Non-communal voters of North must be given leadership - Defence Secy

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa

It should be a priority of the state to ensure that communal politics are removed from Northern politics, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said.

During a recent discussion with state media heads and state newspaper Editors, the Defence Secretary said there is a vast number of voters in the Northern Province who are not for ethnic politics, TNA or any other separatist inclined organisations that have been engaged in ethnic politics over the past years.

The Defence Secretary said after the completion of the humanitarian operation and the conflict, a large number of Northern voters want to participate in mainstream, non-communal politics.

“These voters should be given a chance because it is their democratic right. They should be given political leadership by national level political parties, such as, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). One time LTTE member Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan (Karuna Amman) is now the vice president of the SLFP,” the Defence Secretary said. This is a step in the right direction, he said.

The Defence Secretary said that when appointing National List MPs for the North, decision and policy makers should consider appointing persons from the province, representing those new voters who want to join mainstream, non - communal national politics.

“Only then the new voters of the North who dislike communal politics and who wish to join mainstream national politics, will receive a non - communal national level leadership,” he said.