15 December 2017 09:20 am
“I earnestly request the voting public to set aside all other considerations and to cast their vote at the forthcoming local government elections solely on the basis of being either in favour of, or opposed to, the present UNP-SLFP coalition government, “he said.
He said, “Nominations have now been accepted for the local government elections which had been delayed by nearly three years due to the government’s fear of losing. Even though a local government election is not an election at which political power changes hands, this election is of special significance because this is the first time the people will have an opportunity to use the ballot to demonstrate their opposition to the present government. The only election held previously under the so called 'yahapalana' government was the parliamentary election of August 2015. The incumbent President ensured the victory of the UNP at that election by issuing public statements to destabilise the UPFA election campaign and by sacking the general secretaries of the SLFP and the UPFA on the eve of the poll, thereby sending the message that since it is the President who calls the shots, the UNP will ultimately end up triumphant even if they lose the election.
That was the manner in which the present leader of the SLFP ensured the victory of the UNP at the last parliamentary election. This is why the Joint Opposition is contesting this local government election under a different symbol and a different political alliance. The objective of the joint opposition is to provide all those opposed to this government with a political alternative. Even though the SLFP group in the government criticizes the UNP, they serve in the same Cabinet and cooperate in all matters necessary to keep the coalition government going. SLFP ministers vote every year for the UNP’s Budget. The whole country saw the manner in which the SLFP group in the government voted in favour of the 2018 Budget just a few days ago. We see the two sides cooperating with one another in selling off our national assets as well. When the UNP minister of ports and shipping objected to the Hambantota port deal, the President removed him and appointed an SLFP minister to that position to push through the unfavourable deal entered into by the UNP. When the Hambantota Port was handed over to a foreign company recently, the whole country saw how the SLFP ministers present applauded as the Prime Minister hugged the cheque for 292 million USD,”the former President said.