Fonseka ‘to expose Rajapaksa regime’s rampant corruption at opportune moment’
The Opposition Common Candidate for the forthcoming Presidential election Gen. (Retd) Sarath Fonseka yesterday said if he is elected he will bring an end to widespread corruption, family bandysm and Rajapaksa tyranny which is amassing wealth and squandering public assets making the masses suffer.
“I will expose the Rajapaksa regime of its misdeeds and rampant corruption at the opportune moment”, he warned.
They are engaged in a severe mudslinging campaign on the opposition to cover their own sins, he said.
The present leadership doesn’t want to give up the executive presidency due to the glamour of it and the excessive power it wields, the war veteran noted.
“I want to make Sri Lanka an independent nation where its citizens could live with respect and dignity,” the retired General said.The country is today moving towards a state of anarchy and it is a dangerous trend, he warned.
He expressed confidence of gaining the support of two thirds of parliament to abolish the executive presidency after he becomes President
Addressing the UNP Convention at Welisara, Fonseka said the present political leadership gave a pledge to abolish the executive presidency before they came to power but they have now become so greedy for the power and wealth they have amassed over the years, they don’t want to abdicate the throne.
“One of my priorities will be to bring redress the poor masses from their suffering and bring law and order to the country,” he said.
The salaries of the security forces personnel, police and Civil Defence Force personnel will be increased and an environment created in which they can live with dignity, Fonseka noted.
Today, this government has forgotten the very people who were responsible for defeating terrorism and wiping out the LTTE after the 30-year long war, he pointed out.
“It was the children from the poorest of the families in the remotest areas in the country who joined the security forces to fight the war, but this government has forgotten about their welfare,” the retired General said.
UNP leader and Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said “We want to make the forthcoming election more a referendum than a presidential election and the voters could decide whether they want to continue with the Rajapaksa tyranny or want a credible change, whether they want to safeguard the Rajapaksa Kingdom or their own family.
Wickremesinghe accused the UPFA government of heading towards a dictatorship ruled by a bunch of rogues.
“Now they are enjoying the assets of the LTTE instead of using this money to pay the debts of the country,” he said.
Wickremesinghe said that Minister Keheliya Rambukwella says there are only 600 LTTE bank accounts but actually there are over 2000 of them.
He rejected Rambukwella’s claim that the LTTE had a fleet of 13 ships and said the terrorist organization owned 20 ships and one of them was destroyed in Indonesian waters.
The Opposition leader asked what happened to the other ships.
He challenged the UPFA to prove their claim that the government has sought the support of the international community to transfer the assets of the LTTE to Sri Lanka by showing the correspondence with those countries in Parliament.
by Harischandra Gunaratna
source: island.lk