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| Tuesday, 16 March 2004 |
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| UNP Manifesto : Stronger mandate needed to complete 'unfinished business' by Nadira Gunatilleke The UNP needs a stronger mandate to finish the work that it has already set in motion, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday. "We ask for a stronger mandate to finish the unfinished business. We call our manifesto `Completing the people's unfinished business'. We have to study the other countries which solved problems in order to our problems which exist during past 50 years. We cannot ignore and forget problems," he added. Launching the UNP manifesto, the Premier said the coming election is crucial for the people and the future of the country and not for a political party. "The people have to decide whether they need a stop gap policy or a permanent policy." The United National Party was the only political party that has presented a special work plan for women who represent majority of the country's total population, he said. "All the other political parties have presented complicated proposals for both women and children," the Premier said. Describing the steps taken by the UNP Government during the past two years in for developing the country, the Premier compared it to cultivating a wasteland. "In their first year, we had to prepare the wasteland. The second year we cultivated and in the third year the President dissolved the Parliament when we were preparing to harvest the crop." The Premier said: "We were heading towards a lasting solution to the ethnic problem. We stopped dead bodies coming from the N-E region. We repaid the loans. We reduced the budget deficit. We were trying to establish a FTA with the USA in order to save our garment industry by 2005. We brought 500,000 tourists into the country. Fielding questions by journalists, the Premier said that the latest developments in the North-East region can be focused on only after the elections. The Government has already requested the Norwegians and the SLMM to hold discussions and report on the new developments. "We want concerned parties to reach a solution without further clashes". Questioned about the election campaign, the Premier said that campaigns of the other parties had already reached their peak but the UNP election campaign is yet to hit its peak which is an added advantage. UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya said that the UNP manifesto was not a mere piece of paper. It is a six year plan. It is a pledge to the nation. The UNP has leadership, a talented team and resources to implement the work plan included in the UNP manifesto. The UNP Government has established a record by ruling the country for two years without emergency powers. "We are quite prepared to go to the people and ask for a stronger mandate", he added. UNP Chairman Malik Samarawickrema said that the UNP presented a manifesto in 2001 for six years and some of the work included in it was completed during the past two years. A video documentary on the development projects carried out by the UNP Government during past two years was screened. The manifesto was presented to the Prime Minister, UNP General Secretary Senarath Kapukotuwa, UNP Chairman Malik Samarawickrama and UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya. |
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