Ranil’s revelation

2013-02-04  Opposition and United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe challenged the government to go for a referendum to extend the term of Parliament. Participating in a programme to recruit new members to the party in Galle on Saturday, the Opposition Leader revealed the government is planning to hold a referendum to extend the term of the Parliament. “The Rajapaksa regime is now reaching the last half of its term and by 2014, the regime will totally lose power. They think that they can rule the country eternally. But I doubt it can last even till 2014. I therefore challenge it to go for a referendum,” Wickremesinghe said. He also noted that even though the people’s vote is scattered among many parties in a Presidential or General Election, it is clearly divided among ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in a referendum. “What people have to do at a referendum is to mark their preference for the clay pot or the lamp. Those who are in agreement  will vote for the lamp (lampuwa) and those against the cause of the referendum will cast their vote for the clay pot (kalagediya). I am positive if the government goes for a referendum, the people who are suppressed in different ways today will cast their vote for the clay pot,” he asserted. UNP General Secretary, Tissa Attanayake said the party will take strict action against senior Party leaders who evade participation in such programmes aimed at strengthening the Party. Meanwhile, the organizers of the programme said the membership drive was a complete success and they have achieved the targeted number of new members. The programme, launched by the UNP’s Green Blood organization to recruit new members with the participation of Galle Municipal Council member Nuwan Pushpakumara, targeted  Thalahenawatta in the electorate of Galle. The head of the Green Blood organization, Lasantha Gunawardena said about 85% of the residents in the area expressed dissatisfaction with the present government. (GW) Respect the UN Charter: MR MONDAY, 04 FEBRUARY 2013 President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his Independence Day address to the nation reminded the people of Sri Lanka and the international community that every country should respect the UN Charter, according to which no country had the right to intervene in the internal affairs of sovereign nations. The President quoting the UN charter urged the international community to respect it just as much as Sri Lanka did. “The Organization is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members. All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations, therefore no country has a right to intervene in the internal affairs of another country. We respect the UN charter and urge other countries to respect it too,” he said. The President said the only answer to foreign countries, which criticize Sri Lanka, is to invite them to our country. “The best answer to the critics is development and reconciliation. We invite them to come to this country and see, to come and see,” he said.