Polls amid developments
The hustle and bustle
and cacophony of electioneering came to end at midnight
yesterday as the curtain fell on the Western Province polls
campaign that went through an unprecedented two full months with
political party candidates intensifying their canvassing on the
final lap during the last few days to charm and influence the
voters of this largest and plum of all Province in the country.
Thankfully the campaign overall was violence free which
bespoke of the maturity and equanimity of the voters of the
Western Province. Hopefully this climate would prevail for the
remainder of the period leading to the polling day and also
thereafter. In this respect it is incumbent on the political
party leaders to ensure their party supporters conduct
themselves exemplarily and with restraint that would hopefully
lead to a new political order as against the fractious and
contentious political culture we have been witnessing in the
recent past. So while it is all systems go, decidedly the voters
do not have to look far to make their choice and not many
options left either.
The polls comes in the wake of unprecedented developments in
the country with the military all but vanquishing the once
invincible LTTE and with the dawn of peace beckoning this
fractured nation, while the country also just witnessed one of
most spectacular human rescue operations the world has ever
known.
It would therefore be puerile to imagine that the military
gains combined with unprecedented drama unfolding in the North
would fail to capture the imagination of the voters even to a
greater degree than witnessed in the all the concluded
provincial council elections so far.
We say this because the Western province particularly the
Colombo city has borne the worst brunt of terrorist attacks
outside the theatre of war with heavy deaths resulting from
suicide attacks and bus bombings etc.
Therefore, any arrest or mitigation of this scenario would be
more than welcome by the city folk who will be beholden to the
Government for its success in eradicating the cause of this
mayhem and destruction to life, putting aside all other
loyalties.
Beside the Western Province too has peculiar demographies
which are heavily weighted in favour of the Government. Although
the UNP may have a degree of support in the urban sprawl of
Colombo the hegemony that has been maintained historically by
the SLFP and Left parties in the Gampaha and Kalutara Districts
is bound to overwhelm this advantage in any event.
While the military victories would give more than an edge to
the Government it will not be the only factor that is going to
influence the voter at the election to the Western Province. The
large scale development projects such as the flyovers and
Highway expansion and development in other areas central to
urban and city life too would not go unnoticed by the voter. The
relatively less harsh consequences stemming from the global
economic recession due to the prudent economic management by the
Government and also the many benefits granted to the high
concentration of the working class in the Colombo city and
Western Province in general is also no doubt going to impact on
the voter of the Western Province.
Saving electricity
The Ceylon Electricity Board has once again made it's ritual
call to consumers to use electricity sparingly since the water
levels in the hydro catchment areas have recorded low water
levels. As stated by CEB Deputy General Manager S. Handagama 75
percent of our electricity needs are generated by fossil fuel
while hydro power accounts for the balance 25 percent. He said
the catchment areas were receiving only minuscule rainfall
during the current inter-monsoonal period although certain other
parts in the country have recorded heavy rainfall. He said the
situation is precarious unless the expected South Western
Monsoon sets in hopefully in May.
The heavy industrialisation coupled with unbridled
consumerism that have ensnared our people particularly our youth
in the post liberalisation era has also taxed the country's
power resources to the limit so much so that the country is on
the threshold of a major power crisis as warned by the CEB
official. The just concluded festivities certainly would have
not helped the cause of power conservation since more than 65
percent of the hinterland have now been electrified with more
and more rural folk emulating their city counterparts in the use
of computers and other electricity powered accessories.
What is needed however is to instil a civic duty in our
people to act with a sense of responsibility and sacrifice until
these projects are commissioned in the use of electricity for
their daily requirements. |