By Nirmala Kannangara

A. J. M. Muzammil

Thanking the Colombo voters who voted for a UNP victory, the new Mayor of Colombo A. J. M. Muzammil said the pledges given in his policy document will be implemented at the earliest.

In an interview with The Sunday Leader, Muzammil said that his priority would be to first beautify the living conditions in the slum areas before beautifying the city. “Once the living conditions are beautified and congestion is reduced the city will get beautified automatically,” he said.
Muzammil further stated that he will not allow any illegal houses to be demolished in the city till they people are provided with adequate accommodation. “We have to ensure the rights of the living,” he added. Speaking further he noted the removal of garbage would continue smoothly and added that he would work closely with the Defence Secretary on the ongoing projects that are beneficial to the city.

Excerpts:

Q: As the new Mayor of Colombo what are your priorities?
A: Irrespective of party politics I will serve the people of Colombo equally – whether they voted for the UNP or not will not be an issue for me. They are my people and I am their servant.
I will certainly provide better houses and uplift the living standards in the slums by providing an uninterrupted water supply, good sanitation and a proper drainage system.
My priority will be to beautify the living conditions in slums and to protect those houses. I will also seek the government’s cooperation and the help of government institutions to uplift the living standards of the people. I have always appreciated the good work done by the Defence Secretary and will work closely with him on the ongoing projects that are beneficial to the city of Colombo. My policy document will be duly implemented.

Q: Do you think that you will be able to work closely with the Defence Secretary given that he is steering the Colombo beautification programme?
A: Yes. I have already spoken to the Defence Secretary in this regard and he has assured me that he will continue with this beautification programme without any hindrance.

Q: How are you going to stop corruption and misuse of CMC resources under your administration?
A: I will not tolerate corruption at any cost. If I find any officer/s engaging in these malpractices the normal law of the land will be implemented irrespective of his status.
The Council will run with absolutely transparency. People should not have any doubts about this.

Q: With such a lot of backing for Milinda Moragoda by the Defence Secretary how did the UNP manage to retain power of the CMC?
A: The government cannot get the people to vote for them forcibly. Other than in one incident the Election Commissioner and the Police discharged their duties effectively. Most of the media supported Moragoda. I cannot endorse or accept the way state resources were used on a large scale to promote the UPFA candidate. Although they backed Moragoda we were able to reach the people at grassroots level and assured them of their right to shelter, which had become a big issue for them over the past several years. If their ‘houses’ need to be demolished, they should first be given proper accommodation, before any demolition takes place.

Q: We understand that the Defence Secretary has given orders to stop garbage removal within the city limits. If this is the case, what action would you take?
A: That is a misconception. Garbage is removed by private organizations and the Defence Secretary has no say in garbage collection or removal.
It was the Defence Ministry who supervised the disposal of garbage and also ensured that garbage was not dumped on the roadsides. If this is the case I am ready to talk to the Defence Secretary and request him to continue with this supervision work which was done efficiently.
On the other hand, in the event they stop giving their co-operation in this regard I will use the resources available to me to do the job as everybody wants a clean city.

Q: Has the CMC got funds to do it?
A: Yes. The tax payers’ money has to be used for their betterment.

Q:  In the event the illegal structures are demolished for Colombo’s beautification, as the Mayor what action would you take to stop demolition and how are you going to secure the houses of these people?
A: How could that happens when both parties pledged to secure the houses of these people in their manifestos. Prior to the election, the government said that they will not demolish houses but provide better accommodation in the same premises.
We have to live up to our pledges. If not for these assurances, do you think that the UPFA would receive 77, 089 votes and UNP 101, 920 votes. I believe the government will stick to its promises. However if such a situation arises I will intervene and put a stop to the demolition until new accommodation is provided.

Q: How confident are you of getting the opposition support?
A: I have the mandate under the Local Government Act to govern the CMC administration and am prepared to accept the support of any political party or independent group.
There is no point in opposing me as under the Local Government Authority Act there is no way the opposition can topple my administration unless it is proven to be unsatisfactory. They will certainly extend their support to the ruling administration when I do justice and fair play by all.

The Composition of the CMC
Mayor – A. J. M. Muzammil               Deputy Mayor – Titus Perera

Graphic by Dinouk Colombage

Milinda Moragoda

The UPFA Mayoral candidate for Colombo, Milinda Moragoda came into the electoral race offering a unique policy document that called for participation by all citizens. When it came down to the results of the October 8 polls, however, the UPFA lost by a significant margin. What led to the loss? What plans does Moragoda have now? The Sunday Leader met with him to find out.

Q: What is your political future going to be like, now that you have lost the election?
A: Well I think the mandate is fragmented, it is not clear. I think that reflects the nature of society here – there is a certain polarization that is also visible. The proposed programme we put forward would have required a very clear mandate, because it called for major reform. I see my role as being a bridge builder and that is what I have been doing whether I have been in active politics or out of it, especially among different ethnic groups, religions and classes. I will continue to do that, from whichever vantage point that I am placed in.
Q: Are you now the Opposition Leader of the CMC, then?
A: Well it is early days yet, really. We will learn that as we go along. We are clearly the largest group in the Opposition. Titles never interested me too much, but we will see what happens in the coming weeks.

Q: Would you take the Opposition Leadership post, if offered?
A: I will not speculate. I have never canvassed for any position. I will take the decision at that time. I have not charted a clear course as to what the next step should be. However, a number of the citizens of Colombo appear to have confidence in what I presented so I will ensure that I am at the best vantage point to represent their views.

Q: So you have no concrete plans at the moment?
A: Well, we had the 100 day programme, obviously that is not relevant here. We have to see what the administration is going to do. It is not that we do not have a plan. We must give the opportunity to those who are going to steer it.

Q: Why do you think you lost the election, despite having such a unique policy platform?
A: There could have been many different reasons. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we presented a new vision, a new political culture, a new approach. Some people obviously wanted that, and that is why we got this result. This is essentially a hung Council, in a way. I also think people voted within their comfort zones. Some who did cross made that difference but not enough.
When you analyse the performance of the two main parties between the 2010 general election and the recent 2011 municipal elections, the UNP vote base has dropped by 23% in absolute terms. The UPFA has gained 8%. So in terms of numbers that is what happened.
Then of course, the other aspect we have to be aware of is the polarization between the city and the rest of the country. Obviously there is a difference of thinking.

Q: What lessons could you take from this loss, for future elections?
A: I think more work has to be done, especially when it comes to building confidence among the major communities in Sri Lanka, and also emphasizing the need for reform. Without reform and a change in the political culture you cannot really develop the city seriously, or the country for that matter. I think that is what we tried to work on, this change in political culture.
However step by step, I can see that there is a transformation. The gap between the two main parties has significantly narrowed. Earlier this was seen as an unbridgeable gap but today anybody looking at these figures can see that this gap is bridgeable, for the first time.

Q: Do you think the fear many low-income dwellers had that they would be relocated contributed to the loss at all?
A: If you look at certain electorates like Colombo central, which are traditionally electorates where your argument may have validity, the UPFA has seen some gains.  People did still vote for the UPFA.
I was in Colombo North this morning and met a lot of people there. I think there is a lot the central Government can do to transform the lives of these people.
They all were saying “Make sure this work continues.” They say that for three decades there has been no focus on these areas. What I feel happy about with this campaign is how we focused on the issues that concerned the people. We focused on policies, and we did not get distracted by all the other political rhetoric that is floating around.
People started talking about the poorer shanty areas. They were aware of the fact that there were places called Somalia, Bosnia and Serbia in Colombo. I think that is an achievement in my view, but now what do we do with that is my question, because we have to make a difference there. I do not think there is one particular reason we lost. Essentially a majority of people voted within their comfort zones and there were some who crossed over, hence this fractured result.

Q: When you crossed over from the UNP, you personally saw a drop in the number of votes you garnered. Do you think this could also have led to fewer votes for the UPFA this election?
A: I am not too sure if that is indicated in the results, given the number of votes that the UPFA got. I think I got a reasonable percentage of those votes. So I do not think that was a factor.

Q: In 2007, COPE leveled some serious allegations with regard to Merchant Credit’s defaulting on loan payments during your tenure as Economic Justice Reforms Minister. As a candidate who stands for transparency, do you think this affects your credibility?
A: I would not think so. People have expressed confidence in me. The Merchant Credit incident occurred in 1989, 21 years ago. During that period I have been elected into Parliament several times so my credibility as a candidate is not relevant in that context.
This is basically political mudslinging. COPE was a committee of Parliament at that time. It was not only against me, even Mr. Karu Jayasuriya was mentioned, I believe. In Sri Lanka the moment you have nothing better to say you start slinging mud at people. I have always refrained from doing that. Where there are facts involved I clarify them, otherwise I do not waste my time.
However in this particular case, I made a statement in Parliament which indicated that my family did not benefit from it at all.
That statement was widely circulated, because that is the forum in which one has to respond.

Q: Muzammil has told The Sunday Leader than upon being informed that you would be running for the Mayoral post, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said the UNP was being given a gift. What is your response to that?
A: Throughout, my approach is not to get into this political platform rhetoric. I have tried to change the political culture in this country and I feel that if that does not happen, people will make up their own minds. I do not really want to comment on what others have said. I think we must get away from this, because the issues are still the same. The elections are over, but the issues have not gone away. So trying to manoeuvre politically and making comments is not the issue. Now the time for delivery has arrived. This is all about delivery, not platform rhetoric. Finally it is about helping the people. That is where my mind is at.

Q: Many candidates continued with election propaganda even after the cooling off period had started, including your online advertisements. What is your comment on this?
A: Where I am concerned, my Facebook page was paused on the day campaigning had to end. If the online advertisements continued, it was not deliberate.
Pausing Facebook also cost us something, because people started posting things against me on the Net. I said that is fine let them make up their mind. As far as the campaign is concerned, we did not advertise or promote anything on principle.

Q: So those black billboards promoting Colombo as an exemplary city are not yours?
A: I think people see various things. People have to figure out what [those billboards] were. Election propaganda would be name and number and I never advocated that it be used. My name and candidate number never appeared anywhere in public. All these people sling mud but at the end of the day, I think one must substantiate these things.

Q: Do you think the elections were free and fair? Or was there a possibility of manipulation?
A: Everybody says that. I am never someone who visits the counting centre. Win or lose, I have confidence in our government officials who do that work and the system. Sri Lanka always likes to think of conspiracy theories. I think the elections were free and fair. Also in Colombo city, there was no meaningful violence. That is also important and should be made note of.

Milinda Calls For Reforms

UPFA mayoral candidate Milinda Moragoda called for reforms to several campaign laws, including those dealing with the ‘cooling off period’ and those pertaining to campaign finance.
Moragoda explained that the 48 hour ‘cooling off period’ dated back to colonial times, when police personnel needed rest prior to an election. “The technical definition is, public meetings end 48 hours before. At that time there was no knowledge of the web and television,” he observed. As such, he said these laws needed to be revised.
He also said that in the West, campaigning, advertising and even campaign meetings continued right up to Election Day.
Moragoda added that there were no serious laws on campaign financing as well. He also said the electoral system could be improved.
“The preferential votes system is what makes elections so expensive in this country,” he said. As such Moragoda said he would suggest a mixed system, or adopting a local council proposal.
He also called for civil society to contribute to legislative reform. “We need to look at it afresh but unfortunately we are not capable of doing that because everything is looked at in a very partisan way. So maybe a group of civil society figures could get together and come with proposals for new campaign laws,” Moragoda said.

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Rohan Samarajiva On The Fallout

CEO of LIRNEAsia Prof. Rohan Samarajiva drafted Colombo Mayoral candidate Milinda Moragoda’s policy platform in the recently held Local Government elections.
Moragoda ultimately lost the election by a significant margin, and he was not the only one who lost out.
Samarajiva said he had suffered some fallout as a result of his decision to assist Moragoda. “[It] seemed that some people thought that this was not something that someone of my standing should do,” he said.
Last year, Samarajiva was selected to be on the judging panel for the National Integrity Awards. This year, he was once again invited by Transparency International to take part. He attended a few meetings, but after his connection with Moragoda, the organisation called him and asked him to step down.
Samarajiva said that he did not feel his rights had been infringed in any way, adding that he received no money or any other fringe benefit from such projects.
However, he said the decision to remove him from the judging panel was “symptomatic of the disease of nihilism affecting the people of this country.” Explaining further, he said that the common viewpoint on politics was that it was “dirty” and no one with a sense of integrity should get involved. “This is part of a larger problem,” he opined. It was due to this thinking that Transparency International had removed him.
However when Samarajiva had asked for answers, he was answered with platitudes. “They told me that they had lost a great resource,” he said.
Samarajiva said he had decided to assist Moragoda partly because he felt Colombo needed “transformative change.” At present, it is in a “stagnant” condition, and would need massive investment to bring about such change, Samarajiva said. He added that he knew of Moragoda’s track record, especially at the Ministry of Tourism, and so thought he would be the best candidate to support. Samarajiva clarified that it was Moragoda who had approached him and spoke of implementing the Right to Information and an open policy process where citizens could also contribute. “I thought that was very interesting,” Samarajiva said.
The policies, though innovative, did not appear to gel with the people of Colombo, however, with the UPFA garnering only 32.53% of the votes, according to the Election Department’s website.
Excerpts from the interview:

Mano Ganesan

The Democratic People’s Front (DPF) under Mano Ganesan secured six seats at the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC). In an interview with The Sunday Leader, Ganesan shared his views on what
these results mean to the party, and the extent to which the DPF
could be expected to lend its support to the UNP.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q: In the light of your party securing six seats following the Colombo Municipal Council elections, what will the DPF’s next step be?
 A: We will perform according to the mandate given to us by the people. We will be sitting in the opposition, and we will perform as an independent group outside both the UNP and the UPFA. We will be supporting the administration of the CMC on an issue based basis.

Q: What does this mean?
A: Every step and every issue will be analysed. We will do our evaluation and then we will support or oppose it. Earlier we were part of the UNF with the UNP. We were giving support to the UNP unconditionally. Now there is no UNF so we will be functioning as a separate entity.

Q: So how far do you see yourself supporting the UNP?
A: The UNP is the administrator, so we have no reason to oppose them, we are part of the opposition, and also we have been working with the UNP in the past.

Q: When you think about the number of votes you secured, did they match your expectations, or were you expecting more votes?
A: Well, obviously as a politician, I would like to obtain more votes, but I am satisfied with this. The reports which we received from the polling booths, through our agents there, show that about 50% of Tamil voters have cast their votes, and we have received around 27,000 votes in Colombo. Most of the votes are Tamil votes. Whereas by analysing Tamil candidates who contested under the UNP and UPFA, the UNP candidates received around 8,000 votes, and the UPFA have received less than 3,000 votes for Tamil candidates. So we have received the largest portion of the Tamil votes.

Q: Taking this into account, what do you think the people expect from you?
A: We were asking Tamils to get together and cast their vote for the DPF so we will be able to use the block vote for political bargaining in the interests of the people. We believe there was no reason for Tamil voters to vote for either the UNP or UPFA so we wanted a different entity, outside both major parties, and that is what has happened.

Q: Taking into account the support for your party, what contribution will you be able to make to the people of Colombo?
A: Whether people voted for us or not we will be seeking a better future, with equality, in an undivided Sri Lanka. We will seek equal opportunities and the implementation of the law, and of language rights. These are the preferences.

The Colombo Municipal Council

With new mayors elected for the Municipal Councils (MC) in the Colombo District, the question is, what did the previous  MCs not do?

Speaking for the CMC newly elected Mayor A.J.M. Muzammil, laughed and said his opposition candidate Milinda Moragada says nothing had been done previously. “Therefore everything has to be done now,” he said. According to Muzammil, he will continue along the lines of the development work the Government has started. But as to what was not done, he says that the living conditions of the poor people in Colombo were never upgraded and this he says is exactly where his focus will be. “Nothing had been done to lift the living standards of the poor people residing in congested areas,” he said, adding that he plans to develop their infrastructure.
When the question of evictions cropped up, he said that both in his manifesto and the Government have agreed that there will be no evictions. Rather than evicting people, there will be an upgrade of their existing infrastructure and facilities like water supply, toilets, drainage and the problem of garbage will be worked on.
“In the long term, we will put up high-rise housing in the same place they live in. Nobody will be forcefully thrown out,” he said.
For Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia MC, Deputy Mayor Kesarralal Gunasekera says that the former UNP administration did not put much effort into various areas, including garbage disposal, anti-dengue drive and maintaining and building roads.
“The garbage disposal and dengue programs must meet the standards required,” he said. According to Gunasekera, the other issue at hand is the fact that the staff is lax. “Proper supervision is needed. We need to fundamentally program overseers to make them work and improve capabilities. Capacity building is crucial.  They were here for a long period, but with no training and were taken in on political grounds. 90 percent of them do not know what their duties are,” he said. According to Gunasekera, various programs will be conducted to provide training. “Many of the overseers do not have a  proper relationship with the public,” he said, adding that with these training programs, this problem might be eliminated.
When asked about corruption, he said that in practically all Councils, corruption prevails, and the Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia MC is no exception. “As long as there is a giver and a taker, there will be corruption,” he said. “What we need to do is make sure the rate payers are aware of their rights. Rate payers have no idea what their rights actually are,” because of which, he says, corruption prevails as there is reliance on bribery and influence to get work done. But while promises are rosy, the question is, how much will actually be done? When asked, Gunasekera said, “If we do not improve, the people will elect someone else, so we will improve.”
Mayor for the Kotte MC, Janaka Ranawaka said that what could not be done was finding a solution for the flooding during the rainy season. “Houses keep going underwater,” he said. “We are trying our best to find a solution for this now.”
In Kolonnawa, Secretary to the Urban Council said that what has not been done is developing the compost project to eliminate the garbage problem.
Moratuwa Mayor, Saman Lal Fernando said that what needs to be done as a result of what was not previously addressed is the proper maintenance and building of roads. In addition, what needs to be looked into is the fact that the vehicles for garbage collection are now old, a children’s playground as well as a maternity home needs to be built.

Milinda casting his vote

The mayoral candidate of the governing UPFA for the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), Milinda Moragoda said the campaign for the CMC elections was peaceful, contrary to the tradition of election violence.
“Traditionally, there is violence experienced during these types of elections,” Moragoda said. He arrived at Allan Methiniyarama Temple in Polhengoda at around 7.00 a.m. and participated in religious observances yesterday (8), in which Ven. Uduve Dhammaloka Thero and a group of monks chanted pirith and invoked blessings on the mayoral candidate, before the Thero gifted Moragoda with a Buddha statue. After participating in religious observances, Moragoda made his way to the polling booth at around 720 a.m.
Speaking to The Sunday Leader soon after casting his vote, Moragoda expressed confidence in the people saying that they would ‘choose properly’ at the elections. He said elections for local councils yesterday were the first CMC elections to be held after the war. “People in Colombo North and Colombo Central areas have received the opportunity to decide on their representatives,” he said.
Moragoda observed that given the peaceful climate of the election campaign, the CMC elections would also be held in a free and fair manner.
He added that people were showing an interest in casting their votes at the elections.
When asked about the accusation leveled against the UPFA campaign of abusing public property and even public officials, Moragoda said that it was an unfair claim made by parties in the opposition.
“Every person has the right to express their political views and I see a double standard in claims made on the abuse of public property,” he said.

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Mayoral candidate for the Colombo Municipal Council, Shafeek Rajabdeen, expressed his confidence that the election would be a great success for the party.
He further added that the election was paving the way for development in Colombo.
Rajabdeen cast his vote at 9.30 a.m. at the Sri Parakaramabahu Vidyalaya in Narahenpita. Speaking to the media afterwards, Rajabdeen stated that the ongoing election was a very peaceful affair and he was confident that ‘irrespective of caste, creed or religion the people of the area are going out in great numbers to vote’. He added that the country was in need of assistance in development, and that the ongoing election was the stepping stone to achieving this.
Rajabdeen said that the SLMC ‘was here to increase their representation in the government and ensure that development continued in the country. The party is here in a democratic way to give a path to the Muslim community’.

Mano Ganeshan casting his vote

Democratic People’s Front (DPF) Leader Mano Ganeshan observed that the elections for the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) on Saturday (8) would be the beginning of a ‘real’ reconciliation process in post war Sri Lanka.
Ganeshan, the DPF’s mayoral candidate for the CMC, cast his vote at the primary section of St. Claire’s Girls School on W. A. de Silva Mawatha in Wellawatte.
Speaking to the media after casting his vote at 8.30 a.m., Ganeshan said that his vote was not only to bring victory to the DPF, but also to establish democracy in Colombo.
He said that the DPF has become an alternative option to people who want democracy established in the country.
“We have become an alternative to the governing UPFA and the main opposition UNP,” he observed.

Sunethra Ranasinghe and Keserralal Gunasekera

The chief UNP and UPFA candidates for the Dehiwala-Mt. Lavinia Municipal Councils cast their votes early last morning, and despite the small crowds the polling stations in the area drew at that hour, both candidates displayed optimism towards the polls.

Shortly after casting her vote at the Green Path Seminary in Kohuwala, former Mayoress and UNP candidate, Sunethra Ranasinghe, said, “Things look quite peaceful. I think we are going to win. Let us hope they hold a fair election. So far things are good, as long as they hold a fair election, we can win.”
UPFA chief candidate, Keserralal Gunasekera, who cast his vote at S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia, said that the enthusiasm he had witnessed among voters was indicative of a UPFA victory this time around. “Of course, we are very confident of victory,” he said. “Enthusiasm is very high. People are very keen to establish a UPFA administration under my leadership.”

A. J. M. Muzammil and Ranil Wickremasinghe

By Nirmala Kannangara – Photos by Asoka Fernando

The people of Colombo will be given the opportunity to live an ‘honorable’ life, should a UNP municipal council come into power, according to UNP Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe.
Speaking to The Sunday Leader after casting his vote at the Thurstan College polling center yesterday (8), he said, “They need not worry about losing their homes. We will ensure their rights of living and maintain law and order.”
Earlier on Saturday, Wickremasinghe was prevented from speaking to the media from within the polling center premises.
UNP Mayoral Candidate A.J. M. Muzammil, who also cast his vote at Thurstan College, accused Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa of pressuring shanty dwellers in certain parts of Colombo to vote for the UPFA with the threat of demolishing their houses.
“On Friday, the Defence Secretary and his supporters visited most of these places and urged them to vote for the UPFA, failing which their houses would be demolished. Is this democracy?” he asked.