Resounding victory assured at forthcoming election - Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe

By Manjula Fernando

Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe says the resounding victory President Mahinda Rajapaksa will achieve at the forthcoming election will offer the best answer to the external forces using their political clout at the UN Human Rights Council to destabilise Sri Lanka.

In an interview with the Sunday Observer he shot down speculation that he will join the common opposition candidate.

"I have never played double games. I have always played with a straight bat. Even when I left the UNP nearly nine years ago, I first met the Opposition Leader Ranil Wickeremasinghe face to face, at his residence and informed him of my decision to leave."

Q: Do you think the common candidate of the Opposition will pose a significant threat to President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the forthcoming Presidential election?

A: Absolutely not. President Rajapaksa is a time- tested leader, there were leaders before President Rajapaksa but none had the courage, skill and dedication to finish off the biggest challenge we faced in the last three decades - the scourge of terrorism.

It was one of the worst forms of terrorism the world has ever seen. It had to be eradicated to move ahead and ensure prosperity for the people of this country. Many leaders before President Rajapaksa did take on this challenge but none of them withstood the pressure, from international and domestic sources, to complete the task that lay before them. When we look back at the last 30 years.

I have never seen a shortcoming on the part of our three forces and the police but the political leadership was lacking.

While the armed forces and the police were ready, to fulfill their constitutional obligations, successive leaders were weak and the necessary political leadership faultered.

But President Rajapaksa made a difference. He was forthright, courageous, he did not succumb to international pressure.

He knew what the people of this country wanted. He offered decisive political leadership to eliminate the biggest challenge that we faced, in the recent political history of the country.

As a result we have been able to restore, political, economical and social stability in the country. And using this stability the country is moving forward towards a sustainable development.

Q: Will this development drive be continued in the same pace, the Opposition claim the People's wishes are being neglected?

A: When we look at the 2015 Budget, an unprecedented amount of money has been set aside for socio-economic development.

The people of this country will be the beneficiaries of these allocations. Already we are far ahead of any other South Asian country in terms of socio-economic development. One has to only refer to the UNDP's Human Development index of 2013 to see that we are far ahead of any country in South Asia.

Sri Lanka is ranked at 76 while our closest neighbor is ranked at 143 in terms of socio-economic development. We are well on the road to sustainable development. And one of the main factors was the restoration of peace after 30 years of terrorism.

People understand and appreciate this. The name of the President is now etched in gold in the annals of history. Furthermore its in the hearts and minds of the common men in the country.

I cannot see anyone challenging the president and I have no doubt that, this time around we will get the biggest mandate that he has ever got, because people understand that despite all these achievements and there is a well- planned strategy to destabilise the country. There is a common feeling among the people that these forces have to be defeated.

We have international proof that it is not only Sri Lanka where these destabilisation programs have been implemented - in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya and now Russia, these forces are active.

If you take Iraq and Libya, for examples, the leaders of these countries were eliminated because the people were not with those leaders.

As a result external forces penetrated and destabilised those countries and today these two countries are in the process of dismembering.

This is exactly what they are trying orchestrate in selected other countries including Sri Lanka.

This is an opportunity for people of this country to be with the leadership of this country who had done much for the people. That will be the best answer we can offer these external forces. Because if the people of the country are with the leadership, no matter how powerful they are, no one will be able to destabilise the country.

Q: With the ongoing UNHCR investigation on Sri Lanka, what sort of an impact will it have if a regime change is brought about at this point?

A: I don't want to speculate on hypothetical situations. We are convinced that President Mahinda Rajapaksa will have a resounding victory. That will be a sufficient answer even for Geneva as well.

Although selected countries are distorting what is really happening in Sri Lanka and using their political clout, the people of this country are with the President and the Government.

This is the best message the country can give all the forces who are trying to pull us down by those who use their political clout in places like the UN Human Rights Council.

I have been associated with the UNHRC for more years than anyone else. I have watched the functioning of the HRC when it was a Commission.

The resolve of member countries to move away from the Human Rights Commission and establish the Human Rights Council was to move away from the politicisation of this important international forum. But unfortunately that has not happened.

I can tell you very clearly that the Human Rights Council does not look at human rights in an objective manner.

They are selective, in their decisions as to what countries they must pursue and they are not objective in their presentation of facts.

It's all about playing out a political agenda, which is useful for certain powerful entities. This is, unfortunately, the situation even today, progress is irrelevant to those who are trying to destabilise your country.As I mentioned earlier the best answer to all this is a fresh people's mandate to the President.

Q: You have no intention to support the common candidate ?

A: You are trying to make an issue when there is no issue. I have never played double games.

I have always played with a straight bat. Even when I left the UNP nearly nine years ago, I first met the Opposition Leader Ranil Wickeremasinghe face to face, at his residence and informed my decision to leave.

I had the backbone to do that. I have never criticized him, because I never had an issue with him.

My decision to join President Rajapaksa was based on a necessity to contribute to the country at a decisive time. It was after my meeting with Mr.Wickremasinghe I met with President Rajapaksa and joined his cabinet in January 25, 2006.

We did not witness the same behaviour from Maithripala Sirisena.

Two days before he left, he even raised his hand at the Central Committee of the SLFP to endorse the President as the SLFP candidate. We also know that, before he had the press conference, he sat down with the President at Temple Trees and had dinner with him.

He never indicated to the president that he was leaving. On Budget day he did not have the courage to come and sit down with the Opposition and vote against the President.

Is this the kind of leadership the people of this country want. As far as I am concerned I am hundred percent loyal to the President and I will work hard to ensure his victory.

Q:What could have prompted the recent crossovers from the Government in your opinion?

A: This was a strategy, that was in progress for months and months. It was not something that happened within a course of a week. Satellite telephones have been used to hatch the coup and of course they had great expectations that thirty to thirty five Government MPs were going to cross over, but finally it turned out to be just a handful.

The Budget was approved by a parliamentary two thirds majority, the government side had one more vote than the previous Budget. That was a major defeat to these conspirators. It was a well-planned strategy that was put in place. But they could not muster the expected numbers.

Q: Do you believe that the executive presidency should be abolished and that it could be done within 100 days as pledged by the common candidate ?

A: Our legal luminaries believe that it is not possible to abolish the executive presidency in 100 days. But that is not the question.

This is something which has been in the process of discussion. When the Parliament Select Committee under the chairmanship of Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva was appointed, the Opposition did not participate in the meetings.

That would have been the ideal forum to discuss this kind of important issue. I believe constitutional reform should not be done in a piece-meal manner.

The select committee was established to look at constitutional reform in a comprehensive manner, that process should continue in the future.

This is a decision that must come from within Parliament, it should not be a unilateral decision by the Executive President.

Certain clauses in the Constitution not only need the consensus of Parliament but also call for a referendum.

Q: With so many incompatible partners with contrasting views, is it likely that the Common Opposition would be able to step in the right direction to do away with the Executive Presidency ?

A: I believe the Opposition is misleading the masses again by offering unrealistic promises which are impossible to deliver.

The Government has a two thirds majority in Parliament. If the Opposition is keen on moving towards implementing some of their pledges, the forum is available even now. But we believe, these are just election gimmicks.

This is not the first time such things have happened in Sri Lanka.

President Rajapaksa is a leader whom people have faith in. I know that he will achieve a resounding victory at the forthcoming election.