Kolonnawa Urban Council:

Ratepayers ought to get a better deal - UPFA candidate

By Jaliya WIJAYAKOON

There's barely a week more for the last slot of the Local Government elections 2011 and the two main political parties have speeded up their campaigns to retain or secure power in the remaining 23 Local Bodies.

The Kolonnawa Urban Council is one of the most important local bodies as it is situated just outside the Colombo Municipal area and had been established as an Urban Council (UC) way back in the 1950s.

The Kolonnawa Urban Council has remained under UNP rule from its inception upto 2011, except for one term when Somasiri Galagedera was elected as Chairman under the patronage of the then Minister of Trade, the late T.B. Illangaratne who represented the Kolonnawa electorate under the SLFP banner.

However, with the dawn of peace after almost three decades, and with rapid development in the country, the socio-economic standard of the average citizen has improved and the UPFA is confident of securing power in the Kolonnawa Urban Council on October 8.

The Sunday Observer conducted an exclusive interview with a senior member of the UPFA candidates list, Saliya Wickramasinghe to obtain his views about the political situation in the UC area, development work carried out by the previous UNP administration and in the event of victory for the UPFA on October 8, the immediate program of work to be launched by the UPFA administration.

Excerpts of the interview:

Q: You are in a lucrative profession. What made you take to politics:

A: I have been interested in social service from my young days. My father was a close associate of the late Philip Gunawardene and other contemporary politicians who represented the Kolonnawa electorate. Soon after I was professional qualified and financially established, I decided to work for the people of my area.

The Chief Priests of most of the Buddhist temples in the area, and other distinguished citizens and people of all walks of life, irrespective of any differences, requested me to contest the 2005 Local Elections.

I contested and was elected as a Member of the Kolonnawa UC for the first time.

As an Opposition member of the UC I gave my fullest cooperation to the ruling party on all progressive measures taken by them while vehemently opposing the unrealistic and unpragmatic moves made by them which were not beneficial to the ratepayers in the area.

Q: The Kolonnawa UC had been ruled by the UNP for a long time and is politically considered as a UNP stronghold or bastion. Do you think the UPFA stands a chance of securing power at the forthcoming election?

A: It's true that it had been under the UNP for a long time. But the present political situation in the area is completely different from what it was earlier due to two main reasons:

First and foremost is the dawn of peace after three decades. We have a substantial percentage of Tamils in the UC area. Not only Tamils, even Muslims and Sinhalese had to undergo innumerable difficulties earlier owing to constant security checks.

This was in addition to the fear psychosis which prevailed in the city due to regular bomb explosions.

With the termination of terrorism, people are happy and attend to their day-to-day activities with peace of mind. The public, irrespective of any differences are grateful to President Mahinda Rajapaksa for this great achievement. They will vote the URFA to power on October 8. That was exactly what happened at the other UNP strongholds three months ago at the other Local Government elections.

The other main reason for our victory would be the development programmes already being carried out by the Central Government. Can't you see the rapid changes taking place in the city? The roads are being nicely done up; city beautification admirably done; a lot of major national development projects have been introduced.

With these comprehensive development projects, the average citizen of the country is benefited. I with people from all walks of life in my area and feel their pulse. I know that the majority are praising this Government and people from my UC area with undoubtedly vote for me and the UPFA to form a stable UPFA Council at Kolonnawa on October 8.

Q: Although you are confident of an easy victory, the previous party who ran the UC are even more positive of retaining power in the Kolonnawa UC as they have carried out a lot of development activities. Within the UC area whereby people have been immensely benefited.

A: I won't say that they have not done anything. However, what they have done during the last five years is not sufficient and huge sums of money from the poor ratepayers have not been properly utilised for the benefit of the voters of the area.

The previous administrators had no effective or innovative plans or vision for sustainable development. Instead, they believed in patch work for day-to-day existence. And most unfortunately, the people of our UC area had got used to this temporary relief for their permanent and recurrent problems.

Q: How is the community composition in your UC area; is it more favourable to the UPFA or UNP?

A: About 75 percent of the registered voters in the area are Sinhalese and the balance 25 percent is Tamil and Muslims. I don't think the results of the election are based on the community composition in Kolonnawa; this was not so over the past elections. There are supporters from all communities for both major parties. We have candidates from the Muslim and Tamil communities in our list and I think the UNP has also fielded candidates from both minor communities in addition to Sinhalese.

Q: As an Opposition member of the Urban Council, what have you done to the people of your area during the past few years?

A: There is hardly anything that an Opposition member of a Local Body could do for the welfare of the people through the Council. But I am proud to say that I have done a lot to the people through my personal contacts with political higher ups in our party and also through my profession.

I have established relationships with high calibre people in a number of professional bodies and whatever I could do to the people in my area, I here done with pride and pleasure.

I was the Chairman of the Rent Control Board from 1996-2002; I have been the Chairman of the Kolonnawa YMBA since 1996 upto today; I was General Secretary Sri Lankan Surveyors Institute, Executive Committee Member of Sri Lanka Professionals' Association and I have actively taken part in a number of other societies in addition to heading my personal concepts which I have formed for the welfare of the people in my area. I have directed all my resources for the welfare of needy people in my area.

Q: You are the most qualified person among all candidates in your group. Why didn't the party hierarchy nominate you as the team leader or the chairman nominee for your UC?

A: Those who had been Mayors or Chairmen were nominated as the leaders. I have no regrets for not been appointed as the group leader. Whoever polling the highest number of preference votes will be appointed leader. I am quite positive that I would obtain the most number of preferences on October 8.

Q: In the event of victory, do you have a fresh program of work for the benefit of ratepayers in your council area?

A: Of course, yes. I have already drawn up a very comprehensive development program for my area, identifying the priority and urgent requirements. It is multi-faceted. I have presented it to my voters in the area and I am sure people have accepted it with open arms. I can't explain everything, but it is mainly based on the proper streamlining of general administration, introduction of new technology, maintaining a proper record room, maintenance of road network, plan implementation, garbage disposal, welfare activities, co-ordination with relevant authorities and maintaining cultural and communal harmony.

Q: What have you got to appeal to the voters?

A: I kindly request all my voters to vote for the UPFA to establish an efficient, effective, active and corruption-free administration to go hand in hand with the Central Government.

This would enable the Kolonnawa Urban Council to have a complete facelift within a short period of time and people will be immensely benefited.

UNP candidate pledges to make Kolonnawa UC the best

by Jaliya WIJEYEKOON

The United National Party, which had weakened in the recent past owing to a leadership crisis and some differences among the top brass, has put its problems temporarily aside and launched an aggressive election campaign to secure victory in the election of officials for the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) and the 22 remaining local bodies.

It is encouraging for the grassroots level membership of the party to see that all top leaders of the party are equally busy during the last few days of the election campaign to secure victory for the party on October 8.

On the backdrop of these developments, the Sunday Observer had an exclusive interview with the Ex-Chairman of the Kolonnawa Urban Council, UNP member Chithra Dias to seek his views on the present political situation, the party position and the development activities carried out during his last term and his future program of work in the event of a victory at the October 8 elections.

Excerpts of the interview:

Q: You have been the most senior politician of the Kolonnawa UC area who had represented the people for well over three decades. Looking back at your political journey, what do you have to say?

A:Yes, I started my social service just after school and I was dragged into party politics by the Late Weerasinghe Mallimaarachchi in the late seventies. I contested the UC elections in 1979 for the first time and was elected a member.

Since then, I have made steady progress at all subsequent elections and was appointed Vice-Chairman in 1983 and Chairman in 1988. I had been the Chairman of the UC continuously except during a four-year period when I was elected as a member of the Western Provincial Council.

Although I represent the United National Party, I have established a very cordial relationship with the people of Kolonnawa irrespective of any differences. I have never had any problem with other party members or candidates even during elections in the past. Unfortunately, the present situation is totally different and the political culture and peaceful political atmosphere in the area have changed due to the latest trend of violent activities which is something quite new to this area. My supporters have been harassed, intimidated and attacked by the supporters of some candidates.

Q: Kolonnawa had been a UNP bastion for a long time and even at the last term you secured power for the UNP. This time, do you think that you will not be able to win the Council for the UNP?

A: No, no, don't get me wrong. I only told you how the political atmosphere has changed in the area. Due to this, neutral voters peace-loving voters and floating voters have readily agreed to vote for us to re-establish peace in the area.

Q: It is an open secret that the United National Party is divided into two groups as Ranil's group and Sajith's group. To which group do you belong and don't you think this division is the downfall of your party and the reason that lower membership has lost faith in your party? In this situation, how can you say that you can retain power in the Kolonnawa UC?

A: Our party is not divided into any groups. The party leader is Ranil Wickremesinghe, Deputy leaders are Sajith Premadasa and Karu Jayasuriya and we have other senior people holding various positions.

There are differences of opinion between Ranil and Sajith on some political issues. Some unscrupulous media organisations are trying to make mountains out of molehills. All these minor problems would be sorted out with the UNP victory on October 8 and our party will regain its lost glory soon.

Minor inner party disputes have no impact on the Local Election at all. It is to elect friendly trustworthy efficient and reliable representatives from the area to address the grievances of the people at the lowest level. People had placed their utmost confidence in me during the last few terms and I am extremely confident that this time too, the Kolonnawa people will deliver a more convincing victory to the UNP and for me to continue the good work done so far.

Q: Are the UC area people happy with the work that you had carried out during your last term as Chairman?

A: Not only during my last term, from the day I started as a member, and especially after becoming the Chairman in 1988, I have carried out many development activities for the welfare and benefit of the people of the Kolonnawa UC area. That is why they have repeatedly elected me as the Chairman.

I will briefly tell you the major projects that I have initiated to uplift the living conditions of the UC area people during my last term. Most people in Sedawatte and Orugodawatte are living in small dwellings with minimum space. I provided a funeral parlour for them. We are the only Local Council in the island which has provided residents with a funeral parlour for their exclusive use.

Education is very important to bring up good citizens and to have set up a fully fledged library for the people in Kolonnawa. We have also constructed a wedding hall for the use of people in the area. I have taken all possible measures to remove garbage and to turn them into compost on a regular basis, generating revenues for the Council while also providing a few employment opportunities for the youth of the area. To tell you in a nutshell, I have provided basic necessities and requirements to the down-trodden masses of my UC, from their birth to death.