Maskeliya, a serene and picturesque plantation town, nestling in a valley at the base of the sacred Mount Sri Pada , turned into a mini battlefield last Wednesday, March 28, and lost its tranquil, when supporters of two major trade-union cum political parties – the Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) and the National Union of Workers (NUW) - contending for the Chairmanship of the Pradeshiya Sabha (PS) became belligerent, physically attacking and hurling stones at each other in and outside the election hall.
The CWC and the NUW had won seven seats each, in the 16 member Maskeliya PS, while the remaining two had been won, one each by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and the Sri Lanka United Freedom Front (SLUFF) that supported the CWC and the NUW, respectively. Hence, necessitating an election-by-lot for the Chairmanship of the Council. The CWC contested in alliance with the SLFP on the ‘hand’ symbol and also on its own ‘cockerel’ symbol. The NUW, a constituent of the three party alliance, the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) , contested on the UNP’s ‘elephant’ symbol.
The situation turned tense when one of the UNP councillors K.L.A.Ranjani failed to turn up, and no information was forthcoming on her whereabouts. The NUW councillors and supporters suspecting an abduction insisted that the election be postponed. However, the Central Province Local Government Special Commissioner, Menaka Silva asserted that the elections be conducted as the required minimum number of councillors were present. Accordingly, the CWC’s G.Senpakavalli was elected chairperson, and the SLFP’s Periyasamy Pradeepan was elected vice-chairperson. This led to the consequent violent clashes between the two sides of the plantation community.
Tension was running high with vehicular traffic and people’s movements being disrupted for many hours. Police from the Maskeliya Police Station, the neighbouring towns and finally, the STF had to be summoned to bring the situation under control.
The missing councillor was later reported to have been taken ill suddenly, and admitted to the Nawalapitiya Base Hospital.
The clashes did not end there but resumed the same evening during election of the chairperson to the nearby Norwood PS. Several persons were injured and two vehicles, belonging to the CWC Central PC member Kanapathy Kanagaraj and the NUW councillor of the Norwood PS P.Sivanesan damaged in the melee that followed, according to reports. Two persons, badly injured were admitted to the Glancon Base Hospital in Dickoya. The CWC’s D.Kishokumar was elected chairperson of the Norwood PS and the party’s K.Sivasamy was elected Vice Chairperson. The CWC has so far secured administrations of the Pradeshiya Sabhas of Nuwara Eliya, Norwood, Agrapatana, Kotagala and Maskeliya and the Urban Council of Hatton-Dickoya .