News
Low voter enthusiasm amid lacklustre opposition campaigns visible in NWP and CP
View(s):By Anthony David
A cross-country run on the roads of the Northwestern and Central provinces tells the story of next Thursday’s parliamentary elections—a disinterested public and lacklustre campaigns by opposition political parties.
The only exceptions are the rallies by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) -led National People’s Power. Here again, its election rallies and the door-to-door campaigns have seen a marked change. They were not as vibrant as the show they demonstrated during the September presidential election. The shine seems to have somewhat faded, though crowds at major rallies, attended by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, remained large.
Explaining this phenomenon was Chandrasiri Alahakoon, 40 years a JVP activist and now in charge of the NPP office in Chilaw. “People are now aware of our policies. Hence, we do not have to go through a long, drawn-out campaign,” he said. Yet he added that house-to-house campaigns were being carried out.
Drawing crowds: NPP rally in Kurunegala
The Puttalam district is made up of five electorates: Wennappuwa, Nattandiya, Chilaw, Anamaduwa, and Puttalam. Some of the voters who ensconced the new NPP government in power were livid, though the party has been in office for just over a month.
Puttalam has borne the brunt of nature. It goes through a cycle of floods and drought. Added to that are incursions by wild elephants, particularly from the Wilpattu National Park. Since 1990, it has also become home for those who were displaced by the ravages of the separatist war in 1990. “We have been living in refugee camps for many years before houses were put up for us. Ironically, they go underwater for the slightest rain,” complains 42-year-old Ishbin Manaz. He survives by selling small items of clothing. Added to that is the problem of unemployment. He said he looked to the NPP government to address their issues.
“Promises made by the NPP leadership during the presidential election campaign are not being fulfilled,” complains 51-year-old Tuan Amith, a three-wheeler driver. “We expected immediate measures from the government to bring the cost of living down. It has not come at the same speed with which promises were made,” he said.
Few and far between: SJB campaign office in Puttalam
The JVP-NPP campaign in the district has laid bare an interesting feature. The party has directed that the lead candidate, the district leader, should campaign together with two others. Handbills and even posters focus on this arrangement, which allows the leaders in Colombo to pick the parliamentarians after the elections in an easy way. An NPP official said the scheme has been put into practice to prevent clashes within their own ranks.
The Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB), in marked contrast, has allowed its candidates to campaign in any part of the district. However, its leader Sajith Premadasa addresses only one meeting in a district, SJB activist Rohan Perera from Anavilinduwa said. Leading the SJB in Puttalam district is Senior Professor Chandana Abeyratne, head of the History Department of the Kelaniya University. Interestingly, the list includes a geologist, a doctor, an engineer, a fisheries expert, a farmer, and a lawyer.
Puttalam: Tuan Amith, a three-wheeler driver
Absent from the political scene are former state ministers like Range Bandara and Niroshan Perera. After the tragic death of Sanath Nishantha in a motor accident, his wife Chamari Priyanka is contesting on the SLPP ticket. The New Democratic Front, led by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, has fielded two former Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) members.
The adjoining Kurunegala district, with 15 parliamentary seats, has a voter strength of 1.4 million. The electorates are Galgamuwa, Nikaweratiya, Yapahuwa, Hriyala, Wariyapola, Panduwasnuwara, Bingiriya, Katugampola, Kuliyapitiya, Dambadeniya, Polgahawela, Kurunegala, Mawathagama, and Dodangaslanda.
The NPP campaign is being led by Namal Karunaratne, a former MP, and a relatively new group. Onetime minister Johnston Fernando leads the SLPP team. The SJB team comprises former ministers and state ministers Ashok Abeysinghe, S.W. Alawathuwela, Nalin Bandara, Daysiri Jayasekara, and former parliamentarians Thushara Indunil, Charitha Herath, Upali Piyasoma, and Jayaratna Herath.
The contest in this district, once a stronghold of the SLPP, appears to be between the NPP and the SJB. During the September 21 presidential election, the SJB received 368,290 (32.5 percent) votes.
“People now realise that the NPP has misled the voters. We are educating them not to fall into their trap,” said S.W. Alawathuwela, a senior vice president of the SJB.
He said it was clear that the NPP gained votes by making false promises, and its victory was possible only due to the division among members in the anti NPP camp.
Mr. Alawathuwala said his party was confident in getting the majority of the seats in the district as his party has senior members who have served the Parliament, in contrast to several newcomers from other parties.
Former Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa is leading the New Democratic Front campaign and has former state minister Shantha Bandara and ex-MP Asanka Nawaratna on the list.
The Central Province tells a different story. The absence of former political heavyweights of the province consisting of the Kandy, Matale, and Nuwara Eliya districts, has been seen as one of the reasons for the drop in interest in the November 14 parliamentary election. In all three districts, political activities are less visible in comparison to the past parliamentary elections and the recent presidential election.
Former strongholds of the United National Party and later the SLPP have changed, with the NPP flags and party offices more visible than those of other parties. The SJB is putting up a contest in the Kandy and Matale districts. So is the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), contesting under the United National Party (UNP).
Former ministers Lakshman Kiriella and Keheliya Rambukwella and ex-state minister Lohan Ratwatte—heavyweights from the Kandy district—have opted not to contest elections, while Nuwara Eliya district’s bigwigs, former Ministers S.B. Dissanayake and C.B. Ratnayake, have opted to stay out. In the Matale district, former Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon too is not contesting.
58-year-old G.S. Ravindran from Kandy: Not interested in voting
After the dissolution of Parliament, Mr. Kiriella retired from politics, but his daughter, Chamindrani Kiriella, is contesting from the district.
Former state minister Dilum Amunugama, who contested on the SLPP ticket, crossed over to the Sarwa Jana Balaya, an alliance led by Dilith Jayaweera.
In the Kandy District, only the NPP and the SJB were actively engaging in their campaigns.
JVP politiburo member K.D. Lal Kantha, who previously entered Parliament from the Anuradhapura district, is leading the 14-member team consisting of professionals, trade union activists, and former student leaders.
But a cross-section of voters say they were not too familiar with the candidates except Lal Kantha and actor Jagath Manuwarna.
The SJB has also been putting up a strong campaign in the district. Anura Kumara Dissanayake only obtained 42.26 percent of the votes in the Kandy district in the presidential election, while SJB candidate Sajith Premadasa secured 32.7 percent of the votes, with Ranil Wickremesinghe securing 17.43 percent of the votes.
The SJB is carrying out pocket meetings and other propaganda activities. Ahead of the silent period, the party has intensified house-to-house campaigns with a determination to reverse the setback in the presidential election, activists say.
Based on the presidential election turnout, the SJB activists say they can secure seven seats from the Kandy District.
People have mixed expressions on the elections; some express that even though there are multiple candidates contesting the elections, they see mostly NPP and SJB campaigns and occasionally the Sarwa Jana Balaya and the United Democratic Voice campaign.
Kurunegala : SJB candidate S.W. Alawathuwela
Many people appear to be disinterested in the election.
One of them is 58-year-old G.S. Ravindran. He says he is disappointed with politics and did not even vote in the presidential election and may not vote in the parliamentary election. Ravindran, who sells mobile phone accessories in front of the Kandy Railway station, says that his quality of life has not changed despite voting in elections of the past.
In the Matale district, which has five parliamentary seats, campaigns by the NPP, the SJB, and the New Democratic Front, whose symbol is the gas cylinder, prominently stand out.
The NPP team is led by teacher trade union leader and former Provincial Council member Gamagedara Dissanayake and includes former Pradeshiya Sabha member Sunil Biyawila, a doctor, a social activist, and a teacher.
Rohini Kavitratne is leading the SJB list, which includes former State Minister Wasantha Aluwihare and his brother and former MP Ranjith Aluvihare.
Kurunegala: NDF candidate Asanka Nawaratna
Former State Minister Rohana Dissanayake is leading the NDF, whose team includes former State Minister Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon and ex-Provincial Councillor Ujith Anuradha.
The SLPP list is led by former Dambulla Mayor Jaliya Opatha.
In the Nuwara Eliya district, where eight representatives will be elected the SJB is putting up a strong campaign as they received 42 per cent of the vote at the last Presidential election. Arumguam Thondaman contesting under the UNP is also campaigning in the estate sector at least targeting two seats as at the Presidential election the former President received 29 per cent of the vote. The NPP candidate received only 22 per cent of the vote.
The SJB in its list has former ministers Palani Thigamabaram and V. Radhakrishnan and former UNP member late Renuka Herath’s daughter Hiranya Ranaweera.
The Nuwara Eliya electoral district, which has four electorates (Walapane, Hanguranketha, Kotmale, and Nuwara Eliya), has 605,292 registered voters.
The Nuwara Eliya District Secretary (Returning Officer), Nandana Galaboda, said the counting of votes would be conducted at the Gamini National School.
(Additional reporting: Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe, Pushpa Weerasekara, Janun Kichilan, Shane Seneviratne, Mahesh Keerthiratna and Shelton Hettiaarachchi.)
Pix by Indika Handuwala, M.A. Pushpa Kumara and Pushpa Weerakone
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