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Threat to PA from racketeers -President

by Ranjith Padmasiri

The threat to the PA was not posed by the working class who had helped the formation of the government after going through a 17 year UNP rule in which the people of the country had been subjected to violence and deprivation of rights. But the threat to the PA came from a coterie of racketeers who were in the UNP, President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga said.

The President was addressing the representatives of trade unions on the current political situation at President's House yesterday (14) when she made these observations.

During that period the UNP had patronized cronies and their kinsfolk who had been allowed to accumulate wealth by racketeering.

These elements could not continue in their usual underhand deals as the PA had put a stop to their activities. Various UNP cronies who found that the Government was putting a stop to their shady activities had got together with some corrupt elements in the PA and plotted with them to overthrow the Government.

Today those plotters had joined the UNP but the working class who are more politically conscious are aware that the UNP harbours elements who had subjected people including trade unionists to violence and repression.

Should this alliance of racketeers, drug dealers, casino and bookie barons come to power they would corrupt the entire society at all levels. Therefore trade unionists and members of the working class should explain to the people that the whole country was at stake if the UNP came to power again. The working class should go from house to house during the present election campaign and convince the people that there is a real danger to society and especially to the younger generation, she said.

The UNP is also engaged in sabotage through the media institutions. The working class should be able to correct such things as they are aware of what is happening in the country. I have worked closely with the working class and I understand their views and attitude towards the country.

For a long period of time our working class has been ahead of the other classes in this country in their political and civic senses. Our trade unions had a propensity towards the left political thinking and that may be the reason why the working class became conscious and alert at crucial moments of the country's history. Even in France there are texts written on the left political parties of Sri Lanka and our working class had become intelligent due to this influence she said.

The Government also waged war on terrorism abroad and had been able to convince that the LTTE is a terrorist organization dealing in drugs, human trafficking and acts of terror on innocent civilians. Due to the correct foreign policy of the Government most countries in the West have proscribed this organization.

Some of the racketeers including the drug and bookie barons are also a part of the conspiracy against the Government.

Among those former PA members who joined the UNP recently are also persons who have been known to have dealings with the racketeers and the drug barons who are being backed by the LTTE. Therefore the working class could play a vital role in defeating that unholy alliance, President Kumaratunga said.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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