I want to be the democratic elected leader of the entire country – President Rajapaksa

President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that he decided to go for early elections as he wanted to get elected as president in a free national franchise where the people of the north and east also could freely vote with the people of the other parts of the country.

He said this when a journalist questioned as to the reasons for holding a presidential election two years prior to completion of his six-year year term.

Addressing journalists from print media President Rajapaksa said that Sri Lanka still faces a severe threat from separatists though the LTTE has been militarily crushed and the country united after a 30-year war. He says people should recognise the growing threat to the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He accused SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem of trying to revive the separatist movement once spearheaded by the LTTE. He said that a fresh threat of terrorism would cause another disaster, The Island reported.

The President asserted that a controversial understanding among parties backing Opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka could be the basis of the impending threat.

The President said that the government would gradually ease security restrictions imposed in the Northern and Eastern Provinces as well as other parts of the country because the LTTE no longer posed a conventional military threat. Emphasising his readiness to scale down HSZs in the Jaffna peninsula, the President said that could not be done overnight though the war ended last May.

He said that even in times of peace, security of key installations couldn’t be compromised. He said that no one should seek political advantage out of a purely security matter and easing of restrictions would depend on a careful study of the ground situation. The LTTE, too, had maintained HSZs, the President said.

Since the end of war, the government had taken a series of measures to facilitate civilian life, including opening of the Kandy-Jaffna A9 road, the President said.

Dismissing criticism that he had undermined the country’s foreign policy, the President said he was not aligned with any particular country. He reiterated that their relationship with any country would not be at the expense of another and he intended to continue that policy. He strongly defended growing relations with Iran while underscoring the importance of unprecedented Iranian financial assistance received at a time the country was facing a severe economic crisis. He gratefully recalled the grant of an interest free Iranian credit facility to Sri Lanka to purchase Iranian crude oil. That followed President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s visit to Iran in November 2007.

Responding to The Island queries, the President said that he would secure a second term with a comfortable margin though the UNP-JVP combine was engaged in an all-out mud slinging campaign against him. He said that the Opposition campaign could not be considered fit for a presidential election. "They are not discussing political issues but carrying out a hate campaign against the Rajapaksas," he said. The Rajapaksas had been involved in politics for over 70 years but never experienced such a vicious propaganda assault, he said adding that the people would never be deceived by Opposition claims that they (Rajapaksas) had bought the Lanka Hospitals (formerly Apollo), Swarnavahini and property all over the country. Today no one could even open a wayside eatery without the Rajapaksas being accusing of buying it, he said.

The President said the Rajapaksas were proud of their social status. There was also an attempt to lump all the wealthy Rajapaksas together including those who were not related to the President to create an impression in the public mind that the Rajapaksas were engaged in building a huge business empire.

The President said that the Rajapaksas were a cosmopolitan family though their opponents would not accept that publicly. Several Rajapaksas were married to Tamil speaking people.

Although some people targeted Nirupama for marrying a Tamil, she had contested the Hambantota District and won. He said that a section of the press did not want to reveal the fact that the Rajapaksas had Tamil relations, the President said.

The President said that the Tamil speaking husband of his niece had been killed by the LTTE.

Referring to a recent article carried by Ravaya editor Victor Ivan, the President said that the paper had exposed the Opposition’s strategy. The President said that Ravaya had responded to a range of baseless corruption charges being levelled against him and his family. He said a luxury house down the Balapokuna Road built by the proprietor of House of Fashion had been dubbed Basilaramaya by the Opposition to discredit his younger brother Basil.

The latest allegation was that the Rajapaksas got 100 acres of land in Colombo.

Commenting on his opponent’s manifesto, the President said that it would shortly end up in a wastepaper basket. There was absolutely no substance in it, he said. Fonseka’s manifesto hadn’t even been numbered. That alone proved that they weren’t serious about their policy statement.

The President said he was ready to discuss his proposals with regard to Constitutional amendments, including electoral reforms. Whatever political parties might agree to, nothing could be implemented without the consent of people. The President said that he wouldn’t make promises that couldn’t be met but strive to reach a consensus among political parties. He called for cooperation among political parties to achieve a lasting solution to the national question. The merger of the Eastern Province with the Northern Province was out of the question, the President said reiterating his commitment to thwart whatever attempt made to divide the country on the ethnic lines.

Commenting on his talks with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which recently pledged its support to the Opposition presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka, the President said that he had refused to give in to TNA’s demands. The TNA had, he said, called for merging the Eastern Province and the North and the withdrawal of security forces from that region. "Had we given in to their demands, they would have asked for the removal of the police, too," the President said.

He dismissed TNA leader, MP R. Sampanthan’s accusations that he wasn’t interested in settling contentious issue. The President said that Basil Rajapaksa, too, had been present at the discussion with the TNA. The President insisted that he would provide maximum possible relief directly to people and no one should expect political advantage out of it. There was absolutely no need to provide relief through the TNA, he said.

The President said that the TNA would have sided with the Opposition even if the government had accepted most of its demands. He dismissed the TNA’s criticism of HSZs as nothing but a political gimmick. Countries all over the world had HSZs to protect airports, harbours and other vital installations. Likewise, Sri Lanka, too, had established HSZs and the government could not be faulted for that, he said. He accused the TNA of working according to an agenda of the pro-LTTEsections of the Tamil Diaspora to destabilise the country, cause chaos and effect a regime change so as to create an environment conducive to the revival of the LTTE and furthering their separatist interests.

The President revealed a threat posed by LTTE operatives in the Jaffna peninsula. According to him, the area had not been cleared fully and the operatives could be as high as 10 per cent of the total population in the District.

President Rajapaksa said he will present his own solution to the problem of the people of the North and East during his second term. He said they have seen a number of All Party Committees appointed to find a solution with no agreement reached on a solution, the Daily News said.

“Therefore, I would present my own solution so that all parties and groups could discuss it and arrive at a solution accepted to all groups in the country,” the President said.

The President said the Opposition political campaign was not based on a political philosophy but on a vilification. The allegations made by the Opposition were fabricated.

The Mahinda Chintana Idiri Dekma policy program that he presented aims at rapid economic development of the country with plans for all sectors. The first Mahinda Chintana policy program had been implemented with mega infrastructure development schemes like five ports, a new international airport, a number of power plants, health and education development programs.

Most pledges made during the 2005 Presidential election had been implemented and the pledges made for the next six years in the second manifesto will also be implemented, the President noted. “My opponents say they would abolish Executive Presidency if they are elected to power but no Executive President can abolish it. Under the provisions of the 1978 Constitution it could be abolished by a two thirds majority in Parliament followed by a referendum.

Therefore, the promise of abolishing the Executive Presidency was only a political gimmick put forward to deceive the people the President added. ”We have been able to pursue a sound foreign policy during the past four years based on the principle of non-alignment enunciated by the founder leader of the SLFP, my party, followed by Premier Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Due to the pragmatic foreign policy we followed several countries helped us without strings attached.

For instance when the world oil crisis was looming Iran helped us by giving us oil for six months on an interest free credit agreement. Other countries including our neighbours India, China and Japan had also helped in several areas”.

President Rajapaksa assured he will reduce unnecessary powers of the Executive Presidency and believes that the present election campaign has been degraded from a presentation of political issues to a struggle between classes.

“Thondaman, Douglas Devananda, Pillayan, Sidharthan they are all with me. Even certain persons in the TNA have told me in confidence that they support me but are with the TNA simply because they don’t want to divide the party,” the President said in response to a question raised by Daily Mirror online.

When asked if he would reduce the powers of the Executive Presidency, the President replied “I will limit all the unnecessary powers. What have I done with the powers I got? I only got the LTTE banned and stopped the ceasefire.”

The President elaborated on the fact that he has never been an ambitious politician. “I have never been an ambitious man- I never had dreams of becoming a politician or the Prime Minister from the time I was a school boy. What I tell all our young politicians is that- be with the people and that is enough. I am a party man if the party tells me to go I will go,” he said.

On matters of constitutional reform the President stated that he would give the people the 13th amendment where the upper house would ensure the rights of the people were protected. “I will give 13 plus 1 with the upper house; with the upper house the rights of the people will be protected. The 13th amendment must transfer the powers to the people.

However the Police powers I will not give- ask anyone in Colombo if I they will like it if the police powers were given to any provincial council. All this time I was asking them (the Tamil Parties) for proposals. But this time I am going to present the proposal and tell them “if you want to add anything we will discuss it.” the President said.

With regard to the 17th amendment the President questioned the independence of the independent commissions the amendment suggested be appointed. “This amendment was only passed to keep governments going; who is appointing these independent committees? Politicians will do it. Therefore how can you say they are independent? The President questioned.

The President stated that the opposition no longer had a political foothold and therefore had reduced their campaign to that of a class struggle. “This election then has ultimately come down to a class struggle- they have no political issues to talk about. They can’t say I sold any banks or buildings- the money is all there for the people to see. I am a man from the village and I am not ashamed to say it. They say corruption and attribute the buying over of all these small places to me; they don’t talk about me owning land in America, Australia or England because if they did then that puts me into a different class-it puts me into their class,” he said.

The President expressed his confidence of winning the upcoming election. “I am not afraid I have am confident that I will win with a comfortable margin,” he said

- Asian Tribune -