Vote for Vasu for Colombo to reap Mahinda Chintana benefits

Pradeep Kumara Dharmaratne

COLOMBO: Vasudeva Nanayakkara must become the Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council if the benefits envisaged under President Mahinda Rajapaksa's Mahinda Chintana Programme were to be enjoyed by the people of Colombo, UPFA constituent party leaders said.

They expressed this view addressing a media briefing at the Foundation Institute, Colombo yesterday.

Minister Viswa Warnapala said the UNP which devalued the Election process through proportional representation is further under-estimating the value of the franchise by their electioneering process at the Colombo Municipal Council Election. "Their attempt to substitute their partymen in place of Independent candidates is not heard anywhere in the world," he said.

Colombo is the nerve centre in the political process of this country. Nanayakkara, well versed and experienced in politics with a clean past is the most appropriate leader to hold the post of the Mayor, he said.

Minister Susil Premajayantha said the UNP Deputy General Secretary in a recent announcement challenged the Election Commissioner's ruling that anybody else cannot claim the success of a candidate at the election other than the person mentioned in the nomination.

"The UNP conception on this point is erroneous. The Election Commissioner's decision is unequivocally in terms of the Election Laws which he is empowered to interpret," Premajayantha said.

Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said the UNP's dreams of victory will never come true.

The UPFA is confident that Nanayakkara will definitely win to implement the Mahinda Chintana in respect of the City of Colombo, he said. "The UNP ruled the Colombo Municipality during the last five decades.

"Karu Jayasuriya as well as Sirisena Cooray held the office of Colombo Mayor during UNP regimes.

"They could not resolve problems during that period. How will they solve them now," he questioned.