All not yet quiet in East
Now, Pilleyan, Ali aspire to be MPs

(by Shamindra Ferdinando)

Speculation is rife in political circles that former Chief Minister of the Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan aka Pilleyan (leader of the breakaway LTTE faction, TMVP) and Amir Ali (All Ceylon Muslim Congress- ACMC), both elected to the EPC on the UPFA ticket, are seeking to enter parliament via the UPFA National List. In a bid to strengthen the UPFA’s administration in the East, UPFA National List MP Ms Malini Fonseka tendered her resignation, but she subsequently withdrew it. Political sources told The Island last night that it was being discussed by the SLFP leadership and constituent parties of the UPFA in keeping with several political pacts among them to facilitate UPFA takeover of the EPC. The UPFA reached an agreement with the SLMC to run the EPC vis-à-vis an all-out attempt by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to wrest control of the council with the help of SLMC leader and Justice Minister Rauff Hakeem.

Responding to query, sources said that ACMC leader Industry and Commerce Minister Rishard Bathiudeen was also pushing for a Deputy Minister’s post for Amir Ali. The former Minister, who contested on the UPFA ticket, came second in Batticaloa District. Pilleyan polled the highest number of preferential votes, though none of the other Tamil candidates on the UPFA ticket were returned in Batticaloa.

Sources said that the ACMC was seeking to fill the vacancy created by Amir Ali taking up a National List position, though the candidate who came second was former UNP MP, Ali Zaheer Moulana, who contested from the Batticaloa District also on the UPFA ticket.

Although the TMVP fielded six candidates, including three members of the first EPC, only Pilleyan succeeded in retaining his seat. The SLFP fielded two candidates, while one-time LTTE commander Vice President of the SLFP Karuna nominated his sister. All three failed.

Pilleyan, who had secured an additional appointment as presidential advisor had made it clear that in case he was not made the Chief Minister, he would neither accept ministerial post nor endorse the appointment of another successful Tamil candidate as a minister of the EPC.

In the newly elected EPC the UPFA has 14 seats, the TNA 11, the SLMC seven, the UNP four and the National Freedom Front (NFF) one.

The UPFA tally includes two bonus seats. The SLFP appointed Dr. Thurairajah Navaratnaraja, an SLFPer, who contested from Trincomalee on the UPFA ticket and Tennyson Mudiyanselage Jayaratne (SLFP-Digamadulla electoral district).

Among the 12 elected UPFA members are three from ACMC (Batticaloa District), three from National Congress (Digamadulla), one from National Freedom Front (Trincomalee) and five from SLFP representing all three districts.

Sources said that National Congress leader A.L.M. Athaulla had secured a ministerial portfolio for Utuman Lebbe (Digamadulla). The SLMC secured the remaining two ministerial positions. In line with the PC law there can be only five ministers in each PC, including the Chief Minister. The SLMC nominated Nazeer Ahamed (Batticaloa) and M. I. M. Mansoor (Digamadulla), while the SLFP appointed Wimaladharma Dissanayake as its minister.

Tamil SLFP organizers representing the Northern and Eastern Provinces would take up the issue with the party leadership, sources said. They alleged that the due to multitude of agreements among the constituent parties of the UPFA, the Tamil community in the Eastern Province had been deprived of a ministerial post. In the wake of the SLFP and the SLMC agreeing to share the Chief Ministerial post for two and half years each, the Tamil community would feel let down and that would help the TNA politically, sources said, noting that the post of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, too, had been shared by the SLFP and ACMC, respectively.