PRESIDENT MAHINDA RAJAPAKSA SAYS UNDER NO CONDITION HE WOULD ALLOW HIS COUNTRY TO LOSE ITS INDEPENDENCE

By Walter Jayawardhana

President Mahinda Rajapaksa said to thunderous applause that he would not let his country once again become a colony of any imperial power and lose its precious independence making obvious references to the country’s Leader of Opposition allegedly going round world pleading for help for his political power from foreign powers.

“ When we were in the opposition unlike some leaders we organized our own citizens to gain political power ,” said the President in ridicule of the Leader of Opposition , Ranil Wickremesinghe who has advised him publicly to listen to India, Europe and the US in formulating a political solution to the country’s strife created by an armed insurrection. Spokesman of the government had earlier said it was seeking an indigenous solution for the country’s ills.

Addressing a ceremony to award scholarships for 2500 elementary students in Colombo the President said some leaders of the country were begging foreign countries to gain their own political power.

He said those leaders should stop betraying their own motherland and the armed forces at a time when the country was on the verge of defeating terrorism for their own political gain.

Paying his homage to former leaders of Opposition like the late Dudley Senanayaka who came to the aid of the government at times of national crisis President Mahinda Rajapaksa said he never sought foreign assistance to gain power at time of national crisis.

Under any kind of circumstance he assured the nation that he would not let any body allow to make Sri Lanka a subservient slavish nation once again making it a part of any imperial power.

He said certain leaders go abroad any tell that he was making this country only benefit one family. He said the Tamil Tigers were targeting the outfit’s bombs against the Rajapaksa family while the country’s leader of opposition was uttering things what the LTTE wanted. He said he was having three children and quite understood and enjoyed the love of children. But he said now he was considering the whole Sri Lankan society as his own family.

Meanwhile, speaking on the floor of the parliament, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said he would not allow any other nation interfere with the sovereignty territorial integrity and independence of Sri Lanka

He said so , at a time when opposition Member of Parliament, Wimal Weerawansa introduced a resolution in the parliament condemning the uttering of an all party committee of the British Parliament which he alleged was attempting to interfere with the internal affairs of Sri Lanka.