‘Paada Yathras can’t topple govt’

By Uditha Kumarasinghe

SLFP General Secretary and Agriculture Minister Duminda Dissanayake said the Joint Opposition (JO)’s contention of toppling a democratically elected government by engaging in a Paada Yathra, was a futile exercise that will come a cropper.

“It is an ugly precedent to topple a democratically elected government and grab power to suit some politicians whims and fancies. We must put an end to this ugly practice and rebuild the country for future generations,” the Minister told the Sunday Observer yesterday

He said JO stalwarts were unable to live without the perks and portfolios they had enjoyed over the past 10 years. “They have the right to criticise the government and present alternatives if they had any,” he said.

Minister Dissanayake said the SLFP nor Leader President Maithripala Sirisena had any connection with the JO’s Paada Yathra. At Tuesday’s (July 26) Cabinet meeting, President Sirisena vehemently denied media reports that he had okayed the Paada Yathra and added that the JO made no mention about the Paada Yathra at the recent meeting they had with him.

The Minister said the national government was focusing on several key areas such as the country’s future, electoral system, the constitution, national harmony and the economy. If the JO’s contention is to topple the government, this means that they are against the Government’s progressive moves. At the last Presidential and General elections, the people gave a democratic verdict. The strange thing is hardly a year has passed and the JO want to overthrow the Government, he said.

“The Government completes one year next month.

We were also in the Government of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and are well-aware that one year is not sufficient to launch the Government’s development program. We experienced this during the UPFA Governments of 1994, 2005 and 2010,” he said.

“ When laws are being enforced, it has caused fear in some JO politicians and they were finding ways and means of covering up their wrongdoings. Today, anybody who has committed fraud has to go before the FCID, Bribery Commission and the courts. Earlier, it was a different situation, any politician could engage in any wrongdoing and be pardoned by the former President.

During the Rajapaksa regime, some politicians acted brazenly manner without a conscience, and escaped” he said.