CP warns against ethnic polarization in East

Nadira Gunatilleke

The Eastern Provincial Council election results show that what matters to some people is their ethnicity, religion etc more than politics.

This polarization of votes is not something positive for the country. It is not healthy for nation-building and reconciliation process, CPSL General Secretary and Senior Minister for Human Resources Development D E W Gunasekara told the Daily News yesterday.

Minister Gunasekara said the PC election results of the Eastern Province show that the voters had voted considering which community and religion they belong to rather than which stream of politics they prefer/believe in. This polarization is something negative but this is the ground reality.

‘All anti LTTE Tamil political parties such as EPRLF, PLOT and TELLO got together with the pro LTTE political parties during the Eastern Provincial Council election but such political parties are anti LTTE.

“This is the first ever free and fair election held in the Eastern Province. All previous elections were held in the middle of various types of pressures put on voters by various factors including terrorism. The government was able to conduct a free and fair election in the Eastern Province and it is one of the positive developments, “ he said.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa repeatedly stated that the Northern Provincial Council election will be held next year. Therefore there is no doubt about that, said Minister Gunasekara. “The entire result of the PC election in all three provinces shows that the people have placed their confidence in President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the UPFA government. What is required at the moment is the speeding up of nation building (promoting the Sri Lankan identity) and condemning polarization, But unfortunately, the task of nation building was not given due recognition by former leaders,” minister Gunasekara added.