Majority express confidence in President Rajapaksa

By Uditha Kumarasinghe and Manjula Fernando

A cross-section of the Ministers interviewed by the Sunday Observer yesterday described putting forward Maithripala Sirisena as the Opposition's Common Candidate as a conspiracy to destabilise the country under the influence of some external forces.

They said President Mahinda Rajapaksa will achieve a resounding victory at the forthcoming Presidential Election because the majority of the people have placed their confidence on him and are hoping that he will take the country to great heights during his third tenure in office.

Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe:

I see this as a conspiracy to destabilise the country. There are powerful external forces manipulating the whole situation.

We cannot allow these external forces to destabilise the country because this stability was achieved after 30 long years, sacrificing many hundreds of lives.

We have restored economic, political and social stability in the country and we have now begun to enjoy the fruits of our hard work.

Many leaders during the 30 years who did not have the courage and the dedication to continue the task of eliminating terrorists, succumb to external pressure. President Rajapaksa overcame the pressure, he put the country first and eliminated terrorism. We can trust the president to continue to consolidate the gains that we have achieved. People of this country approve and appreciate what he did.

I have no doubt in my mind that he will achieve a resounding victory and the people have already decided that they want him to continue. They know he will take this country to great heights.

As far as I am concerned I will work very hard to ensure his victory.

UPFA General Secretary and Environment and Renewable Energy Minister Susil Premajayantha:

The SLFP Central Committee unanimously decided to nominate the Party Leader, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, as its candidate for the Presidential Election to be held in January 8 next year.

The United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) unanimously backs the decision taken by the SLFP Central Committee to field Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Presidential Candidate of the ruling alliance.

With its stable policies, the SLFP has become the most powerful political party in the country at present and President Rajapaksa will take the SLFP and the other constituent parties of the UPFA to another resounding victory at the polls. The founder of the SLFP, late Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was assassinated in 1959 after a huge, organized conspiracy as they believed that no one cannot defeat him because of his people friendly policies.

By uniting national religious and cultural forces in the country popularly known as Sanga-Weda-Guru Govi-Kamkaru Pancha Maha Balavegaya, a great service was rendered to uplift the living standards of the suppressed class by the UPFA Government.

Senior Minister of Technology and Research Prof. Tissa Vitharana:

I am sorry that Minister Maithripala Sirisena, Rajitha Senaratne and others have taken this step to break away from the UPFA Government. Though they have good intentions, I think they have fallen into a trap set by the UNP.

If the objectives that has been set by the former Minister Maithripala Sirisena and others is achieved, he will enjoy power of executive presidency for a very short period after which the power will be passed on to Ranil Wickremesinghe and the UNP.

Therefore all that they will be achieving is handing power over to the UNP which is acting not in our interest but in the interest of the USA and foreign capitalism.

It is also not clear as to how within a short period of 100 days the defectors will be able to do away with the executive Presidency without having the necessary support in Parliament, even if they succeed at the presidential election.

The best intentions are worthwhile only if they can be successfully put into effect. I doubt this.

National Freedom Front (NFF) Leader and Construction, Engineering Services, Housing and Common Amenities Minister Wimal Weerawansa:

No matter who commits the betrayal, which is historically nothing new to Sri Lanka, the UPFA will march towards victory at the Presidential poll to give Mahinda Rajapaksa a third term.

The Opposition failed miserably to find a good contender for President within their ranks.

They combed every bush in their midst but finally they found a scapegoat to be sacrificed from the UPFA.

The people's confidence is still with the ruling party and people will not allow the country to be taken back to those dark days.

The same foreign forces backed by the LTTE diaspora who teamed up to field Sarath Fonseka in 2010 as the Presidential candidate has come together again to groom the common candidate.

The abolition of executive presidency is a ploy used by these forces to get a regime change and destabilise the country.

This is the call of the LTTE diaspora. These hawkers are at play again and trying to get their wishes that were lost during January 2010, fulfilled through another candidate.

Even some foreign missions in Colombo have taken an unusual interest in the up coming election and the opposition candidate.

The UNP which had been craving for power, after being in the opposition for many years are now trying to come to power at any cost.

They are not worried if their actions will have adverse consequences for the country.

Sugar Industry Development Minister Lakshman Senewiratne:

Putting forward Maithripala Sirisena as the Opposition's Common Candidate is just only a storm in a tea cup.

He wants to abolish the Executive Presidency within 100 days and appoint Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister. Who will he be after 100 days? Is this the mandate that he is seeking from the people? It is nothing but all sound and fury signifying nothing, as the saying goes. Why we should vote for Maithri? What has he done on behalf of the country and its people. President Mahinda Rajapaksa could put an end to three decades of terrorism and restore peace within the country. We also witness the massive infrastructure development that has taken place within the country during the nine-year tenure of the President. At present the peace dividends has reached village level.

Minister Senewiratne said at present the competition is between two SLFPers. The UNPers may be happy on the decision taken by Ranil Wickremesinghe not to contest for the Presidential Election. Wickremesinghe may also be happy because Maithri came as the scapegoat to prevent yet another humiliating defeat for him.