They are not our supporters, nor are they our crutches to hang onto or our handmaidens.Therefore, all the Parties that were with the government from the start should stand together in unity” the SLPP Chairman, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said.
He stressed that it is the responsibility of the main party to maintain that unity. The Prime Minister also pointed out that it is the historic futuristic task of the SLPP to seek out the youths who are trying to leave the country and are lined up to obtain their passports and engage them in such a way that they would want to remain in this country. He commended the party for having produced a President within a short span of five years, adding that at that time no one in this country believed that the newest party would be able to celebrate its fifth anniversary and even hold a two-thirds majority in Parliament. However, he said that the SLPP has created a huge political transformation in this country and achieved the impossible.
Therefore,he extended his gratitude to all those who had risked everything and supported the party with utmost commitment.“The short history of the past five years of the SLPP has taught us a great lesson on how to rise up despite losing power and being repressed.” The Prime Minister also reminisced how the SLPP had to face challenges not only at home but even internationally during the 52-day government. “I still recall how the foreign representatives came to parliament and cheered against us from the gallery. The SLPP rose up by facing such challenges… but despite all that we did not incite the people and get them onto the streets in protests. That was why the people chose us as a responsible party. Similarly, we did not abandon the people and flee no matter what challenges we had to face.” However, he said that once the government came to power a mistake that was made was to forget political activities and focus only on public administration.
“That is what has happened to us today. It is not the power of government that protects the reputation of a party. It is necessary to take over the power of the government and do politics among the people just as the state institutions do. There are many things that cannot be done by government ministries and state institutions. The recent teachers’ strike dragged on was because we moved away from politics. Even the farmers’ protests got worse because we failed to work among them.
We should understand and hear the people’s voice. The more we distance ourselves from politics, the forces that we defeated will take advantage and creep into that void and create problems,” he noted. He told the party representatives not to wait for the employees of their ministries to do their job for them, but said they must go among the people and work for them. “We need to understand that the people who voted for us are now in a very difficult situation. I am used to facing difficult times like this. People blame the government even for mistakes not made in such times. That is the habit of the people. Hence, no matter if they burn your effigy or scold you, still you must go among the people to resolve their issues,” he advised. He also noted that his government which saved the country by preventing the signing of the MCC agreement will not betray thecountry under any circumstance.
courtesy BBC
