President Rajapaksa decried foreign intervention in Sri Lanka

President Mahinda Rajapaksa speaking yesterday at the May Day rally said certain individuals were trying to destabilize the country by using the working masses as a cat’s paw but the masses did not fall prey to their designs.

Some such individuals do not have a country or a particular name but some countries are in the process of inciting them, he said.

Addressing the UPFA May Day rally at the Town Hall grounds yesterday afternoon, President Rajapaksa added that a regime change would be possible only by the people of this country through free and fair elections and not by conspiracies hatched with the assistance of foreign powers.

The President said imperialists are still under the impression that countries like Sri Lanka are their colonies and it was for this reason that ‘they exert more pressure on us’.

"This government commands the confidence of the people. Sri Lanka is one of the oldest democracies in Asia. Therefore, conspiracies, uprisings or rebellions have no place in this land; and this government will never let them happen," he said.

The President stressed the importance of increasing the country’s productivity as ‘imperialists are operating in various forms to acquire national assets’.

The President said that the working masses, irrespective of racial, religious and other petty differences should show more commitment to the country. He stressed that the government led by him adopted a policy of not recognizing such differences in its effort to achieve freedom for the country .

Taking a swipe at the UNP for holding its May Day rally in Jaffna, President Rajapaksa said before they hold a May Day rally in Jaffna, UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe should have to tendere an apology to the people in Jaffna for disrupting the District Development Councils election and for the arson attack on the historic Jaffna library in 1981 under UNP rule.

Do not forget that Mr. Wickremesinghe did not even go to to Kilinochchi to sign the Ceasefire Agreement with Velupillai Prabhakaran. But now, thanks to the heroic soldiers, he has been able to tour any part of Jaffna, take a boat trip and see the LTTE bunkers. I wish they realize the value of the freedom and peace that this government won for the country,” he said.

President Rajapaksa added that those who left for Jaffna can see how the area has been developed by the government, if they are free of petty political objectives.

‘Every stride UNP leaders make in Jaffna will remind them of the importance of the government and they will themselves see how the area has been developed by the government. I wish they will understand the importance of freedom won by the country when they move freely in the Jaffna peninsula, he added.

"The government has taken a firm decision not to privatize state assets under any circumstances -- as opposed to the policy of the UNP regimes of 2001 – 2004. The public service was pruned down to 600,000 by the UNP, recruitment to the public service were suspended for three years through a finance ministry circular, and dozens of state ventures were lined up for privatization depriving thousands of employees of their employment. But this government has put an end to privatization and increased the public service to 13,000. This is the difference between this government and other regimes," he said.

- Asian Tribune –

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