one year we can make this city a beautiful one.

Q: There is a perception that if you really need to develop a city like Dehiwala Mount Lavinia you need the support of the central Government to do so. What is your opinion about this perception?

A: Without the central government help you can’t do anything. If the Council is not taken over by the UNP at the election the central government is with the UPFA and the provincial council is also with the UPFA.

If the council is taken over by the UNP that will create a political crisis. The council will have to do party politics and nothing will happen in the city. The money which we are saving now due to the end of the war can be utilised for the development of our areas.

About two weeks back I got Rs.180 million from the Government for the carpeting of 25 Km of road in Dehiwala area only. That is the money we are saving due to the existence of peace in this country.

That money comes to the council, only when the council is UPFA. So the central government has to be there and without the central government’s help we can’t do anything.

Q: Does that mean that the Local Government bodies do not have powers to act independently?

A: No. We do have powers. We have executive powers. Only two persons in this country have executive powers the President and the Mayor. Though, the Mayor is having executive powers that is confined only to the area he represents. But , if we want to go for a big project, big tender or ask for a big loan or something from a funding agency for a project in our area we have to get central government approval and the provincial council approval for that. We need their assistance and without them we can’t do anything.

Q: You have joined the UPFA from the United National Party. Do you have any regrets about the decision you have taken and how do you see the crisis situation in the UNP?

A: I am a very happy man today, after 20 years of hard work in the United National Party as a hardcore UNPer. Though I worked hard they did not look after me or my people. Ranil Wickremesinghe is chasing out people everyday when people ask questions. When I asked a question he said get out. I am a person who has been working for him all around the country, when he contested the Presidential election in 2005. I spent millions on him as I was taking care of Wellavaya electorate in the Moneragala district. But there is no use. He did not even thank me. So I left the UNP because they were harassing me so much.

In Dehiwala UNP Organiser was harassing me too. She was very very arrogant towards me. So I did not want to be with them.

Then President Mahinda Rajapaksa invited me, before the war ended, to develop the country. I joined him. He looked after me. Looking after me means looking after the people in Dehiwala, Mount Lavinia. So I am very happy with the President and I have no regrets about my decision.

Q: Will there be any impact on the Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council from the JVP factor?

A: No there won’t be any impact from the JVP at this election. JVP is nowhere around. We have been visiting house to house for the past month. I have been walking to thousands and thousands of houses. Not a single person talks about JVP now. Those days they used to, but not any more. A majority of the area are with us. Because they love the President and they see him as a God. President Rajapaksa was able to end the thirty years of terrorism in this country. All the other leaders were beating about the bush. Nobody did anything positive. They tried but they did not have ground support and all these things. But President Mahinda Rajapaksa with the support of Gotabaya Rajapaksa found that they were able to do that. Even the whole world is surprised of this situation. Because of that people love him. Mahinda Rajapaksa, is the living God of the people of this country.

Q: You mentioned that garbage is a big problem for the Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council and identified it as prioritised issue to be tackled immediately?

A: When I was the Mayor we used to pull garbage from houses every other day. And also from business premises we pulled garbage every day. If you don’t pull garbage everyday from business places they can’t open their business places the next day.

During the past five and half year’s regime of Sunethra Ranasinghe, they used to pull garbage from houses once a week and from business places every other day. That won’t do. When I was the Mayor I used to pull garbage from houses every other day and from the business premises everyday. To do this I am going to increase the number of vehicles and the people who are working because there are a lot of houses that have come up during the past two three years. Therefore, we have to increase the number of vehicles to pull the garbage. As a solution for dumping garbage we are planning to have an incinerator. Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa recently promised that he will get an incinerator for us after calling a Government tender. That can be used for the Colombo Municipal Council, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council and for the Moratuwa Municipal Council. The three Municipal councils together can have incineration done at one place so we can dump garbage easily. Apart from this we have to educate the general public also about the garbage disposal habits and how they should separate the garbage and dump them systematically.

Q: The Main Opposition is carrying out its election campaign saying that shanty dwellers in the cities will be evicted once UPFA comes to power. How are you countering this opposition campaign and what is your solution for shanty dwellers?

A: It is a very popular slogan of the Opposition to say that if UPFA is elected to run these Local bodies they will demolish the shanties and low income settlements in the city. This is not true. They are engaged in a false campaign. President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa have very clearly stated that these illegal settlers will not be removed. Instead, they will be given houses in the same places. The Government is planning to construct flats and storeyed houses for them with all the facilities. They will not be shifted from their area at any occasion, because their children are schooling and they engage in their jobs in the same area. If a person living in Dehiwala is shifted to Homagama or any other area they will have to face a lot of difficulties. So, we are not going to do that at any cost. They will be settled in the same area where they live and will be provided all the facilities required to lead a decent life. That is what we are going to do once we are elected to run Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council.

Q: Have you taken account of the number of illegal settlers in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council area?

A: In our council area we have around 4,000 illegal settlers and we have recorded everything. After the election, in December we are going to have two housing schemes. We have already earmarked three/four places to start these housing projects. So I have had discussions with Minister Wimal Weerawansa and the President also and they have agreed. One thing I can guarantee is that none of these people will be shifted from the city.

Q: Under this electoral system there is big competition even among the candidates from the same party. How do you see this situation?

A: It is good in a sense, for our campaign. If we don’t have competition we feel bored. It will be a lifeless campaign. In my case, I am an educated person. I have passed my O/Levels, A/Levels and I have a degree. I have learnt politics. Politics is dealing with people. So when there is a competition people also come out and try to extend their hand to us.

Having competition among the candidates in the same party is also good. By doing that we can bring the vote base up for the party. In this campaign I don’t see any competitor for me because I am far ahead of others. I have been in politics for 22 years. I have done a lot for the area where all the other 35 candidates are just regular Members of the Council or the general public. None of them are Mayors or Deputy Mayors or Organisers. So I have no problem with them and I am very happy with the campaign and the way people are treating us. There is a competition among us and in my case I don’t have any problem with them.

Q: In this Municipal Council there is a competition between the two electorates - Dehiwala and Mount Lavinia. Is it a healthy factor for the campaign?

A: There is a competition among electorates also. That is also good because both electorates are trying their best to get maximum number of Members from each electorate to the Council. Probably, Ratmalana will have ten and Dehiwala will have eight or nine. This time 18 to 19 Members will be elected from the UPFA. Competition is good as long as you don’t go and fight each other, as long as you don’t go to houses and smash them, as long as you don’t hammer the supporters of other candidates and smash vehicles of your opponents, as long as you go and destroy their cut-outs and banners and burn them. As long you don’t do those things the competition is fair.

Q: Are there any violent incidents reported in from Dehiwala-Ratmalana areas during the election campaign?

A: There is no violent incident reported from the area. The candidates in our area are better mannered than others. So we have no problem like that. Sometime my cut-outs are broken down and burnt by our party people in Ratmalana, not by general public but by a politician which I don’t mind. I am not such a fool to reciprocrate. What they are trying to do is to arouse my ire and get sympathy votes which I am not interested in.

Q: What is your plan to get the UNP vote base towards the UNP?

A: Actually the general public in the UNP in the whole Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia area are with me. When I was in the UNP, we used to win Dehiwala electorate from 10,000 to 12,000 votes. After I joined the UPFA, at the past Provincial council election I defeated the UNP in Dehiwala by 2000 votes. At the general election we lost by just 300 votes. That is much better than losing the seat by 7,000 to 12,000 votes. That means, all these people are with me and there is nothing to worry. All the people are there and I am going and talking to them. They have no hope in the UNP because the UNP doesn’t have proper leadership. When you go and ask them who is their leader one is saying Ranil is the leader, the other is saying Karu is the leader and another is saying Sajith is the leader. So there is no proper leader for them. They all are a dead loss. At the same time they don’t have a propaganda campaign.

There is a huge stack of files that are to be passed in the future. I will take care of that. At the same time five children and elderly people die every three months because of dengue. That was serious issue. What they did was they hired some people for the dengue prevention campaign and they were deployed as bodyguards to the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor. Some people were sent to some unwanted offices and others were sent for office work. By doing so we cannot prevent dengue. People know about these things and they have no faith in them .

Q:In your estimates how many UPFA members will be elected?

A: This time we will be getting 18 or 19 Members. Because we have such a good campaign.

Q:What are your prospects of becoming the Mayor of Dehiwala Mount Lavinia MC?

A: Definitely my intention is to become the Mayor of Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. I am the only ex-Mayor and I am the only party organiser in the UPFA list. When I joined the UPFA two and half years back the President asked me what I wanted. I said I wanted nothing. I did not want a penny or a vehicle. All what I asked him, was his help for me to become the Mayor of Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. It was due to that the President appointed me as the team leader of the UPFA. I have the qualification and political background.

I have always been a doer. Yesterday we did a competitive rating after hiring a company. I have a rating of 72 per cent. I have proved myself to the general public in the area that I can do something to them. You have to be a practical man, just because you wear a tie, wear a clean suit, speak English and come from a good school you can’t do things. This is the second biggest Municipal Council in the country. Running this institution is not a joke . It has to be a practical man who has a backbone. You have to be smarter, straightforward and a man with a backbone. I know that I have that charisma. All these people are with me whatever people say. I know Dehiwala Mount Lavinia people are much smarter than the others.

Q:What is the first thing you are going to do if you get a chance to become the Mayor?

A: Clearing of the garbage and the mosquito menace are the two things I am going to do first . The third one is the beautification of the city. There are some other things to be done. Approval of plans has to be streamlined.

I am going to appoint a committee as soon as I become the Mayor and will clear up all the plans. The Council income is Rs. 1.1 billion and that is people’s money. So we have to do something worthwhile to them. We are answerable to them. We have to do something to make them feel good and to make them feel happy. I want to have a good team to do good things for the people of Mount Lavinia.