Colombo's UPFA mayoral aspirant Milinda Moragoda said Colombo's rate payers deserve better returns for the rates they pay, adding that he would ensure this would be done once he becomes mayor.

In an interview with the Daily News the former minister also said he would stick to his original stand of not using polythene or posters in his election campaign and would not stress any political aspects of the contest but focus on development. "What I believe is they (Colombo citizens) deserve the best for the rates they pay.

The CMC as the service provider should be capable of giving the best returns for the rate payers of Colombo. Petty party politics, colours etc do not matter.

This is a competition between policies and not politics, UPFA candidate for CMC mayorship, Milinda Moragoda told the Daily News yesterday.

Moragoda said that Colombo citizens are the customers who pay rates.

'They should be given the best of everything for the rates they pay. They deserve a clean, beautiful and safe environment to live.

'They want the job done and no politics or anything else matters to them. What matters is who can provide this service to them. As a philosophy, I wish to leave petty politics out and focus on development.

According to Moragoda, under his leadership, he will make Colombo the economic hub of South East Asia. 'Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has a clear vision and he has already done a remarkable service in recent history to make Colombo a clean and beautiful city. He is the one who did the most. His work has already laid a superb foundation for future work, he added.

Moragoda pointed out that his policy of not using banners, posters and polythene has not changed and he will hold pocket meetings in his main campaign. 'I will stick to my previous policy on publicity campaigns and therefore I will not use banners, posters etc, he said.