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.

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.