Govt. preparing to plunder people and votes yet again -Tissa Attanayake

General Secretary of the UNP, Tissa Attanayake, asked whether the people are urging the Government to relieve them of their burdens and hardships imposed by it, or for untimely elections? This Govt.’s very existence is illegal because the people’s mandate on which it was elected has ceased, as the JVP, and many of those who supported it to come to power have deserted it. Now. P.A. Is a base mixture depending on discarded UNP ers and other parties, and not the original People’s Aalliance.

At a time when people are starving and workers are clamouring for wage hikes, the government . Wasted over Rs. 290 million at the last Eastern province (EP) elections. And, now it is preparing to waste another Rs. 400 million in the forthcoming Sabaragamuwa and North Central Province elections. It is people’s money the Govt. is wasting while also depriving them of their right to elect their own party by using violence against them , vote rigging and ballot box stuffing at elections . To cover the EP elections expense, it raised the fuel prices on false pretexts.To defray the forthcoming elections expenditure, it is making dubious plans to burden the masses again, he lamented. These expenditures are not provided for in the budget. Naturally, therefore these are additional strains on the Treasury which are recovered by price hikes and taxes imposed on the people, he asserted. Is thisgovernment. exploitation of people or elections for the people, he questioned.

This is a Govt. whose idea of polls is not to win on a free and fair election by people’s free will, but by plundering victory by force and State terror. Like how it won the EP elections by these methods, it has already started its violent and terror tactics for the upcoming elections, he said. No sooner the announcement was made of the elections,than UNP M.P. Range Bandara and his house were attacked. Another UNP M.P.Aluvihara too came in for intimidation. Just yesterday (2Jul) too, another UNP prospective candidate was threatened. He had a narrow escape because UNP leader intervened, he stated.

If the ghovernment is truly acting in furtherance of the people’s interests, the only solution is to hold a General election and allow the people to make the choice rather than foist government.

Victory on the people in areas where it can orchestrate its victory by violence and insidious activities. Already, it is reported hat the Govt. has established over 19 illegally armed camps in the election districts to carry out its operations using the underworld and illegal groups.

In the circumstances, Attanayake urged all parties to bury their party differences, and unite, at least to foil the plans of the Govt. to win elections continually by illegal force and violence, and secure for the voters the opportunity to exercise their franchise freely and democratically to elect the candidates of their choice.