Doubts over govt. statement on need for opposition

UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya today expressed the party’s doubts regarding the honesty and sincerity of the statement of the government which say that they need an opposition, if they continue to assault those who express opposing views. Issuing a statement Mr. Jayasuriya stated.

“We have to reiterate the fact that there is a severe eroding of democracy in this country.

The latest example is the assault of the members of the United National Party by the members of the government, when the opposition, including UNP, the main party of the opposition, peacefully demonstrated at the time of the submission of budget proposals in the Parliament. Members of the UNP were assaulted by the members of the government, in the presence of the President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, leader of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. This is the Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka, not a country which has a system of government of the nature of Idi Amin, Bocassa, or Col. Gaddaffi.

We need a strong opposition. Leaders of the government say that the opposition should oppose the government forcefully, wherever it is needed. If the reaction of the members of the government is assaulting the members of the opposition by throwing books at them and hitting them whenever they demonstrate, we have our doubts regarding the honesty and sincerity of the statement of the government when they say that they need an opposition which express views opposing the government, if they continue to assault those who express opposing views.

We do not have a monarch in this country. If the government expects a system where the opposition and the people say -

Majesty the sun rises because of you

Majesty flowers bloom because of you

Birds sing because of you

Majesty we breathe because of you

We do not hesitate to take action against such a system.  We cannot allow the government which suppressed the 17th amendment and obtained 2/3 majority in parliament under the cover of the 18th amendment, to destroy the opposition and the public opinion against the government, using the political force."