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| Sunday, 30 October 2005 |
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A new dawn : Hopes rise in line-rooms The Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) is facing a 'storm in its tea cup' today after leader Arumugan Thondaman, decided to support UNP candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe in the Presidential elections. While allegations were being made against the leadership, over obtaining money from the UNP, several members split from the party and pledged support to SLFP candidate Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapakse. by Lionel Yodhasinghe More problems are brewing in the party as rumours spread that the UNP was trying to bring in Yogarajan in place of Thondaman. The burning of 200,000 election posters at Sirikotha after Thondaman objected to Yogarajan's photograph being printed on it, was proof of the UNP schemes. However, CWC senior members know who really served the estate Tamils and improved their living standards . Leadership Those who fell out with Thondaman on policy, left the party earlier. Former CWC MP, S. Sathasivam who left the party at the beginning of Arumugan Thondaman's leadership charged that the new leadership delivered the goods in a very unprofessional manner. Sathasivam later formed the Sri Lanka Workers United Front in which he serves as the General Secretary talks to Sunday Observer about his party's decision to support the Prime Minister. The present CWC Leader, Arumugan Thondaman, having claimed several ministries could have done a lot to uplift the living conditions of the estate workers during his term of office. But his stubborn decisions that sidelined party seniors who were committed to a cause, created divisions in the party. He has failed to run the party as his grand father did, and as a result, many seniors with solemn commitment have left the party, S. Sathasivam said. We did not enter politics to earn money, but to save the estate workers from penury, Sathasivam said. Many estate workers have supported both major parties to come to power and form Governments, but after 57 years of Independence, they still live in 100 square foot line rooms. Sometimes, several families live together and were deprived of a family life which is pathetic, he said. Successive Governments could not be blamed for this, but leaders who claim authority over estate Tamils should bear the responsibility for their failure to draw a proper plan to bring equal benefits to the estate sector, Sathasivam said. So much so, that almost no student from the estate sector has entered a university. This well demonstrates the poor educational facilities in the estate sector. There is a dire need for a leader who would address these problems and work amicably with the Government and get state support to solve these problems, he said. He said that estate schools were taken over, by the SLFP Government in 1974, but the CWC Leadership especially after Arumugan Thondaman took over the leadership failed to deal with successive governments to get the education grants and other facilities for them. He said estate workers were not aware of what was happening in the country and they blindly believe what the party leadership conveys to them. So Thondaman was able to claim the credit for the work done by the Government and blow up his own image, riding on the shoulders of the Government, as the ordinary estate worker was not smart enough to sort things out. He said senior members such as Thevaraj, Selvam in Badulla, A.M.S. Raja and S. Rajaratnam in Kandy were compelled to quit the party as they were sidelined and he gave party top positions to his favourites like Faizer Mustapha. Merely because Saumyamoorthi Thondaman was his grand father, Arumugan Thondaman has no right to act in a dictatorial manner, according to his whims and fancies damaging the party and depriving the rights of its followers, he said. Sathasivam when asked as to why he had decided to support Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, said that Rajapakse as the Labour Minister has done yeoman service to estate workers without any fanfare. However, estate workers were unaware of the service rendered by him to the estate sector. Commitment Senior leaders know Rajapakse's commitment towards estate workers and we further believe that a Government under his command would be better than a Government led by Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. "Rajapakse's past stands as proof to us, so we decided to support him", Sathasivam said. Not only do we support him, we have already launched a massive door to door campaign to educate estate workers about the "Mahinda Chintanaya" and how his proposals would work to mete out justice to the estate Tamils. He charged that Thondaman was more interested in improving his own benefits than fighting for the people who voted him into power. We would educate people on these issues and seek their support for Rajapakse and we are sure that the majority of estate workers would change their minds this time around and not fall prey to Thondaman, Sathasivam said. He said no citizen would feel for the country, if he or she does not possess a piece of land that could be called their own. According to "Mahinda Chinthanaya," many estate families who live in line rooms have been promised a piece of land to put up a house that could be called their own. This proposal in Mahinda Chintanaya itself clear;t shows the innermost feelings of the Prime Minister towards the estate workers, he said. Sathasivam argued that agriculture should be given priority in the country's development agenda, and estate workers could contribute immensely to such a program. Rajapakse's plans to develop agriculture and animal husbandry would create new avenues for the estate Tamils to get an extra income. He said the Sirima-Shastri Pact paved the way for the Sri Lankan Governments to grant citizenship to estate workers, therefore it was the SLFP led Governments that have done more than the UNP for the estate workers. He reminded that the UNP was responsible for the 1983 riots, where estate Tamils too were killed and the duty of estate Tamils was to refuse such a party which created genocide in the past. Referring to the Labour Charter initiated by Prime Minister Rajapakse as the then Labour Minister, had said though the Act was not passed due to various reasons, his commitment and stand towards state labourers should be highly commended by any labourer in this country. "We believe in bringing such a down- to- earth leader to the executive chair of the country, the situation would definitely change, the lifestyle of the poor man including the estate worker would definitely change under such a person", Sathasivam said brimming with confidence. He also said that the estate sector should not be taken as a separate entity when development plans were being implemented. The destiny of the estate sector should not be put under the authority of a single person. Every Cabinet Minister has a share of responsibility in the estate sector and they can implement the work in the estate sector in the same way as that of the work in the rest of the country. Development could be brought to the estate sector very soon if such a program was implemented without authority being given to the CWC, he said. Nowhere in the UNP manifesto, has it elaborated programs to bring benefits to the estate sector. Whatever they have proposed were also not pragmatic, he said. Therefore, the estate voters have a big role to play, to think twice and support to elect Prime Minister Rajapakse as the President. **** From Mahinda Chintana : New Life for the Plantation Area I will provide a plot of land to each plantation worker. Through such empowerment I will support the plantation community to stand on their own like any other citizen who owns property. A policy decision has been taken to grant free-hold rights to the lands where the plantation workers present dwelling is located. The transaction will be carried out free of deed charges and stamp duties. The plantation workers who live in temporary houses outsides the plantation dwellings will be provided with separate houses under a special housing project under the "Jana Sevana" programme. Under this program, construction of 50,000 houses will be carried out. As per the existing program plantation workers will be eligible to receive free-hold titles for 7 perches of land after 20 years. I will however grant the free-hold right to such lands. I will immediately improve 400 schools which are in under-developed stages in the plantations in every Divisional Secretariat division in the plantation sector. Steps will also be taken to establish a National School in each Divisional Secretariat division in the plantation area. My intention is to improve the health service delivery systems in the plantation district to a level that is on par with that of other urban areas. In order to achieve this objective, hospital clinics and other health facilities will be manned by the staff of the government health service. |
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