JHU assures support for President

Lakshmi DE SILVA

Sri Lanka needs stability and a leader like President Mahinda Rajapaksa who defeated terrorism and brought peace within three years. President Rajapaksa also started development programs while fighting terrorism, JHU Leader Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Thera told a press conference at the Mahaweli Centre yesterday.

The country needs a leader who does not discriminate on divisions like caste, creed or ethnicity. The candidate who contests under the swan symbol had said he would go beyond the 13th Amendment and if necessary would even go beyond the 17th Amendment, the Thera added.

The Thera said the Opposition candidate had stated that he would take money even from Prabhakaran’s mother for the election campaign.

This showed his greed for money. According to law of Manu mentioned in classical literature, excessive desire for wealth was not a good quality of a leader, he said.

“President Rajapaksa is a honourable leader with good qualities and fulfilled his promises. His main idea was to defeat terrorism and he did it.

“We want to bring him back to power for the second term to bring stability and development to the country,” the Thera said.

The slogan to abolish the Executive Presidency was an artificially created slogan by foreign forces with the help of some local parties, he said.

The Presidential election is a test between justice and strength. President Rajapaksa has both and the JHU will support him, the Thera noted.