Full security ensured in NCP, Sabaragamuwa

Nadira GUNATILLEKE and Manjula FERNANDO

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has ordered full security to the Sabaragamuwa and North Central Provinces and top officials from the Army and Police have already reached these provinces, said Transport Minister Dullas Alahapperuma.

Addressing a press briefing at the Mahaweli Centre, Minister Alahapperuma said the President has requested all UPFA supporters to celebrate the victory in a well-disciplined manner without creating any black marks.

The Minister said any black mark will tarnish our victory and the opposition might make use of them to cover up their humiliating defeat.

The Minister questioned where the NGOs and other organisations which protested in Colombo, Melbourne and Sydney when former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga appointed one of the Chief Ministerial candidates as the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia were.

“They protested about human rights violations and the Chenmani mass grave, but today they are silent.”

He pointed out the UPFA launched a very disciplined election campaign and never engaged in mud slinging. But the Opposition assassinated persons’ characters using different names. Even the Opposition Leader was involved in this, he said.

He said President Mahinda Rajapaksa did not let the UPFA drag Minister Jeevan Kumaratunga into the election campaign to counter attack Ranjan Ramanayake.

The President pointed out that the election would be over on August 23 evening but the relationships between families and relations should last for ever. Discipline is important for anyone who talks about morals, democracy and good behaviour, he said.

“When a UPFA supporter was shot and lay at the ICU with eight bullets in his stomach some media reported only about the protest by UPFA supporters against this incident.

The media did not report about the shooting incident or the victim. This is biased reporting.

Reporting should be balanced. Another newspaper reported an interview with the Opposition Leader and one of his Chief Ministerial Candidates. In the interview they asked the public to vote for them.

This was published after the election campaign officially ended and it is a violation of election law,” Alahapperuma said.

“I have carried out three election campaigns in Kamburupitiya without getting accused of any election violence,” he said.

Observation Room at Elections Dept

A polls observation room, representing the members of all main political parties contesting the today’s elections, commenced work at 3.00 p.m. yesterday at the Elections Department to monitor the North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council polls, Transport Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said.

The Minister speaking at a press briefing at the Mahaweli Centre yesterday said the objective of the operation room is to ensure an impartial evaluation of how the election is being conducted today and also part of the effort to ensure a free and fair poll.

Quoting the Elections Commissioner he added, reputed polls monitoring bodies with a past history of over 15 years will be granted permission to deploy stationary monitors in the polling booths. The Commissioner has permitted the PAFFREL and Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) for this task.

Commenting on mushrooming election monitoring bodies, he said ”A new trend was witnessed recently where party supporters are being used to pose as independent election monitors and issue discriminatory statements against opponents.”

Minister Alahapperuma alleged that one of the UNP media committee heads was involved in such an observer group set up recently. He said the Commissioner termed this as a new form of election violations.