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Friday Nov 15, 2024
Friday, 26 September 2014 11:28 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Q: What are your remarks about the recently held Uva provincial council election?
A: The Rajapaksa administration’s biggest concern is the upcoming presidential election. They used the Uva Provincial Council election as a parameter. It was a pre-run to see how they would perform at the forthcoming presidential election. During the 2009 Provincial Council election, the Government bagged the highest number of votes from Uva. The last election before the presidential election is important. That is why they kept Uva for the last. 
The election results give us a good indication. Moneragala, which had a voter percentage of 81% in 2009, was reduced to 58%. In Badulla, voter percentage that was 67% in 2009 has come down to 47%. Overall the Uva Province voter percentage has come down to 51% from the previous 72%. People have given a clear signal; they want this Government to go home.
In Sri Lanka’s political history, the Wayamba Provincial Council election is known as the most violent election. And the Uva election was the one with the highest abuse of State power. From distributing bottles of liquor to sil redi, this regime used every single election gimmick to grab votes.
President Rajapaksa was directly involved in the election campaign. Undoubtedly, he is the person who violated the most number of election rules. By attending a program to open a building that was built with Government money, organised by Government officials, the President who is maintained by the people’s money, was campaigning for the victory of his nephew and his party. This proves how critical this election was for the Government.
This is the last election before the presidential election. The outcome of this election has a massive impact on the presidential election. The chief ministerial candidate was from the Rajapaksa family. His defeat would have had a negative impact on the Rajapaksas. On the other hand, the Rajapaksas were very well aware of the fact that they were becoming more unpopular among the people by the day.
Q: According to Minister Susil Premajayanth, if the UPFA had introduced popular new candidates, the results in Badulla would have been different and more favourable. Your comments?
A: These are lame excuses. They took every single measure they could have taken to win this election. The chief ministerial candidate of the SLFP was branded as the ‘first grandchild of D.A. Rajapaksa’. The entire Rajapaksa family, including the President and his siblings who are Government Ministers, and top State officials were seen campaigning during the election. 
On the other hand, how come we never saw a fresh face in the Western, Southern and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council elections? The Government is uttering foolish words to cover up its defeat.
Q: How will this result affect the forthcoming presidential election?
A: According to the election diary, the next presidential election should be held in January 2017. By having the election two years before the scheduled date, it clearly proves how uncertain this Government is about its future.
The Government has a two-thirds majority in Parliament. Other than in the north, they have the power of all provincial councils. The President has two more years. Why is he so keen to have another election? If his excuse is to provide job opportunities for the unemployed or establish law and order in the country or to improve the living conditions of the people, he has two more years to carry out his work. The simple fact that Mahinda Rajapaksa wants to hold the election before the scheduled date proves how unsure he is of his future.
During the Uva election, we witnessed the extent of this regime’s desperation. They used Government-sponsored goons to assault people, they tried to bribe the voters, used State property and money to campaign. We can imagine how this Government will behave during a decisive and crucial presidential election.
All those who ruled the country so far were able to give up on power and lead a normal life afterwards. Chandrika Kumaratunga lives peacefully in Attanagalle. But President Rajapaksa and his family cannot do that. Do you think the Rajapaksa family can live a normal life? Giving up on power is like giving up their lives. This is what the problem is.
A person who was not known to anybody was made the Secretary of Defence. Nobody knows what he did in the US, but today he is the most powerful and influential individual in the country. Another person was put in charge of the country’s economy. The elder brother is heading the Parliament. The elder son behaves like he is the second president. Another son is in charge of the country’s rugby team. The brother’s son acts as he is the king of Uva Province. The wife’s elder brother is the Head of SriLankan Airlines. Her younger brother is Ambassador to Vienna. The aunt’s son is the Ambassador to Russia. There are more relatives holding top posts in the Government and holding diplomatic positions. Do you think the Rajapaksa family will easily give up on these? They will try each and every measure to secure this good life.
Q: What happened to the JVP? Why didn’t the people give you the ‘remote control’?
A: We didn’t have a strong election front. We have to admit the fact that there were drawbacks, especially where elections are concerned. However, during the Western and Southern Provincial Council, we performed well. We faced the Uva election with confidence. In Uva we carried out a very successful campaign. We tried to visit almost every household. We had meeting in each and every town and village. We tried to educate the people. To some extent we have been successful. In Monaragala our vote base has increased threefold. Badulla results have improved twofold compared to the previous time. There is a 10% increase in our postal votes.
There is an argument that we have failed to perform well. But the truth is that our political mechanism is different to that of other parties. We try to educate people. Our plans and strategies are long-term. We don’t promise short-term benefits. While we try to explain this long story, our opponents are bribing the people with money, liquor, sewing machines and jobs. In poverty-stricken places like Monaragala, where people hardly have three meals a day, all that matters is a bag full of dry rations or a mere packet of lunch. These people have a daily struggle – how to feed their children, how to send them to school, how to buy medicine. Although they understand what we say, they go behind the main two parties to find a solution to their day-to-day struggles. They know they will get Rs. 1,000 or some grocery items if they support these parties during election time. People too should realise that going after these parties for short-term benefits will only make them poor forever.
Q: Do you feel that you need to change your political mechanism in order to perform well at elections?
A: No, we will not change our mechanism. But definitely there are things that we need to take into consideration and add to our mechanism. We are not here to rob from people. We have not taken a cent from the people. We love this country and the people unconditionally. We will fight this unjust political culture. People should realise that the main political parties are using their poverty and hunger against them.
On the other hand, what does all this prove? When you can buy a vote by giving them a bottle of water, a packet of lunch, it tells a different story. Isn’t it enough evidence of how bad the condition of the country is? Is this the miracle this Government wants to show to the world? Do you think if the people have enough food, employment and a good life, they will vote for any of these major parties? Why does Shasheendra Rajapaksa distribute sarees? For what purpose? People need to realise the truth.
Q: We see that people have once again gathered around main political parties, diverted from minor extremist parties. Your comments?
A: This was only seen in Uva. That too was because the United National Party had a fresh young candidate, who took the election to a different level. I don’t think this could be witnessed in a future election. This was something that was unique to Uva. When Sarath Fonseka’s party performed well, we stood strong. We said it was just a political bubble. Today it is a proven fact.
A party like ours has a purpose. Our struggle is to fill in a vacuum in society. There is no other political party that would do this. The JVP is a decisive factor in the country. It is the decisive factor in Parliament. Our biggest weakness is the election front. That is our biggest challenge too. No matter how much faith people have in the JVP, during an election their thinking gets conventional. People are reluctant to give us the opportunity, so they vote for one of the main two parties instead. Voting for the SLFP or the UNP is a more of a habit. People who don’t vote for us have faith in us. They expect us to fight and raise a voice for their grievances, but they are uncertain whether we will perform well if we are given power. Changing this mindset of the people is our biggest challenge.
Q: What are your views about the forthcoming presidential election?
A: Firstly, ethically and constitutionally, this President cannot contest again. In our Constitution there are certain clauses that can be amended with a two-thirds majority. There are some clauses that need to be amended through a referendum. If a Government has a two-thirds majority in Parliament, it proves that they have a massive people’s support. How did the Government obtain a two-thirds majority? By bribing the Parliamentarians. Some of them had genuine reasons – one needed money to settle his wife’s hospital bill; there were some who were almost bankrupt. The Rajapaksa regime approached these people and offered them money. That is how they formed this Government; that is how they had their two-thirds majority. Therefore the 18th Amendment they had with such a two-thirds majority cannot be considered as valid.
Secondly, if the President still decides to contest, we have to defeat him. I strongly believe that no leader should rule the country for 18 years. A person should not rule a country for generations. Twelve years is more than enough for a leader to develop the country. No leader should be given a chance to rule the country for two decades. Especially the Rajapaksas should not be given that chance. Therefore, at a forthcoming presidential election we will fight to defeat Mahinda Rajapaksa.
We call upon other political parties to identify what the real challenge is and without dividing for mere political advantages, we should unite to defeat the present President.
Q: It is said that Ranil Wickremesinghe will be contesting from the UNP at the upcoming presidential election. Will you support him?
A: We will not support Ranil Wickremesinghe. We believe Wickremesinghe has failed as a Prime Minister and as a Cabinet Minister. His political vision and strategies are not suitable for a country like ours. In simple words, he is not politically rooted to this country. He can’t feel what really matters to the people. He cannot relate to the sufferings of the people. Therefore if Ranil Wickremesinghe contests, we will not support him under any condition. We are not ready to support the UNP directly or indirectly to come into power.
The forthcoming presidential election is a critical juncture in our country. We have to decide whether we want to let the present leaders continue with their autocratic rule or whether we want to take this country to a new era. As the JVP, our vision is to take this country towards a progressive future. We take this very seriously. I know some individuals are acting as if this is a big joke. All they want is to be on television or gain some publicity. We see them making various comments and remarks about the presidential election and a common candidate, but for the JVP this is a critical matter. Whatever decision we will take, we will do it for the betterment of the country.
We have to be united. No party can fight this battle alone. We need a common strategy. But if that is not working out properly, we are compelled to think of the next best alternative.
Q: Though there has been a drop, the UPFA secured 51% voter percentage at the recently-held Uva Provincial Council election. Do you agree they still have the people’s support?
A: It is not only the people who are against the Rajapaksa administration; their own Cabinet Ministers are against them. It is these Ministers who are happy about the results. Many of them came to me in Parliament and said how satisfied and glad they were about the drop of UPFA votes.
A provincial council is always favourable to the ruling party. But even under such circumstances the Government had to face this tragedy. This is not only the UPFA; there are so many other minor parties who are with them. If it wasn’t for those parties, the UPFA would have not been able to gather those votes in Badulla. But during a presidential election things will be a lot more different. During a national election the outcome will be a lot more different to a provincial council election and it will not be favourable to the Rajapaksas. The Uva election result has given a clear indication that this Government can be easily defeated. There are Cabinet Ministers who are ready to work to defeat the President.
