Tiger rump, West out to topple Govt - Minister Johnston Fernando

By Uditha Kumarasinghe

Co-operatives and Internal Trade Minister Johnston Fernando said the Opposition fielding Maithripala Sirisena as the Common Opposition Candidate has opened avenues for President Mahinda Rajapaksa to secure an easy victory at the upcoming Presidential Election.

The Minister in an interview with the Sunday Observer said that the international community cannot understand Sri Lankan politics. Sri Lankans love their motherland and although there might be a plan by foreign forces to destabilise this country, it is a futile effort. Sirisena will not get the number of votes that even Fonseka garnered in the 2010 Presidential Election.

The Minister said that former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga is envious over President Rajapaks's success of winning the war against terrorism. She knows that President Mahinda Rajapaksa cannot be defeated. She has joined hands with outside forces and the West.

She has also given leadership to the pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora. Foreign funds are sent to her to take Government MPs to the Opposition. When UNPers see Chandrika Kumaratunga's face more and more at press conferences and public meetings, they will not vote for Sirisena. This would help the President to achieve a significant victory at the January 8 presidential election.

Q: How do you look at the decision taken by the UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake to quit from the UNP and joined the Government? Will it have any adverse effect on the UNP's vote base?

A: Definitely. Attanayake's cross over to the Government has caused immense damage to the UNP. As the party General Secretary, he tried his best to unite those who were divided within the UNP.

He has identified the pulse of the people particularly those in villages. He was the ombudsman in the UNP. Because people at grass root level expressed their grievances to him.

He was the only person in the UNP who listened to them. Attanayake was instrumental in creating the UNP's new vote machinery and producing 12,000 new leaders at village level and they were under his purview. Attanayake told me that a large number of UNPers had said that the UNP had no future and was facing destruction.

Attanayake was the only person in the UNP who had a rapport with the village.Many in the UNP have an elitist mentality.

Attanayake joining the Government is a huge blow to the UNP as against that Maithripala Sirisena's departure from the Government did not cause such a ruffle. He didn't do anything for the SLFP.

He only held the post of General Secretary of the SLFP. We actively engaged in the Uva Provincial Election campaign, but Sirisena didn't conduct any meeting to ensure the Government's victory.

It was balanced when Sirisena left the Government and joined the Opposition and Tissa Attanayake quit the UNP and joined the Government. Sirisena didn't get the mileage he expected.

Q: Contradictory views expressed by Opposition political parties on the abolition of the executive presidency bears ample testimony that there is no consensus within the joint coalition formed to support Common Opposition Candidate Maithripala Sirisena. Would you like to elaborate your views?

A: The joint opposition does not have a policy framework to abolish the executive presidency. A country cannot move forward in the way they think. When Sirisena claims that he would abolish the Executive Presidency, UNP MP Mangala Samaraweera says that all the important portfolios will be under the purview of the Executive President.

On the other hand, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe says that he will not abolish the Executive Presidency which was introduced by late President J.R. Jayewardena.

He says only the 18th Amendment to the Constitution will be changed. Various contradictory views are being expressed by Opposition politicians on the abolition of the Executive Presidency.

The joint Opposition is a hotch-potch. Because there is a saying that too many cooks spoil the soup. If Ranil Wickremesinghe had a genuine desire to abolish the Executive Presidency, he would have said so without contesting the Presidential Election.As far as I can see the Executive Presidency has not caused any damage. It has in fact been advantageous to the country. A majority of the voters reject the view held by the Opposition regarding the Executive Presidency.

Q: Do you see a pro-LTTE diaspora and some Western conspiracy to defeat President Mahinda Rajapaksa and topple the Government?

A: Certainly. Just six months after ending the war on terrorism, former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka was fielded as the Common Opposition Candidate for the 2010 Presidential Election. That was the day which I quit the UNP.

At the previous presidential election too they were looking for a candidate who could compete with President Rajapaksa.

They are aware that the President has gained public support as the leader who eradicated terrorism from Lankan soil.

They thought that honour can be divided if they fielded Fonseka as their candidate. Some Western countries pumped billions for Fonseka's election campaign.

Like what Sirisena says today, Fonseka also uttered the same thing at the previous Presidential Election campaign.

Q:How do you look at the statement made by Common Opposition Candidate Maithripala Sirisena that he would close the Bandaranaike International Airport on January 8 midnight, 2015?

A: Airports are closed down in countries such as Iraq and Libya. It was the US which was behind these closures.

As how Fonseka did, Sirisena is also implementing what US and some Western countries want to do. Where was Fonseka when the 2010 Presidential Election results were released? He stayed at the Cinnamon Lakeside hotel which was close to the Temple Trees. Why was he there with his armed groups?

They overestimated and thought that they would win the election. Once the election results were released, Fonseka's plan was to assassinate the Rajapaksa family just Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi and Iraqi Leader Saddam Hussein were killed by the West.

Now the West is attempting to kill the Syrian President. Sirisena's claim to close the airport on January 8 midnight, 2015 are not his words. He has been trained to say so. When Sirisena makes statements like that the people recall how airports in Libya and Iraq were closed. Sirisena is the local agent implementing this US- led Western conspiracy against Sri Lanka. He hatches conspiracies against the country and betrays the country and turns back the war victory.

Sirisena is paving the way for these unscrupulous elements to realise what Prabhakaran could not achieve through military means. Sirisena doesn't have a program to take the country forward.

He has only been trained to make various statements. Sarath Fonseka was fielded by the West, the UNP and the JVP, and he even lost his voting rights.

On election day, people came to know that Fonseka didn't have voting rights. At the previous election campaign, Fonseka was asked to wear the national dress and he was trained how to speak and wave to the people.

Likewise Sirisena has also been brought into the scene to fulfil a similar contract. He has also been asked to wear a jacket and a pair of spectacles like Indian Premier Modi. He has been trained how to wave to the people.

Western countries are training Sirisena how to act in an election campaign. TNA Leader Sampanthan says until final week, they won't announce to whom they are going to support.

But if we talk to the conscience of the people they know that Sampanthan and the pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora supports Sirisena.

Pro-LTTE elements are behind Sirisena. He represents them. Sirisena with the help of these unscrupulous elements is betraying the country.

Q: What led the UNP to withdraw from the Presidential Election campaign for the second consecutive time and agree to field a complete outsider as the Common Opposition Candidate?

A: The UNP survives through the international community and pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora. The international community and pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora wanted to field Sirisena as the Common Opposition Candidate, not Ranil, Karu or Sajith.

When the international community pressurised UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to field Sirisena as the Common Candidate, he bowed to them and agreed to do so. Earlier he also agreed to field Fonseka as the Common Candidate.

After the outcome of the Uva Provincial Council Election, Wickremesinghe said that he will contest the Presidential Election.

Sajith Premadasa said that if Wickremesinghe doesn't contest, he would contest. Karu Jayasuriya said that he was the most suitable candidate. Finally all of them withdrew due to fear of the international community. They cater to the interests of the international community. That is why they decided to field Sirisena as the Common Candidate.

The UNP and the JVP criticised Sirisena earlier. When we went to Polonnaruwa when we were in the UNP, the people in Polonnaruwa criticised his paddy, sand and wood mafia. A party such as the UNP decides to bring that kind of person as the Common Candidate, it is obvious that the international community is behind this plan.

Q: President Mahinda Rajapaksa was ready to compete with a UNP Presidential candidate. Now the President has to compete with former SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena who has been fielded as the Common Opposition candidate. How do you look at this scenario?

A: This is a blessing in disguise for the President. Nearly 50 percent of the UNPers will not vote at this election when they hear that Sirisena is contesting as the Common Opposition Candidate.

The UNP machinery is not working properly. If a UNP candidate was fielded, there would have been some competition for the President.The JVP and Fonseka's party faced a humiliating defeat at the Uva Provincial Council polls, the UNP obtained 40 percent of votes.

This created an opinion that the UNP could win an election. Fielding Sirisena as the Common candidate has opened avenues for the President to secure an easy victory at the upcoming Presidential Election.

The international community cannot understand about the nature of Sri Lankan politics. They formulate programs to destabilise this country but they are unaware of the fact that the people of this country love their motherland.

Sirisena will not get even the number of votes that Fonseka obtained at the previous Presidential Election.

Q: Nearly 12 Government MPs have crossed over to the Opposition pledging their support to the Common Opposition Candidate. Will this have an adverse impact on the UPFA's vote base?

A: Those who don't have people's power have gone to the Opposition. Some of them cannot get even a 100 votes. What is the vote base that MPs such as M.K.A.D.S. Gunawardana have?

Rajitha Senaratne ruined the fisheries sector. Foreign vessels illegally fishing in our territorial waters was the biggest problem faced in the fisheries sector. Senaratne worked for foreign fishermen and companies not for the local fishermen.

He earned huge amounts of money from those deals.

Our fishermen were disappointed. For the first time when the fishermen came to the Fisheries Ministry to meet Rajitha Senaratne, they were assaulted.

Rajitha leavings the Government is an advantage to the President. Fishermen will not even vote for the party where Rajitha joins.

Navin Dissanayake is not an outstanding politician of the calibre of his father.He planned to cross over to the UNP in 2010, not this time.

He remained in the Government when he came to know that I am joining the Government. It was I who prevented him from crossing over to the UNP at that time. Those who left the Government are not people who could muster votes.

Duminda Dissanayake's father, late Berty Premalal Dissanayake came second in his own electorate and his son's electorate. If the son can't get votes for his father from his own electorate and the people in that electorate reject his father as the Chief Minister and extend their support to another person, what is the people's power that they have? Where was Digambaran when the President won the 2010 Presidential Election with a 1.8 million majority?

He extended his support to Fonseka. Under these circumstances, the President has been further strengthened compared to the previous Presidential Election.

Just how Tissa Attanayake joined the Government, there will be more crossovers from the Opposition. The Government will take decisions based on decisions taken by the Opposition. President Rajapaksa is a clever leader.

If any Opposition politician talks to the President, he will definitely join hands with the President.

That is mainly due to the human qualities and striking personality of the President. Whenever someone leaves the Government, we can get Opposition MPs to counterbalance it. The President will achieve a significant victory at this election.

Q: One of the main allegation levelled against the Government by the joint Opposition is that various frauds and malpractices are occurred when mega development projects are launch by the Government. Would you like to comment on this?

A: This is nothing new. When the Mahaweli Project was launched by the late Gamini Dissanayake, a similar type of allegation was levelled against him as well.

When Lalith Athulathmudali was the Ports Minister, similar allegations were levelled against him. This kind of baseless allegation has been levelled against our leaders right throughout history.

They utter nonsense as they don't have any other important thing to say when they are in the Opposition.

President Rajapaksa is a clean, political character.

If he wanted to exploit public funds like former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga did, he would have dragged the war for so many years and earned billions from it.

The President ended the war in three years whereas all former Presidents could not do it in eaven 30 years.

The President is a clean politician who loves his motherland.

The Opposition says the Government has obtained loans for mega projects at high interest rates. The Government has obtained loans ranging from .5 percent to 4.5 percent.

During the tenure of the UNP governments from 1977 to 1985, loans have been obtained at high interest rates of 10 to 10.5 percent. This Government has not obtained loans exceeding 4.5 percent interest rate.

This is Goebbels theory adopted by the Opposition. They are aware that the President cannot be defeated in an election. That is why when I was also in the UNP, Mangala Samaraweera proposed to refer to the President and his family members as “ horu” (thieves) wherever we go.

Today the UNP and the JVP are also practicing this theory introduced by Mangala. Otherwise, they have not come out with any acceptable evidence to prove these charges.

When they know that they are going to be defeated, the joint Opposition now says that they will not stop any project launched by the present Government. Earlier they said that these projects are not suitable for our country.

Q:The Opposition has levelled serious charges of ethanol, drug and casino business against the Government. You too have been included as being involved in ethanol imports. What have you got to say about these allegations?

A: Drugs and casinos were first introduced to the country during the tenure of the UNP. The highest number of raids have been conducted in Sri Lanka during the tenure of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The largest quantity of drugs were seized during the tenure of the incumbent President. The people appreciate the initiatives taken to combat the drug menace.

However, instead of encouraging these raids, the Opposition discourages them. After the President assumed office, not even a single permit has been issued to open a casino.

The President also introduced regulations to bring casinos opened near schools under one particular place.

During the tenure of late President Ranasinghe Premadasa, casinos were opened even in front of schools. Legal action and fines have been imposed on those who imported ethanol.

The Opposition is slinging mud at some politicians on ethanol imports. No politician is involved in ethanol imports. If the Opposition has any issue on ethanol, they can raise it at the Consultative Committee Meeting. They can also raise questions in Parliament to disclose the names of those who have brought ethanol into the country. They can take same steps regarding the drug menace.

The Opposition is slinging mud at certain politicians without following the proper procedure. I challenge if anybody can prove the charges against me on ethanol imports, I would resign from my portfolio with immediate effect.

These are baseless allegations levelled by the Opposition to sling mud at some Government Ministers due to political bankruptcy.

Q: The Opposition alleges that the Government offers bribe and money to get Opposition MPs to the Government. How do you respond to this allegation?

A: This is a diabolical lie. Money is given to those who leave the Government and join the Opposition. Because US Dollars have already been sent for that purpose.

Billions of rupees are spent for the election campaign of Common Opposition Candidate.

All those who decide to join the Opposition end up going to Singapore. All these transactions are made in Singapore where pro-LTTE elements are also there.

Mangala Samaraweera, Rajitha Senaratne and former President Kumaratunga also went to Singapore recently.

UPFA Provincial Council member Hirunika Premachandra who quit the Government and joined the Opposition recently also went to Singapore. The Government doesn't have that kind of money to spend to get Opposition MPs.

On the other hand, this Government is not so bankrupt to get Opposition MP for money. Even Sirisena went for money. That is why he agreed to become the Common Opposition Candidate to betray the country.

Q: Is there any truth in the Opposition allegation that fuel, electricity, water and gas prices were reduced targeting the Presidential Election?

A: I reject that claim. The Government doesn't need to bring down these prices by targeting elections. If we take gas as an example, this is the first time that gas prices were reduced in the World Market after 2010.

We have given that benefit to the consumer. After 2010 world gas prices rapidly decreased. The Government removed the taxes imposed on gas. Likewise, electricity prices were also reduced.

The Opposition attempted to mislead the people that electricity prices will go up after the Uva Provincial Council Election. This Government is not so bankrupt to get people's votes through the reduction of prices of food commodities. In 2010, a kilo of rice and dhal were increased up to Rs.125 and Rs.200 respectively. But the people voted for the President at 2010 Presidential Election by without looking at rice and dhal prices.

They voted for the President by thinking of their country. The Government doesn't need to reduce the prices of goods targeting the election.

Q: Do you see former President Kumaratunga and some local and foreign anti-national forces backing the Common Candidate's election campaign to take revenge from the President?

A: Kumaratunga is the local agent of this international community. She first expressed her opposition to the President in 2005. During the 2005 Presidential Election campaign, Wickremesinghe told me that Kumaratunga will make a speech at the SLFP convention by extending her support to him.

Likewise Kumaratunga who addressed the convention said that it was Wickremesinghe who took the most appropriate decision on the war by signing the Peace Agreement with the LTTE. Through that she gave the signal to the SLFPers to vote for Wickremesinghe.

She didn't like the presidency going to anyone other than a member of the Bandaranaike family.

It was the Bandaranaike's who promoted family politics. Kumaratunga's father and mother were Prime Ministers.

Later the daughter became the President. The mother was the Prime Minister when her daughter was the President. A family tree was created in Sri Lankan politics from 1970 to 1977.

Mahinda Rajapaksa became the President even without the vote of the SLFP leader. Since the inception, Kumaratunga hatched conspiracies to defeat the President.

Whenever she spoke to the international community, she criticised the President and the Government. She exploited the war and thousands of youth were killed during her tenure.

Army camps like Mullaitivu and Alimankada collapsed in 24 or 48 hours. Because she didn't wage war against the terrorists with an honest intention.

She waged war to exploit and earn money. Kumaratunga has a huge problem over president Rajapaksa winning the war on terrorism. She is envious over this single achievement. She knows the President cannot be defeated in an election. So she has joined hands with some outside forces and the West. She has also given leadership to the pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora. Foreign funds are sent to her to take Government MPs to the Opposition. When UNPers continue see Chandrika Kumaratunga's face more and more at press conferences and at meetings, they will not vote for Sirisena. This in the long run would help President to achieve a significant victory.