UPFA predicts landslide victory

Dharma Sri Abeyratne

The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) will record a landslide victory at the upcoming final phase of the Local Government election, said several minsters yesterday. Addressing the media, they said the UPFA is capable enough of winning all 23 Local Government institutions.

Sri Lanka Freedom Party General Secretary Minister Maithripala Sirisena said that the most suitable persons have been selected for contesting the Local Government election. “Educated, capable, qualified and most suitable persons have been selected after a proper screening process,” he said.

Minister Sirisena said that the United National Party is boasting that they would win certain local government bodies as some of them are UNP strongholds. He pointed out that the government has achieved landslide victories at many elections since 1994. Going by the result of the recently concluded LG elections, there are some local government bodies where there isn’t even a single UNP member.

“When it comes to the Colombo Municipal Council, Milinda Moragoda will definitely be the next mayor since everyone is witnessing massive development activities in the Colombo Municipality area,” Minister Sirisena added.

Addressing the media, UPFA General Secretary and Petroleum Resources Minister Susil Premajayantha said, no one will vote for a deteriorating UNP. The UNP is in a mess without having even a leader. Of the 299 Local Government institutions where LG elections were held the UPFA has won 250 institutions. The government has launched many fruitful programmes, such as, Divineguma, Gama Neguma, Maga Neguma which bring prosperity and development to the country.

Youth Affairs Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said that the CMC will be converted to a ‘City of friendship, City of hope, City of brotherhood, City of intellectuals and youths’ after they win the CMC at the forthcoming LG polls. The CMC will be subjected to a radical change.

“For the first time in the history of the CMC, now we see a garbage-free Colombo with a clean and pretty environment. Moreover, infrastructure facilities, including the road network, are being significantly developed” Minister Alahapperuma noted.

The UPFA mayoral candidate for CMC Milinda Moragoda said that a proper plan has already been prepared for developing the Colombo Municipal area. Ongoing development activities will also be carried out as scheduled.

‘The President is relying on me to develop the city so as to meet the future aspirations and needs. Therefore, I have formulated a development plan for the CMC which is scheduled to be introduced next week,’ he said.

Responding to a question raised by a journalist Moragoda stressed that no resident will be relocated outside Colombo but they will be given a better living environment with better facilities.