UNP losing credibility - Minister Yapa

The Western Provincial Council will be established shortly. The United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) salutes the people for granting a landslide victory, Cabinet Spokesman and Information and Media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said.

The vote base of the UPFA has increased significantly when comparing with the 2005 Presidential Election while the United National Party (UNP) has recorded a significant decline in its vote base, he said addressing the weekly Cabinet press briefing held at the Government Information Department auditorium yesterday.

Minister Yapa said when comparing how the vote base of the UNP has gone down since the 2005 Presidential Election, the UNP has lost 240,056 votes from the Colombo district in 2009 Western Provincial Council Election and another 141,000 votes from the Kalutara district.

The amount of votes the UNP lost from the Gampaha district is 245,008.

"Various persons interpret the 2009 Western Provincial Council Election results in different ways but the reality and truth is the UPFA has drastically increased its vote base while the UNP has lost its voters including traditional party supporters. The UPFA will record more votes in next elections," the Minister said.

According to Minister Yapa the UNP has lost its credibility in every previous elections and it is continuing in the same direction. The people have lost faith in the UNP.

The people of Sri Lanka wanted a country without terrorism and a secure future which the UNP was unable to deliver. "But President Rajapaksa's Government achieved both targets within a period of just four years.

The UNP had to tell something to its remaining supporters in order to keep them with the party after the results of 2009 Western Provincial Council Election and that is why they tried to interpret election results according to their requirement," he said.

President Rajapaksa has done some main great tasks. The first one is giving a great leadership to the nation and the second is establishing one of the best Armed Forces in the world.

The Armed Forces were there but without a leadership. President Rajapaksa gave the best leadership and also gave the forces an excellent administrator and an administration.

The third task is eradicating fear and uncertainty from the people's minds after a period of 30 years. He gave confidence and hope for the people," Minister Yapa said. Foreign investors are willing to come to Sri Lanka and the opinion of the international community towards Sri Lanka is also changing for the better. We are about to build a Sri Lanka with peace, unity, friendship and especially the Sri Lankan identity.

"We have to think about a bright future and have to fill the big picture, not a part of it. Discussions are going on about holding the Local Government Election in the North and the Uva and Southern Province elections will be held when the time comes.

The entire Southern Province will support President Rajapaksa and the UPFA," the Minister said.