UNP finally admits MR saved country from terrorism

Former UNP Minister Harin Piers publicly declared for the first time that Mahinda Rajapaksa led the country, ignoring all those pundit nay sayers and brought the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to a successful end.

- By SHAMINDRA FERDINANDO

The exparliamentarian also emphasised that Ranil Wickremesinghe restored the collapsed national economy. The UNPer was referring to the crushing of the LTTE militarily in May 2009 and Wickremesinghe completing the remainder of the ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's 5-year term won at the Nov 2019 presidential election.

Fernando said so addressing 'Maha Jana Handa' organised at the Nugegoda Ananda Samarakoon Open. Air Theatre last Friday (21). Unfortunately, Fernando's leader Ranil Wickremesinghe who actually proposed a high-profile joint Opposition campaign against the Jathika Jana Balawegaya (JJB) government and the war winning President Mahinda Rajapaksa conveniently skipped the Nugegoda rally. That, however proved how fed up the masses are with the current dispensation for breaking virtually all their promises by turning right, but nothing to show for it, after signaling left for so long promising a mythical revolutionary state, while causing so much death and destruction along the way with two abortive uprisings. Masses came in record numbers to the Nugegoda rally despite it being led by relative minnows in the opposition.

Wickremesinghe certainly owed an explanation regarding his absence as it was, he who proposed 1,000 meetings against the NPP/JVP government, at the UNP's 79th convention held on Sept 20, this year at Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte. It was themed 'Let's Stand Together.'

The UNP hitherto never publicly acknowledged the fact that Mahinda Rajapaksa's bold leadership ensured Sri Lanka's triumph over the separatist terrorist LTTE. The significance of Fernando's declaration was lost in political rhetoric as speakers challenged President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD). SLPP National List MP and National Organizer Namal Rajapaksa vowed to topple the NPP at the first given opportunity unless AKD fulfilled promises made in the run-up to 2024 presidential election.