Govt will get two-thirds majority

Chamikara Weerasinghe

The Government will get two thirds majority at the forthcoming Parliamentary Election. The polling of the Presidential Election stands to prove that politics of bargaining with “block votes” have ended, said Environment and Natural resources Minister Champika Ranawaka.

He was speaking at the Lahugala National Park where he opened a new Park Office of the Wildlife Department. The Lahugala National Park was closed from 2006 due to terrorist problems until it was opened recently with the terrorism having ended under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Ranawaka said , the people have risen from block-vote mentality and the results of the upcoming Parliamentary Election will bear witness to that.

The People have united around development than with individual politicians who bargain and sell their votes as a tradition.

The Parliamentary Election is going to prove that there will be no ventilation for such politics in the country in future, the Minister pointed out. This stands to reason why the ruling party is going to get a two thirds majority at the Parliamentary Election, he said.

The country has achieved liberation through the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa . It is the responsibility of the public to preserve that freedom to pave the way to development as one nation, Ranawaka said.

The people have signalled that they do not stand with politics of bargaining with block votes as apparent from the way in which the people have cast their votes in the Presidential Election, he said.

We have taken steps to join all Sri Lankan National Parks from being divided into various parts, he said. All Parks have been integrated to be under the control of the state in keeping with a policy decision to protect them for future generations., he said.

The Wildlife Conservation Department has acquired its lands from persons who have encroached them without any right but by the virtue of their political connections. The Department has cleared all land titles in this connection, the Minister said.

“This has caused discontent among various persons and groups and that some of them blamed the government. Some left the Government while some others tried to topple it. Some spread false propaganda about it stating that the Government was acquiring lands of the public in Lahugala by force,” he said.

“Over five percent of the country’s lands belong to the Forest Conservation Department and Wildlife Conservation Department. We decided to protect them for future generations removing all kinds of political foul play.

“We treated everyone equally in the acquisition of these lands without singling out any party for political discrimination,” he said.We have led by example and we expect the others to follow suit to protect our game parks, he said.

“We have ended the long-held practice of individuals trying to acquire state lands ahead of an election or a budget, and have ended the era of state forest sanctuaries being used for political advantage. ”