By Colombo Telegraph
Dr Karunaratne
NSSP General Secretary Dr Vickramabahu Karunaratne has been elected to the Dehiwala Mount Lavinia municipal council (MC). This is the first time in his entire political history he won a seat in a MC. Karunaratne became politically active very early in his life, joining the Lanka Sama Samaja Party(LSSP) in 1962 whilst an undergraduate at the University of Ceylon. He was elected to the LSSP’s Central Committee in 1972 but fell out with the party’s leadership over their support for the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and its 1972 Republican Constitution. He was expelled from the LSSP. In 1977 Karunaratne joined with other former members of the LSSP, including Vasudeva Nanayakkara , to form the Nava Sama Samaja Party (New Social Equality Party).
“This vote shows the public recognition of the left and Tamil Liberationist forces in Lanka. This is a mighty step towards building a formidable challenge against the Rajapaksa regime starting with the unity of oppressed workers and minorities,” said Dr Karunarathne. He contested the local government elections as a Democratic Peoples Front candidate.
The DPF led by Mano Ganesan secured eight seats in total with six in the Colombo Municipal Council and one seat in the Kolonnawa Urban Council.
Visit http://www.nssp.info for more details.
DPF has received 29,334 votes in these three local government bodies.
| PARTY NAME | VOTES OBTAINED | PERCENTAGE | SEATS |
| Colombo Municipal Council | |||
| United National Party |
101,920 |
43.01% |
24 |
| United People’s Freedom Alliance |
77,089 |
32.53% |
16 |
| Democratic Peoples Front |
26,229 |
11.07% |
6 |
| Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council | |||
| United People’s Freedom Alliance |
39,812 |
52.55% |
16 |
| United National Party |
31,082 |
41.02% |
11 |
| Democratic Peoples Front |
2,167 |
2.86% |
1 |
| Kolonnawa Urban Council | |||
| United People’s Freedom Alliance |
11,303 |
46.95% |
6 |
| United National Party |
10,667 |
44.31% |
4 |
| Democratic Peoples Front |
938 |
3.90% |
1 |
Sukumar S - India / October 10, 2011
One significant and encouraging result from the local bodies elections in Colombo and its neighbourhood. Dr Bahu is perhaps the last of the hard-core left in Sri Lanka and has been a presidential candidate several times.
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Pera / October 10, 2011
A historical event ! :)
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Sudarshana / October 10, 2011
This is not the first time he was elected tp council. He contested for the Colombo Municipal Council in 2007 and was elected a council member. Then in 1999 he contested for the Western Provincial Council and elected a member. Socialist Equality Party is a separate entity which does not share anythng common with the NSSP.
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Sarane's Appachchi. / October 10, 2011
He was never elected before.if this news is correct that is miracle. That was a Tamil comrade who was elected and this tamil rights champion asked him to resign. then this man nominated himself as a CMC member. that is what happened. sad thing was that Tamil comrade was a member of a so called depressed cast too. Wickramabahu never elected. I suspect this new too.
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Dr Vickramabahu / October 12, 2011
NSSP won a seat in Colombo MC in 1991. the Tamil comrade from an oppressed community sadly resigned and joined Mharoof, latter left the UNP AND is in Milindas list now. party nominated Bahu to continue the extended sittings.in 1996 Bahu contested and was elected to the CMC for a second term. in 1999 he contested and won a seat in the WPC which he occupied until 2005. So most certainly this is not the first time Bahu got elected and NSSP SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF ELECTED MEMBERS INCLUDING A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT.
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Sirage golayek / October 13, 2011
DR Vikramabahu, don’t lie in public foums. it was Grandpass Jevarathanam who elected and you nominated yourself and went MC. he was very upset and later he went to other places, that is different issue. 97 Tirunakarusu again a Tamil man elected you removed him and went to MC.
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Sakkilyar Jeeva / October 13, 2011
are you sure this is Dr Bahu? pukenda danna meva kiyanne.
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Saranapala / October 13, 2011
NSSP? or coalition. I think this news is also wrong. NSSP never manged to won a seat in any election. all the time with coalitions; USA/ NLF/ this time with Mano etc. tell the truth and without hiding anything Dr!
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Raja Hevawasam / October 17, 2011
Dear Dr. Bahu,
With all due respect, I wish to state that your assertions of the left are very misleading at the best.
I am forced to intervene with this discussions as no one else seem to be having the courage of their convictions to speak the truth, and some so called Colombo 7 leftist, practicing hypocrisy are claiming that the Socialist and leftist led forces have won 8 seats in 3 councils, etc.
Well, I thought when illusions fade away, reality will come to the fore, sanity will prevail.
I am afraid that I am wrong.
Your claim that the leftist led forces received 26,000 votes in Colombo MC, 2,100 in DMR MC, and 2,000 odd votes in the State Terrorist war zone of Kollonawa MC, is absolutely misleading and in-genuine. I question your honesty, by asking you how many Singhalese and Muslim voters were in this 30,000 votes received in the 3 councils contested under the Ladder symbol of the DPF led by Mano Ganeshan.
Please do not insult the Tamil voters of the 3 councils, and if the DPF has contested all alone there still would have been 8 Tamils voted in as council members, and not 6. Even the UNP was able to get 4 Tamils elected as members in the CMC, and one of the reasons are that the Tamils (most of them) are not leftist, communist, or socialist. Even the TNA reluctance is that they do not want to be associated too much with the leftist, communist and socialist of the South, except some elements who are desperate like Sivajilingam.
Mano, should practice what he preaches, and stand on it’s own two feet, without borrowing crutches from the left or right.
The left should show it’s gratitude to Mano Ganeshan, that one Singhalese has been elected to the 3 councils under his leadership of the DPF, without inguninely bragging that th e left has received 30,000 votes. It is like one of the basket ball players in Will Chamberlain’s team proudly claiming that he and Will scored 101 points in a game, that Will scored a record 100 points.
Dr. Bahu, I am happy that you are in the DMR MC, because you deserve some recoginition for your policies and “fight” and you will do much better than the best Tamil candidate who came second to you. However,, I wish you would show your gratitude and thank the Tamil voters and supporters of the DPF, whose votes enabled you to become an elected member of the DMR MC.
Please do not make the mistakes of the UNP, of disrespecting the Tamil voters of Colombo and the entire island, and take the Tamils for granted.
Donald Gnanakone.
TAMILS FOR JUSTICE:
This email cam to my inbox
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Raja Hevawasam / October 17, 2011
dear Donald
i have not claimed that 30000 voted for communism or socialism. of course most of them are Tamils and they are mostly not communists or socialists. but all of them voted against right wing policies of both Mahinda and Ranil. it is a vote for a radical democracy. in general terms we can say it is a left vote. Obama is left as opposed to Bush. even former IMF chief is claimed to be socialist!
i am only claiming a democratic camp which stand for democracy and freedom has emerged where Marxists like my self can play an important role. it is not an insult to say that the Tamil nationality has dissociated from right wing policies of chauvinism and slavery to foreign powers.
bahu
DR Bahu replied to Donald,
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Raja Hevawasam / October 17, 2011
Dear Dr. Bahu,
I will rest my case by stating that the Oxford education was not in vain.
Your choice of words is full of intrigue but much better that the press release you made earlier as a Marxist leader who joined forces with the Tamil leader who is neither a marxist, socialist or leftist.
Mano G is just a Tamil nationalist of the Island of Sri Lanka, which is also the motherland of all the Tamils, immaterial where they came from and when they came. The Singhalese should not forget that.
The votes Mano Ganeshan received as leader of the DPF is certainly Anti Rajapakse, and Pro Tamil.
Tamils were given a choice after a long time to choose between the UNP and a Tamil party, and they made their choice, but many stayed at home, and some were concerned of the confused and the bogus claims made by leftist and hypocrites like the Colombo 7 leftist who writes differently from how he acts.
If the Tamil votes were Anti SLFP, and Anti UNP, as you state, then it should be classified Anti Singhala.
That might be a reflection of so many race riots from 1958, 1961, 1977, 1983 and State Terrorism executed by President J R Jayawardene, Premadasa, Athulathmudali, Gamini Dissanayake, President Chandrika and Rajapakse clan. Let me not forget 5 star General Sarath Fonseka the candidate for the Presidency of the UNP and JVP. The Tamil vote Fonseka received was an Anti Rajapakse vote and not a Pro Singhala vote. We are all waiting for Fonseka to speak the real truth without all the cover up of the Rajapakses about war crimes.
I hope you will be gracious enough to thank the Tamil and Tamil speaking voters (Muslims) of the DMR MC, that voted for the Tamil Party/symbol, DPF/Ladder, that enabled you to be elected, with 2,100 votes and articulate well at the CMC meetings.
Wish you the very best and we Tamils consider you as a friend despite you being a Singhala Marxist/leftist.
Donald replied again
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S Hemakody / October 10, 2011
After 50 years of his politics he won for the first time a municipal seat, not from his own party but through a very young mano ganeshans tamil political party..
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SR / October 10, 2011
I am not sure this was the first time the Dr WK won . was he not a elected member of the Colombo MC one time?
i salute him for his uncompromised stand on many issues
and the price he had paid for the same
It will be a very good political research to ask why he was never popular with the voters while Dumnida Silva with such bad records can win?
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SR / October 10, 2011
now Mano’s DPF cannot be called Tamil party anymore well done he should inlcude more Sinhalas and Muslims as well
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Wijayananda / October 11, 2011
ඉතින් ලංකාවේ හැටි ඔහොමනෙ…,.!
පච බාහුව වගේ එවුන්ටත් චන්දෙ දෙන මීහරක්
තවමත් ඉන්නවා එහෙනම්..ආ…..!!
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Leelananda / October 12, 2011
දුමිනද සිල්ව වගේ මිණීමරැ,මත්කුඩු මැරයන්ට ඡන්දීපු උඹල වගේ මීහරක් ගැන ඉස්සෙල්ල හිතල බැලුවො නේද හොද.
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Kalu / October 11, 2011
Wijayanandana, most people have lost their humanity and have forgotten their morals and ethics. That is why we find most people voting for thugs, drug dealers, rogues, crossovers and idiots like Duminda, Mervin, Nishantha Muthuhettigama,Sajin Vaas,Anarkali, Paba and Namal.
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sirinimal gamage / October 11, 2011
This man is a “dawal migel re daniel”. He is not ashamed to campaign with Ranil. Sometimes he supports LTTE. At times he supports JVP. Sometimes he boasts about his Upcontry Walaw origins. Surely he will suppot M.R. if he gets a post of Ministership in Mahinda Government.
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Sujeewa / October 12, 2011
If he wanted to take aministerial post, he could have done it long time ago. He stood by his policies. Obviously, it was not popular as Duminda’s face or Wimal Weerawansa’s mouth.
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CBK / October 14, 2011
Bahu is a man of consistency,is like announcing water monitor is land monitor when you want to
eat it.That’s news Mr Bahu.You won’t be able to any do justice to Tamil people. you removed all Tamil members elected and nominated your name. you are such a rascal.
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