The Hindu : UPFA recognised as political party

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 08, 2004

International

International

UPFA recognised as political party

By V.S. Sambandan

COLOMBO, FEB .7. Sri Lanka's new political formation, the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), was on Friday recognised by the Elections Commission as a political party, paving the way for it to contest a possible general election as a separate entity.

The party's National Organiser, Anura Bandaranaike, was confident of the Alliance "romping home'' in an imminent election and said the UPFA, which was formed on January 20 with the coming together of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the left-nationalist, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), would be able to form a government on its own.

"I am absolutely certain that we will romp home with a thundering majority," Mr. Bandaranaike, told The Hindu, after his party was recognised. Mr. Bandaranaike, who is the President's Senior Adviser on National Integration, said the dissolution of Parliament was round the corner and that pre-poll surveys conducted by the party had indicated a victory at the polls.

The new political party also named the JVP's MP, Nandana Goonetilleke, as the Chairman and Susil Premajayanth, from the SLFP as the General Secretary, said Mr. Bandaranaike, who is the brother of the Sri Lankan President, Chandrika Kumaratunga.

Sri Lankan laws prohibit the registration of a new political party when elections are pending. As local body polls have been announced and are pending in the north-eastern province, the new party overcame this legal technicality by changing the name of an existing party — the People's Freedom Party — to the UPFA and retaining its `butterfly' symbol, "as it saves time,'' a senior SLFP member said. The UPFA had sought the `lotus' symbol for itself, but that was not granted.

"We asked for the lotus for various reasons, but it was not on the list," Mr. Bandaranaike said. While the exact reason for the UPFA not being given the symbol remains unknown, a political leader said the possibility that the symbol may have religious connotations in Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka could have weighed behind the rejection.

SLMM seeks explanation

The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission has sought an explanation from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for staying away from a monthly review meeting to be held today.

The LTTE had reportedly conveyed on Thursday night that it would not be attending the meeting and the SLMM was awaiting an explanation sought on the request of the northern army commander.

In another development, protestors in the northern Jaffna peninsula called off a fast-unto-death, which started on February 4, following assurances from Tamil MPs that the difficulties faced by them in the northern High Security Zone would be looked into.

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