Duminda Nagamuwa, the JVP’s Colombo district group leader, says he believes that the government’s strategy of exploiting war victories for party gains will not succeed in the Western Province where the people are more informed. In an interview with The Sunday Times, he claims that it was JVP’s policy and protests which made the government go for a military solution against the LTTE separatists. Excerpts from the interview:
What are the JVP plans for the WPC?
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| Duminda Nagamuwa |
We witnessed a lot of irregularities and corruption taking place in the WPC in the past few years. Also the council did not serve the people in any way. We have no special plans for the WPC but what we are saying is that the PCs have become a den of thieves and a stepping stone for relatives of politicians to make an entry into politics. It has become an “ambalama” for them. They came here and robbed the people’s money. Our aim is to stop these people’s institutions from being used for corrupt practices.
You have been very critical of some of the candidates fielded by the ruling UPFA?
None of the JVP candidates contesting this election or in any other poll has been involved in anti-social activities. Political parties must select their candidates with a sense of responsibility. There are those in this government who have blatantly violated the law and no disciplinary action has been taken against them.
Government candidates are banking heavily on the war. In the WPC, do you think the war will be a decisive issue or will issues like the cost of living and corruption also count?
In the WPC, particularly the electronic media plays an important role. In many other areas people have access to only the two state-run stations to get much of their political news. So while state media heavily propagates the war to the UPFA’s advantage, in the WP people have access to a wider opinion through different channels. The government will not be able to exploit the war success to its advantage in the WPC as it did in other areas. On the other hand, even if people are thinking only of the war, then they must vote for the JVP, because it was the JVP, with its persistent protests and pressure on the government that showed the direction in which the LTTE could be defeated.
How do smaller parties cope with this disproportionate spending by candidates of the two big parties?
One UPFA candidate is spending Rs 200 million and another is spending Rs 150 million. They are carrying out massive campaigns in the Colombo district. Why are they spending so much money on a provincial election? Even if they save every cent of what they will earn as a PC member for the next five years, they can collect only Rs 2.5 million. For that amount they are spending Rs. 150-200 million. I don’t think they are doing so to serve the country but are preparing for a big time robbery of the people’s money.
Also this election system does not allow for equal opportunity to candidates to get their message across to the voters. For example, state televisions allowed 100 coverages for the ruling party in the previous polls and not even a minute for any of the other parties. Rupahavini is a state institution which is maintained with the taxpayers’ money. This is gross abuse of state resources .So we in the JVP are proud of our achievements in the polls without having all these resources at our disposal.
What would change if the people voted for the JVP instead of the UPFA or the UNP?
The JVP has had a clear policy against separatism. The government side and the UNP have always looked for ways to appease the LTTE. When there were attempts to privatize state institutions, the JVP identified this threat and averted it as well. Even the agriculture policy was influenced by the JVP. We promoted paddy cultivation and thanks to that we are not hungry despite the fact that there is a worldwide food shortage. The government is trying to win this election by wearing a mask of patriotism. But there is a hidden danger in voting for this government. If the government wins this election, we cannot prevent it from carrying on its anti-national, anti-people polices. To prevent that, the people must vote for the JVP. |
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