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All eyes on the biggest piece of the local govt. election pie
View(s):By Sandun Jayawardana
Control of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) will be the biggest price for political parties and independent groups contesting the upcoming local government election on May 6. A total of 394, 533 registered voters will be eligible to vote at the election, with 2800 candidates contesting from 47 wards in the city. A total of 110 members are to be elected to the CMC, with 66 being elected from the wards. Voting will be held across 295 polling booths. All main political parties have been campaigning hard across the length and breadth of the city in recent days, fighting for every vote. One of the main positives has been an extremely peaceful campaign, with no major incident of election violence reported so far.
With two island-wide elections in the span of just seven months though, many parties are worried about voter fatigue leading to a far smaller turnout than they are hoping for. There has also been a longstanding perception among some voters that a local government election is of less importance than an election such as a presidential or parliamentary election, which directly deals with issues at the national level. Political party representatives interviewed by the Sunday Times however, countered that, given local authorities provide essential services in the areas that voters live, this is an election that impacts people’s lives more directly than other elections. Everything from garbage collection, street lighting, firefighting services, library services, public sanitation and public parks come under the authority of local councils. As such they stressed on the importance of voters exercising their franchise to elect those who will be responsible for managing such services.
Parties also pointed out that local government elections were originally scheduled for 2023, but were postponed and are now taking place after more than two years. With the previous nominations being cancelled and fresh nominations accepted, a large number of new parties and candidates have also entered the fray and will be contesting the upcoming election.
Some political parties such as the National People’s Power (NPP) and the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) have already named their mayoral candidates for Colombo. Vraie Cally Balthazaar is the mayoral candidate of the NPP while the SJB is fielding Dr. Ruvaiz Haniffa. Many other parties have not named their mayoral candidates.
Dr. Ruvaiz Haniffa (SJB): A happy city, his goal
A specialist family physician as well as an academic attached to the University of Colombo, Dr. Ruvaiz Haniffa is the SJB’s mayoral candidate for Colombo. Positions he has held in his professional life include serving as a Member of the University Grants Commission, a Member of the University Senate, and the President of the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA). A grandson of former Speaker M.H. Mohamed, Dr, Haniffa was born and bred in Borella, and will be contesting from the very ward (Borella South) he grew up in.
Dr. Haniffa, who describes himself as “a capitalist through and through,” said he chose the SJB because having looked at the full spectrum of capitalist parties, their vision and their leadership, the one which most appealed to him was the “humanistic capitalism” promoted by the SJB.
Dr. Haniffa is contesting under the tagline “For a Happier Colombo,” and plans to make the city into one that people can be proud of. “Through making Colombo a happier place, I want to make the voter of Colombo a proud citizen. If your garbage is not collected, if you are stuck in traffic, if your neighbourhood is flooded or your sewerage if blocked, you are unhappy. If we can bring in a system to resolve such issues, we will become a happier city. That’s what we want to do.”
His manifesto includes plans to improve childhood education, a policy for waste management reform in Colombo, improving access in Colombo for seniors and people with disabilities, modernising and improving transport links in the city, a policy for smarter, fairer and more efficient urban parking and a policy for flood prevention, drainage reform and climate resilience in Colombo.
Dr. Haniffa plans to improve Colombo through effective and efficient management, accountability and responsibility, and real-time transparency. “That’s the role of government; to provide the platform for people to thrive. So, that’s what we will do.”
He added that he feels he is creating hope among the people and this was reflected in the response he receives while campaigning, adding that the SJB has a good team capable of working to improve the city.
He urged voters to come out and vote given that this is an election which will impact them on a daily basis. “You cannot complain to the Minister of Waterways about your sewage being blocked or the Central Environmental Authority about your garbage not being collected. You have to complain to us. This is your real neighbourhood democratic governance. So, please take that seriously and come out and vote for whomever you want, but be objective with your decision,” he emphasised.
Vraie Cally Balthazaar (NPP): A win for us is a win for the people
Vraie Cally Balthazaar, who is the National People’s Power’s (NPP) mayoral candidate for Colombo, comes from an extensive background in media. Having obtained a BA in Design, she subsequently obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Women and Gender Studies from the University of Colombo and has also worked as a researcher, looking into urban development and how it affects women in the city in particular.
“Historically, my family and people I know have never aligned with the JVP and so I’ve always had a particular notion of what the JVP meant well into my 30s. But it was only in my 30s that I was first exposed to JVP ideology and thinking,” she said, explaining how she got into politics. While it took her a little time to understand the party, she said that realised that much of the value systems of the party were things that resonated with her.
Ms. Balthazaar, who will contest from the Thimbirigasyaya ward, said the main aim of the NPP is to ensure that people of the city have access to services. “A cause of frustration for many people is that you have a huge local government entity that is neither efficient nor transparent,” she noted, adding that digitization will go a long way towards making local government more efficient and transparent. The NPP administration will also introduce support processes to help people as they get used to the digitization, she added.
Another key goal is to root out corruption, Ms. Balthazaar said, stating that the CMC needs a strong team committed to stopping corruption for that to happen. “We have already shown our commitment to stop corruption at the national level and we will ensure that the same thing happens at local council level.”
She added the NPP’s candidates are strong because they are a really good mix of people who have worked on the ground, with many being community leaders long before an election was ever in place. “They have the desire and the moral compass that is required to work with people and I think that is what really sets us apart. We are a good team.”
Ms. Balthazaar said the NPP needs to win but the win is not for the party alone. “The citizens of Colombo City need to win. We live in this incredibly diverse, rich, visibly shiny city, but the lives of the people in the city are not beautiful or prosperous. Whatever superficial changes we make, if people’s lives aren’t beautiful, we will never improve as a city. The people of the city need to win. That is my aspiration for the city,” she remarked.
M.T.M. Iqbal (UNP): The UNP is still popular in the CMC
Former Colombo Deputy Mayor M.T.M. Iqbal is the senior-most candidate contesting for the CMC from the United National Party (UNP). A veteran local government politician, Mr. Iqbal’s experience in politics goes back 30 years, with him first becoming actively involved in the UNP during the time of former President Ranasinghe Premadasa.
Having been first elected to the CMC in 1997, he counts 28 years of experience in the CMC, having been elected as a Member in five elections continuously. “This will be my sixth election,” said Mr. Iqbal, who is contesting from the Masangas Veediya Ward.
Mr Iqbal was the Deputy Mayor of Colombo under Mayor Rosy Senanayake during the last CMC administration and he claimed that the administration did a lot of work to resolve many of Colombo’s issues. He pointed out the waste-to-energy plant that was initiated in Kerawalapitiya as one example aimed at managing the city’s garbage issue. He said the UNP administration of the CMC also did a lot to help those from low-income families. “We carpeted and maintained roads, installed new street lamps and beautified the city. We spent a lot of money to improve public works.”
While the UNP may have suffered a setback in national elections, he expressed confidence that the party would mount a strong challenge for the CMC. “The UNP is still the most popular party in the CMC. Voters want to see the return of the Elephant symbol, which they are most familiar with. We are carrying out house-to-house campaigns. The response from people has been very good. Even those who voted for other parties say they are going to vote for us. I believe we can obtain a majority,” he added.
Having been a CMC member for nearly three decades, Mr. Iqbal acknowledged that corruption was a major issue at the CMC, saying there have been instances where CMC members had been involved in corrupt activities such as owing parking spaces through other parties or manipulating tender contracts. Nevertheless, he insisted the team the UNP is putting to contest the election is clean.
He also said that he is someone who has kept his promises to the voters. “I have done what I said I would do. I did a lot of work in my ward and the people of this city,” he said, noting that this was why voters had elected him to the council time and again.
Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara , Indika Handuwala and Akila Jayawardena
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