SL minister promises to fulfill President Rajapakse’s dream, in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 July 2009, 15:14 GMT]
”President Mahinda Rajapakse’s present dream is to make goods available to Jaffna people at reasonable Colombo prices”, Minister of Electricity and Energy, Aluthananda Gamage, said in an event held at Nalloor Divisional Secretariat Tuesday, sources in Jaffna said. The visiting minister, accompanied by Minister Douglas Devananda, further promised that steps would be taken before 1st August to fulfill President Rajapakse’s dream, the sources added.

With Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) drawing close government ministers invading Jaffna continue to announce promise after promise to lure voters but the promises remain just promises, civil society sources in Jaffna said.

Lifting the ban on fishing in the north, lift of the daily power cut in the peninsula, opening the A9 land route to public are some of the glaring examples, they added.

Jaffna Traders’ Union (JTU) representatives, commenting on the minister’s promise, said that the government intends to open two or three branches of ‘Sathosa’, a government cooperative institution. But, the goods brought to Jaffna by Sathosa in earlier instances had been sold in the black to private traders and the same thing is bound to happen again, they further said.

Meanwhile, ruling United People’s Freedom Front (UPFA) and Eealm Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) are the only parties actively engaged in opening their election campaign offices in Jaffna.

Buildings in which Liberation Tigers had had their offices in Jaffna have been converted into UPFA election campaign offices.

Tamils’ Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) office located on Temple Road in Nalloor has been turned into the election campaign office of EPDP.

Wall posters, banners, flags and pamphlets related to the campaign of the above parties are displayed in ample quantity in the area around the above offices, sources in Jaffna said.

Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students (EROS) organization, a contestant in JMC election, too has opened up an election campaign office in Jaffna town, the sources added.