‘People believe in us’ - Maithreepala

• Says the 13th Amendment must be tested in North before going beyond the available constitutional framework
• “UNP resorts to election violence to cover up their flaws”

By Uditha Jayasinghe
SLFP General Secretary Maithreepala Sirisena outlines his opinions on the forthcoming elections.

Q: How has your campaign been so far? What are the future plans?

A: We have kicked off the UPFA campaign from the day the nominations were handed over. We have appointed special polling booth committees in each electorate in the Central and North Western Provinces to create awareness among voters. Rallies have been launched at village level and supporters are canvassing by visiting each house as well. On January 9, the Prime Minister’s rally series will start in Kundasale, and from then on he will speak at around 15 rallies in both provinces. In addition, President Rajapaksa will address six rallies in the five districts in the two provinces with an extra rally in Nuwara Eliya. The first will be in the Matale District. By the election day, we hope to have completed three rounds of discussions with voters in both regions. Poster and cut-out campaigns have already been launched. Key individuals of the coalition have been appointed to oversee each segment of the election; I myself am in charge of the 14 electorates in the Kandy District and seven rallies have been successfully completed. The President has appointed Education Minister Susil Premajayantha for the Puttalam District, Kurunaegala is under Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva’s purview, Matale is allocated to Power and Energy Minister John Seneviratne and Nuwara Eliya has been divided up into two parts with one being overseen by Samurdhi and Poverty Alleviation Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi and the other by Industrial Development Minister Kumara Welgama.

Q: What in your view are the main obstacles faced by the UPFA?

A: We have no obstacles. There is no Opposition, so how can there be challenges? This election has already boiled down to a single party battle, and come February 14 we shall see certain victory.

Q: How confident are you of winning the elections?

A: There can be no doubt that we will win these elections. That is already a forgone conclusion. The people believe in us. Previous elections have proved that and this time will be no different. We have the utmost confidence in our candidates and organisational structure to ensure a resounding win. A landslide will be the result on February 14.

Q: Do you feel that the UNP party reforms are going to play any part in the elections?

A: The UNP has been implementing party reforms for years, but that has not stopped the degeneration of the party. This fresh round of reforms will achieve nothing new for them. They are so internally fragmented that reforms will not be sufficient to keep the party together. The party has been falling for the past 15 years, a last ditch set of reforms like those that have recently been introduced will not make any difference.

Q: How do you view the re-entry of Karu Jayasuriya to the UNP?

A: As an individual, UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya is a gentleman. When the UNP gave him an indication that he could be the next leader of the party he fell for that and returned. I personally feel that it was a regrettable decision and that he has swallowed a ‘political bait.’ It was a particularly unlucky move, given that the government has made significant headway in defeating terrorism and establishing a stable rule within the country. However, his crossover is not a threat to us. The UNP lost continuously while he was with them, for the past 14 or so years. Just because he is part of the party does not mean that the UNP can be resurrected.

Q: How crucial is his presence in the election?

A: Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya’s presence will have no affect whatsoever on the final outcome of these elections. It is not possible for one person to have that deep an impact on the dwindling fortunes of the UNP.

Q: The government has been criticised for emphasising too much on the war and not paying enough attention to economic issues. How do you respond?

A: That is completely false. These comments are made by misinformed and ignorant people. The government has undertaken massive development projects within the country while staging its war against terrorism. War and development have been done concurrently. There are so many examples of that sprinkled around the country; from the Moragahakanda Dam Project valued at US$450 million that is in its second year, to the Hambanthota Port to Upper Kothmale and Norachcholai Power Plants. Attention has been paid to development work on a mega-scale, as well as at village level with ‘Maga Neguma’ and ‘Gama Neguma’ programmes. Health and education sector has not been ignored either and no other government in the history of this country has concentrated so intensely on rural development. Wide ranging development issues have been addressed through agriculture as well. For the past few years there has been notable progress in rice production; in fact, it has increased by 50% and corn yield has grown significantly. These are just a few indications of the wide development taking place within the country. It is evident that the government has successfully balanced war and development.

Q: The government justified a historical defence budget on the basis of war. Now with the Army Commander himself saying that the war can be concluded within four months, how can the defence budget be vindicated?

A: After terrorism is defeated militarily, there will be an incredible amount of work to be completed in terms of establishing civil rule and rehabilitating these areas. That task should not be taken lightly. Armed forces will have to make a massive investment in these re-taken areas to make certain that the terrorists are not given a chance to re-organise themselves. Given its importance, this is a task that can scarcely be exaggerated. Therefore, even after the soon to be realised victories of Mullaitivu and Elephant Pass, we will still have the need of funds and coordinated efforts to keep these regions as well as the rest of the country free from the scourge of terrorism.

Q: Will it be used for reconstruction measures, or on more relief measures for the people?

A: Provincial Councils will be established in the north after the LTTE camps have been rooted out. The aim of our government is not just reconstruction; we wish to give the people of the north a new life. Similar to the ‘Nagenahira Navodaya’ programme in the east we have plans to put into action an effective and all encompassing development plan called the ‘Uthure Wasanthaya.’ Under this programme, the entire northern region will be re-organised so that it will prosper in line with the other regions of the south. For this, there must be infrastructure and industrial growth that will require large amounts of funds.

Q: Given the economic recession and the related fallout of key industries, how will the government raise the confidence of the people?

A: Tea and rubber industries are heavily dependent on the world market. That has always been the case. When the market fluctuates, so do the prices. The government cannot be blamed for this. However, the government has done much to develop these sectors, including giving subsidies and tax incentives; everything that can be done at state level has always been done. The government will give as much incentive as it can and expend its powers as extensively as possible to assist flagging industries.

Q: There is a consensus that an acceptable political solution is essential to consolidate the military victories. But the government has not made much headway on this issue. What are the future plans of the government in this regard?

A: After the east was cleared we established Provincial Councils under the provisions supplied by the 13th Amendment. Once the north is freed, we will then implement the same system. Provincial Council elections will be held and governance powers will be given to the representatives elected by the people. It is true that the All Party Representatives Committee (APRC) was formed with the intention of giving something beyond the 13th Amendment, but before that can be accomplished, we must concentrate on what can be given within the available constitutional framework. The 13th Amendment was not put into operation in the north, even during the time of Former President J.R. Jayewardene. Before power devolution can move beyond the 13th Amendment, we must first see what it can accomplish. Whether we can give powers beyond or less than the 13th Amendment is irrelevant at this point. Rather, what must be focused on is giving what we can within the present Constitution as soon as possible. A power devolution package beyond the 13th Amendment would require the two thirds majority of Parliament and the government will present its proposals to the House in this regard, if and when the need arises.

Q: The UNP will focus on corruption and mismanagement within the government including Mihin Air and the fuel issues. How do you propose to counter this?

A: The duty of the opposition is to criticise the government. It is their ‘job’ to attack the government. That is something they do all the time; even when we were in the opposition that is what we did. It is to be expected. However, the opposition is too weak in this country to have any real impact. Even though these concerns are discussed, it is more with a petty political agenda in mind rather than with the true intention of pointing out the shortcomings of the government to the people. The people know this and refrain from jumping to conclusions. For example, criticising some of the actions of the Army can be beneficial to the LTTE. The UNP must be clear about their duty and perform it accordingly. They too are representatives of the opinions of a group of people. Even an opposition must think about the country. Unfortunately, the UNP only thinks about themselves and their political ends rather than about the nation. They have not been able to pin point the faults of the government for this reason.

Q: The relief package promised by the government has been dismissed as not giving ‘real relief’ to the people. What was the intention of the government in giving this package and has it been realised?

A: When the 2009 Budget was presented in Parliament, the President made it very clear that additional relief would be given in line with future fuel price declines. This relief package was promised simply to fulfil that pledge. It was not done with the intention of softening up the people for the elections. There is no connection whatsoever between the relief package and the election. If world market prices continue to drop, that too will be passed on to the consumer. There is clear relief given to the people through this government incentive package. No one can deny that a slash in gas prices is beneficial to the people. For people to feel the true effect of these price reductions, they must be correctly passed on through grassroots level channels. For example, when diesel prices are cut, then school bus tickets and van prices must decrease in tandem and when gas prices are minimised the price of string hoppers and hoppers must decline as well. But this does not happen. Currently, a hopper is around Rs.15 but production costs are as little as Rs.6. The reason that the government relief does not reach the people is because private sector middlemen siphon it off.

Q: Even though cuts in ministerial expenses have been mentioned in the relief package, no details have been given. How will the government live up to its pledges?

A: The Treasury must release the relevant circulars. We cannot take any action until then because reductions must be taken in accordance with them.

Q: Accusations of intimidation have already begun and a violent election is predicted. What steps will be taken by the UPFA to ensure that state property is not misused and candidates who resort to violence brought to book?

A: The opposition always makes accusations of this nature. They did so during the eastern election and during the Samaragamuwa and North Central Province election. These are all excuses cooked up by the UNP to cover up their losses and inadequacies. There is nothing new here. They are a repetition of the same old litany that is rehearsed at every election. We have no need to resort to election violence because we already have a strong support base behind us. If there are any election violations they will be committed by the UNP to cover their flaws.