Transport, Highways and Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardhana said yesterday that an unprecedented cohesion of forces which was never thought possible earlier will gather around President Ranil Wickremesinghe after the nomination day of August 15.
He also said that if Ranil Wickremesinghe is elected for another five-year term in the next Presidential Election, he will make this country a developed country increasing GDP to US$ 20,000 by the year 2048 with that strength.
The Minister made these comments while attending the SLPP Homagama Bala Mandala meeting to obtain the support of SLPP members in the Homagama area to the independent candidate President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the Presidential Election to be held on September 21.
The public meeting was held at Avana Grand Banquet.
In the last Presidential Election, we were able to garner for the former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa a considerably large amount of votes. This time, we are working together to garner President Ranil Wickramasinghe a far greater number of votes from Homagama area with the support of members of the Podujana Peramuna, the members of the United National Party, the Prime Minister and the supporters of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, the members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, led by its President Nimal Siripala Silva.
If it is not possible to make this change in this upcoming election, our country will fall into an even worse abyss which is more dangerous than Bangladesh. Afghanistan could not be recovered even after twenty years. The same fate befell Zimbabwe too. Countries like this cannot be recovered without international support. Therefore, we should all come together and support Ranil Wickremesinghe to win. Many parties are currently supporting him. According to the agreement of the International Monetary Fund, it will be possible for this country to march forward from next year. Five laws were passed in Parliament on how the country should go forward. President Ranil Wickremesinghe is contesting this year’s Presidential Election with that plan in hand.
As Ministers who made decisions on this matter, we decided that in order to work according to the agreements reached to make it a developed country by 2048; we should support someone who gives a guarantee that it will be fulfilled in the same way in the Presidential Election.
We have decided to support President Wickremesinghe, who has passed all these Bills and brought the country to where it is today, who can take direct decisions with experience, should be given the Presidency during this time. He has no offspring to protect. His house and libraries were destroyed. He has only to play the role of uplifting of our country. Based on that situation, we declared that we will support him regardless of party colour. I request all to work together to continue to raise the country and to support President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
We brought a crowd of unarmed and non-violent people to Homagama with great difficulty. I have held a large number of ministerial positions. We love this country.
We also love the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa who formed the ‘Pohottuwa’ and saved the country from terrorism. I request all those who wish to join hands with us to give all possible support to President Wickremesinghe, the leader who will not drag the country down into the abyss once more.
When there was a war against terrorism in the country, then President Mahinda Rajapaksa needed a lot of strength to run the government and defeat terrorism. There was a very weak government at that time. There, former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, a Buddhist people’s leader who truly loves the country, MP Gamini Lokuge, who was a standard-bearer of the United National Party, together with us gave strength to the then President. Mahinda Rajapaksa and assumed the Ministerial positions. As a result of that, then President Mahinda Rajapaksa fulfilled the great responsibility of saving the country by working in the Cabinet and making necessary decisions without dividing the country and allowing the Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim and Burgher people to live and make a living in a place of their choice and to bring peace to the country.
People of Homagama gave the most support to elect President Rajapaksa from the whole of Sri Lanka. I was given a wide opportunity to work as the Minister of Education in his government. Unfortunately, when former President Rajapaksa lost the Presidential Election, while he was still there, the elected President, Maitripala Sirisena, called me and asked me to accept the position of the Minister of Finance. But I knew nothing could be done. We created the ‘Mahinda Sulanga’ and made a great commitment by working all over the country to bring Mahinda Rajapaksa to power once again. The people of Homagama came together to travel the country with me, spending their own money. I spoke with Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and other leaders on behalf of ‘Pohottuwa’ on platforms across the country.
Together with the Chairman of the party G. L. Peiris, we established an economic research unit and played a big role in revealing the crises of the good governance government every week. Later, people of Homagama sat with me during the election campaign to bring former President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa to power. All of you in Homagama became the group. Under him, Mahinda Rajapaksa became Prime Minister, I became a Cabinet Minister and a new government came into power. But due to the long-standing situation and the economic collapse that occurred after Easter, the country had faced a severe crisis due to the non-return of tourists to the country and the collapse of the entire world due to the Covid-19 epidemic.
At that time, we were unable to pay the debt to the world. International organisations have warned that the dollar will be in short supply and collapse internationally. Based on this situation, we had to approach the International Monetary Fund by getting the support of selected international companies. At that time, the Cabinet was divided into two. A group of hardliners including MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara strongly opposed it. Due to that situation, the President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa could not go to the International Monetary Fund.
Then, the economy of the country began to crash due to this situation. As a result, there was a shortage of essential drugs and queues formed and the people were motivated to get violenct. Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and other groups burned houses, stirred up the people and drove the whole country into a disaster mode.
A fellow Member of Parliament was killed on the road. My house was burnt. Our party office was also destroyed. Thousands were oppressed. In such a situation, when the country was driven to anarchy, President Ranil Wickremesinghe accepted the challenge of the country and with the votes of all of us members in the parliament.
The law was enforced against violence… Parliament was saved.
In discussions, an official creditors’ committee was formed along with Japan, India and France. Accordingly, a National agreement was reached to not pay the debt until 2028, and to then recover the country.
The post Only Presidential candidate who legislated a policy and action plan to develop country is Ranil appeared first on DailyNews.