The United National Front (UNF) which secured the support of its alliance partners -- the SLMC and Mano Ganeshan’s Democratic People’s Front for former Army Commander and Chief of Defence Staff Sarath Fonseka’s candidacy is now talking to the TNA for this purpose.

The UNF leaders met at SLMC headquarters ‘Dharussalam’ yesterday and approved the candidature of General Fonseka for the upcoming presidential election.  UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake told a news conference the constituent partners of the UNF would work together in ensuring the victory of General Fonseka.

“Our objective is to send this Rajapaksa-family administration home. We have now started a dialogue with all democratic parties including the TNA to solicit their support. The UNF now comprises 14 political parties,” Mr. Attanayake said. (Read More)

Opposition UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe told a media conference at party headquarters ‘Sirikotha’ the UNP had taken a historical decision to contest the election under a new symbol.

“It is not a problem for the UNP to contest under a new symbol as we campaigned under the lamp symbol sometime ago,” he said and pointed out that General Fonseka would be using an independent symbol, not linked to any political party.

He said the UNF and other parties backing the General would campaign separately.

“We will march forward separately but we will together vote for a common symbol,” Mr. Wickremesinghe said ..... (Read More)

The Jathika Nidahas Peramuna (JNP) said that it was ironical to see the JVP leaders teaming up with the UNP which had been responsible for crushing the JVP insurrection in 1988/89 by liquidating its membership including its leader Rohana Wijeweera. “Aged mothers who fed a mouthful of rice to JVP members were killed. I do not know how a party which suffered so much at the hands of the UNP, now stands alongside it,” said JNP leader Wimal Weerawansa MP.

Commenting on the candidacy of Gen. Sarath Fonseka, Mr. Weerawansa said that history would decide whether someone was a traitor or a patriot.  He said that history provided many instances where traitors had ended up as patriots, and vice versa.

“The war hero of yesteryear, Konnappu Bandara, was with the Portuguese forces in the past.   He fought against the Kandyan Kingdom along with the Portuguese. In the middle of the fight, he left the Portuguese and helped the local liberation fighters. Later he was enthroned as King Wimaladharmasuriya of the Kandyan Kingdom,” said Mr. Weerawansa.

The JNP MP said, “In the same way, Monarawila Keppetipola was with the British rulers when they took control of the Kandyan Kingdom. Later, he was asked to put down the Uva Wellassa rebellion. He refused to do so. Instead, he rebelled against the British colonialists in the greater interests of the country.”

He observed that if anyone teamed up with the forces of treason, he or she would virtually be a traitor, despite all his previous good deeds.

Addressing the Cabinet press briefing in Colombo, he said that UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya’s call for ‘legal’ elections was absurd, because all polls held in the "pre and post independence eras were legal."

Mr. Jayasuriya was obviously in a dream world. That is why, he has called for legal elections,Yapa said.

The government will ensure that the forthcoming Presidential and Parliamentary Polls are free and fair. The Elections Commissioner has the necessary power to conduct legal elections, he claimed.

Yapa said that the Cabinet of Ministers had approved a Memorandum by Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister Sarath  Amunugama, to make recommendations relevant to the restablishment of new Divisional Secretary Divisions, revision and gazetting of existing divisions, revision of Grama Niladari Divisions, and establishment of new Grama Niladari Divisions.

A proposal by Urban Development and Sacred Area Development Minister, Dinesh Gunawardena to implement the Mixed Development Project - ‘Ethukala City Mall’ in Kurunegala, subject to clearance by the Board of Investment, was also approved by the Cabinet, he said.

He said that Cabinet approval had been granted on November 18, following a Cabinet Paper submitted by Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake as the Department of Registration of Persons came under his purview.

The Commissioner said that with the Presidential Elections being held according to the Electoral Register of 2008, almost 2.6 million voters did not possess their NICs and some of the voters possess alternate identity cards that have been recognised by the Commissioner of Elections. As identification has been made compulsory for voting purposes those who do not possess alternate IDs would have to obtain temporary cards for voting.

Commissioner Dharmadasa said that the government had decided to bear the cost of issuing temporary identity cards.

He said that forms would be issued through the 12,000 or more Grama Niladharis in the country who would indicate a studio in that locality where two photographs would be taken free of charge and the applications which are attested by the GS would be forwarded to the Department of Registration of Persons through the 331 Divisional Secretariats in the country.

He said that apart from the GS, School Principals, Samurdhi Niladharis and Agricultural Officers could attest the applications.

He said that as the employees of the Department of Registration of Persons were working round the clock to issue NICs to several hundred thousands of students who were to sit for their O/Ls in December 2009, there was a need to recruit temporary staff to complete the issuing of temporary identity cards for voting.

The SLFP (Mahajana Wing) Central Committee had unanimously approved Sarath Fonsaka’s candidacy at 2010 Presidential election and several SLFP stalwarts who supported him at the 2005 Presidential election would support the Opposition this time around, Samaraweera told a media conference in Colombo yesterday.

He said the government had been spreading rumours that Fonsaka’s victory would pave the way for a military rule. It could be said that the present government was of a military nature because President Rajapaksa had already appointed 24 high ranking retired military personnel to top posts in his administration. ............. (Read More)

Referring to former Army Chief General Sarath Fonseka’s candidature at the presidential poll, President Rajapaksa said his brother Defence Secretary Gotabhaya, too, was in the army though he wore civilian clothes now. He (Gotabhaya) could no longer go out in uniform, he said adding that he was ready for any eventuality.

Asked whether he regretted the appointment of the then Chief of Staff Major General Sarath Fonseka as Commander of the Army, President Rajapaksa shot back, "Do you think I had attained the first stage in the eight-fold path leading to Arahathhood?"

Looking at the Defence Secretary, he said that he received advice more than once perhaps on three occasions regarding the appointment. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said that he had only one objective and that was to eradicate terrorism. He was responding to a query whether he now regretted advising the President regarding the appointment.

He said that now the stage is set for the forthcoming presidential election with Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake expected to set a date shortly. He said that now that the entire country had been liberated from LTTE terrorism, those who had been deprived of an opportunity to exercise their franchise at the last presidential poll in November 2005 could take part at the forthcoming process.

The LTTE disrupted polling in the entire Vanni region and parts of the Jaffna peninsula as well as the East at the last election.

Flanked by Ministers Dallas Alahapperuma and Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, President Rajapaksa said that unlike others he had not sought legal recourse to extend his first term. "I gave up two years of my first term by calling an early election," he said.

He said that political parties in the Opposition should be always ready to face any election at any given time. He urged both the State-run and privately-owned media not to engage in mud slinging campaigns but to be fair in their coverage of the coming elections. Recalling the media coverage at the last poll, the President said that this time it was going to be worse. He said that they (read as the Rajapaksas) were being accused of waste, corruption and irregularities. He said that a big house could not be built in any part of the country without him, Gotabhaya or Basil being blamed for building another house. Referring to a luxury house now being built by a businessman, President Rajapaksa said that that, too, had been put on to his account. "We are being accused of buying coconut estates in Chilaw and houses in Colombo 7," he said calling for a positive pre-poll campaign.

President Rajapaksa said that it was wrong on anyone’s part to claim the lion’s share of the credit for eradication of terrorism. He said that not only he as the Commander-in-Chief of armed forces and service commanders, the public, too, played an important role.

What would have happened if people caused trouble during the war against terrorism? he asked, while emphasising his workload had been much more with him being responsible for both economy and development as well.

He said that the government had launched several major projects, including the coal-fired plant at Norochcholai, Upper Kotmale hydro-power project and Hambantota port though fighting continued on a different front.

President Rajapaksa said that he had not done anything wrong though he was imprisoned for three months over his alleged involvement in a double murder.

President Rajapaksa emphasised the importance of taking tangible measures to tackle waste, corruption and irregularities. He acknowledged that agencies and institutions responsible for fighting corruption had not been effective. He said that both public and private sector had been affected by corruption.

He said that the UPFA was going before the people after fulfilling most of the pledges made in the then Prime Minister Rajapaksa’s election manifesto (Mahinda Chintanaya).

He said now that the country had been liberated, development would be his primary task.

Asked whether the size of his Cabinet would be reduced following the next parliamentary polls scheduled by April 2010, President Rajapaksa did not rule out the possibility. He said that an MP earned more than a minister as he/she received a range of allowances though ministers had influence, power, vehicles and security. The President asserted that he had no option but to win over Opposition MPs to stabilise the UPFA in Parliament. According to him, the war effort could not have been successful without first ensuring political stability. Had the government failed, I would have been accused of jeopardising the war effort by involving brothers, he said but now that the government had been successful, interested parties were playing a different tune. He said as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, he would continue to accept responsibility for whatever allegations levelled against government personalities. But investigations would be carried out to identify perpetrators of extra judicial activity, including attacks on the media. He assured that nothing would be swept under the carpet.

He said that the UPFA had not been even able to appoint a Speaker of its own though it finally had to settle for WJM Lokubandara of the UNP. He said that had the UPFA failed to ensure political stability in Parliament he could not even think of what would have happened in the light of massive stocks of arms, ammunition and equipment seized from the LTTE.

Referring to The Sunday Times journalist J. S. Tissanayagam’s conviction under the Prevention of Terrorism Act for his alleged involvement with the LTTE, he had received a letter from US President Barak Obama seeking Tissanayagam’s release. Recalling his experience in remand prison for a crime he did not commit, President Rajapaksa said that Tissanayagam should have moved the Court against the conviction without trying to politicise the issue. He went on to explain what the journalist could have done.

He said that he could not set free Tissanayagam the way some released Gonawala Sunil, a notorious thug given presidential pardon during the then President JR Jayewardene’s tenure. He had been serving a jail term after being convicted for raping the daughter of a well known doctor.

The President said that he would not give into pressure by anyone. "When the party asked me to appoint Anura Bandaranaike as Prime Minister after the last presidential election, I opted for Ratnasiri," he said.

“Do not forget that this Government and the Cabinet are well established, strong and intact. Therefore the issue of forming of a caretaker government does not arise. A few hours after President Rajapaksa wins the election he will dissolve Parliament,” Minister Premjayantha said.

Commenting on the Opposition’s request to the Government to conduct the Presidential election in a free and fair manner, Minister Premajayantha said the forthcoming election will be the first major election held in a most free and peaceful atmosphere after the seventies.   (Read More)

Former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Sarath Fonseka who is now billed to be the common candidate for the presidency had a meeting with a group of UNP MPs at his office yesterday in ‘Vanik building’ opposite Royal College, Colombo.

At the meeting, the UNP MPs had reportedly discussed some issues with Gen. Fonseka and had their doubts cleared.

An MP who attended the meeting told Daily Mirror on condition of anonymity that his party had cleared everything with the common candidate now, and it would be formally known to the public after the Working Committee meeting scheduled for today.