Senior Advisor to the President, Basil Rajapaksa, MP leading the UPFA governments election campaign in the Eastern Province yesterday described the polls as more of a Referendum which gives the people of the three districts an opportunity to say either, 'Yes' or 'No' to ensure peaceful co-existence among the three communities and to successfully take forward many large development projects.

Speaking to the Sunday Island on the phone from Trincomalee, he said the forthcoming polls pose three important questions to the Eastern voters - whether they want a continuation of progress made by the government in the Eastern Province or go back to a dark era of fear?

Firstly, would they want to go back to the period of terror - "Biyakaru Bheeshanaya" the threats and intidation, explosion of claymore mines, exortion, death, destruction, child conscription - that prevailed until the East was liberated from the clutches of the LTTE?, he asked.

"Or would they want a Provincial Council for the East to enjoy better privileges than what was granted to the other seven provincial councils by securing a victory by the people for the people at the first-ever forthcoming elections to the Eastern PC?"

Would they also opt for the continuation of many large infrastructural and community welfare, livelihood development projects that had been launched in the sectors of education, health, fisheries, agriculture, livestock, farming, industry, tourism, shipping, aviation with the backing of the central government and the international community, Rajapaksa queried.

"This is not for individual or party politics but will be decisive in ensuring the peaceful co-existence among the three major communities in the Eastern Province and their socio-economic development and the restoration of democracy," he noted.

"The polls would be like a Referendum."