Abusing state property to 'serve' the people

twenty vehicles bearing identical garage numbers are being used for election related work (inset) Maithripala Sirisena, P. B. Jayasundera, Rajith Siyambalapitiya and S.M. Chandrasena

RDA fuel bills soar from Rs. 500,000
in April to Rs. 5.2 million in July

Nation Building Ministry foots circuit
bungalow bills of ministers

Bungalows air conditioned at state
expense to cool ministers

20 luxury govt. vehicles with garage
number plates in A'pura

By Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema

The campaign for the North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council elections that concluded yesterday (23) saw the blatant violation of the country's election laws, especially those related to the misuse of public property.

The rampant misuse of state property by the government for the election campaigns in the two provinces was witnessed as never before and opposition parties allege that the authorities did not act upon the many complaints made on the issue by both the UNP and the JVP.

Unfortunately, it is the public that has to finally bear the cost of the misuse of public property during election time and all in the name of  serving the people.

As pointed out by an opposition party member, the government after allocating Rs. 400 million for the two elections, which is to be borne by the public has also resorted to liberally using public property creating an additional burden for the people to shoulder.

"It is the poor people that have to bear all these expenses. The money allocated by the government for the conduct of the elections is pocketed out by the public and the additional expenditure incurred by the ministries and other state institutions on election related expenses is also borne by the people," he said.

Abuse of state property

Documentary and photographic evidence has surfaced on the many cases of the misuse of state property by the government in the two provinces.

Although misuse of public property was reported from all four districts - Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kegalle and Ratnapura - the largest number of violations were reported from the Anuradhapura District in the North Central Province.

Several government ministers had booked four circuit bungalows of the Irrigation Department in the Anuradhapura District for 'official use' from July 8, till the end of August on state expense. The circuit bungalows that have been booked to be used during the election campaign are the Nachchaduwa, Rajangana, Huruluwewa and Padaviya bungalows.

The Sunday Leader has in its possession a copy of the letter sent to the Zonal Irrigation Director, Anuradhapura by Assistant Project Director, Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Ministry, W.S.U Prabath on June 30, wherein it has been requested for the irrigation circuit bungalow in Padaviya to be allocated to Minister Susantha Punchinilame from July 8 till August 31.

The letter while requesting for the bungalow to be allocated to Punchinilame for 'official use' during the period has also stated that the necessary bills be directed to the Nation Building Ministry for payment.

In another letter sent by the Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Ministry to Zonal Irrigation Director, Anuradhapura on July 1, Coordinating Secretary to the Ministry, U.G. Hettiarachchi has requested that the irrigation circuit bungalow in Huruluwewa be booked on behalf of Minister S.M. Chandrasena.

Hails from Anuradhapura

The circuit bungalow has been requested from July 3 till August 2 for the Minister's official use. Ironically the Minister hails from Anuradhapura.

The Sunday Leader learns that Port and Aviation Minister Chamal Rajapakse has booked the irrigation circuit bungalows in Nachchaduwa and Rajangana. Both bungalows have been requested till September 1.

Officials at the Anuradhapura Irrigation Office confirmed to The Sunday Leader that the circuit bungalows of the department in the district have been booked during the election period by several ministers. However, the officials refused to give the names of the ministers for whom the  bungalows had been booked.

JVP's Chief Ministerial candidate for the North Central Province, Wasantha Samarasinghe told The Sunday Leader that apart from the public funds officially allocated for the elections in the two provinces, the people also had to bear the additional expenses incurred by government ministries and other related institutions for election campaign work of the UPFA.

It is also learnt that the circuit bungalows of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminal Limited (CPSTL) among others in Anuradhapura have also been booked by government officials to be used during the campaign.

Most of the state institutions have also spent large sums of money during the election campaign for the benefit of the UPFA.

Payment vouchers

One such institution is the Road Development Authority (RDA).

The Sunday Leader is in possession of copies of payment vouchers passed by the RDA for the installation of two air conditioners to a circuit bungalow and to purchase a generator as well.

The RDA had on July 11 approved a payment  Rs. 172,500 to  SOAR Technology (Pvt) Limited, Welisara for the purchase of a generator for the circuit bungalow in Mihintale.  The minister who had booked the bungalow apparently wanted air conditioned comfort after a hard day's campaigning. 

On July 22, another payment Rs. 167,660  had been made to Abans Limited, No.28, New Town, Anuradhapura for the  purchase of two air conditioners for the deputy minister's office.

According to Samarasinghe, these payments were made by the RDA to upgrade the offices and the bungalow to accommodate the ministers during the election campaign.

Meanwhile, the large scale misuse of state vehicles during the election campaign has also been revealed.

Samarasinghe said that he had documentary evidence to prove the blatant misuse of public vehicles and the fact that state institutions have had to bear the cost of fuel pumped into some of the vehicles used for the government's election campaign.

Increased drastically

He said that he was in possession of the vouchers approved by certain state institutions to pay for fuel for vehicles used during the campaign.

He added that the fuel bill of the RDA that stood at Rs. 500,000 in April had increased drastically to Rs. 4,600,000 in June and Rs. 5,200,000 in July.

Meanwhile soon after the announcement of the polls in the two provinces, the government had initiated 'Lighting Rajarata' and 'Lighting Sabaragamuwa' projects to give electricity connections to the remote villages in the two provinces in order to win the villagers' support at the upcoming provincial council elections, sources claimed.

Sources attached to the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) said that an electrical engineer supportive of the government and several electrical superintendents were transferred to Anuradhapura from Colombo to carry out the 'projects' in the North Central Province. Sources who wish to remain anonymous have also revealed the numbers of several vehicles belonging to state institutions that are being used for campaign work.

According to sources, more than 20 government vehicles bearing garage number plates "WCC 2008/2009"  were being used for election campaign work. These vehicles have become a serious threat to the CPC storage facility as any destructive force too could enter the premises with the same number plate, sources said.

It is learnt that vehicles belonging to the Indigenous Medicine Ministry bearing numbers KJ 9443, KH 4334 and KI 3443 and the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Ministry bearing numbers GC 0261, ME 1736, 57-8900, 252-4754 and JA 8149 and the Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Ministry bearing numbers KL 3773 and KL 302 and Petroleum Resources Ministry vehicles bearing numbers KE 1736 and KE 9544 and CPC vehicles bearing numbers 58-0379, PG 9417, 59-0829, 58-0381 and GD 9947 were being used for the government's election campaign in the North Central Province.

Misuse of public vehicles

Fuel for these official vehicles are pumped on vouchers issued by state authorities.

The misuse of public vehicles for election campaign work was also reported from the Polonnaruwa District.

It was reported that over 40 buses belonging to the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) were used to transport people to the UPFA rally held at Polonnaruwa on August 14.

JVP's Polonnaruwa District Leader, R.K. Indrananda in a letter to the Elections Commissioner has noted that the use of public property for election propaganda work is a serious violation of election laws and has said that 40 buses from the SLTB depot at Polonnaruwa were used to transport people from various parts of the island to the UPFA rally. He said the rally was held under the guise of a launch of a development programme, when in fact it was an election propaganda rally for the UPFA candidates.

He  added that posters and banners with the photographs of all UPFA candidates contesting the provincial council election from the North Central Province were pasted on the buses and vehicles belonging to ministries, departments and pradeshiya sabhas.

Indrananda told The Sunday Leader that he is in possession of videographic evidence to prove his allegations.

SLTB buses

He said that he had evidence to prove the registration numbers of about 37 buses. The registration numbers of several such buses are NA2343, NA3110, NA4463, NA3051, NA4737, NA1631, NA6007, NA2561, NA4465, NA-1511, NA-2342, NA4581, NA1144, NA1231, NA4157, NA2517, NA4580, NA1325, NA5234, NA4250, NA4232, NA4239, NA4222, NA4465, NA4538, 62-2296, 63-3649, 63-0123, 63-4579, 63-9343, 61-8855, 61-9343 and 62-9633.

Indrananda also charged that Minister Maithripala Sirisena during the election campaign in a letter signed by him to the contestants, ministers and electoral organisers of the Polonnaruwa District had highlighted several points in contravention of the election laws.

The letter sent by Sirisena, while stating that his office should be informed of any displaying of propaganda material by the opposition candidates that received more prominence than the ones put up by the UPFA for 'necessary action to be taken,' has further said that 350 projects based on the Rajarata Navodaya programme be launched in line with the Gama Neguma, Maga Neguma and Rata Neguma programmes. He has said these programmes be organised on a grand scale and be given maximum publicity.

In clear violation of election laws, Sirisena in the letter has also noted that the Samurdhi Development Officers and Agricultural Research Officers should visit every grama niladhari area and formulate a strategic plan to ensure the victory of the UPFA.

Meanwhile, the circuit bungalow in the Kaduruwela farm in Polonnaruwa has allegedly been taken over by force by thugs who had been taken to Polonnaruwa by the government for 'election campaign work.'

Holiday resorts

The Sunday Leader also learns that the Pulathisi Holiday Resort, Hathare Ela was booked by the Agriculture and Agrarian Services Ministry for a period of one month ending August 24, the day after the poll.

While the North Central Province dominated the list of violation of election laws, the Sabaragamuwa Province too has recorded several cases related to the misuse of public property.

The Sabaragamuwa Province has also recorded a large number of cases of misuse of state vehicles.

Opposition parties allege that vehicles belonging to the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council,  Finance, Labour, and Consumer Affairs Ministries were being used for election campaign work of the UPFA.

It has been alleged that vehicles from the provincial council were used for UPFA chief ministerial candidate Mahipala Herath's campaign; Finance Ministry vehicles were used by Deputy Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya's cousin, Harsha Siyambalapitiya's campaign; Labour Ministry vehicles for Minister Athauda Seneviratne's son Parakarama Seneviratne's campaign and Consumer Affairs Ministry vehicles for Minister Mithrapala's son, Dushmantha Mithrapala's campaign.

Also, allegations have been made that state offices were used to hold meetings of electoral organisers of the SLFP.

A letter sent by SLFP chief organiser for the Kalawana electorate, Janaka Wakkumbura has called all SLFP electoral organisers for a meeting on July 24 at the Kalawana zonal education office.

Health sector employees

Meanwhile, trade unions attached to the health sector alleged that over 15 employees attached to the Ratnapura General Hospital were assigned for election campaign work in the Sabaragamuwa Province and the hospital authorities failed to take disciplinary action against these employees for marking the attendance register without reporting for duty.

Even the Health Ministry Flying Squad, which was formed solely to nab errant health workers, had failed to nab the UPFA party supporters who were engaged in election campaign work during office hours.

No action

The unions claim that although the matter was intimated to the Director General of Health Services no action has been taken on the matter.

JVP's Kegalle District Leader at the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council elections alleged that Herath even resorted to promising jobs to unemployed graduates in order to get their support to canvass for votes during the election. "Unemployed graduates have been asked to sign up with him for a period of 26 days for canvassing and they are even expected to sign in and out every day," he said.

He also said that these members were involved in misusing public property on a large scale in the Kegalle District.

According to opposition parties these are just a few instances where the government misused public property during the election campaigns of the North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provinces. However, the main grievance of the opposition parties was the failure of the authorities to take action against the many complaints lodged against the misuse of public property.

The UNP and the JVP has jointly called on the government to establish the Constitutional Council in line with the 17th Amendment to the Constitution that gives provision to the formation of the independent commissions. The two opposition parties claim that until and unless the independent commissions are established, the country would be unable to witness a free and fair election.

If the government, especially President Mahinda Rajapakse, fails to abide by the constitution and appoint the independent commissions, the final outcome they say would be for the people to take the law in to their hands.