Heavy voter turnout expected in upcountry

By P. Krishnaswamy

The Sunday Observer visited Hatton, Ginigathene and Nawalapitiya, the main hub of the export tea industry, for an on-the-spot observation of election campaigns of plantation trade union turned political parties contesting the September 21 Central Provincial Council polls. In spite of the adverse weather conditions, the candidates, representing the estate workers, are zealously addressing pocket meetings in estates in Hatton, Nawalapitiya, Nuwara Eliya, Walapane, Ginigathena, Gampola, Talawakele and other plantation areas in the Kandy district where they are contesting. Despite the heavy rains in all these areas the electors too, including elders and women, are attending the meetings in large numbers indicative of their keen interest in the democratic process and their changing thought pattern.

M. Muthukumar

A. Lawrence

K. Radhakrishnan

K. Velautham

Muthu Sivalingam

Ramasamy Thangavel

T. Thikambaram

We observed their party leaders also present at some of the meetings. The extremely rough weather do not seem to have deterred them. It may be due to the fact that there are only a few days more for ending polls campaigns.

Leaders of the four main contending parties - the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) led by Minister Arumugan Thondaman, the Upcountry People's Front (UPF) led by the widow of the founder leader P. Chandrasekaran, Ms. Shanthini Chandrasekaran, the National Union of Workers (NUW) lead by parliamentarian T. Thikambaram and the UNP which has mostly fielded candidates from its plantation trade union, the Lanka Jathika Estate Workers' Union (LJEWU) briefly explained their views on the advantages of the PC system for the plantation community, what has been achieved for them through its previous four terms, the shortcomings and what they expect to achieve towards the educational promotion, housing and health and general socio-economic welfare.

Deputy Minister of Economic Development Muthu Sivalingam who is President of the CWC said that their party with its eighty-year long services for the emancipation of the down-trodden plantation community achieved much, under the leadership of its founder leader Saumiyamurthy Thondaman and the present leader Minister Arumugan Thondaman. Citizenship rights, universal franchise, wage increase commensurate with the changing trend of living conditions, state sector employment to the educated plantation youths, improved health facilities through the take over of all estate hospitals/dispensaries by the Government, improvements in the field of general education and IT education - through the central government, the Provincial Council and Indian scholarships, and also through the CWC's own "Prajasakthi" educational and empowerment institutions. Also should be mentioned the on-going program of offering them decent houses in place of the line-room shelters and many more far-reaching programs for their socio-economic uplift and welfare, he said.

S. Arulsamy, who is a trade-unionist, former parliamentarian and Central PC Minister of Tamil Education and Industry during the years 2005 - 2009 and again as a Councillor from 1993 - 2003, with a 15-year political background is contesting on the CWC's cockerel symbol in the Kandy district. He was leader of the trade-union-cum-political party, the Workers' Liberation Front(WLF), before merging with the CWC in the recent past. He told the Sunday Observer that with his experience as a PC Minister and as a Councillor, he is of the view that much can be done for the plantation community through the PC because it has a very good interaction with the people at the grass root level, including the plantation workers.

Considerable development work in the spheres of infrastructure, road network, education, health and employment-oriented projects were done during the past four terms of the Central PC and more development work in these areas are needed for the plantation people who are socially lagging behind compared to the other communities of the country. Under the existing laws, the Pradeshya Sabhas cannot do any development or infrastructure work within the estates, but the PC can do, he said.

Ramasamy Thangavel who is contesting on the CWC's "Cockerel" symbol in the Kandy district is a veteran trade unionist. He was Councillor and Deputy leader of the first tenure of the Central PC. He expressed similar views as Arulsamy and said that many of the development programs that were implemented by the central government for the socio-economic uplift of the plantation community were mooted by the Central PC during its first tenure. Development was brought to the doorstep of the plantation community under the PC system and much more need to be done for the them in the future too. This can be achieved to a great extent under the PC, he said. Through the PC the CWC will, as in the past, agitate for further improvements in respect of the plantation community in the fields of education, health, infrastructure and wages in commensurate with the rising cost of living, he said. He believed that the PC is a viable mechanism to achieve such development-oriented goals for the community, he said. He would have resolutions passed in the PC for starting Montessori schools in every estate and for making primary-level education compulsory for the estate workers, he said.

General Secretary of the pro-UNP Lanka Jathika Estate Workers' Union (LJEWU), former parliamentarian and present member of the Uva PC, K. Velautham said that two candidates in the Kandy district and three in the Nuwara Eliya district have been fielded on the UNP "Elephant" symbol on behalf of the LJEWU. They would agitate through the PC for immediate measures to address the plight of the plantation workers who are unable to cope with the rising cost of living.

The Pradeshiya Sabhas (PS) are not empowered to undertake any development work in the estates. The PC is the only structure that is able to reach the plantation community and do development-oriented work for them and also play an important role towards their social, economical, educational and sanitary welfare, Velautham said. The PC should be given adequate powers and funds to address the problems of the poverty-stricken community, he said.

Political leader of the Upcountry People's Front (UPF) K. Radhakrishnan MP who was Central PC Minister of Tamil Education from 1999 - 2004 and again from 2005 - 2007 and held the same portfolio for one year in 2009 with a political background of over 25 years said that the PC since its inception had played a very significant role towards the socio-economic uplift of the plantation community. The proposal for the appointment of teachers from among the educated youth of the community was first mooted by the Central PC, he said. The PC has contributed towards the improvement of the road network in the plantation areas, improvement of health and sanitary conditions and education. Much more is needs to be done in these spheres to bring the community in par with the other communities of the country which they would strive to do through the PC and the central government, Radhakrishnan said.

During his tenure as PC Minister Tamil Zonal Directors of Education were appointed to some zones while Tamil Additional Zonal Directors were appointed to the zone where there were no Tamil-speaking zonal directors . About 100 subject directors and advisors were also appointed in an effort to improve the standard of education among the plantation children, he said. Twenty-five Tamil teachers are being sent every year for training in India under a scholarship scheme and computer education programs have been implemented in the plantations under programs of the PC. A model school that was started in Kotagala for admitting eligible plantation children who pass the Grade Five scholarship exam is extending excellent services to comm unity in the field of education with 100 % good results achieved in GCE(OL) and 80 percent good results in GCE(A/L). The Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) that are in-charge of the management of the plantation estates have discarded at least 50 acres in each estate and the companies are not doing anything to improve productivity. Their party is the position that the Government should appoint a 'Special Task Force" for developing the estates, he said.

Although their party is a constituent of the UPFA, they are contesting on their 'Mammoty' symbol because they want their vote bank to be intact, he said. Their party is of the strong view that the PC system which has done substantial work for the plantation community is a viable mechanism for serving the plantation community and, therefore, more funds should be allocated for undertaking welfare projects for the community, he said.

General Secretary of the UPF A. Lawrence who has several years of experience as a trade unionist, politician and social worker is contesting as the party chief candidate on the "mammoty" symbol in the Nuwara Eliya district. He is of the view that the PC can function as an effective mechanism only if all powers given to it under the 13th Amendment are vested on it without withholding any of the powers, including land and police powers. The UPF will voice for it. The PC should be allowed to function with all such powers until a political solution is found to the ethnic question. A political solution should encompass the North-East Tamils, the Muslims and also the upcountry Tamils, he said.

A majority of the plantation workers are continuing to live in line-room quarters and the UPF will work towards providing decent housing for them following in the footsteps of party founder leader P. Chandrasekaran, he said.

They will also work towards fully merging the plantation community with the national mainstream, improving their educational and economic standards, in collaboration with the Government. Their party will oppose organised settlements of other communities in the plantation areas intended at changing the demographic percentage of the community, Lawrence said.

National organiser of the NUW S. Sridharan who is also Parliamentary Research Officer of party leader T. Thikambaram MP said that they are contesting on UPFA's "Betel" symbol in the Nuwara Eliya district while in the Kandy district they are contesting in alliance with the UPF on its "Mammoty" symbol. Sridharan who is a former school teacher holding an arts degree is contesting as party chief candidate in the Nuwara Eliya district. He would work towards the empowerment of the plantation women and their entry into politics in greater numbers. Their party wants to strengthen their bargaining power by having more of their representatives elected to the PC, he said.

M. Muthukumar, is contesting in the Kandy district on UPA's "Mammoty" symbol on behalf of the NUW under the polls alliance it has reached with the UPF. He is an NGO personnel holding a commerce degree and he would work on a ten point program for the socio-economic uplift of the community. Promoting compulsory education to both children and adults, compulsory pre-school education to all estate children, special focus on estate women in the spheres of health care and education , technology-based higher education to the estates youth in the streams of Science, Maths and English, improved sanitary facilities and grants for self-employment ventures for the plantation youth would be some of the goals which he will strive to achieve through the PC, he said.