I will protect democracy- President

* Over 98 pc Mahinda Chintana policies accomplished:

* Duty of UNPers to safeguard democracy:

Indika POLKOTUWA and Sanjaya ASELA MATURATA

President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that he will never allow anyone to destroy the people’s democratic right to elect their representatives through the exercise of their franchise without let or hindrance.

As much as he liberated the Motherland from cruel terrorism, he will dedicate himself to protect and safeguard democracy in this country for the benefit of the future generation.

He said so addressing a group of nearly 3,000 UNP supporters in the Kandy district who crossed over to the SLFP to support his candidature at a meeting held at President’s House in Kandy on Wednesday. The President who said that it was the duty of UNPers to safeguard democracy, said the present leaders of the grand old party with a history of 60 years had betrayed democracy for petty selfish gain. The President said that while he was there to protect and safeguard democracy in the SLFP and the UPFA, the UNP had no leader to protect democracy in that party as all its leaders had betrayed democracy.

“Almost 98 percent of the Mahinda Chinthana policies put forward by me in 2005 have now been accomplished. When I assumed power in 2005 I had only a slim one vote majority in Parliament to carryout my policies.

“The Ranil Wickremesinghe government had given a section of the country on a platter to the LTTE by a notorious ceasefire agreement. If any country gave recognition to an LTTE state, Sri Lanka would have been doomed. So I had no option but to establish a strong government to support a war effort to defeat terrorism by inviting Opposition members to join the government and establish a 44 vote majority in Parliament,” the President said.