More PC seats for plantations

By P. Krishnaswamy

The plantation community got a greater number of members elected to the Central Provincial Council (CPC) at the elections held on September 21, 2013. They got 14 members elected as against nine elected at the previous elections to the council held on February 14, 2009.

Of the 14 members, 12 are from the three trade-union-based political parties that are constituent parties of the Government. Political observers believe that this is a clear indication of a new political awareness among them and their changing trend of support for Government policies and development programs for their future welfare.

The Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) led by Minister Arumugan Thondaman got six members elected from the Nuwara Eliya district and one each from the Matale and Kandy districts. The National Union of Workers (NUW) led by parliamentarian T. Thikambaram got three members elected from the Nuwara Eliya district while the Up-country People's Front led by Ms Shanthini Chandrasekeran got one member from the Nuwara Eliya district. The other two members elected are one each from the Ceylon Workers’ Alliance (CWA) led by S. Sathasivam and the Democratic People Front (DPF) led by Mano Ganeshan which contested on UNP tickets.

The CWC which held the Tamil Education Ministry in the PC has now been offered the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, Livestock Development, Environment, Hindu Cultural Affairs and Estate Infrastructure. Ramasamy Muthiah alias Ram who was a member in the previous council, took oaths as the Minister on Thursday.

Elections Department sources and election monitors said that the average percentage polled in the plantation areas was about 70 percent while in some areas like Bogawantalawa and Kotagala it had reached 80 percent.

This is a marked increase in the percentage polled compared to the last PC polls, the sources said. The sources attributed the reason partly to the grant of half-a-day's paid leave to the voters by estate managements. While the percentage of the ‘not polled’ remained the same as at the last elections, the number of votes rejected had slightly increased at the last elections, the sources said.

Deputy Commissioner of Elections, Kandy, Saman Sri Ratnayake said that in the Kandy district the voter turn out was over 66 percent which was an increase of over six percent compared to the previous elections held in February 2009. It was an incident free election, especially in the plantation areas and even in the days preceding the elections no major incidents were recorded, he said.

PC Minister Ramasamy Muthiah alias Ram representing the CWC said that unlike the Pradeshiya Sabhas, the PC has greater autonomy and powers to undertake development work in the estates. He will take advantage of this opportunity to provide infrastructure and other facilities to estate workers to improve their living conditions, he said. Since the portfolio of agriculture is also under the purview of his ministry he would take steps to improve agriculture in the villages and in the estates after the next fund allocation, he said.