Country needs people driven political culture – Dullas

Decisions should be made by the House not focusing on the 225 families living in the “Diyawanna-island” but on the 22 million people living outside it, contender for Presidential election MP Dullas Alahapperuma told Parliament yesterday (20).

MP Dullas Alahapperuma secured 82 votes at the election.

 “I decided to contest in this election not considering the post as an asset or an honour. We wanted to end the political culture which is personal-agenda driven, that has prevailed in this country over 70 years by winning this election. Though we lost because of the lack of numbers, we will consider this as an encouragement to pursue our main objective, which is a consensus political alliance and a government,”he said.

MP Alahapperuma said, “I would like to extend gratitude to the Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa who kept personal goals and party politics aside and supported me in this election. I would also like to thank SLPP President G.L.Peiris and all other political parties who sided and supported with us. Our country is at a critical situation right now. So we all have a responsibility towards this country and we need to stand together to heal this country. Only a healed country can rejuvenate,” he said.

Alahapperuma said: “We always thought only about the 225 families living in this Diyawanna-island. Our decisions were made in favour of these 225 families. We need to focus on the fifty eight hundred thousand families living in this island called Sri Lanka. This is an era where politicians are losing their footing. Politicians have lost all their credibility. Rebuilding that trust cannot be done by any number-gimmicks. We all need to be honest in our attempts and be committed to heal this country.”