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Bounded by the sea to the south and the forest in the north, Hambantota lies on the deep South of Sri Lanka. Twenty miles east to salty city Hambantota, lies the most attractive city of the district Tissamaharama where the sacred Tissa Dagaba provides a fitting backdrop to the shimmering waters of the Tissa Wewa. - a portrayal of the interconnection between the religion and the livelihood of ancient Sri Lankans. Fondly referred to the land of milk and honey - and a decade ago during the JVP insurrection, guns - the Hambantota District twice in the recent past was the birth place for the JVP insurgencies. Though the both uprisings were suppressed harshly, causes for the events still exist. Unemployment is high among the youth; the pace of development in the long neglected district is not fast enough to redress the deep rooted poverty and other long standing grievances of the people. The benefits and achievements of economic liberalisation are yet to reach the isolated villages of the agricultural district. Education facilities in the rural areas are so poor that the district records a high rate of school leavers at the primary level. Poor infrastructure and of course geographical factors have hindered foreign investment. Poor health care facilities and public transport need the urgent attention of the policy makers. But there is a hope. A hope of revival of the long neglected district - the Hambantota Port Development project. If implemented, it would bring the entire Southern Province in to a new era. Such a massive project, which is being advocated by all three major political forces in the fray, would encourage foreign investment, develop the long neglected infrastructure, generate thousands of employment opportunities and, of course avoid the possibility of a third insurgency. Contesting Parties Total number of voters Mulkirigala - 82, 382
Beliatta - 70, 560
Tangalle - 94, 126
Tissa - 122,005
Total registered - 369,073
Sea water recycling project in hand - Mahinda Rajapakse [PA] Hambantota PA leader Mahinda Rajapakse is satisfied with the development activities the PA carried out in the district during the last seven years. According to him three fisheries harbours were developed and four irrigation projects in MAV-Ara, Udawalawe, Lunugamwehera amuna and Muruththawela were completed. The lawyer turned politician says the increase of students pass rate at the GCE O/Ls and A/Ls from 12 percent in 1994 to 34 percent in 2000 is a result of the development of the education sector under the PA. Claiming unemployment as the biggest problem in the area, Rajapakse pledges to implement the Hambantota Port Development Project. In a bid to find permanent solutions to the droughts in the area, Rajapakse promises to implement a sea water desalination project. Rajapakse who is also the senior vice president of the SLFP claims that electricity and telecommunication facilities were developed in the district to a greater extent and plans to implement a new project to increase electricity supply under Kuwaiti and Canadian aid. Rajapakse says that though the PA was able to solve a number of problems in the district, the treasure hunters who are still active in the area are yet to be brought to book. Educated at Richmond College, Galle and Nalanda College,Colombo and later at Prague Trade Union School, Mahinda Rajapakse entered politics in 1970 as the youngest MP of the then Parliament. Vocational training for youth -
Ananda Kularatne Pointing to unemployment and low income levels of the people as a major problem, Hambantota UNP leader Kularatne promises to develop the district to the glory of Colombo within 25 years by implementing the Hambantota Harbour project. Claiming that he was the first person to make the proposal for the Hambantota Port with all statistics in Parliament, the businessman turned politician says that he is committed to implement the project soon to free the people in the district from poverty. He says the Hambantota Port would be the focal point for improving industries, providing markets for agricultural crops and also solving the unemployment problem. Saying that the drinking and irrigation water problem can be solved by using the resources at the district level, he proposes a major program for rehabilitation of minor tanks to preserve water during droughts. He also promises to set up more vocational training centres for the youth leaving education to provide them with job oriented training. Educated at Mahinda and Aquinas Colleges, Kularatne entered Parliamentary politics in the 1983 by-election. Having been unseated by the court order in 1983, he was re-elected MP at the 1985 by- election. He was successful in 1989 and 1994 general elections as well. Special attention on H'tota Harbour Project - Nihal Galappatti [JVP] A teacher turned politician, Nihal Galappatti says that the resources available in the Hambantota district are enough to solve its problems. He underlines the need for a special programme to preserve around 31,000 cubic feet of Walave-river-water annually flowing into the sea utilised by man. According to him the drinking and irrigation problems in the district can be solved through an efficient water resource management system of the 16 branches of the Walawe river. Around 1000 minor tanks in the district have to be improved for this purpose. A graduate of Ruhuna University, Galappatti claims that the implementation of the Hambantota harbour project alone can solve the unemployment problem in the district and neighbouring districts, too. Special attention should be given to the project as its benefits would free the country from its indebtedness within a year, he says. He says the better use of the major farming areas such as Weerawila, Middeniya and Ridiyagama can improve the small and medium scale industries in the district. According to him they are income avenues of high potential. Gallappatti underlines the need for the structural reform in the education sector. He promises to provide schools with more facilities such as libraries buildings and etc to improve the education level in the district. Educated at Kadurupokuna and Netolpitiya Schools, Gallappatti was arrested in 1989 during the insurgency in 1989. Released after four years of imprisonment, he was nominated by the JVP as its Parliamentarian from Hambantota in 1994 under the JVP-SLPF pact. He was re-elected in the previous General Election. General Election Results
- 10.10.2000
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Produced by Lake House |
