UNP gears to win Uva PC polls -Gayantha Karunathilake
by Jaliya Wijeyekoon
Provincial Council election for the Uva province is scheduled to be
held shortly and all major political parties are actively engaged in
selecting formidable candidates to run for the fray representing their
respective political parties. The United National Party has got a new
lease of life with its reorganisational activities headed by the
Leadership Council and also with the results of the Western and Southern
Provincial Council elections.
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Gayantha Karunathilaka |
The Sunday Observer had a brief interview with the party spokesman of
the UNP, Matara district parliamentarian Gayantha Karunathilaka to
ascertain their arrangements and party activities with regard to the
forthcoming Uva PC elections. Excerpts of the interview:
Q:Uva Provincial is scheduled to be dissolved in a few days time.
Is your party prepared to pose a challenge to the ruling party with
confidence at the election?
A: This is the last chance for the government to hold the PC
elections on a staggered basis to garner the support for UPFA.
We started our Uva PC campaign soon after the Western and Southern PC
elections with a positive mindset and I am quite confident that with the
results of the forthcoming Uva PC elections the government will realise
that the people are no longer interested in supporting this government
to remain in power any further. With the results of the Uva Province the
government will be forced to go for a snap general election or a
Presidential election to wangle power even with a wafer-thing majority
which would be a distant dream.
The socio-economic and political situation in the country has
drastically changed during the last few months and the people are
waiting to see a political change at a future national election. Our
party has made elaborate arrangements for a definite victory in the near
future.
We have been engaged in a continuous process of reorganising the
party mechanism to suit the prevailing conditions and it has been proved
that our new strategies have started bearing fruits. In respect of the
forthcoming Uva Provincial Council elections we expedited our membership
recruitment drive and I am happy to say that our party had managed to
enrol an unprecedented number of new members to the party of which the
majority were youth from the Uva Province. We have a set of very strong
electoral organisers in all electorates in the Uva Province and they are
working hard to capture power at the forthcoming polls.
Q: Has it been confirmed that the UNP would field Badulla district
parliamentarian young Harin Fernando as the chief ministerial candidate
for the Uva province?
A: Our party headquarters is flooded with a large number of
potential candidates who seek nominations for the Uva polls and we are
in the process of selecting the best candidates who can muster the
support at the polls. Interviews would be held shortly to finalise the
nomination list.
If the working committee and the nomination board decides to field
Harin as the chief ministerial candidate, he will be our undoubted
choice. But no final decision has been taken yet since he is vested with
a lot of other responsibilities. However, we will field a formidable set
of candidates who could ensure the desired results for the party.
Q: What are your chances of winning the Uva province for the
party?
A: We have done a complete and comprehensive analysis of the
electoral results of the Uva province during the past number of
elections and we have identified our lapses and shortcomings. We have
taken concrete measures to increase our vote base rectifying all lapses.
Our electoral organisers have strengthened the grassroot level
membership. They have completely reorganised the party branch offices,
youth leagues and Lak Vanitha units in all grama seva divisions in Uva
province.
So with our strategic planning and with the dismal performance of the
economy by the government, it is not difficult for the United National
Party to emerge victorious at the Uva PC polls.
Q: How can you be so confident of a victory when the government is
going ahead with mega development projects achieving over 7%? growth
rate?
A: I must tell you that we have no faith on the statistics,
because it had been proved beyond doubt that false figures are presented
every now and then. You cant call it economic development. See the cost
of the living today.
Not only the poor people even public servants find it difficult to
meet their ends with a limited monthly income.
In socio-economic sector, health sector education sector and even
cultural and religious sectors, there are unending problems.
With this backdrop it is not possible for the Government to win any
of the future elections in this country. |