Chamitha Kuruppu“Development is the need of the hour, not devolution”: Musthafa
Q: 13 Plus has become the most discussed topic in the political scene. What do you think about 13 Plus?
Talks at standstill due to Government inaction, says TNA’s Premachandran
- Calls for enhanced 13th
- Army from north; denies split in TNA
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran claims the Government is trying to divide his party in the same manner in which it split other opposition parties in the country.
He strongly attacks the Government for its lack of commitment to finding a solid solution to the ethnic issue and points out that the much-discussed 13 Plus will not be a solution to the problem.
Sri Lanka is heading for a debt crunch: Ravi K
The Sri Lankan economy is dragged out – the country is over-borrowing, underperforming and leading into a debt crunch, claims United National Party Colombo District Parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake. Karunanayake accuses the Rajapaksa administration of damaging the country’s social fabric, which he says is Sri Lanka’s biggest asset.
Following are excerpts of an interview:
Muzammil’s moves to deliver on manifesto
Q: What is happening to the numerous promises that were included in your mayoral election manifesto?
A: With regard to my manifesto and the promises, I have already incorporated certain promises into the budget. When I took over office most of the budget estimates and expenditure had been finalised. But still I managed to incorporate and allocate funds to fulfil several pledges I made during my mayoral campaign.
Sajith slams Expropriation Bill
United National Party Co-Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa vows to give leadership to a public agitation campaign to prevent the Government going ahead with the controversial asset takeover act. Premadasa, who emphasises the importance of making a strenuous effort to defeat the act, warns that every institution and every person is under the threat of expropriation as far as the properties are concerned. He also points out that having this type of a State-centric economic approach will crowd out foreign investments. Following are excerpts from the interview:
“The JVP is still strong,” asserts Vijitha Herath
JVP. They have left the party. Therefore there is no ‘internal’ crisis in the JVP. We have taken measures to solve certain issues that led to this situation. The JVP has solved its disagreements. We are stronger than before.
DPF to the fore
Ganesan calls for grand opposition alliance
Leader of the Democratic People’s Front (DPF) Mano Ganesan is once again in the limelight of country’s political scene, following his impressive performance at the recently-concluded local authority elections.
Ganesan told the Daily FT that defeating the Government could only be done through a grand opposition alliance and that it was the responsibility of the United National Party (UNP) to take the lead and form an alliance. He said that although the UNP Leader had to be the head of such alliance, he had failed to understand this basic fact.
“People should be at the heart of development”: UNP’s Eran
MP charges that Government is focusing only on physical infrastructure and adopting a top-down development approach instead of a more inclusive and participatory humane political future
United National Party Parliamentarian Eran Wickramaratne asserts that the Government is depleting the resources of the municipality on an election extravaganza.
In a candid interview with the Daily FT, the former banker points out that the forthcoming election is more important than the services received from the Colombo Municipal Council. According to Wickramaratne, it is a choice between a top down development approach and a more inclusive and participatory humane political future.
Following are excerpts from the interview:
Muza upbeat on Colombo
United National Party mayoral candidate A.J.M. Muzammil speaks to the Daily FT, predicting his victory at the forthcoming elections. Pointing out that if elected his opponent Milinda Moragoda will have no power to run the council, Muzammil says Moragoda is only the horse and the jockey is Gotabaya Rajapaksa. “The horse has no choice; he has to go where the jockey asks him to go,” he adds.
Moragoda’s mission for Colombo
UPFA Mayoral Candidate Milinda Moragoda in a candid interview with Daily FT outlined his mission of making Colombo a centre of excellence. Moragoda points out that the City of Colombo has been functioning too long on political slogans. He stresses that the time has come to think beyond political slogans and present a professional approach to convert Colombo into an exemplary city. Following are excerpts from the interview:
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