This Govt. has no right to celebrate independence -Tissa Attanayake

UNP Gen.Secretary, Tissa Attanayake, addressing independence was achieved by the Father of the Nation, Late D.S. Senanayake , the first Prime Minister and Leader of the UNP in1948. No Govt. has ever turned the clock back on all the progress and development of this country as did this dismal and despotic Rajapakse Govt., he added.
the Media at the UNP Media Unit lamented that this Govt. is trying to celebrate Sri Lanka’s 60 years of independence on the 4th of Feb .2008 after defeating every purpose for which independence was achieved by the Father of the Nation, Late D.S. Senanayake , the first Prime Minister and Leader of the UNP in1948.

No Govt. has ever turned the clock back on all the progress and development of this country as did this dismal and despotic Rajapakse Govt., he added. The main objectives of independence of a country is to establish freedom for the people, freedom from the fetters of colonialism, banish poverty and ignorance ,and foster peaceful existence as a nation bound by laws.

With the Rajapakse Govt., what we witness in our very midst is poverty, education muddle, erosion of freedom , panic , tyranny and despotism , leave alone the dire dangers to the lives of the people and the sovereignty of the country , he asserted.In the circumstances, the UNP is compelled to reject the Govt.’s invitation to celebrate the Independence Day, he said.

However, the Party has decided to engage in religious worships and activities at all religious places: Temples. Mosques, churches and Kovils. The Party therefore urges all to visit their places of worship and perform religious acts on the day of independence.

The UNP is to have its religious services at Kandy Dalada Maligawa at 9.00 a.m.under the patronage of the Leader of Opposition and UNP, Ranil Wickrmesinghe. All Organisers of the Party are also instructed to perform religious activities in their own areas, he explained.The President had realized only now that it is the 13th amendment to the Constitution introduced by the UNP is the answer to the ethnic conflict after 20 years! But, when the UNP signed the Indo Lanka accord and introduced the 13 th amendment , it was the President , then , a Minister along with his Leader Sirimavo Bandaranayake who shouted hoarse against it under the Pettah Bo-tree which led to a country wide unrest .

This eventually led to 6600 UNP members losing their lives and mass destruction of National wealth and property.Had Rajapakse realized this solution 20 years ago, all this damage to person and property could have been saved, he regretted. Similarly, Rajapakse is certainly going to say after 20 years the best thing that could have happened to the ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka is the UNP’s Ceasefire agreement (CFA). But, by that time the whole Nation will be devastated and decimated, he concluded.