Forthcoming General Elections:

People will ensure repeat victory for UPFA

Indika POLKOTUWA

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has shown his gratitude to the masses who elected him in 2005 by liberating the country from terrorism as promised. The masses in turn have reciprocated that gratitude by re-electing him with a massive mandate at the recently concluded Presidential Election, said Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Minister Keheliya Rambukwella in an interview with the Daily News.

Q: How do you explain the massive victory gained by the President with a majority of over 1.8 million votes?

Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Minister Keheliya Rambukwella

A: The President fulfilled his major election pledge made in 2005 by defeating terrorism and liberating the country. The people appreciated the massive development work undertaken during the last four years in the midst of a war situation.

The people also realized the dangers the country would have faced if the main Opposition candidate won the election. The number of votes polled by the main Opposition candidate would have further reduced drastically if the election was held much later.

Q: Didn’t the President face many foreign interventions and pressures during this election?

A: Certain international organizations had warned the President about a so-called invincibility of the LTTE. But the President startled the whole world by totally defeating the LTTE. Overcoming foreign pressures during the election was a small matter for the President who successfully faced the daunting challenge of overcoming LTTE terrorism. When Fonseka entered an alliance with the TNA many international forces hailed it thinking they could overturn the war victory through that alliance. These international forces miscalculated the opinion of the common masses of this country who were a grateful people.

Q: Fonseka has said looking at the massive crowds at his meetings the Presidential Election result was unacceptable to him?

A: This itself clearly showed Fonseka’s political immaturity. Although they allege that election results are distorted they forget that counting and computer tabulation of votes are done by independent state officials. There would have been Fonseka supporters too among them. Everything was overseen by polling agents of the respective parties.

Q: The majority in the North and East voted for Fonseka. Why did the Government fail to muster support in those provinces?

A: This is the first time the people in the North and East exercised their franchise after 30 years. The fact that they exercised their democratic voting right is itself a victory for the Government. After being engulfed in a war they would have been easily deceived by the falsehoods spread by the Sampanthan, Ganeshan and Hakeem clique. With passage of time they might gain more political maturity and exercise their votes more intelligently.

Q: Details about an alleged plot hatched by the Fonseka Group in a Colombo hotel on election day night have emerged. What is your opinion about it?

A: Many Information gathered from the people arrested in this connection will be known to the public soon.

These things are normally heard from countries with dictatorships. However, a major catastrophe was averted because the people had taken a wise decision. The Fonseka group also spread falsehoods about the whole saga. Although they charged that they were held under seige they were able to leave the hotel without any hassle a few days later.

Q: Are you confident of a similar convincing victory for the Government at the General Election?

A: People who placed great faith in the President at the Presidential Election will undoubtedly ensure a similar victory for the UPFA at the General Election to further strengthen his hands.

Q: What do you think of the downfall of the UNP and the JVP?

A: The UNP which was a massive political organization in Asia has today fallen to its worst depths due to a poor leadership. There is no democracy in the party under the leadership of Ranil Wickremesinghe. The JVP is totally standard due to its wrong decisions. It is so bankrupt that it will not have even one elected MP if it contested the General Election on its own.