Lawyers have a big role to play in ensuring Vasu's victory - President

COLOMBO: "Since the late Dr. N.M. Perera's time we have got the best opportunity to capture power in the Colombo Municipal Council today," observed President Mahinda Rajapaksa when be addressed a group of lawyers' at a meeting held at Temple Trees on May 7.

The President said 'during the last five months since the Presidential election we have achieved many victories and faced several setbacks too, while a large amount of work remains to be done in the future." Emphasising that everything possible has been done on his part to attain a honourable peace, the President said he has been able to reach a consensus with all political parties due to the policies adopted by him.

Harking on the victory attained by his party at the recently concluded local council elections where certain friendly parties adopted a go it alone attitude, the President said they could have captured all local councils had they all contested under a single banner.

The President said he has selected Vasudeva Nanayakkara as the UPFA Mayoral candidate for Colombo because he firmly believed that Nanayakkara had the ability to attract the support of Colombo voters.

The President who praised Mr. Nanayakkara for adopting consistent policies, said people of all communities should support him to ensure his victory at the forthcoming election. He said rulers should pay more attention towards the problems of low income groups living in the city including shanty dwellers which was brought to his notice by his children during the last Presidential elections, failure on the part of administrators to perform their duties had been the root cause for the proliferation of unauthorised buildings in the Colombo City.

He said lawyers had a big role to play to ensure the victory of Vasudeva Nanayakkara and his group at the forthcoming Municipal election.

The President said on behalf of the Government he would do everything possible to eradicate the illicit liquor and drug menace, control the underworld and rebuild Colombo as a pleasant city. His endeavour was to improve the living standard of the city dwellers and ensure a streamlined administration, he said.

Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said there would be over 100 polling stations in the Colombo Municipal Council area which had 395,000 voters in the register. Parties and candidates were conducting their campaigns targeting all of them.

A person should visit areas like Bloemendhal to find out the actual state of the Municipal Council. There were mountains of garbage more than 100 feet tall. The Colombo Municipal Council had been creating mountains of garbage when other countries had drawn up Carbonic fertilizer production units and other programs to dispose garbage. The time has therefore come for a fundamental conceptual change in the administration of the Colombo Municipal Council.

Mahaweli Development and Environment Minister Maithripala Sirisena said the Colombo Municipal Council was like a separate government. In his capacity as Environment Minister he was not happy about the present state of the Colombo City whatever excuses administrators may deduce, the Colombo Municipal Council should take the whole blame for the garbage problem in the city.

UPFA Mayoral Candidate for Colombo Vasudeva Nanayakkara said he came forward to contest the Colombo Municipal Council to activate the Mahinda Chintanaya program in the Colombo Municipal area. He alleged that the previous UNP administration in the Colombo Municipal Council had utilised half of council funds to safeguard the UNP administration. Fifty years of UNP rule had transformed the Colombo City to an unplanned city full of garbage. Time had now come to close all gates for the plunder and wastage of council funds.

Parliamentarian Faiser Mustapha thanked the President for selecting Vasudeva Nanayakkara as the Common Mayoral Candidate for the Colombo Municipal Council Elections.