Issues of concern addressed and ignored
 

Hambantota voters allege:

UPFA's Southern development, a myth

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

The Southern Province is the seventh largest province by area and the third most populated.It comprises Galle, Matara and Hambantota Districts with 47 Divisional Secretariats 19 in Galle, 12 in Hambantota and 16 in the Matara District.

At the 2010 General Election, the UPFA secured seven seats from the Galle District, six seats from theMatara District and five from the Hambantota District while the UNP secured two from all three districts. The Democratic National Alliance secured one seat from the Galle District. While President Maithripala Sirisena won the January 8 Presidential Election, his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa secured victory in all three districts in the Southern Province with President Sirisena securing 138,708 votes from Southern Province and Rajapaksa securing 243,295 votes.

The election heat in Southern Province, especially in the Hambantota District seems to be at a low profile due to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's decision to shift from his decades old bastion to contest from the Kurunegala District. Therefore, most of the UPFA supporters in the Hambantota District have been deprived of the opportunity to elect their leader Mahinda Rajapaksa to the next Parliament from their district. But three Rajapaksa family members, Namal Rajapaksa, Chamal Rajapaksa and Nirupama Rajapaksa are contesting from the Hambantota District.

The absence of former President's leadership in the Hambantota District may have a direct consequence on the UPFA's vote base.

Of the total employed population in Galle, Matara and Hambantota Districts, a large number is engaged in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors. A few large and medium scale industries and small-scale cottage industries too operate in the region. The Southern Province was seriously affected by the 2004 tsunami and later the province went through a massive rebuilding process.

The unemployment, poverty especially in the interior areas are one of the key issues faced by the region. Consistent poverty has compelled women to go overseas for employment.Unemployment remains higher in Hambantota and Matara Districts compared to Galle.

The fisheries sector in the province supplies 30.4 percent of the marine fish production in the country while the hotels and tourism industry continues to be one of the most dynamic economic sectors in the region. Hambantota underwent a major phase of infrastructure development with number of new development projects initiated by the UPFA Government which includes the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport,the Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port, Suriyawewa International Cricket Stadium, oil refinery and other similar commercial initiatives.

However, certain section of the people in the Hambantota District are of the view that these development projects have failed to bring any tangible benefits for them and accusing the previous government of creating a myth regarding development.

They say if there was true development, those projects would have generated employment opportunities for them.

Some low income families in the province have also raised their concerns of not being giving the Samurdhi subsidy. Some people in Hambantota who holds a divergent view appreciate the moves taken by former UPFA Government to provide drinking water, electricity, proper road network and other infrastructure facilities to their district. The election campaigns of the three major parties in the province were conducted in a peaceful manner without major election related violence.