‘Changes in political alliances, a common feature’

by Uditha KUMARASINGHE

Youth Affairs and Skills Development Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said that the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC’s) decision to contest alone at the forthcoming Eastern Provincial Council election would not create any obstacle to the unity or forward march of the UPFA.

The SLMC and all other constituent parties of the UPFA have accepted the Mahinda Chintana as their policy document and President Mahinda Rajapaksa as their leader.

Various changes can take place in an alliance within its parameters. All constituent parties of the UPFA are fully aware of their parameters, the Minister told the Sunday Observer.

The SLMC was keen on fielding six candidates from the UPFA list for the Ampara district while the UPFA could accommodate only four as six constituent parties of the UPFA had to be given nominations. In this context, the SLMC while being within the UPFA decided to go alone for the Eastern Province.

The UPFA had a similar experience with the CWC at the previous Provincial Council elections and with some leftist parties at the last Pradeshiya Sabha election, the Minister said.

Although the media continues to highlight, the SLMC’s decision to go it alone in the Eastern province, it is contesting together with the UPFA in the Anuradhapura district. This is the true nature of coalition politics, he said.

Each political party has to face some statistical barriers when finalising the lists of their candidates under the present electoral system.

The UPFA had to face a similar situation when candidates were decided for the Eastern province, especially for the Ampara district, he said.

Minister Alahapperuma said when the war against LTTE terrorism had reached a crucial stage, the Indian Central Government and the Congress Party extended their fullest support to Sri Lanka to defeat it. However, Tamil Nadu unleashed the biggest damage against Sri Lanka. The Indian media or politicians never touched on this situation, since they had a good understanding of the true nature of their coalition politics.