Ranil wants future PC polls on same day
By Prasad Gunewardene
The United National Party will not contest the other five provincial council elections if they are held on a staggered basis and a final decision on the matter would be taken at only after the Commissioner of Elections, Dayananda Dissanayake determines the dates of those elections. This announcement was made by the Opposition and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe when he addressed a press conference at the Opposition Leader's office in Colombo last morning.The UNP leader said that all steps to safeguard democracy would be taken within the law and if necessary he would launch a civil disobedience campaign.
Mr. Wickremesinghe explained that when the polls are held on a staggered basis, the government could use state machinery in addition to importing thugs to win the election through rigging and intimidation as they did at Wayamba. 'We have information that security men transferred to the Ministerial Security Division and the Presidential Security Division during the NWP campaign were responsible for thuggery in the NWP on election day', the UNP leader added.
The government postponed elections to the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Uva, Central and North Central Provincial Councils due in August last year under emergency regulations. This was challenged in the Supreme Court by two members of the Free Media Movement and the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Elections Commissioner to fix the dates for these elections within two weeks from the judgement and hold elections within three months. The Court held that the postponement of those elections was a violation of the constitution.
Mr. Wickremesinghe noted that two senior police officers deployed in Wayamba from Colombo during the elections have been recommended for promotion to the rank of Deputy Inspector General because they had accomplished the task given to them to ensure victory by rigging the election.
The Opposition leader charged that President Chandrika Kumaratunga was marching towards dictatorship and called upon all political and non-political institutions to rally round to stop the President's undemocratic march, and restore democracy in this country.
He dismissed the allegation that the UNP had never held free and fair elections. If the 1994 general election conducted under the leadership of President D. B. Wijetunga and he as Prime Minister was rigged how did Chandrika Kumaratunga come to power. He asked 'President Wijetunga and I wanted to restore democracy and we did it but since the PA came to power democracy has been eroded at every single election that was held after the last Presidential election,' he said.
Mr. Wickremesinghe pointed out that Minister D. M. Jayaratne has admitted that he as the PA General Secretary visited several polling booths. This violated all norms and traditions of responsibility of a party General Secretary during a poll. 'Normally political party cadidates are the agents at polling centres and if there was any discrepancy they reported it to the General Secretary who in turn complained to the Returning Officer', the UNP leader said.
The Opposition Leader stated that the UNP members elected to the NWPC would boycott the council as the PA subverted the right to franchise and was now trying to cover their nakedness accusing others.
He said even the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Minister M. H. M. Ashraff who is a part of the PA cabinet too had said that the NWP election had been rigged and not free and fair. 'Therefore, Chandrika cannot behave like a new born baby and she is responsible for the entire mess up in the poll,' claimed the UNP leader.
Mr. Wickremesinghe said that the party had organised a protest rally next Thursday against the unfair conduct of the NWP poll at Hyde Park and called upon all sections of the people to join in that protest to agitate to restore democracy. 'Even we are prepared to join other protests by other parties as it is the prime duty of us all to safeguard democracy to protect the right to vote freely,' he noted.
Asked to comment on the PA victory, the UNP leader smilingly said, 'Their own people did not even light a cracker for the first time when the results were announced but maintained deafening silence and it itself is an indication that they too knew it was a rigged victory'.
UNP General Secretary Gamini Athukorale was also associated at yesterday's press conference.
Saturday Commentary
War of words in Battle of Wayamba continuesBy Prasad Gunewardene
The post election war between the government and the opposition political parties that contested the North Western Provincial poll is full of accusations. The government has taken on the United National Party for alleged thuggery and intimidation on election day and the independent media being accused of over playing incidents during the election campaign and on election day. It also took to task the two election monitoring bodies-The Committee Monitoring Election Violence and the PAFFREL. These two institutions were accused of preparing their reports with the connivance of the UNP's Chief Ministerial candidate Gamini Jayawickreme Perera.While the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe lost no time to meet the media after the conclusion of the poll to unfold the manner how the poll was conducted, the government took forty eight hours to meet the media to make their position known. Mr. Wickremesinghe accused the government of rigging the election and called the poll the most unfair and undemocratic poll since Independence. President Chandrika Kumaratunga summoned her cabinet of ministers on Wednesday morning to discuss matters relating to the poll and directed her senior ministers to brief the press the same afternoon.A band of ministers arrived at the Tourism Ministry that day to meet the Press. Among them were some who had been accused by the CMEV of having stormed polling booths with their supporters to unleash thuggery and scare the voters away.
The Press Conference looked like a court house with some 'accused' in the dock prepared to make confessions or give evidence. SLFP maestro Dharmasiri Senanayake opened the innings blaming the UNP for unleashing terror as it did in the past on election day. The media reminded him that the people voted the PA to office not to repeat the misdeeds in the past but to govern the nation in a democratic manner as pledged in the PA manifesto itself. Mr. Senanayake replied, 'We did not use terror but we won the poll in a democratic manner'. Journalists roared in laughter when the minister made this observation about the poll. Mr. Senanayake then called upon his colleague D .M. Jayaratne who had been accused by the CMEV of having led gangs to polling booths to brief the press.
Minister Jayaratne one of the fastest speakers in Lanka rattled on at length accusing the UNP of election malpractices. At one point he said, 'When some UNPers removed seven of our ballot boxes I immediately called the police'. This Columnist then asked the minister as to how ballot boxes could be called' our ballot boxes'. Before Mr. Jayaratne could reply Minister S. B. Dissanayake chipped into say, 'Those were peoples ballot boxes'. After a few minutes Minister Jayaratne added, 'Those ballot boxes were in a booth in the area I was in charge'. Once again the media men roared in laughter. Minister Jayaratne took the position that it's only the UNPers who intimidated voters and indulged in terror.
Minister Mangala Samaraweera,the next to take the floor lambasted the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe in his usual style quoting law reports to accuse Mr. Wickremesinghe of having intimidated voters during the 1983 Mahara by-election. Mr. Samaraweera, however did not put the blame entirely on the UNP of having used thuggery on election day .He said there was provocation from both sides and all the PA men were not saints. Minister Senanayake then nodded in agreement with Samaraweera who succeeded him to the media portfolio. Both ministers noted that the President would summon the SLFP Central Committee shortly to go into complaints against partymen to deal with them.
Minister C .V. Gooneratne then decided to 'bat'. Mr. Gooneratne who is an authority on 'UNP's seventeen years of terrorism' recalled his experience during an election in Anamaduwa some years ago where he claimed that UNPers chased him firing at him as he sprinted for life for about three miles. An unidentified voice in the journalists audience cracked. Ehenam, Ben Johnson Wage duwanda ati (Then, he would have sprinted like Ben Johnson).
Minister Kingsley Wickremeratne unfolded a story about how brave he was to occupy a circuit bungalow opposite the residence of the UNP Chief Minister candidate Gamini Jayawickreme Perera, 'all alone'. 'I was alone there and I did not fear as I have guts'.Minister Senanayake in a jovial mood quipped, 'Sha, Kingley is a gutty man and I hope he slept alone in that bungalow'. Later the minister admitted that though he was alone in the bunglow, his security men were protecting him outside.
Despite this defense offered by the government the opposition, CMEV and the PAFFREL are demanding that the poll be cancelled because saying it was rigged by the PA the JVP which claimed it was at the receiving end by both the PA and the UNP during the campaign protested near the Lipton Circus on Thursday calling upon the Elections Commissioner to reverse his decision and call for a fresh poll. The government is determined to go ahead with the new Council in the NWP though the UNP and the JVP have decided to boycott. As the first step in this direction, the PA new Chief Minister Sarath Navinna was sworn in before the NWP Governor hours before President Kumaratunga took wing to Switzerland on Thursday night to attend an economic conference.
Wayamba people demand as a right, fresh polls, says Chilaw Bishop
In a hard hitting speech the Bishop of Chilaw Rt. Rev. Dr. Frank Marcus Fernando accusing the government of resorting to various acts of malpractice at Monday's (Jan. 25) North Western Provincial Council elections, said the people of Wayamba demand as a right a fresh election.
Speaking at St. Peter's College prize giving at Bambalapitiya yesterday the Bishop started by saying, he wanted to touch upon the subject - the Wayamba election, because it has now assumed great topical and national interest.
He said there can be no just and fair election as long as the government in power - in practice and if not, in theory, can have its own way in conducting elections.
Rev. Dr. Fernando stressed on the need of introducing legislation to guarantee what he called fool-proof, just and fair elections. It has to be given national priority.
He said:
A few days ago, we had an election - if indeed it can be called an election - in the North Western Province. Surviving that event was like surviving a war.
We hear people speaking of violence and fraud in the past. Certainly nobody justifies wrongdoings of the past. But there is so much that is ugly, hypocritical and immoral in the present, that there is no need to harp back to the past. Violence and fraud can never be justified. We want deeds, not words. One should honestly ask 'Can any governing body that grabbed power by blatantly unethical means win the respect of the governed? Is such a body morally legitimate?'
The fabric of our national life is coming apart. We cannot go on like this. I dread to think of what would happen to our country if we were to face a few more exercises of this type. People will lose all confidence in the democratic process. Divisions and tensions will increase and become a permanent feature. Such a polarisation, fostered by politicians, is not the desire of our people. They want to live in peace and fellowship.
It is my view that before the people of our country lose that sense of shock and horror they experienced during this so-called election, we should set about preparing and passing legislation to guarantee foolproof, just and fair elections. It is a task that has to be given national priority. There can be no just and fair election as long as the Government in power - in practice if not in theory - can have its own way in conducting elections. The possible hastening of electoral reform is the only silver lining I can see in this period of gloom.
The overwhelming majority of our people, in all walks of life, yearn for peace and justice. Given a chance, they will lend their support to any party that genuinely upholds those values. Even politically it will help reap good dividends. It pays to be honest.
We are experiencing a prolonged war in the North and East. An unfortunate side effect of this war is the culture of violence that is gradually gripping our country. As long as the war lasts - with its rhetoric and political jostling, its deserters and firearms, its news bulletins and killings - we cannot think of overcoming this culture of violence. Thus, ending the war is another urgent imperative. Marred elections, leading to further frustration, are not likely to help that process.
On Monday the 25th of January this year, the people of Wayamba woke up from their sleep and suddenly realized that they had become second class citizens of Sri Lanka. For all practical purposes, their democratic right to vote had been taken away from them. It was an ironic memorial to fifty years of independence in Sri Lanka. People of Wayamba demand, as a right, a fresh election!
NWP violence should be unequivocally condemned - MEP
The Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) in a press statement yesterday said the flagrant violation of election laws which it alleges, characterized the NWP Provincial Council undermining the electoral process should be unequivocally condemned by all law abiding citizens.
The MEP also calls upon all political parties to demand the government to hold elections on the same day in respect of the five Provincial Councils whose elections are due pointing out that nominations were called for those elections long prior to the nominations for the NWP Provincial Council polls.
The full text of the MEP statement is as follows:
The flagrant violation of election laws, the disruption of polls at polling centres, loss of life, physical assaults, intimidation, vote rigging, which characterized the NWP Provincial Council elections undermining the electoral process should be unequivocally condemned by all law abiding citizens of Sri Lanka.
In this regard the MEP wishes to recall the fervent appeal made by the party before nominations and immediately before the NWP polls expressing grave concern about the possible inroads on the democratic electoral process. At this juncture it would be pertinent to note that the MEP called upon all political parties to demand from and force the PA Govt. to hold elections on the same day in respect of the five Provincial Councils where nominations had been called long prior to the nominations for the NWP Provincial Council.
In our last appeal on the eve of the NWP polls we alerted the country 'to the sad spectacle of the hapless situation in which Commissioner of Elections and his officials, the police and other law enforcing officers of the state had been placed in'. Our fears have been completely proved in the conduct in respect of the NWP polls.
It is tragic to note that the Political Sovereign, namely the voter has been deprived of his right to exercise his free vote by armed groups under patronage of ruling VIPs.
These observations have been confirmed by all monitoring agencies monitoring NWP election and further affirmed by the action of Election Commissioner when he cancelled the vote in certain voting centres.
Therefore the MEP categorically states that the foregoing matters seriously reflect on the validity of the NWP polls.
Did you know that you have to pay GST on your dog license? A resident of Colombo was surprised to discover this when a Colombo Municipal Council officer called over to collect the license fees, and asked for an additional amount as GST.
The normal licence fee for a male pooch is Rs.5 while the licence fee for a female is Rs.7.50 while the GST on these license fees is Rs.0.63 and Rs.0.94 respectively.
'My dog stopped howling after the GST was paid keeping its head and tail high up in pride?' the Colombo resident wrote to 'The Island' adding, ' I was left musing about the extra income the state would collect if the law could cover all the cats as well!'. -(DB)
Under the 'Third Country Expert Programme', two Sri Lankan experts will be sent to Ghana this year to advise the authorities there in the development of rubber cultivation and tropical fruits, said Dr. Ashoka Nugawela, Deputy Director of Rubber Research Institute. He said that Japan International Coorporation Agency (JICA) which is sponsoring the programme expects that sharing knowledge of Sri Lankan experts with Ghana counterparts would help in developing rubber and tropical fruit cultivation there.
Presenting a brief explanation on this programme, Dr. Nugawela said, it was initiated in 1994, with the aim of using experts from third world countries to enhance the effectiveness of technical co-operation for the recipient nation.
In March 1998, two Sri Lankan experts, Dr. Nugawela and H. Samaratunga were sent to Ghana by Japan International Coorporation Agency (JICA).
Both experts were attached to the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ghana for one month from November 16 last year. During their assignment in Ghana they worked with their counterparts in Ghana and were able to transfer technology on rubber and tropical fruit cultivation. They also conducted a seminar on tropical fruit crops and rubber cultivation in Ghana.
Air Force flies civilians to Jaffna
COLOMBO, Jan. 29 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's Air Force on Friday flew 38 civilian passengers to Jaffna, reconnecting the northern peninsula by air four months after commercial flights were suspended, Air Force officials said.
They said the civilian flights were scheduled to start earlier this week, but were held up as the Air Force waited for security clearance of the passengers from the Defence Ministry.
The passengers need ministry permission to purchase tickets to fly to the former stronghold of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which the military captured in 1996.
The flight will return to Colombo later on Friday with passengers from Jaffna, officials said.
Flights to Jaffna were suspended when an aircraft carrying 55 passengers and belonging to the local Lion Air disappeared shortly after taking off from an airbase on the peninsula.
The government has officially not stated the fate of the plane, but it is widely believed to have crashed in the seas off the northwestern Mannar peninsula.
Nobody has been able to access to area, which is under LTTE control. The wreckage of the AN-24 plane is yet to be located although a one-man government commission is investigating the crash.
Officials said the air force would initially operate the one-hour flight six times a week.
Thousands of civilians have been stranded since the Civil Aviation Department asked the two private airlines flying to Jaffna - Lionair and Monara Air - to suspend the flights.
There was no immediate indication whether the government planned to allow private airlines to resume flights to Jaffna.
Air and sea transport are the main mode of travel to Jaffna as the LTTE rebels fighting for a separate homeland for minority Tamils occupy sections of the road linking the peninsula to the rest of the island.
CWE to import 500 mt of big onions
By Lishanthie Siriwardena
Five hundred metric tonnes of big onions will be imported by the CWE within the next few weeks to meet the current shortage. As the next local harvest of onions is due only in August the CWE has decided to import another shipment of onions to meet the local demand, a CWE official said.This quantity of onions will be imported from India and Holland. The price of imported onions could not be determined yet, the official said as they have not yet negotiated the price with the importers. The CWE official said that 35 to 40% duty would be imposed on the consignment and there would be no drastic reduction in the local market prices of onions.
The CWE claimed that even during the high-demand seasons there was never a shortage of big onions which was imported by them.
The price of onions was never increased by the CWE,. It was the private traders that raised prices unreasonably during the festive season, the CWE claimed. The price of big onions has come down during the past few weeks after tahe festive season. The retail price of big onions in Colombo is priced at 48 rupees a kilogramme and the retail price of red onions which is in short supply is priced at 110 rupees a kilogramme. The CWE sells a kilo of big onions at 38 rupees while the red onion variety was not available in most outlets.
The red onion variety is only purchased locally and the CWE officials attributed the prevailing transportation problems with Jaffna as the cause for the shortage and the high prices of red onion variety.
CWE does not purchase onions from Jaffna as it once did, as there is a transportation problem now, a CWE official said.
Sri Lanka to launch economic promotion drive in Austraia
Sri Lanka will launch a comprehensive economic promotion drive in Australia, on Monday, aimed at attracting greater Australian investment, finding wider markets for our products and promoting the country as a travel destination, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
This promotion was being held as part of the activities undertaken to coincide with the visit of the Sri Lanka cricket team to Australia.
Titled 'Focus Lanka', this exercise, the first of its kind to be held in Australia, will take place in Sydney from 28th January to 3rd February at the Sydney Hilton and in Melbourne from 5th to 11th February at the Melburne Hilton. It will include an investment promotion seminar by the Board of Investment (BOI), one to one business meetings, a trade exhibition, a food festival, and a cultural show featuring the Channa-Upul-Dance Ensemble. It will be inaugurated by the Sri Lankan Minister of Industrial Development C. V. Goonaratne and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lakshman Kiriella and Deputy Minister of Public Administration and Plantation Indu-stries Monty Gopallawa.
Controversy over SL cricket team's Australian tour resolved says Dy Foreign Minister
Lakshman Kiriella, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs had told according to a Foreign Ministry press release a news conference held in Sydney on Friday that the controversy that had plagued the current tour of the Sri Lankan cricket team to Australia had been resolved. 'I am happy it's over and that we can now get on with the game, 'the minister said when questioned by journalists as to the Sri Lanka government's reaction to the issues that had come up during the tour.
The Minister made this observation when he addressed a news conference in Sydney to brief the media on the forthcoming 'Focus Lanka' economic promotion in Australia to be held over the next two weeks.
The Minister who refused to be drawn into the controversy concerning Muralitharan's bowling action, however noted that it was a fact that he had been cleared by some 38 international umpires and the ICC itself, which ought to be respected.
Responding to queries on the impact the controversies on the cricket field had on bilateral relations, the Minister said it had in no way affected the very close ties that prevailed between Australia and Sri Lanka and said he saw no reason for this to change. The Minister recalled that Australia had played an extremely positive role in not only Sri Lanka gaining test status but also in the development of the game by consuring regular tours to and from Sri Lanka since then.
'Country needs more and better English'
The 1999 Free English Programme sponsored for the 12th consecutive year by Maharajah Organization Ltd. and conducted by Ambalangoda Deshapremi Sanvidhanaya was held on 23.01.99 in the Centenary Hall of Sacred Heart Convent, Galle. The chief guest was Andrew de Silva, Secretary, Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
Buddhika Kurukularatna, Advocate and President of the Organizing Committee stressed on need for more and better English in Sri Lanka. Due to the lack of the English language even graduates find it hard to obtain employment. He said that he was a student of Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda where his knowledge of English was negligible but a teacher of his, Mr. Raymond, forecast that he would one day end up as a Member of Parliament and also be fluent in English. Both prophecies came to pass.
R. I. T. Alles, former Principal of D. S. Senanayake M.V. Colombo and a leading educationalist who was the guest speaker, referred to the fact that he was convinced that unrest among youth in the country was due to their not being given due recognition. He related an incident where he had spoken to a disgruntled youth addressing him as 'putha'. The youngster's arrogant attitude changed to one of humility. I believe that teachers can play a major role in the formation or amending the characters of our youth. A good knowledge will also go a long way towards easing the problem. Although referred to as a legacy of the colonial English administration it was an international language of inestimable value. Mr. Alles ended with the words, 'May thousand flowers bloom on our path.'
Andrew de Silva said that he too was a student of Dharmasoka College. Although English was taught in the school, he had actually picked up the language by reading the newspapers.
Prison inmates not treated as dregs of society - ASP Galle prison
A seminar for mediamen to initiate them into the aims and working of the Galle Prisons Department was organized by the Galle Prison Welfare Society on 24.01.99.
W. D. Lakshman, Assistant Superintendent of the Galle Prison in his introductory speech said that the Galle Prison was established 82 years ago. Its aim was to rehabilitate prisoners and those on remand and not to punish or treat the inmates as dregs of society. Many are the distances of inmates having developed their talents because of the sympathy shown to them and by providing them with opportunities to learn a trade, for example when they were incorcerated. It is the families of the prisoners are subject to ill-treatment by the jail guards and prison authorities. I am bold to say that this is a fallacy. On this occasion, it is with pride that I wish to inform all those present that the Galle Prison was awarded the Walter Laduwahetty Shield after having been selected for its humanitarian approach in the treatment of its inmates.
D. G. Hemachandra, Welfare Officer of the Galle Prison, said that the first prison in Galle was sited in the Dutch Fort. It was opened in 1917. Subsequently it was shifted to Kaluwella. It is said that a tunnel connected the old and the new sites but there is no tangible evidence to prove it. Today, prisoners were not treated as outcasts. They were even given financial assistance to help them out of their predicament and give them a place in society.
Shelton Silva, Chairman of the Galle Prison Welfare Society, said that most of those who ended up in jail today were drug addicts and those who were mentally imbalanced. Most of the crimes committed were the result of temporary mental instability and not because of premeditation. He went on to relate an incident where a childliss couple had adopted a little girl and brought her up with much care and affection. After a few years they had a child of their own and, naturally, their love and affection was diverted towards that child. The orphan was neglected. In a fit of temporary insanity, the girl introduced poison one day into the meal given to the daughter who shared it with a friend at school resulting in the death of the two of them. The girl was sentenced to a jail term but because of the sympathetic treatment of the prison authorities she realized fully her folly. In fact, a latent talent in her blossomed out.
Ranjit Silva of the Galle prison also spoke.
The seminar was brought to a close with the journalists being given the opportunity to ask questions to which answers were given.
11 Tigers killed in separate confrontations - Army
Troops on Wednesday [27] killed at least four terrorists and wounded five in a confrontation east of Ampakamam in the Wanni, armed forces spokesman brigadier Sunil Tennakoon told The Island. Troops did not suffer casualties. Following the incident, troops searched the area and recovered a direction finding equipment and two hand grenades.
In a separate incident, terrorists had fired mortars at troops manning positions in the general area of Mankulam injuring three personnel.
The defence ministry yesterday said that at least seven more terrorists were killed in confrontations east of Ampakamam last Monday and northwest of Mankulam last Wednesday.
