Minister recalls UNP’s democratic credentials

Nadira Gunatilleke

The UNP regime fell to a low level and changed the Constitution according to the requirements of a person in the past. The people know how the J.R.Jayawardena government used 6/5 majority, Health Minister and SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena said.

Minister Sirisena was addressing a ceremony at the Kalutara Town Hall to commemorate SLFP activists, Indrapala Abeyweera, Vijayalal Mendis and Martin Silva killed by Deshapremi Janatha Vyaparaya in 1989.

The minister said during the 1988/1989 period, the people faced three types of death threats. They were killed by the government, LTTE and JVP.

He said in 2001, the UNP came to power again under the leadership of Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and killed 65 SLFP activists. They arrested 11,000 SLFPers on fabricated complaints. They made 1,756 SLFPers disabled and destroyed 400 houses belonging to SLFP supporters. They set houses on fire, he said.

Minister Sirisena said in 2001, UNP goons entered into a house at Polonnaruwa and raped a 60 years old mother of two as they could not find the two daughters who were hiding in the jungle to save their lives. They supported the SLFP.

Ranil Wickremesinghe did not take action to arrest a single rapist. That was the democracy of the UNP which try to teach about democracy and human rights to the UPFA government, he said.

The minister said UNPers do not feel the void created by not having a UNP Government because they can go to the UNP Ministers who serve in President Rajapaksa’s Cabinet and get their things done. UNP supporters do not feel they are discriminated as the government is truly national, he said.