By Shamindra Ferdinando-July 25, 2015, 8:21 am
Western Province Chief Minister and Gampaha District UPFA candidate Prasanna Ranatunga yesterday told The Island that inclusion of an IRC (Island Re-convicted Criminal) in the Gampaha District UPFA nominations list wouldn’t affect the entire list.
Public Order and Christian Religious Affairs Minister John Amaratunga recently declared that the UNP would soon move court against the UPFA Gampaha List over the inclusion of Thilak Waragoda of Kelaniya in it.
Amaratunga asserted that the list should be nullified due to the inclusion of an IRC.
Ranatunga insisted that the SLFP-led UPFA campaign was in full swing in the Gampaha District in spite of what he called Minister Amaratunga’s antics.
Waragoda has been convicted thrice in 2003, 2004 and 2006 over a case of forgery and two cases of financial fraud. However, the Court of Appeal directed he be excluded from the IRC list in 2012. But, Waragoda had been re-included after he was found guilty of financial fraud.
A senior official of the Election Secretariat, Rajagiriya yesterday told The Island that it wasn’t a matter for the ES to intervene. The UNP would have to move the court if it was serious about challenging the inclusion of an IRC. According to him, it could be challenged in court in terms of section 89,90 and 91 of the Constitution, though the Parliamentary Election Act of 1981 was silent on this particular issue.
Asked whether the UPFA had obtained legal opinion in this regard, Ranatunga said that the coalition was confident of its position. Ranatunga insisted that in case the UNP moved court, only the person whom Amaratunga called IRC might be affected. The SLFPer reassured the Gampaha District electorate that there was absolutely no issue regarding the validity of the nominations list.
Ranatunga said that the UPFA was eying more than 10 out of 18 seats in the Gampaha electoral District. At the last parliamentary election in April 2010, the UPFA secured 12 seats.
The CM said: "At the January 8, 2015, presidential election, the UPFA had lost the district by a mere 4,000 votes due to UNP, JVP, Field Marshal Fonseka’s Democratic Party as well as some left elements joining hands. But, a split in the anti-UPFA vote due to the JVP as well as the Democratic Party contesting separately would pave the for us to secure the district comfortably. "Thereby, we can obtain the bonus seat from Gampaha."
Responding to another query, Ranatunga asserted that with the post-presidential polls realignment of political parties, the UPFA was confident of winning at least 14 out of 22 electoral districts. According to him, the UPFA was seeking to more than 117 seats in the next Parliament.
Ranatunga said that a spate of allegations had been levelled against members of the two major political parties in the fray. Although Minister Amaratunga acted as if he were paragon of virtue, the electorate was aware of the various accusations made against him over the past three decades, Ranatunga said. The CM asserted that the UNP was struggling for want of a cohesive plan to address the problems the people were faced with. Amaratunga had realised that the UNP was going to lose Gampaha, and was, therefore, engaged in a mudslinging campaign, he added.
