The two key contenders for the mayoral post in the Colombo Municipal Council have opened their campaign. Here UPFA candidate – Milinda Moragoda speaks to Times on line about his plans

Why do you think you have been selected as the Mayoral candidate?

I was not selected as a mayoral candidate. The President invited me just before the election was declared to take on this challenge. I had to give it a lot of thought, because it is not something that I have thought of doing. After the last general election, I was concentrating on various other things and probably thought of waiting a little longer. But the President was very convincing. He said that I could implement certain ideas and policies in which I was interested in. After a lot of consideration, I thought I would take up the challenge and here we are now.

Why do you think voters in Colombo should elect your party?

I think the platform I'm putting forward should be looked beyond politics. The Colombo city that has many different places, social backgrounds and many different political parties makes it really rich as a city.

After having 30 years of war, now it is an opportunity to actually build up and the municipality is a place where you can really make a difference to the ordinary person. I have served as a minister in the parliament, from a different government and different parties, but here if one gets the opportunity direct difference can be made.

My intention is to put forward a set of policies, within a ten days time it will be released and will be able to see whether the voter of Colombo believes whether we can deliver their needs.

What do you feel are the main shortcomings in the Colombo city?

Although garbage collection is being done methodically, there is a lot more to be done. Draining water after rain, the sewerage system in Colombo was built during the British period in Colombo, and today there is around 650,000 people living in Colombo and the present sewerage system is meant for less than 100,000 people.

Health hazards such as dengue and other epidemics should be evacuated. The whole issue of shelter for the poor the problem of connected infrastructure like drainage, garbage and the sewerage systems.

Since the Colombo city is an economic area, it should be looked in as how the economy would move in the city and make friendlier for the business investors, reducing the cost of the businesses.Whether it is a small or big businessman it does not make differences and all should have the same attention.

What are the key features in your pledges ?

The policy area in which we have looked forward is the city with a competent and professional administration, the freedom where the citizens are given the right to transparency. The city is about the citizens and they can participate in the administration by helping out in different ways. I was interested at introducing it within the city to make it the best practice.

Our slogan is going to be the Center of excellence; together we all can make Colombo a center of excellence.

The next area is to Make Colombo the regional economic hub and the Beautification of the city , there is a beautification programme already being carried out , I'm trying to take that forward. The Defence secretary has taken a lead in that and he is very keen and his team is working with compliment.

The Healthy City is another area, in which controlling of epidemics like dengue will be considered. This also includes sports. There is lot of youth in the city; there has been a problem of unemployment and major issue drug addiction. The municipality has sports clubs; therefore those institutions will energize many activities dealing with the youths. The municipality has a large number of health clinics and it will provide initial attention to the citizen. For the past 30 years for various reasons the municipality has not been able to push a head.

An efficient city, this is to enhance the urban transport system, people can travel from out of the city but within the city the transportation is limited.

A city which respects all citizens, such policy will be carried out without any difference of race, religion or class because Colombo is a multi-ethnic city.

Therefore this policy programme will handle various areas because the municipality is a government within the government in a way and we have to convince the citizen we can deliver all these.

This policy platform once launched and can have it on a website for the people to look at it and they can give their contribution or ideas about it.

The government has controlled the CMC after the corruption was exposed in 2010. How far as the government performed it's role or has it done enough to achieve the required target in the up coming elections?

If you look at the work being carried out by the UDA and the Defence secretary, I think the people are talking about it; they have done a significant amount of work.

Now it is the next phase that the President and the Defence secretary will specially like to bring in a council that can take this work forward with the involvement of the citizens. As said the council was not functioning properly it's the next step. We will decide a programme to go to the areas and hopefully where the citizens also can get involved.

The government has decided to evacuate the shanties and it also claims of giving the slum dwellers, houses at alternative places. Can you explain the procedure, where will they be shifted?

This is something that has been misunderstood a lot, it is not to relocate completely outside their areas, the idea is to rebuild houses there itself or in the immediate environment.

Various reasons have misrepresented this idea, which is unfortunate. The idea would be building up apartments in some places, because apartment living is something which people have not got used to. We want each of these areas to have strategies and the UDA is testing out.

We cannot relocate in a totally different area because their economy will get affected; people living in those areas are working in the city so if you put them in Avisawella they will not be able to work in the city.

What would be your main priorities if you are elected as a mayor?

The areas included in the manifesto or the policy platform will be carried out further. We have taken oaths in front of the president we will work according to that. Once the policy is put forward it is up to the people to decide whether I'm suitable or not.

We will have a 100 day programme and then a fully pledged programme covering the areas mentioned in the policy platform.

What do you think about the UNP ers crossing over to the UPFA and contesting in the up coming elections?

I really believe that political parties are not tribes, even when I set up my own party it was a signal that we must move away from this tribalism.

Before I joined the SLFP the president understood my approach was different and there is room for my thinking therefore to maintain my identity in the SLFP. I feel politics have really destroyed this country we have to think above politics.

We have to look into policies how we can make tremendous opportunities since the war is over now, therefore if we spend our times on killing each other as to who is sitting on which chair it does not work.