My victory proves the confidence reposed in me

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

The UPFA Chief Ministerial aspirant for the Wayamba Provincial Council Dayasiri Jayasekera set a new record by securing the highest number of preferential votes ever obtained by a candidate at a Provincial Council election. He obtained 336,327 preferential votes in the Kurunegala District at the Wayamba PC election held on September 21 and it amounted to 62.22 per cent of the 540,513 votes polled by the UPFA in the district.

Jayasekera said the Government could achieve a resounding victory in the Wayamba Province due to the massive development drive implemented by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the province.

“The election result is a clear testimony of the confidence placed on me by the people of Wayamba That is why I joined hands with the President and decided to contest the Wayamba Provincial Council election. As a politician who has identified the pulse of the common man, I have always maintained a close rapport with the people in the district. I could gain such an unprecedented victory due to the confidence placed in me by the people in the Kurunegala district. However, I had to face various injustices during the election campaign. But I had the courage to successfully face the challenges.

“The people are of the view that I would make a significant change within the Wayamba Provincial Council. As my first priority, I will introduce a five year plan under the “Mahinda Chinthana” to develop the province. There are some major issues in the province which have to be addressed promptly.

The Provincial Council will have to take measures to sort out the unemployment problem of the graduates and the human-elephant conflict in certain areas. Special emphasis will be laid to introduce a proper teacher transfer policy and a permanent mechanism to overcome the unemployment problem of the youth. I also intend to formulate a systematic plan to gain new investment opportunities for the youth.

“I hope to vest responsibility on each Provincial Council member irrespective of any political differences. My sole intention is to turn the Wayamba Provincial Council into an exemplary Provincial Council in Sri Lanka.

The Provincial Council should be utilised to develop every sector of the province irrespective of political affiliations. “At this Provincial Council election, the UNP faced a most humiliating defeat. The UNP or its leadership has no understanding whatsoever of the people's aspirations.

The entire party is acting on the decisions taken by a few individuals who are close associates of the party leadership”, Jayasekara said.