President says no more betrayal by forces

Chaminda Perera in Debarawewa

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said that he will not allow any force to betray the country which was saved by sacrificing more than 30,000 lives.

He stressed that nobody would be allowed to reverse the achievement made by the country and requested the people of all communities to shed their communal identities and extend their support to the government to rebuild the country.

The President was addressing a massive election rally at the Debarawewa Public Grounds organised by Ports Development Minister Chamal Rajapaksa.

The President added that he was mandated to save the country from the scourge of terrorism by the people in 2005 and the Government succeeded in fulfilling what they expected within four years.

“The country was in tatters when I came into power and the terrorists had a defecto control over the North and the East of the country,” he said.

President Rajapaksa said Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe betrayed the country by entering into an agreement with the terrorists four years ago and he had to exercise the executive powers to nullify the agreement to ensure a complete liberation of the country.

Thousands of youths showed their patriotism for the country by joining the Security Forces and the Police to fight separatism and terrorism which had plagued the country’s development for more than three decades.

He said the Government will soon bring to light a massive scam allegedly perpetrated by the Tissamaharama Pradeshiya Sabha which is run by the JVP.

The President stressed that billions of rupees of the taxpayers in the Tissamaharama Pradeshiya Sabha limits have been played out by the JVP members in the Pradeshiya Sabha.

The President added that the perpetrators of this scam would be brought to book irrespective of their status soon. President Rajapaksa added that the economic policies followed by the Government are so dynamic that not a single institution collapsed in Sri Lanka due to the global financial crisis.

He said that he launched special programs to promote local food production in the country before the global food crisis affected the country.

“We provided better price for paddy farmers. These farmers are getting a bag of fertilizer weighing 50 Kg at Rs. 350. He stressed the Government was able to grant this subsidy to the farmers when the actual price of a 50 Kg fertilizer bag was over Rs. 9000 in the open market.

President Rajapaksa stressed that the Government brought development to the villages during the past four years.

“The highways connecting Colombo and villages are being carpeted by the Government now” he said.

He said the Tenant Farmers Act will be brought to Parliament as an urgent matter and the tenant farmers will benefit by this move.

Ministers Chamal Rajapaksa, Dilan Perera, Johnston Fernando, NFF Leader Wimal Weerawansa and Western Provincial Minister Udaya Gammanpila were among the speakers.