Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday, called on all citizens of the country to join hands to defeat the forces that seek to destroy the country by perpetuating their rule without holding elections.
In a special statement Prime Minister Rajapaksa said the people voted for a change in 2015 for the sake of democracy.
“But after the change of Government, the people ended up without democracy, without the right to vote and without food and clothing as well, the Premier said.
“The endeavour we are engaged in now is Sri Lanka’s last chance to come out of the crisis it is in,” Prime Minister Rajapaksa said.
He also said, “What we did on October 26 was to form an Interim Government that would have lasted only until the conclusion of the General Election that has already been declared, but temporarily put on hold by courts. We never had any intention of running an administration through the government that has been formed at present.
“The whole country can see that only a few members of the Joint Opposition hold office in this government. That is because this is only an interim arrangement. I have been stressing ever since I took oaths as Prime Minister that our foremost aim was to go for an election in order to establish a stable government. However, the objective of the other side is to revive the previous government and to rule the country for as long as possible without holding any election at all. That is the reason for the present political situation,” he said.
“Some people ask me why I accepted office when there was less than 18 months to go for the next elections. I have heard members of the UNP saying that if I had been patient for another 18 months, I could have won the ensuing election with a two-thirds majority.”
“We did not form a government to continuously administer the country but to hold a general election. The President explained in his Address to the Nation that he appointed me as the Prime Minister only after things reached a stage where he had absolutely no other option. When the government is entrusted to me in such circumstances, I cannot in all fairness, shun the responsibility. This was not a question of political power. The fate of our country and the futures of our younger generation were at stake.
“It is now barely a month since the change of government on October 26. What we have now is only an interim government. When a downward trend manifests itself, it is difficult to turn things around in a month or two. As the general election which would have enabled the people to elect a stable government has been delayed, it will take some time for a stable government to be formed. During this interim period, I request the people to stand by us and to participate in the effort to restore economic stability to this country. The people will remember that during our period of rule between 2006 and 2014, we took every measure possible to avoid imposing heavy burdens on the people. This is why we reduced the price of fuel and some essential foodstuffs soon after assuming office on October 26. We reintroduced the fertilizer subsidy and reduced taxes on agricultural incomes so as to reduce the burden on the people and to increase production.
“The people living in this country are aware of the difference in the situation that prevailed before 2015 and after 2015. The Cabinet Spokesman of the previous government has publicly stated on numerous occasions that in 2015, the people had not voted for a change of government due to any lack of food and clothing.
He said that the people voted for a change in 2015 for the sake of democracy. But after that change of government, the people ended up without democracy, without the right to vote and without food and clothing as well. Is that not what happened? The endeavour that we are engaged in now is Sri Lanka’s last chance to come out of the crisis it is in. Let us all join hands to defeat the forces that seek to destroy this country by perpetuating their rule without holding elections.