UNP will prevent return of military type regime - PM

Friday, May 25, 2018

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said the sole endeavour of the UNP was to prevent another military type regime coming into power.

“As such, the decision confronting the people was whether they needed democracy or a second Rajapaksa regime in power,” the Premier said.

The Prime Minister was addressing a meeting held at Sirikotha UNP headquarters, Pitakotte to mark the assumption of duties by Minister Navin Dissanayake in his post as UNP National Organiser, yesterday.

The Premier added that when UNP leaders addressed Parliament with pride and honour, Pohottuwa members only shouted and disrupted the proceedings.

“Their sole objective was to bring back the Rajapaksa regime to power”, the Prime Minister said.

“The question was as to whether they wanted to safeguard democracy if they returned to power.

Lasantha Wickrematunga was murdered and Ekneligoda was abducted during their rule,” he said.

The Premier warned the few journalists who tried to foist the Rajapaksa regime back in power that they would face the same fate if that regime was returned.

The Prime Minister while congratulating the new UNP office bearers and wishing them well,requested the people to assist the new youth leadership installed as office bearers of the party.

“Minister Navin Dissanayake who assumes duties as the National Organiser of the UNP today has rendered a great service towards the progress of the party as a young parliamentarian and Minister. He had made a major contribution towards the party’s victory in the Nuwara Eliya district. Youthful leaders like him are a vital need of the hour for party reorganisation,” Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said.

The Prime Minister said young leaders like Navin Dissanayake was the need of the party to take it forward.

The Premier recalled the great services rendered by Navin Dissanayake’s father late Gamini Dissanayake to reorganise the UNP after its 1970 debacle. He (Gamini Dissanayake) contested and won the Nuwara Eliya seat in Parliament,but, he was unseated in an election petition. Later, he again won Nuwara Eliya and took an active part to re-organise the party along with late President J.R.Jayewardene. People like late President Ranasinghe Premadasa, Minister Lalith Atulathmudali, Cyril Mathew and several others assisted the party reorganisation enabling it to win the General and the Presidential elections which followed.

“The fact that late Gamini Dissanayake paid with his life to uplift the party while contesting the Presidential election as the party candidate should never be erased from memory,” Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said.

Wickremesinghe said Navin Dissanayake too had displayed leadership traits of the calibre of his late father.

“The UNP had a team of youthful leaders like him to carry forward the party re-organisation work. The party Deputy Leader, Assistant Leader, General Secretary, Treasurer and Trade Union Secretary were all youthful leaders included in a new team who had been vested with responsibilities in the party,” Premier Wickremesinghe said.

“There was also a long line of youthful MPs and Provincial Council members who are waiting to fill party positions in the near future. A decision on this would be taken by the party working committee at its meeting to be held next week,” he said.

“This youth generation should come forward as the next tier of leadership. The UNP was the only party which could display a second and third tier of leadership in 2020 as well as in 2030,” the Premier added.

“The UNP could proudly claim that it would rebuild the country with a new generation of leadership. No other party could make this claim. The Pohottuwa party had the same old faces including certain retired army officers. They were the same people who helped to install the Rajapaksa regime,” the Prime Minister said.