'I can't understand' allegations says Rajapaksa to Al Jazeera 28 September 2013 Interview with Al Jazeera - "this is all propaganda" Asked about Navi Pillay's criticisms of Sri Lanka following her visit, Rajapaksa said:  "This is what I can't understand. For last five years we've had about 19 elections. Provincial council election, then the parliamentary election. Every four years - my term is 6 years - but last year I went for election at 4 years. And it is up to the people to decide on governments." Apparently perplexed by Navi Pillay's assertion that critical voices are often attacked or permanantly silenced, Rajapaksa said:  "No I reject all that. I mean this is what I can't understand when a person come here. We have an opposition. You must remember in a democratic country - it's not like, a dictatorial country, where a dictator is there - so there are other views. So the opposition is always trying to defeat the government, whether it is with the international community, or inside the country." Asked about the harassment and intimidation of people who spoke to Navi Pillay during her visit, Rajapaksa said: "No. I asked, she never told us this. Otherwise I would have enquired into it.She never mentioned that to me, 'til she came out in public. When she met me she could have told me. If that happened, I don't know why she said this, because we will never do that. We would have stopped her coming, but we allowed her to go anywhere, allowed her to meet anybody she wants." Commenting on the TNA's victory at the Northern Provincial Council election, he said:  "We knew, it will happen, I knew, I told this... I told even the TNA leader that we are going to give you the election. You will win. We know our results, but we want to have it. we want you to take on the responsibility. Anybody can criticise, let them deliver now." Highlighting the TNA's manifesto, which demands including the withdrawal of the army and a degree of autonomy, the presenter asked if he would now listen to the people's demands. Rajapaksa replied:  "No. Do you know, that first they said something like that, then they changed it... They can't ask for the army to be withdrawn. If the otherwise provincial councils also ask for the army to be withdrawn, where can I have the army? Is somebody else going to give me a place to keep the army?" Asked why such a big army was still needed, in the absence of armed conflict, Rajapaksa retorted,  "No, you think so? No, for security we need an army. I mean we decide on our security and the strength, how many army we need. And when the army is discontinued what will happen? Vietnam war, what happened? So we have to change, in their attitudes, we have rehabilitate them also." "We have about 8000 to 12,000 army personnel in that area." "We have released all the private lands." Rejecting Navi Pillay's criticism of the lack of a credible inquiry into the last stages of the armed conflict, Rajapaksa said:  "Why? Why? I can't understand. We must look into the whole 30 years for what happened... You have to be fair in this game, because the treatment must be equal to all countries." Asked if the army committed any atrocities in the North-East during the last stages of the armed conflict, he said, "No they didn't, I enquired into it." Asked if he was ultimately responsible for the actions of the army, Rajapaksa emphatically replied, "Yes."