Govt will win Eastern Provincial Council Election - Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle

In a short interview published yesterday on Asian Tribune, the late Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle expressed confidence that the Government would secure victory at the May 10 Provincial Council Election in the East. The Minister was to play a pivotal role in the polls campaign.

"We are winning the East Provincial Council Elections because the Tamils, Muslims and the Sinhalese people in the East are with us. They are grateful to the Government for liberating them from the LTTE," said Minister Fernandopulle.

Furthermore, he added, this election has clearly shown the bankruptcy of the UNP which did not have the guts to put forward any of their Party organis ers and leading candidates in Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara.

He added that the UNP has asked Rauff Hakeem to be the leader in the Provincial Council Election and he has resigned his Parliament seat and contesting under UNP symbol and that shows the bankruptcy of the UNP under the failed leadership.

Earlier Hakeem was one of the strongest opponents of the de-merger of the North and Eastern provinces. By contesting in the East Provincial Council election, he has indicated very clearly that he has accepted the demerger of the North and East Provincial Councils. This clearly shows that he made a big somersault.

"It is very clear that the LTTE is behind him in this election. According to news circulating here, Hakeem resigned his Parliamentary seat to contest in the election at the request of Norway and another powerful country," he added.

Now in all the three districts UNP has put forward SLMC candidates as their leading candidate. In Batticaloa Basheer Segu Dawood, Ampara Hassan Ali, and in Trincomalee Rauff Hakeem are the leading candidates of the UNP.

It was very unfortunate not a single UNP MP or leader came for the handing over of the nomination except Jayalath Jayawardhana at Batticaloa. This shows that UNP is completely forgotten in the Eastern Province. That is why they have decided to cling on to Rauff Hakeem and SLMC to save face, Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle said.

He further said, "We are winning the Provincial Council elections hands down. No doubt at all. Our leading candidate in Trincomalee is M.K.D.S Gunawardene who was a Member of Parliament from Seruwila in Kantale in the Trincomalee district.

At present he is the PA Organiser. We have for Ampara district T. A. K. Thevarapperuma, he was former member of Parliament and for Batticaloa we have Sivanesathurai Chanthirakanthan alias Pillaiyan."