Polls will endorse Armed forces victories - Wimal

Uditha Kumarasinghe

NFF Leader MP Wimal Weerawansa yesterday said the heroic Armed Forces have been able to achieve historic victories due to the firm decision taken by the country’s people to elect Mahinda Rajapaksa as the country’s President in 2005 and the initiatives taken by the President to appoint the most competent persons as Defence Secretary and the Heads of the three Armed Forces.

”Under the leadership of President Rajapaksa, our valiant soldiers have proved that they have the ability of achieving any victory in the future. The people will elect the suitable persons to the chief ministerial slots of the Central and North Western Provinces in the same way they elected President Rajapaksa in 2005,” he told a media briefing at the Mahaweli Centre, Colombo yesterday.

He said following the Provincial Council polls, a new trend which would be witnessed leading to a national resurgence in the country, he said.

Weerawansa said “ the people have already decided to give the Government a landslide victory at the upcoming polls to be held in the North Western and Central Provinces on February 14.

The people in these two provinces have rallied under the UPFA banner by hoisting the National Flag. The National Flag does not belong to any ethnicity or a religion. At this juncture, the people have not hoisted flags belonging to any political party. They have decided to bring victory to the UPFA first and the country later.”

He said the Provincial Council elections are being held at a time, the heroic Armed Forces have already achieved historic victories in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu. “Our valiant soldiers would be able to liberate all the areas in the Mullaitivu district when we celebrate this year’s Independence Day on February 4,” the MP added.

The massive people’s movement created under the wing of the UPFA at the 2005 Presidential Election has been further strengthened by making the betel leaf the election symbol of the people, he said.

He said the UNP’s election campaign was facing a severe setback. In a situation where all the UPFA candidates have used the President’s picture in their posters, no UNP candidate had used its leader’s picture in their posters. This is because the UNP candidates are well aware that they would lose even whatever votes they expect if they display the face of their Leader. This clearly shows the displeasure among the candidates towards their leadership.

The partymen are not ready to pay for Ranil Wickremesinghe’s sins furthermore. They have joined hands under the UPFA banner to celebrate this victory on February 14.

All the UNP supporters were jubilant on the great victories achieved by our Armed Forces in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu. But they were unable to celebrate that victory due to the sins of their leader, he said.