Next Colombo mayor is from ‘Pohottuwa’: Milinda Rajapaksa

“Cast your vote for the ‘Pohottuwa’ on 10 February to develop Colombo and protect Sri Lanka from being betrayed, robbed and divided,” a Colombo candidate from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP – known as ‘Pohottuwa’ party) Milinda Rajapaksa said.

A visiting Lecturer of the Kelaniya University and Consultant on Creative Strategy at Triad Ltd., Rajapaksa claimed that for the past 50 years, the CMC has been managed by thugs, crooked businessmen and political henchmen who lack knowledge on basics of management. 

“Due to their inability, inefficiency, incompetence and corruption, the CMC has failed to achieve any significant development over the decades, other than to leave a huge public debt,” he said. 

In an interview with Daily FT, Rajapaksa explained the party manifesto which proposed 10 key areas of development in Colombo City and the challenges in their political campaign.

Following are the excerpts of the interview:

By Shanika Sriyananda

Q: What is the ‘Colombo Journey’ of Pohottuwa?

A: It is the political manifesto of the SLPP, ‘Colombo Journey – The Winning Path’. The fundamental idea of putting this document is to look at Colombo City as a sustainable city, which will be there for 50 years to come. What we mainly looked at was with mega development projects including the Port City Project, there will be a total change in Colombo City, its population, economy and also its geography. Therefore, we have to design a comprehensive plan which is suitable to sustain in all these changes. 

Secondly, we looked at key areas that we need to consider in this planning process. We have identified 10 key areas – climate change and natural disaster resilience, air pollution, efficiency in transport, energy issues, city planning, garbage recycling, healthy food supply, digitising services and end corruption to develop Colombo. 

We want to address these 10 key areas that will make Colombo a sustainable city. Colombo is the economic hub of the country and it is an internationally-known city. What we see is that Colombo is a changing and developing city. You cannot see it as just another city which needs a five-year plan. This is why the SLPP has drawn a long-term plan. 

Q: It seems to be an attractive piece of document but how achievable are these goals during your stint at the CMC?

A: Whether they are achievable or not, the most important factor is whether these are needed or not for the city development. The 10 key factors to be addressed are the most essential goals for the city and its people for survival. We do not have a choice but have to go ahead addressing these factors as Colombo City is getting polluted with garbage, harmful air emission, traffic, etc.  Colombo should not be another Singapore or a city in the USA or China. Those countries and their resources are completely different to those we have. Sri Lanka must build Colombo to suit our country. Our biggest mistake is that we always try to blindly imitate other countries. 

We must understand our own strengths and weaknesses. We must build Colombo based on our strengths to meet the challenges of our future. The ‘Sustainable City of Colombo’ can only be built by a new team like us that thinks and acts differently. A team like us will not discriminate against anyone based on race, religion or gender.

Q: What are the challenges that you face in your campaign?

A: The major challenge is that Colombo is a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural city. Therefore, whoever who is in the campaign should realise this. Communicating in three languages is very important in a political campaign as Colombo City belongs to all ethnic groups – Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and Burgers. Over 50% of the Colombo people are shanty dwellers and they have different requirements to be addressed while very rich residents in Colombo have their own concerns which need to be looked into.

Travelling via early morning trains, buses, bicycles, motorbikes, three-wheelers, cars and vans, hundreds of thousands of people come to Colombo every day to make a living. Over half a million people enter Colombo City for work, schooling, businesses, and to get medication in hospitals and they also have different requirements. 

These are the challenges that we have identified when we are doing our campaign from door-to-door and person-to-person. We have built a very good conversation with them before we drew up our ‘Colombo Journey’ and while having the political campaign

SLPP Leader former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is the only president who has brought peace and united this country. He says: “This country no longer belong to Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and Burgers but a country for who loves or hates Sri Lanka. This is a country for those who love this island nation regardless of their religion, ethnicity or cast and also who think this is one nation. We are all Sri Lankans.” This is our policy and the SLPP will fight to maintain this policy.

Q: You consistently say that this election is not to build roads and sewage systems but an election to decide to stop the country being betrayed, robbed and divided. But in your manifesto you want to address city development. Why do you campaign for two contradictory stances?

A: My stand is for both. Yes, this election is important for both reasons. What we are coming up with is for the development of your neighbourhood, the city and at last your country. What we have given 50% priority to city development and 100% priority to the country. 

Firstly, we need to develop the neighbourhood and the city and then the country as a whole. We have to protect this country as it has been divided, racism is raising its ugly head, war heroes are being questioned and jailed, and the Government is robbing from the Central Bank to rural banks. The country’s biggest daylight robbery – the bond scam – happened in front of our eyes. We are waiting for ships to bring us food and fuel. We do not know where this country is heading. This situation needs to be tackled soon and this is the reason why the people’s vote is very decisive on 10 February. 

Their votes will not only strengthen the Pradeshiya Sabhas and Municipal Councils but also protect the country. It will also show their protest against this Government, which has failed to deliver for the last three years.

Q: At a time when the SLPF is divided and the UNP’s vote base exists in full, will the ‘Pohottuwa’ have a strong vote base to win the elections?

A: It is wrong to say the SLFP vote base is divided. It is not. The reality is when President Maithripala Sirisena joined the UNP at the last presidential election, a few went with him but the majority of the SLFP party loyalists stayed with us under former President Rajapaksa’s leadership. Those SLFPers, other leftist parties and young first-time voters who love the country and aspire for a better future, are with Pohottuwa. A small faction of SLFPers who are power hungry are with President Sirisena but most of them who are also going for SLFP meetings and rallies will vote for the Pohottuwa on 10 February.

Q: People are still uncertain about the party leadership of the Pohottuwa. Who is the leader?

A: No one has to have any doubts or suspicions about our party leadership. It is simple. The Chairman of the party is Prof. G.L. Peiris and the Leader of the party is former President Rajapaksa.

Q: How can the former President Rajapaksa be the leader of the Pohottuwa while having SLFP membership?

A: I can answer this question by asking a question. Then how can President Sirisena become the presidential candidate under the ‘Hansaya’ (swan) logo while he was the Secretary General of the SLFP? This is the best example.

Q: The UNP and the JVP have named their mayoral candidates for the CMC. Why didn’t the Pohottuwa name anyone yet?

A: Naming a mayoral candidate will not give any additional advantage for a campaign. What we did was, we asked all the candidates to perform their best in political campaigns. After the elections, the party and all the members will decide who will be selected as the mayor of Colombo. 

Since the UNP and the SLFP have named their mayoral candidates, only two of them are running for the campaign while others are not contributing much in their overall elections campaign. Although the JVP has named its mayoral candidate, it will not have a significant impact as it will not be able to secure two to three seats. In our political campaign all the candidates are fully engaged in the campaign equally as a team.

Q: Don’t you think education plays a major role in the system to produce quality politicians?

A: Well, I totally agree that education is very important in politics but I am not taking about the academia who enter into politics. I do not say that everyone needs a degree or a PhD but people with basic education about policies, regulations, administration, governance and law and order need to take into politics. Today in our politics, our politicians lack this basic education and that is the main reason why they behave like bunch of mad dogs. 

The CMC is meant to be the heart of Colombo. But sadly, the moment we hear the word CMC, we only recall stinking piles of garbage. That is understandable because for the past 50 years, the CMC has been managed by thugs, crooked businessmen and political henchmen who lack knowledge on the basics of management. Due to their inability, inefficiency, incompetence and corruption, the CMC has failed to achieve any significant development over the decades, other than to leave a huge public debt.

Q: Why do you want to represent Pohottuwa, which is a very new entity in politics?

A: It is because Pohottuwa is the only political party in the country which fought for the people and the country from 8 January 2015. The UNP, SLFP and JVP are in one camp, they made this Government and are still protecting it. This is why I selected the Pohottuwa to contest for the CMC.

Q: Colombo has the highest number of drug addicts and drug dealers. What are the plans to control this menace?

A: When the previous Government was in power, they had the best control of the underworld and the drug mafia. But when this Government came into power, most of the underworld leaders who lived abroad returned and those who were in the jail are released. Today, they run Colombo City. After 10 February, when we come into power we will have the same control over the underworld and drug mafia to make Colombo a happy and peaceful place for people to live in.

Q: How confident are you and your members of capturing power in most of the Local Government bodies?

A: This election is a fight between the Government and the Opposition. The Government means the UNP, SLFP and the JVP and the Opposition means the Pohottuwa. We can see people are suffering for the last three years and it is their opportunity to find answers for their plight on 10 February. We are very confident as people are joining us daily and our vote base has been increased within the last three years. We will win the majority of Pradeshiya Sabhas, Urban Councils and Municipal Councils with a huge victory and the same will apply to Colombo as well.