Man on an eco-friendly mission

Sampath Rambukkanage campaigns from behind the wheel of Enosol’s battery-powered car

Unlike candidates who flaunt coexistence like a banner, Sampath Rambukkanage, Sri Lanka Podujana Party (SLPP) candidate for Panmankada (East), Colombo Municipal Council, walks the talk. He married a Tamil woman. Of course, his political ideology about coexistence and equality had little to do with him falling head over heels for Nirmala. In fact, the racial difference didn't bother him. Despite parental disapproval on both sides, they tied the knot in 2000 when the war was at its height and negative sentiments among the Sinhala people against the Tamil minority was most pronounced.
“Our community is made up of Sinhala, Muslim and Tamil people. And we had to face a lot of hardships during the war,” says Rambukkanage.
Rambukkanage embarked on his political career in 1997. He was elected a municipal council member on two terms under the preferential voting system. “I couldn’t win the next election because I didn’t have the money to throw around to buy votes. Village folk like us didn’t get a chance under the previous system. But he hopes to seize the advantages of the new ward system.
“There are only 2,800 households per seat. We don’t have to throw money at them, we just have to know our people and their problems.” Rambukkanage opined that under the new system it’s easy to identify problems at the community level. After all, he is a member of the same community. “There’s only one candidate for a party and therefore no fights over who gets the votes.”

Eco-friendly battery-powered car
Rambukkanage uses in his campaign

But what sets Rambukkanage apart is not his love life or his politics, but his campaign. Never has he in his political career used a single poster or a scrap of plastic. Such credentials go a long way in securing votes, when political bigwigs throw around millions of rupees on plastic, posters, banners and billboards.
Even this time around Rambukkanage has not used plastic or any other material detrimental to the environment in his political campaign. His campaign will be devoid of posters, sound pollution and petroleum. He has vowed not to use PA systems to convey his political message. “We were asked to use a maximum of 10 people for door to door canvassing, which is what I intend to do,” says Rambukkanage.
His eco-friendly campaign also includes a battery-powered car donated by Enosol. Powered by a plug-in lithium-ion battery, the car can reach speeds of 80 km per hour and cover 100 miles on a single charge. “Pollution in Colombo has reached critical levels,” says Rambukkanage, justifying his decision to electrify his campaign. “I wanted to be an example to others.”
The self-employment venture spearheaded by him, Lanka Hela Osu, is equally exemplary as it is commendable. “Most of the women in this community work all day as domestics to earn as little as Rs 500 a day. We wanted to offer them more lucrative employment for a lesser number of hours,” says Rambukkanage. A Rs 2,800,000 loan from the RDB (Rural Development Bank) helped to kick-start the venture which currently employs approximately 80 women.
Rambukkanage, during his term as a municipal council member, was also able to establish an office building for Grama Niladharis of Pamankada East who used to work from home, function out of temples or other private establishments. The move was made possible by former minister Milinda Moragoda.
Rambukkanage received his education at St Thomas College, Kotte. His late father worked for the Ceylon Transport Board and his mother is a housewife. He got into politics at the age of 28 with the UNP (United National Party). Rambukkanage says that his main objective is serving society, and politics is his vessel. “I’m a man of the middle class. We’re not rich enough to initiate social services on our own. For that we need connections,” says a humble Rambukkanage. And getting into politics was the best way he could make those contacts. Rather than running after politicians for help, Rambukkanage decided to become one. Individuals like late president SWRD Bandaranaike and Premadasa no doubt sparked in him a passion for politics.
After he became an urban council member, the business community readily joined hands with this man on an eco-friendly mission. With the help of the business community, Rambukkanage has been able to achieve much. “People with the money don’t have a mechanism to engage in social services, don’t have the right people to assist them to offer help where help is needed.” And Rambukkanage is that right person. “For example, we distribute books among school children every year.”
“Certain members of underprivileged communities don’t have any qualms about asking for help,” says Rambukkanage. But some are reluctant to ask for help despite economic oppression, he points out. With his guidance elderly citizens are provided free lunch every day of the week except Saturday, Sunday and Poya days.
Of the many matters on his list that require immediate attention is the deedless residents of the area whose children have been denied entry to leading schools in Colombo. “During Minister Sirisena Cooray’s tenure, the squatter families were given a card, which they could produce when their children were being considered for admission to Colombo schools. This was the closest thing they had to a deed. But from 2018 the card is no longer accepted,” says Rambukkanage. He resents the fact that the kids were not given a single point for the squatters' card. “We’re all human. There are other schools in the area, but any parent would want only the best school for their children.” Rambukkanage says that this has been the cause of much psychological stress for parents, reiterating the fact that it was an ill-advised decision.
Another item on the list is a sewer system for Colombo East. “Cinnamon Gardens has a sewer system, but we don’t,” emphasized Rambukkanage. Provision of housing and development of road networks in squatter dwelling areas are other top priorities on his list.
Pamankada East is 9,200 voters strong with people of all calibre and class living in 2,600 households and Rambukkanage’s ‘innocent’ campaign, as he refers to it, is targeted at uplifting their living standards. “There are enough leaders to develop the country. Irrespective of party, we need to elect individuals to urban councils who can develop their respective communities,” concludes Rambukkanage.
The article was originally published in The Island
Retrieved from: http://archive.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=178764 

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