President will win with two thirds majority- Minister Senaratne

Lakshmi de SILVA

Amidst several national and international calamities President Mahinda Rajapaksa led and won the 33 year old terrorist war. Whatever leader seeks to contest the Presidential election 2010, President Mahinda Rajapaksa will win with a two thirds majority, Construction and Engineering Services Minister Rajitha Senarathna said at a press conference held at the Mahaweli Centre yesterday.

National Freedom Front Leader Wimal Weerawansa said that he would challenge the opposition political parties to come on one platform to hold a press conference and reveal who their Prime Minister would be. By trying to bring out the common candidate in different platforms they not only deceive the retired General but also the public.

Weerawansa also challenged the opposition to prove at least ten or even five points to indicate that the government was heading towards a dictatorship. Has the election map been folded or are the trade unions being suppressed and is there a censorship of the press he queried.

The opposition seemed to be experiencing a nightmare but the people of the north and east were enjoying freedom after three decades of the terrorist jackboot, he also said.

Transport Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said the former LSSP leader Dr.Colvin R.de Silva said there were three kinds of lies, lies, utter lies and lies lined with statistics. Today however there were one hour lies, five hour lies and when these two types of lies are added now we have five kinds of lies.

When President Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected in 2005 he did not at least have the support at the party headquarters and the then incumbent President Kumaratunga also was behaving in a suspicious way.

Even today false vilification was going on but the support of all sections including the diaspora was with President Rajapaksa he noted.

Answering a question from a journalist JNP leader Wimal Weerawansa said General Sarath Fonseka was not a traitor but if he stands with those who betrayed the country during the war it was for the people to decide how they would judge him.

Dullas Alahapperuma said some in the opposition belittled the Armed Forces saying they were going to Pamankada saying they were advancing on Alimankada and Lakshman Kiriella had said any bull could fight a war. Some wept when LTTE’s Thamil Selvan was killed saying that the dove of peace was killed, and the common candidate will be sitting with all such people.