Candidates from the government side and opposition contesting the forthcoming Provincial Council polls in Sabaragamuwa are already claiming to have won while an unhappy and reluctant electorate braces itself for yet another election that has been forced upon them.
The government’s main slogan to prop up its campaign is the ongoing war against the LTTE while opting to remain silent on the rising cost of living and other hardships the majority of the people are undergoing.
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| As it is the case in all elections the authorities suddenly realize the roads are badly in need of repair, and so contruction begins at a frenzied pace as our picture shows in the town of Kuruwita. |
The people are fully supportive of the government’s drive to defeat the Tigers, but at the same time they demand that the government of the day must address their day-to-day problems without further delay instead of bringing in sudden elections where billions of rupees are squandered to boost their individual campaigns instead of using these monies to solve other pressing issues facing the general public.
The opposition charges that there are glaring shortcomings in the Sabaragamuwa province such as hospitals without medicines, doctors and other staff, schools without trained teachers, a corrupt officialdom and neglected roads just to mention a few, but the government is convinced that bringing a premature election is the solution to all these issues.
But the bulk of the populace is not so convinced, and many are even vowing to boycott the August 23 elections to send a strong message that enough is enough.
For Deepani Piyasena- a mother of two toddlers, the ongoing election campaign with all the so-called promises is so repulsive that she and her husband have decided not to vote adding that she was more concerned about trying to find the next meal and vital milk powder for her children.
She said the entire lot of candidates reek with corruption and the best way to teach them a lesson is for the people to boycott the polls. “If the security forces can defeat the LTTE, it is the best news one could hear in decades, but at the same time the separatist issue is not the only problem the country is facing. They tell us to make sacrifices for the sake of the motherland which we have done, but our patience is running out and those in charge must take this into serious consideration,” Deepani added.
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| One of the vehicles that was damaged when Ranjan Ramanayake’s entourage came under attack recently |
Her feelings were echoed by Edirisinghe A. Wimalasena a small-time trader who operates a wayside stall at Bopath Ella. He said the government is making every effort to waterdown the shortcomings by shielding itself behind the war campaign.
“They cannot fool the people any more and must take stock of their present standings in the eyes of the masses. The upcoming election was not needed in this district, and at the end of the day it will only benefit the ruling politicians and their side kicks.
However he has decided to vote for the opposition since there is no other option, but stopped short of praising any particular party or candidate saying that whoever wins must look into the welfare of the people.
S.G. Gunaratne Menike accused the government of wasting time and billions of rupees instead of looking into the needs of the people who are suffering as the prices of essential goods takes the aerial route.
“Look at the Ratnapura district, it is in utter neglect beginning from the roads, to all other public services. To get the smallest thing attended to one has to grease the palms of corrupt officials or else face long delay and in some cases no action at all,” Menike said. As for the upcoming election she is just not interested.
But there are also those who are cheering the government on its war effort with the belief that sacrifices are needed if the LTTE is to be wiped out so that law and order could be restored.
“The war effort should be supported at every level since the Tamil separatist campaign is the biggest curse confronting the country, but this does not mean that an election such as this is a cure for all ills,” said Solitha Karunaratne, a rubber tapper from Kalawana.
If it meant that a defeat to the ruling party would halt the military advance in the north then he would definitely vote for the government despite all the hardships, Karunaratne said. “This should be the thinking of all peace loving people irrespective of caste, race religion etc,” he added.
He was joined by P. Samaraweera who went a step further by saying those who are seeking a halt to the ongoing military operations against the LTTE are traitors, whatever party they belong to.
The going is a bit tough, but he said a few sacrifices will have to be made in the better interest of the country, although he was not in favour of the elections saying it was a huge waste of money something the nation cannot afford right now.
On the election front the government and the main opposition UNP are neck and neck in the hustings with both sides claiming victory as Election Day draws near.
The UNP is led by actor-turned politician Ranjan Ramanayake who is convinced that his popularity and charisma would make him the winner and towards this end he is getting the support from several party heavy weights brought in to Sabaragamuwa from other provinces.
Ramanayake of “One Shot” fame is spearheading his campaign from the gem mining town of Ratnapura while his arch rival, the former Chief Minister Mahipala Herath is driving on from the Kegalle district, while violence, intimidation, threats etc continue to tick on in the province.
Both men are receiving equal support with the ex-Chief Minister calling the actor a parachutist with no permanent address in Sabaragamuwa and forced to carry out his campaign from a rented-out house in Ratnapura.
Ramanayake on the other hand has accused Mr. Herath of being a corrupt politician who has amassed a great amount of wealth through questionable channels and vowed to expose him once elected.
We are carrying out peaceful campaign
The leader for the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) for the forthcoming polls in the Ratnapura district, A.M.D. Rajan predicted a comfortable victory adding they would win an additional seat this time.
He said the CWC which draws its votes from the estate sector is so far perhaps the only party that has been spared pre-poll violence, adding that they were getting about in the campaign in a peaceful and democratic manner.
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| A.M.D. Rajan |
He further said their closest rival- the Upcountry People’s Front UPF was lagging far behind and they would not be able to muster even 1,000 votes. He added that the CWC would decide to team up with a larger party only after the election results are announced.
He added that the threat from the UPF was very small, except for the fact that they would damage a few CWC votes.
The former parliamentarian agreed that the roads and other basic facilities in the estate sector were in appalling conditions and accused the authorities of turning a blind eye despite several calls to upgrade the area even to a limited level.
Stand up against
rigging- JVP
The JVP’s Chief Ministerial candidate Mr. Chameera Koswatte called on all the people irrespective of party affiliations to unite as one and fight vote-rigging and other malpractices that could be expected from the government side on election day.He said there was information that a jittery government side was planning mass-scale rigging on August 23, and urged the voters to be alert since the popularity of the ruling party had taken a dip and in desperation they would resort to many malpractices to tip the scales.
In the meantime the JVP strongman was also of the view that there would be a low voter turn out simply because this election had been thrust on the electorate where the people are already fed up with the government and are facing several hardships such as the rising cost of living and on top of all this they have face up to another poll. “The government has dumped millions of rupees into the election, whereas this money could have been diverted for other meaningful purposes such as for development of the province. It is only the government and their side kicks who would gain from all this,” Mr. Koswatte said.
He also added that given the present mood of the public not a single party would get a majority and this would lead to plenty of confusion, stressing that the JVP would not team up with any other group or party.
Sarpaya’s sting
At the beginning it was a “Gun Shot” then followed by a “One Shot” and now a “Sarpaya” (serpent) from Ratnapura has joined this crowd to make things more colourful in the ongoing campaign for the August 23 provincial council electionsAsitha Muhandiram is how his birth certificate reads but earned the nick name “Sarpaya” from his boyhood days because of his fondness for capturing dangerous serpents, mainly cobras that quickly grew into his pet hobby.
A former independent member of the Pradeshiya Sabha in the Kalawana electorate Muhandiram is contesting the polls on the UNP ticket and has put out a bet to the tune of Rs. ten million he would win and challenged any one who thinks otherwise.
The tough talking member also said that he was not scared of anyone and challenged any person to enter his electorate in order to disturb the peace with threats, intimidation or violence. “I will take on force with force and not budge an inch backwards,” Muhandiram- an average businessman and hugely popular in the Kalawana electorate declared.
“There are some government heavy weights both in and out of parliament who have put down opponents with the use of force and other undemocratic methods. “I challenge them to come to Kalawana for it will be their waterloo,” he vowed.
“I have done a lot of work in my electorate using personal monies and not a cent from the party or any other political sources. This is where my strength is, and the people are with me,” Mr. Muhandiram further said.
He concluded with the prediction that the UNP will win with a massive majority which will see the end of a corrupt regime in the province. | 
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