GENERAL Secretary of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), Wimalasiri de Mel said in an interview with the Daily News that the party will support the candidacy of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse at the forthcoming Presidential Election.

Following are extracts of the interview.

Q: What is your party's stance at the forthcoming Presidential Election?

A: We are, actually, supporting Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse. It was we who first requested the SLFP and the PA to nominate him as the common candidate against Ranil Wickremesinghe.

It was much before the Sri Lanka Freedom Party decided to nominate him as the common candidate. We informed that officially as the decision of Politburo that Mahinda is the most suitable candidate for all people, who should contest Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Q: Is it the stance of the party that UNP should not be in power?

A: Definitely, we have had experience of UNP and SLFP Governments and Sri Lanka Sama Samaja Party, although we never formed a Government, we were instrumental in defeating the UNP.

It has happened in Sri Lanka's history whenever the anti-UNP forces get together we could easily defeat the UNP and we assure even at this juncture that we will be able to defeat the UNP because all the anti-UNP forces have got together.

Q: A lot of people are critical of the JVP and the JHU joining with the Prime Minister, what is your attitude towards them?

A: Lanka Sama Samaja Party, as such, does not accept the policies of the JVP and JHU. It was the major reason that prevented us from joining the so-called " Sandanaya " which was between the JVP and the SLFP.

We joined only the Government with a Cabinet Minister Prof. Tissa Vitharana as Minister of Science and Technology. But we never joined the Sandanaya - we contested for the last election. We got four seats to contest on the PA list.

Q: Do you have any reservations on how they are going to solve the national question?

A: Our position is that we do not accept these policies which are advocated by the JHU and the JVP about the National Question. Our stand is for a united Sri Lanka.

We have maintained that position and were supporting the position taken by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga on the National Question.

In fact, yesterday, I participated in a discussion with the President where we pledged support to Mahinda except on the policy that was advocated by the JVP and the JHU on the National Question.

We feel that once Mahinda is elected, there will be pressure on all forces other than the JVP and the JHU. There will be pressure on him to solve this National Question on the accepted principle of the SLFP.

Q: Do you think the present Ceasefire Agreement should be changed or altered?

A: Yes, it has to be changed. The present Ceasefire Agreement was not an official agreement that was announced to the people. Normally such things should be made public to the people and then only it should be signed.

And as you recollect, it was, actually, after the signature of Prabhakaran that it was presented to the President. She had no alternative but to sign it.

As far as the ceasefire is concerned we accept that there were some results. But although ceasefire is there, deaths are taking place. So such things we have to discuss with Prabhakaran and revise it.

Q: What do you think of the role played by Norway in the peace process?

A: We, of course, accept any country as a facilitator. But if they are going beyond that we do not accept. They should be a facilitator and their stand should be that.

They should not support either party and should be an independent body trying to facilitate and make arrangements for the two parties to get together and solve their problems.

Q: Comment on the policies envisaged in the " Mahinda Chintanaya"?

A: "Mahinda Chintanaya " as such, we agree with most of the policies. Except what we have mentioned about the policies regarding the solution to the National Question.

He has, actually, given into the JVP and the JHU and most probably he would have done it as any candidate who contest an election that tries to get the help of everyone. Very few would actually look into the policies of a candidate and how he is going to govern the country.

We knew about Mahinda's view, Mahinda is a person who has been in the Parliament for the last thirty-five years. He is a man who is very popular in his area and he is a common man's candidate. He is not a man who lives in a palatial building in Colombo.

He has been born and bred in Hambantota and the whole family had been in politics and they have been, in fact, supporting Mr. Bandaranaike when he crossed over from the UNP. But, of course, implementing the proposals remains to be seen.

Q: What is your view of the Opposition Leader as a candidate?

A: Opposition Leader has failed miserably. Eleven times he failed and this time, we believe he will fail. The way he addresses the meetings, his actions, his demonstrations and how the demonstrations are conducted, whether there is discipline in these demonstrations and what he talks.

He comes out with history and sometimes normal students would get confused over what he is speaking about.

A person in the calibre of Ranil Wickremesinghe who has been the Prime Minister of this country should have, at least, read books on Sri Lankan history before he speaks. He has miserably failed in that respect. Whenever he speaks of Sri Lankan history, he makes several blunders and people are surprised.

The LSSP has taken a stance and is issuing a handbill to be read by the voter in which we say that we stand by the proposals of President Kumaratunga as far as the National Question is concerned and we believe that Mahinda will solve the problems of the working class as well as the middle class. For they are facing economic problems today.

He must bring the cost of living down and he must fight corruption in this country. He must get the middle class to work. There must be discipline among the officers. And people should feel that we would be creating a new era as far as the Government is concerned.

Q: What do think of the Opposition Leader's promises that he would reduce prices of essential goods?

A: We cannot trust his promises because he is a person who has been the Prime Minister of this country and he is proudly saying that within a year he would solve the cost of living but when he got the power he failed miserably.

He is the person who took the decision not to fill any vacancies in the government service. And we feel that he is being dictated by the World Bank and the International Monitory Fund.

Q: One of the allegations against the Opposition Leader is that he has not mentioned anything substantial on the National Question?

A: Ranil does not want to mention that because he has not taken a decision as yet. Even the way he signed the Ceasefire Agreement without telling even his own Cabinet Ministers itself is a sort of manoeuvring.

So he is, actually, most probably manoeuvring again as far as the Ceasefire Agreement and the solution to the National Question is concerned. For he doesn't clearly mentioned as to what he is going to do.

Q: Opposition Leader also does not mention the question of granting an Interim Administration to the LTTE?

A: LSSP also accepted that the Interim Administration should be granted immediately. What we say is that the core issues must be discussed and when the parties are going to reach the agreement on core issues, there should be an Interim Administration. The core issues should be discussed.

Q: Do you propose an action plan or a time frame for the negotiations?

A: We, of course, have an action plan at the moment but this problem has been there for so many years. It was the LSSP for the first time what mentioned to the people that only through parity of status for the two languages that this could be solved.

It was late Dr. N. M Perera who said that what we can offer today if we try to offer after twenty years, it would be too stale and it was Southern leader Dr.Covin R de Silva who said that if there are two languages, there will be one country and there will be two countries if one language is imposed. We are still maintaining this position.

Tamil people in Jaffna and in other parts of the country have been facing a number of issues and there are common issues even among the Sri Lankan working class that have to be looked into.

Even if you solve the economic problem, still we may not be able to go ahead without solving the National Question. It acts as a sort of a sore and the sore should be cured.

Q: Which Left candidate do you support at the Presidential polls?

A: Purely because we have disagreements on the stance taken by Mahinda on the National Question and it is not very clear as to the economic policy, we five Left parties are contesting separately.

We are having our own separate meetings and publish leaflets. We mentioned to the people we are supporting Mahinda but we have reservations on the National Question.

There should be clear-cut policies; how far are you going to get foreign aid and for what purposes, are you going to give into their conditions. Normally the UNP gives a sort of blank cheque to the World Bank and IMF. They are ready to give into any conditions.

We accept foreign aid and advocate that foreign aid should come in but with some conditions; you can't sell our country, now even on the present issue of Eppawala phosphate where Mrs. Bandaranaike Kumaratunga finally granted the contract to a Chinese company. We are not for that. We say phosphate should be a product for the local market. Our farmers should be able to use it.

Q: What is your message for the voters?

A: We request the Sri Lankan voter to think seriously and do not be dragged by proposals made by Ranil Wickremesinghe because he is a man who has governed earlier also. Mahinda is for the first time contesting the Presidency. He had no chance earlier to offer anything to the people; it was his party that offered.

Here he is an individual, he has got a vision and brought a manifesto named "Mahinda Chintanaya" in which there are proposals. But you find two people to think on whom trust can be placed.

As far as the LSSP is concerned, we feel we can trust Mahinda. He is a man who even within the SLFP's fighting for the masses. When he was the Minister of Labour, Fisheries he had taken the side of the working class.

Q: What is the role played by the so called free media in this election?

A: As far as Sri Lanka is concerned I do not think there is a free media. Except for a few institutions all other institutions are carrying on propaganda for one candidate, who is Ranil.

If there is a free media, they should accommodate in their time schedule sufficient time for Mahinda's campaign also. They are not doing that.

All the owners of this so called free media are actually representing the capitalist class backed by Ranil.

They are violating all the journalistic norms and trying to hoodwink the masses but I think that our readers and listeners are more intelligent. Even earlier this campaign did not succeed and Ranil was defeated 11 times and even this time he will be defeated in spite of all the propaganda.