Gotabaya did not suppress Aragalaya as he did not want the State to fall – Namal

MP Namal Rajapaksa, the newly appointed National Organiser of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and Member of Parliament for the Hambantota District, stated that former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa refrained from using guns to suppress the struggle, despite having a mandate of 6.9 million voters.

He emphasised that even if the government falls, the state cannot be allowed to collapse.

He made these remarks at a public rally in Tangalle town on Saturday (30), marking the commencement of the SLPP’s election campaign.

Further elaborating, he said: “If a government collapses, it can be rebuilt, but if the state collapses, it is very difficult to recover. That is why President Gotabaya Rajapaksa did not resort to suppressing the struggle with bullets. Unfortunately, many governments after 2015 failed to achieve development goals. Even the government established under Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s leadership was undermined by various conspirators.

“In the past, we protested against the privatization of the Mattala Airport and even went to jail for it. Discussions about privatizing the airport are ongoing, but we didn’t build an airport to store rice or a port to sell for personal gain. The expressway wasn’t built to transport ‘Ambul thiyal’, as some say, nor was the Lotus Tower constructed to be a mere photo backdrop on Facebook. We initiated these projects under our government to develop the country and move forward with the international community.

“The SLPP is a formidable political force. Recently, we had differences with many people, some historical and some political. Regardless, we invite our estranged political comrades to join us in building a country that can adapt to a changing world.

“Today, there are many who claim the mandate of sixty-nine lakh voters. But remember, they all share our father’s mandate of sixty new lakhs, regardless of where they sit. Therefore, we urge everyone to join us in building a people’s force that can triumph in future elections. We have always conducted politics with the people of this country and have always believed in them. After our defeat in 2015, the political party founded by Basil Rajapaksa quickly became a party that wins every election in this country, thanks to the trust you placed in us.

“We have always conducted politics based on local thinking and advanced accordingly. Mahinda Chinthana was the model for our political journey and the foundation that transformed this country into a unified nation and developed it. Thanks to Mahinda Rajapaksa’s vision, Hambantota, once known for extreme poverty, was transformed into an international Naval and aviation hub on the world map.”

Hambantota District Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker Ajith Rajapakse said: “The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna represents a group that has overcome many challenges in the politics of this country. D.A. Rajapaksa once decided to build a prestigious political camp in all 577 Grama Seva divisions in the Hambantota district. We have continued the leadership bestowed by him to this day, which is why I am here today. In this political process, serving the people and the country is paramount.

Parliamentarian Chamal Rajapaksa said: “During Mahinda Rajapaksa’s tenure, massive projects were initiated to earn the foreign exchange needed by our country, such as the Colombo Port City, Hambantota Port, Mattala Airport, and Suriyawewa Cricket Stadium. These projects provided water, electricity, and road development to every village. However, many of our development projects were halted due to political reasons, causing our people to suffer from a lack of national and economic identity.

“We have taken charge of the future and have a great responsibility to devise an economic strategy that can alleviate the suffering of our people. This responsibility now lies with the youth. Our political party has produced leaders from Hambantota, and it is worth noting that the Opposition Leader, who has been in Hambantota for over 25 years, and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, which controlled the Tissamaharama Pradeshiya Sabha for about seven years, failed to win the trust of the people of Hambantota.

“The Opposition Leader was defeated in the last two elections, and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna failed to win a single division or seat after seven years of governance. This reflects their leadership capabilities, which the people of this country have recognized. Therefore, we have a responsibility to inform both the people of Hambantota and the country at large. We will continue to expand and sustain the services we have started for our people.”

(Source: Daily News – By Nuwan Jayasekara)