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The cloning of the President
Larger than life and multiplying rapidly, the Rajapaksa cutout population is drawing ire and mockery. Nadia Fazlulhaq reports
“Api Mahindata” (We are for Mahinda), “Ape Janapati” (Our President), “Api Hambantota” (We are Hambantota) – the thousands of banners and life-sized cutouts of President Mahinda Rajapaksa across villages, cities and expressways will soon be joined by thousands more, just by public demand, the Government says.
Posters galore: The Southern Highway. Pic by Ranjith Perera
There are almost 1800 election cutouts of the President in Greater Colombo alone, some cemented to the ground, Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) Director Keethi Tennakoon said.
Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya says he is unable to remove the banners and cutouts. He can only act after December 8, when nominations for the presidential election must be handed in.
“The Elections Commissioner can’t get involved in this as the Elections Act does not say cutouts must be removed. Once the nomination is given, putting up posters violates the law and police have to take action,” he said adding that the road on which the Election Secretariat is sited is the only road spared from cutouts or banners.
Mr. Tennakoon, however, insists the cutouts can be removed, saying they had been installed without payment to the local authorities.
“Local authorities charge for banners or cutouts even for theatre productions but there has been no payment for these cutouts. Although election law states that putting them is illegal only after nominations, the Environmental Police can remove them,” he said.
The police said they could not take action as local authorities had given permission for the election advertising.
“If the local authorities have given permission the police cannot take any action unless it is polluting the environment,” said police spokesman, Senior Superintendent of Police, Ajith Rohana. He said only the Road Development Authority had authority to remove cutouts and banners on expressways.
CaFFE, the election monitoring group Mr. Tennekoon heads, has fired off letters of protest about the cutouts to Mr. Deshapriya, Colombo Mayor A.J.M. Muzammil, the Auditor-General’s Department and the Opposition United National Party.
The Sunday Times learns that the CMC has not received any income from the banners or cutouts on the streets.
Colombo Municipal Council Commissioner Bhadrani Jayawardena said the council had received more than 4,000 requests to put up banners and cutouts for the President’s birthday and anniversary of his election to office. She said only 200 were allowed and for a period of one month.
“Most of them have to be removed by the end of this month. It is usual for the CMC to put up such notices or banners when the State requests,” he said.
“Posters and cutouts of the President are being put up in all cities and villages. This is purely by public request,” said ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) MP and Deputy Speaker of Parliament Chandima Weerakkody.
“The Government does not have to spend on that as it is being done mainly by businessmen and institutions volunteering. There are many Lankans overseas who are funding the campaign,” he said, adding that the party was setting up party offices in all villages and towns for the presidential election campaign.
The proliferation of cutouts drew mockery from Opposition presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena who said: “We ask the government to continue its poster and banner campaign even in Sigiriya, in the Samanala mountain range or even the Sinharaja forest. There was a banner near the entrance of a canal – better to put at the end of it too,” he suggested.
Mr. Sirisena, a former senior cabinet member who quit the government this month, said the cutouts, banners and billboards promoting President Rajapaksa were being installed using state institutions such as Sri Lanka Telecom and the State Lotteries Board.
He claimed cutouts and huge banners will not be used in his own campaign – promotion of his candidature would be limited to a few posters and leaflets. He also stated there would be no use of polythene for his electioneering, referring to the ecological questions raised by the plastic and polythene used in Rajapaksa banner and cutouts.
Discussions will be held in the coming days regarding funding for his campaign, Mr Sirisena said.
Another defector from government ranks, former fisheries minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, alleged the government was spending Rs. 500,000 for each large cutout and said there were plans to put up 4,000 in the coming days.
“At the entrance of the Southern Expressway there will be a 3D hologram cutout of President Rajapaksa with the Chinese President, Xi-Jinping,” Mr. Senaratne claimed. “High-tech election campaign materials are to be used this time,” he said. People’s Liberation Front (JVP) Central Committee member Sunil Watagala said his party had complained about the cutouts and banners along the Kotte Road and other highways as well as the Southern Expressway.
“When we complained to the Elections Commissioner we were told to hang the Opposition candidate’s banner on the other side too,” he said, adding, “Our campaign materials will be minimum but effective.”
The Jathika Hela Urumaya’s Udaya Gammanpila said in Sri Lanka visibility was important but over-visibility of a candidate could be a negative.
“We are yet to support a presidential candidate and will decide to get involved in election campaign based on our decision,” he said.
| The man behind ‘Kuma Stickers’ At the foot of every large cutout of the President are the words “Kuma Stickers” in bold letters. The creator, a businessmen, wants to remain low-key, anonymous except for the words “Kuma Stickers”. He says President Mahinda Rajapaksa and he have known each other since childhood, both hailing from the southern town of Beliatta. “I don’t know how much the cutouts cost. I put in Rs.1 million or Rs. 2 million at a time and get them printed.” He said he gets hold of two workers and a lorry and puts up the cutouts at night. “I don’t get CMC permission. They cut the iron poles and take away the cutouts,” he said. “I do not have a printing factory as such. Mine is a small advertising agency that does not have an office. I have been asked by many politicians but have refused as I want only to put President Rajapaksa’s cutouts,” the President’s friend said. |