17 October 2019 11:08 pm
Opposition MP Dr. Bandula Gunawardana today asked under what laws the Elections Commission has said that it was prohibited to use war victory and slogans in the election campaigns.
He said as a member of the Constitutionality, he cannot figure out under what laws or regulations that the EC has said campaigners can’t use war victory.
Addressing a news briefing, Dr. Gunawardana said the LTTE could not be defeated by any of the previous commandants-in-chief because they did not have a defence secretary like Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
“None of the previous presidents were able to defeat the LTTE since no defence secretary was able to strategise the war properly. Without Gotabaya’s efficient strategies, the LTTE could not have been defeated. That’s why we request the people to rally behind him when there is a terror threat again. No one is committed to national security like Gotabaya. If the Elections Commission is prohibiting to use war victory in campaigns, maybe we can talk about reasons led to military defeats during the war,” he said.
He said under President Ranasinghe Premadasa’s era, tax payer’s money was sent to fund the LTTE through the government. “We have receipts to prove this. If false, anyone can file a case against us for forgery. At one point, two UNP leaders Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake brought an impeachment motion against President Premadasa for funding the LTTE,” he said. (Lahiru Pothmulla)