EP polls unveils Tamils as partners in governance

Rajmi MANATUNGA

COLOMBO: The Eastern Provincial Council elections to be held today will make the Tamil-speaking community of Sri Lanka true partners in the country’s governance for the first time in history, the Government said yesterday.

Addressing the final pre-election media briefing of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), Transport Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said the historic poll will also mark the demise of the LTTE and Prabhakaran’s dream of an Eelam.

“This election has provided a true opportunity for the Tamil-speaking people to participate in governance, thus putting an end to the practice of offering ministerial portfolios to please minority political parties. We hope it would cause a resurgence in Sri Lankan Tamil politics,” he said.

He said the defeat the LTTE would suffer when the will of the Eastern people manifests in the Trincomalee, Ampara and Batticaloa District Secretariats on election night will be greater and more crucial than their military defeat in Thoppigala.

Expressing full confidence in the UPFA’s victory at today’s election, the Minister said the Eastern people will rally round the Government which brought peace to them after 20 years, without letting the United National Party (UNP) subject them to LTTE terror again by re-merging the North and the East.

“In addition, the Government has presented a comprehensive and practical development programme for the East which reaches out to the lowest strata of the province,” he said adding that people were aware of the duplicity of Rauf Hakeem who has already reserved a place in the National List to re-enter Parliament.

UPFA General Secretary Minister Susil Premjayantha told the media that all arrangements have been made in the East to hold a free and fair election.

Eighteen Muslim candidates, 15 Tamil candidates and 11 Sinhala candidates will contest for the poll from the UPFA and there is no conflict whatsoever among them regarding the appointment of the Chief Minister, he said.

Minister Navin Dissanayake of the UNP Democratic Group said that the Eastern people are optimistic that the Government would bring political stability as well as economic prosperity to their areas.

“Unlike the UPFA, the UNP has already nominated its Chief Ministerial candidate who is Rauf Hakeem. We call upon the UNP Leader to disclose to the country the contents of this secret pact with Hakeem”.