Opposition Leader belittles Kilinochchi victory

While all peace loving people in the country opposing terrorism were celebrating the heroic victory achieved by Security Forces in liberating Kilinochchi, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe had tried to belittle it in a statement reported to have been made at a meeting at the Kandy Hindu Cultural Centre hall on Friday, said Transport Minister Dullas Alahapperuma in a communique issued on behalf of the Peoples’ Alliance Polls Campaign Centre yesterday.

Wickremesinghe is reported to have said that if the Government claims that Kilinochchi had been liberated what it ought to do now was to grant relief to the people by reducing the price of petrol.

Alahapperuma said Wickremesinghe’s uncertainty about the liberation of Kilinochchi is amply demonstrated by his term “if”. This clearly showed that he was at a loss to accept this great victory acclaimed by the whole nation.

Kilinochchi captured by the Security Forces on Friday was the administrative and military nerve centre of the LTTE terrorists. Wickremesinghe’s inability to acclaim this massive victory and issue a congratulatory message to the Security Forces showed the sense of patriotism in him.

Alahapperuma said the policy of the Wickremesinghe Government was cowardly submission before the LTTE terrorists. He even went to the extent of signing a so-called MOU with the LTTE which was a complete betrayal of the nation.

This MOU gave recognition to LTTE controlled areas. He also tried to give it legal status by trying to introduce an interim administration in the North and East. Officers of the Army intelligence services became easy prey to LTTE pistol gangs during the so-called ceasefire period.

The LTTE were able to take sensitive military and communication equipment to Kilinochchi via the Katunayake airport due to relaxation of security checks during this period. When President Mahinda Rajapaksa as Commander-in-Chief saved the country from this betrayal and gave able leadership to the Forces to systematically destroy terrorist strongholds in the North and East Wickremesinghe joined his friendly international forces to call for an immediate ceasefire and talks for a negotiated settlement with terrorists.

When Thoppigala was liberated from LTTE clutches he described it as a thick jungle. At a time when terrorists were getting decisively beaten by the valiant Security Forces Wickremesinghe made a false statement about the Air Force fleet in an alleged effort to leak out vital security information to the enemy.

Now Wickremesinghe says that if Kilinochchi has been liberated the Government should reduce the price of petrol.

Alahapperuma said he wished to remind Wickremesinghe that there were no oil wells in Killinochchi where as Wickremesinghe Government’s crony capitalist economic policy offered tax amnesties to racketeer businessmen the Government was following a people friendly economic policy.

The Government’s tax policy was based on this people friendly economic policy. Accordingly, the Government while protecting its tax income has introduced a programme to pass on the benefit of the world oil price reduction to the ordinary masses.

The Government has also intervened to support the tea and rubber industries and the export sector overcome the efforts of the global economic downturn. What Wickremesinghe was trying to do was to hurl an inferior petrol bomb against the people friendly policies of the Government which will backfire in his own hands.

Alahapperuma said he wished to remind Wickremesinghe that this was a moment when the whole nation should stand united against the common enemy. This was not a time to give oxygen to the dying terrorism for the sake of political gain.

This was a time when the hand of friendship and brotherhood should be extended to the people in the North who had been suffering from three decades of war. He hoped that correct wisdom would dawn on Wickremesinghe even at this late stage.