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Thursday Dec 12, 2024
Monday, 3 August 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Former Provincial Councillor and UNP organiser for Kolonnawa, S.M. Marikkar
By Shanika Sriyananda
Q: As a young politician how do you view the present political situation in the pre-election period?
A: At the last presidential elections the people of this country voted for a change to defeat the previous Government. They are now confident about their power of voting to change a Government. I strongly believe that they will definitely vote against corrupt politicians on 17 August. They will select young and educated people who have clean hands as their representatives in the next Parliament.
Q: Is there competition between senior and emerging politicians from the same party?
A: No, we don’t have competition between the seniors and juniors. The UNP has released its manifesto based on five concepts on how the country will be developed during the next five years. All elected Parliamentarians will extend their fullest support as it is their responsibility in the next Parliament. For this, people will select seniors and juniors who can contribute to implementing the five concepts meaningfully. We are all working hard together to bring in a UNP Government after the 17 August election.
Q: A lot of people say this Government has failed to meet their expectations. What is your response to this?
A: Although the former President was holding infants, he failed to reduce the price of a milk packet. But we did it. Although his Government failed to reduce the prices of some essential food items and fuel, this Government did it. We increased the salaries of Government servants. We gave them many concessions.
On the other hand it is true that our Government has failed to continue many things introduced by the previous Government. We failed to continue the white van phobia, burn media institutions, attack and assassinate journalists who were outspoken and engage in the trade of ethanol and narcotics and create a family dynasty.
But we ensured democracy by implementing the 19th Amendment. We defeated the previous Government which was becoming an authoritarian administration. We reduced the term of the President and took several steps to bring the country back into a democratic framework to create an environment for people to enjoy their freedom. I think we can be satisfied with what we have done during this short period of six months.
Q: As a media personality how do you compare the media freedom of the past with that available in the present?
A: You and I know very well about the freedom given to the media by the past regime. The previous Government directly controlled state media institutions while manipulating private media organisations indirectly by threatening to stop advertising with them and also threatening to attack them. After every rugby match there would be a fight but the media was barred from reporting those incidents. The media was tightly controlled by the previous Government and this was no secret.
But now the media in Sri Lanka is enjoying new life with the advent of media freedom. Today the media can call President Maithripala Sirisena a traitor without any journalist being harmed for doing so. The reporter involved won’t receive threatening calls or be picked up by a white van.
As someone from the media field, I wish to gain more freedom for journalists.
Q: Do you have any plans to raise the level of professionalism amongst media personnel if you are elected to Parliament?
A: Yes. First though I will ensure more thorough investigations into Lasantha Wickrematunge’s assassination and the disappearances of Predeep Eknaligoda, Poddala Jayantha and others. Journalists are doing a great service to expose many things including corruption. But mostly they are helpless and the previous Government failed to look after their security.
Most journalists are also not financially stable. The Government needs to support them financially to uplift their living standards. They also need to be professionally qualified in order for the country to have a quality media sector. I hope to raise these issues if I am elected to the next Parliament.
Q: It was revealed that over 25 candidates are involved in the narcotics trade. Your comments?
A: I think people have already taken a strong decision about whom they will vote for on 17 August. I again appeal to the people to avoid voting for candidates who are involved in importing ethanol and trafficking drugs and those who have been accused of killing people and raping women. We know that all these people, who should be housed in the country’s prisons, were in the last Parliament representing us. I strongly feel that the people of this country will not hesitate to elect politicians with clean records into the next Parliament.
Q: Why did you join the UNP without joining the UPFA, which was popular and in power in the past?
A: If I am a genuine media personality, I should think about the sufferings of the people and not about my future comfort. I entered politics in an era when the Rajapaksas had a tight grip on power within the UPFA. I thought I needed to enter politics to bring about a change from the Rajapaksa dictatorship. I thought that the UNP was the only political party that could challenge the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime and bring an end to the authoritarian government.
As a media man I sensed that the central point from which to bring about this change was the Western Province. I started my campaign against the UPFA in the Colombo District and it resulted in a 45% break in the UPFA voter base. The UPFA started losing its voter base from the provincial council elections. It energised the UNP to defeat the UPFA.
As a journalist I am happy that I could also contribute towards defeating the previous dictatorial Government. We should think about the country but not about ourselves.
I am very confident in our leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, his capabilities, his patience and his vision for the future. When an authoritarian Government is defeated, the country should have a speedy development process, including economic development. For that we need to get international support.
The unemployment rate in the country is high and we need to address this issue before it reaches a boiling point, creating youth unrest. This issue needs to be addressed by creating more job opportunities. Sri Lanka, which was cornered and had a close relationship only with China, is now renewing its ties with the rest of the world to bring new investment into the country to create employment. I think only the UNP leader has the ability to do this. He also has the ability of developing a good economy in the country.
Q: The previous Government employed a furious development drive in post-war Sri Lanka. Why do you consider this to be a failure?
A: People voted for former President Mahinda Rajapaksa thinking that his Government would develop the country. But can you tell me what he did to develop the country other than implementing supposed megaprojects which proved to be failures? His Government was only engaged in building the roads in order to get commissions. They gave false estimates which were three times higher than the actual estimated amount.
The Mattala International Airport was made with people’s money and it was an utter failure with no airplanes landing there. They carried out development projects without business plans, technical evaluations and marketing strategies. And now it is the people who have to pay off huge loans, not Rajapaksa or his siblings.
Q: You are making serious allegations by saying that the previous Government took commissions for these projects. Can you prove this?
A: Yes. I say this with responsibility. The previous Government first looked at the commissions that they were getting before implementing those development projects. This is not something new that I am revealing but a well-known fact. I was always highlighting this to educate people about corruption in the past regime. No report on the real cost of the Mattala airport or the Hambantota port has been submitted to Parliament so far. No other Government has wasted such huge amounts of public funds in recent history like the previous Rajapaksa Government.
The Special Presidential Commission investigates major fraud and the Financial Crime Investigation Division is also investigating these allegations. We don’t want to speed up the investigative process as this Government wants to bring the culprits before the law by furnishing all evidence to prove that they were involved in corruption. This is not a mudslinging process but a genuine effort to put the real criminals behind bars using the existing legal framework.
Q: What will be your prediction for the UNP following 17 August?
A: The UNP will form a Government and I am confident about that. The UNP will implement the five concepts to develop the country.
Q: Are you satisfied with the work you did for the people as a Western Provincial Councillor?
A: I topped the Western Province at the last provincial council elections and became the first among 43 candidates. I have served the people with a greater understanding about my responsibilities as a politician. As a result of that I am able to handle the competitive election campaign in the Colombo District.
I strongly feel that politicians should work not during election campaigns but when there are no elections. If politicians are only serving the people before elections then the people will always make the right decision and vote for politicians who look after them. Therefore I am not worried about my future and I am happy with what I have done for the people whom I represent.
Q: If you are elected to Parliament what would be your priorities?
A: I will support the UNPs good plan to make Colombo an economic and commercial hub which will create a significant number of job opportunities. This will help upgrade the living standards of people in Colombo.
I want to promote Sunday schools among children in the Western Province to help them develop self-discipline. With the social media boom, I feel we have to encourage children to engage more in spiritual activities. I have already given a proposal to the Western Provincial Council.
I will implement a program to utilise human resources, especially the youth in the Colombo District, productively to bring young talent out. I want them to uncover their hidden talents by giving them opportunities to do so. I have plans to implement these programs and when I am elected to Parliament I think I will be able to implement them more productively with the assistance of the Government.
Q: There are a significant number of drug users and dealers in the Colombo District. Do you have a plan to eradicate the drug menace from the district?
A: Kolonnawa, which I represent, has been in the limelight due to the drug menace. We have taken several meaningful steps to control the narcotics trade in Kolonnawa. Several small-scale narcotics dealers have been taken into custody.
I think we have to set up rehabilitation centres to rehabilitate drug addicts while taking action to nab drug dealers. Controlling the drug problem is one of my prime responsibilities and it will be given top priority if I am elected to Parliament.
I am a Sri Lankan and I am serving all Sri Lankans. I think that the UNP has a greater responsibility to uplift the living standards of poor people in the Colombo District. All good schools in the country are in the Colombo District but the majority of poor people can’t enrol their children at these schools. All the best companies are based in Colombo but youth from poor families can’t secure a job in those companies. Colombo has the best hospitals and hotels but poor people can’t get medicine and eat food in them. Social injustice is prevailing in Colombo. But these poor people vote for the UNP and we have the responsibility to serve these people by giving them opportunities to send their children to good schools, get good jobs and uplift their living standards.
We do everything to look after our children. We love them and we want to make a brighter future for them. Therefore, I appeal to the people of Colombo to vote wisely at the forthcoming elections in order to select representatives with clean track-records.
