The Chairman of the Federation of Community Organisations in the Mannar District, Mr. V.S. Sivakaran, has expressed disappointment in a press statement over the government’s continued alignment with the interests of multinational corporations, seemingly at the expense of the people’s welfare in a press conference on April 16th.
Mr. Sivakaran highlighted the ongoing protests against wind power and mineral sand excavation projects in the Mannar Island region. He recalled that, prior to the presidential election, representatives from the National People’s Power (NPP) legal team had met with local activists and assured them that these projects would be immediately halted if the party come to power.
However, according to Sivakaran, no such action has been taken to date. He warned that the three key projects such as the wind power initiative, titanium extraction, and coastal mineral sand mining, have all been flagged by environmental experts as severely damaging to the ecological balance of the Mannar region. Despite these warnings and continued public opposition, the Sri Lankan government appears determined to proceed, disregarding both environmental consequences and public sentiment.
Sivakaran further criticized the Sri Lankan President for engaging in the same political behavior he once strongly opposed. He pointed out that the Sri Lankan President had previously accused former leaders of being puppets of American imperialism and agents of Indian influence — yet now, the President himself is acting in the very same way, aligning with foreign interests and abandoning the promises made to the people.
He accused the Sri Lankan government of misleading the public with grandiose but unrealistic promises to win elections, only to later fail in delivering on those promises. He questioned whether the administration intends to once again offer false assurances to secure victory in the upcoming elections.
With the Sri Lankan President scheduled to visit Mannar the following day, Sivakaran called for an immediate and official cancellation of all three controversial projects. Failing to do so, he warned, would render the President no different from the politicians he previously criticized.
He emphasized that morality is a cornerstone of politics and cautioned that the people cannot be deceived endlessly. Any attempt to exploit these communities for electoral gain, he said, would betray the socialist values the government professes to uphold.
Sivakaran concluded by stating that the people are no longer willing to be misled, and that this upcoming election would serve as a clear message. He insisted that the wind power, titanium extraction, and mineral sand mining projects in Mannar must be fully and permanently revoked.
