Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa's ruling UPFA alliance wins the Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) election with 18 seats and 2 bonus seats in the election held on Saturday with widespread rigging. The opposition UNP-SLMC alliance receives 15 seats, 1 seat for the JVP and 1 seat for Tamizh Democratic National Alliance. Meanwhile The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) observed that the Eastern Provincial election, was not at all ‘free and fair’. Despite the rigging, the opposition UNP-SLMC alliance wins the Trincomalee district where it had promised to resettle displaced Tamils in Champoor.
Despite the rigging, the opposition UNP-SLMC alliance wins the Trincomalee district.
Displaced people in Trincomalee have voted for the UNP-SLMC alliance which had promised them to resettle the people in their own places and take up the issue of proposed Champoor power-plant with India.
Meanwhile, paramilitary Pillayan Group has played a key role in widespread election malpractice, paving the way for UPFA victory in Batticaloa and in the Tamil areas of Ampaa'rai district.
"Dominance of rule of law had been overtaken by a dominance of violence," the CaFFE observed.
The district wise break-down of expected seats based on the results announced so far, follow:
Trincomalee: 5 UNP-SLMC, 4 UPFA and 1 JVP
Batticaloa: 6 UPFA, 4 UNP-SLMC and 1 TDNA
Ampaa'rai: 8 UPFA and 6 UNP-SLMC
Extracts from the report by the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) released at the end of the election day follow:
"The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) observed that the Eastern Provincial election, which was held today, was not at all ‘free and fair’. This is due to the reason that it very clearly shown that dominance of rule of law had been overtaken by a dominance of violence. In all three district that voting was conducted in there have been incidents of voters being attacked and prevented from casting their votes etc. CaFFE observed that polling agents who had arrived at the polling booths in the morning have had to leave because of the prevailing climate of intimidation.
"In all three districts there have also been reports of polling booth agents of certain political parties being attacked, chased away, not allowed to enter into the polling booths and also incidents in which they were abducted.
"In the Valachenai area, monitors observed that election commission officials were totally disregarded and certain factions perpetrated organized disturbances against the voters who were suspected to be casting votes against certain political parties. We also observed that organized gangs in many areas located in the Digamdulla and Trincimalee districts had been methodically stationed in these areas prior to election. Security personnel and law enforcement officials could not take any action against them. In Dehiattakandiya it was evident that there was a total climate of violence and intimidation and these gangs had systematically gone into selected areas and attacked selected people.
"In Batticaloa, CaFFE observed 14 and 15 year old children casting votes without being challenged. They carried out such illegal voting with or without their voting cards, ballots paper and even without any identification documents.
"Non- State armed groups were seen in areas around Batticaloa and Kalmunai carrying out election activities. They were observed to immediately withdraw from polling booth areas when they noticed election observers approaching, they were then seen to return to polling booths once they perceived that the elections monitors had left. In Trincomalee, CaFFE observed that a Minister had brought Internally Displaced People from Puttalam to cast votes and furthermore, internally displaced people from the Trincomalee itself had been methodically organized and taken to vote."
"Parallel to these observations CaFFE also observes that the people of the Digmadulla District have been seriously intimidated by the alleged acts of the LTTE, namely the bomb explosion and mortar attack that took place in Ampara and the attack on the ship in the Trincomalee harbor."
"On the foregoing observations CaFFE would like to request that the election commissioner annul polling of certain polling booths and direct a re-polling in the polling booths of all three districts where serious violence and election malpractices have taken place."
"We strongly feel that the election commissioner should pay special attention to polling booths in the Verugal, Kappalthurai and Echampaththu divisional secretariat areas located in the Trincomalee District, the Valachenia, Ottamavadi, Porrative, Kokadicholai, Kathankudai and Arriampethi areas located in the Batticaloa district and in the Tirukovvil and Akkaraipathtu areas located in the Digamadulla District."
No room for a Muslim Chief Minister with the UPFA
| | By M.S. Shah Jahan In May last year when the SLMC chief and the Secretary General had dinner with me on my invitation, out of Sri Lanka, the chief commented, referring to the strayed cow from Kattankudy that had come back to the fold at that time, ‘so and so is also now with us’. I replied immediately, "at the moment". The leader’s face was saddened and he didn’t proceed further. Today it is proved. |
Though I have no personal rapport or enmity with this said politician, I do remember having met him once in Siravasty for a brief period, during his first term and felt he could turn out to be a good politician if moulded properly. Alas he went astray.
Well, this guy who entered parliament at a tender age became notorious for his political oscillation. In 1989 he promised to share his seat with two other persons but backed out. In a way, he was the first SLMC product that went against the founder and since then he has changed a few buses.
The well known presidential adviser, [I don’t think he attended any Dale Carnegie course in L.A] a real wheeler dealer, a man who seems to know the art of how to entice and what carrot to throw to troubled beauties of less virtue, has succeeded in wooing this man who would ultimately become a laughing stock if trounced heavily at the hands of SLMC.
One wonder if the allegations are true that it was the pressure exerted by a leading business group that handles snack stalls to insurance and banking - to recover the huge outstanding of profit sharing Sharia loan, that pushed him to the lap of the presidential adviser?
The pinnacle of the Government affiliated Muslim politicians today is the Chief Minister’s post of the Eastern province. Is it another Aladdin’s lamp that could do all the wonders in the world? Will milk and honey flow in the streets of the East as soon as a Muslim becomes a CM? No not at all. Frankly it is a ruse to hood wink the innocent Muslim masses under the guise of the Chief Ministerial post, and also to hide their political bankruptcy to maintain their position for the next general election where many of them are supposed to be washed out.
Which Chief Minister has achieved great heights in his province? Under the present constitution even the Prime Minister has no power. The rest are mere puppets or moppets.
Hisbullah vehemently justified his cross over from SLMC stating that by joining government forces only he could obtain a CM post for a Muslim and that too for himself. Now he and other UPFA Muslim ministers and MPs including Mrs. Ferial Ashraff also say that the President had said that the chief minister’s post of the Eastern province would be given to the group that gets the largest seats.
But as far as the public knows no such statement ever emanated from the horse’s mouth. By other Muslim ministers ministers merely attributing the promise to him but the President actually not saying it will obviously give the President a chance to act according to the situation as he hasn’t officially committed himself. If so, is this another way to deceive the people by unscrupulous politicians?
Another twist to the politcal tale is Hisbullah saying the Eastern province CM post could be shared too. Oh Allah, he talks about polygamy. Is there a provision for more than one CM?
"If I become CM, Pillayan will be Vice CM, if he becomes CM, I will be Vice CM". Who is to believe his words? What a merry-go round is this?
The way he said no to others 20 years ago, he might say the same to the TMVP goon too, or the latter can also turn against him. Anyway as the credibility of both contenders are in question voters might not put the UPFA in a predicament but relieve them by voting for the opposition.
Further, Hisbullah in his political career has spent more time outside the SLMC than within it. But some sections of the media funnily enough continue to dub him as ‘ SLMC’s strong man’.
May I ask these sections of the media in what way he is strong? He is of lean and thin figure, he does not have the physique of a wrestler.
Besides, whether Eastern Muslims deserve the CM post or not - whetehr it is essential or not, I in my article of April 25th 2007 in another paper described Karuna as ’the future Chief Minister of the Eastern province’. It was at that time as obvious as the sun rising from the East. The rulers never had any agenda for a Muslim CM. Not even a thought was given. But the priority was to end the marriage of convenience the regime is having with ex Eastern tigers by way of baptizing them in the name of democracy, come what may.
After having cleared the East of the LTTE by setting a thief to catch a thief, the statement that, ‘the TMVP has given up its arms for the sake of democracy’ find no evidence when the rebels themselves admit carrying weapons and allow no opposition in their terrain, controlling their masses dictatorially. Bullet or ballot is the saying. Here a group has a bullet in one hand and a ballot in the other. Is this the democracy envisaged for the East under TMVP? Do they expect the LTTE to invade the East like Genghis Khan used to do while the forces are holding them in the North? A French foreign Minister once said, "If I am to get done a dirty job, I give it to a gentleman who will do the job and stay quiet. If given to a dirty man, one day I will need another dirty man to get rid of him".
In 1989, after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, Pakistani prime minister late Benazir Bhutto told President Bush, by aligning the United States with the most extremist Mujahideen groups [which gave birth to Al-Quaida] , "you are creating a veritable Frankenstein", a statement proved correct. The present events in Sri Lanka indicate that a Frankenstein is being created in the East under the false impression of introducing democracy. Let us see how things turn out for Lanka.
Above all, democracy means every thing for every body where all is equal. But the SLFP is founded on the opposite direction only, basing one religion and one race as prime and bashing the rest. All are subordinates. That is their real vote bank too. [The Jews too call themselves the superior race and all others are to serve them].
Though Muslims to some extent were accommodated in a corner of the SLFP camp, Tamils were not that welcome and SLFP’s antipathy to Tamils was well known to the country too. One can not forget the roaring words of the late Agricultural Minister Kobbekaduwa in the 80s that he would throw late Thondaman to the other side of the sea. Unfortunately the Kandyan minister was not alive to see the same Thondaman keeping his party alive in throne.
This government’s democracy is reflected well in the state media that is full of propaganda news. The news is filled with self adulation, crowing about their achievements, slandering opposition politicians while no opposition news is presented. The State media belongs to the public and is run by public funds it does not belong to a party.
In an election, public properties like newspapers, radio and television which are run by people’s money, regardless to their party affiliation or no party interest, have a code of conduct that emphasizes how much government side news it should carry, how much opposition news it should carry. Are the advertisement dues of the 2005 presidential election to state organizations fully settled?
That way, democratic values find fewer places in the SLFP. The present regime supersedes all others in democratic abuse/ election fraud in every quarter. They write their own rules. Heads I bat, tails you field, and the umpire is my nominee, is their motto. Rather than playing such matches they can say we are in power, so we deserve victory, no election necessary.
The present boast that the East was to have a "Massive" development is a fantasy. To do massive things one needs a massive amount of funds. If we have funds or if we administer funds properly we need not go to Shylock’s 8% interest. Or else, Is His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum staying at the rest rooms of the Batticaloa railway station with his kitty to build another Dubai in the East?
Look at Colombo. It stinks with garbage and sinks with rain. The road from the airport to the city is very narrow, nobody follows traffic rules and it is dark in the night giving a poor first impression to visitors.
Nothing has been done for decades. The prestigious Marine drive is full of holes as if gem mining was conducted and it’s dim after sun set with insufficient lights. Where does the rate payer’s money go? When the fate of the capital is such, how can we have a "massive" development in the East?
A former SLMC MP and presently an ambassador, once told me, Madam asked me "though we do for Muslims, they go for the UNP only. Why? I said trade is the backbone of the community. UNP does not interfere with trade or in their day to day life". Have the Easterners forgotten the interference to their daily life, the Tsunami swindle and the hurdles placed on resettlement etc.? When it is so where is the room for a Muslim CM with the UPFA? The proverb is, if you run after two sheep, you catch neither.
'I am eligible' says Pillayan
 |  |
| TMVP leader says the group will carry arms until their security is guaranteed |
Pillayan told Sivaramakrishnan Parameswaran of BBC Tamil Service that his group will not lay down arms until such time his security is guaranteed by the authorities.
"We will have to use the weapons until we defeat terrorism," the former member of the LTTE, described by the authorities as "terrorists", said.
|  We will have to use the weapons until we defeat terrorism |
The TMVP leader, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, has secured 41,936 preferential votes ahead of the other CM hopeful MLAM Hisbullah, who has secured 35,949 preferential votes, according to media reports.
The ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) General Secretary, Minister Susil Premjayanth, told media last week that the alliance agreed to offer the post to the ethnic community that secures most of the councillors.
Minister supports Hisbullah
The unofficial results indicate that more Muslim councillors were elected than Tamil councillors for the Eastern Provincial Council.
|  |
| Muslim ministers have voiced support to Mr. Hisbullah to become CM |
If the government abide by the earlier pledge, Mr. Hisbullah, who crossed over to the government from the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) days before the nominations, should be appointed as the CM.
A Muslim government minister has also expressed his support to the regional Muslim leader.
Minister Najeeb A Majeed told journalist Swaminathan Natarajan of BBC Tamil Service in Trincomalee that Mr. Hisbulla is more experienced to hold a public office.
“He has hold many public offices including being a minister. And he has a very good record of working for the Tamil and Muslim unity,” the minister said.
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