Mr. Sajith Premadasa, the leader of the opposition, said that when the country went bankrupt and the country’s economic process became inoperable, it also went down in the north.
He pointed out that while the western provinces contribute 42% to the gross domestic product, the northern and eastern provinces contribute as little as 5% in a news conference held with Jaffna journalists in Jaffna yesterday (02).
During the period of Yahapalana governance, even though he suggested this to the then president and the prime minister, they did not care. So he will call an international support conference as soon as he comes to power and through it, the North East and the country will be recovered; said Sajith.
Also, the opposition leader said that a presidential performance force will be established for the development of every province and a large work section will be implemented to establish a relationship between the people who voted and the ruler.
Every race and religion should have an equal place in the country
The Leader of the Opposition stated that he firmly believes that all forms of divisive thoughts and differences between races and religions must be completely eradicated. He emphasized that no space should be allowed for extremism associated with any race or religion by using mechanisms such as laws, social patterns, culture, and the messages conveyed by political leadership. He highlighted that every race and religion should be given equal opportunities, and this is his objective. He also mentioned that this can be achieved through religious education, which can promote social cohesion and friendship. He believes that this unity is the greatest strength our country possesses and that it can lead the nation towards prosperity.
I protect the people of the country, not thieves
He says that he protects the country and the people and not thieves, that he does not like opportunistic politics, that he will prepare a good government mechanism for good governance and implement the rule of law, and according to the rule of law, any person who commits a mistake will be punished, and that there will be no space for thieves.
We don’t have people who have come to grant privileges
The opposition leader emphasized here that he has not promised to give bar permit, beer permit etc. privileges to anyone and all those who have joined him are based on principles and not on money and all the support received by the party was spent not to buy MPs but to implement ‘Sakwala Saha Suhuru’ program and that he does not have the culture of political fishing to attract MPs.
We do not have a custom of giving positions based on friendship
The Opposition Leader further stated that individuals are selected for positions based solely on their skills and competencies, without considering ethnicity or religion—be it Sinhala Buddhist, Sinhala Christian Catholic, Tamil, Hindu, Islam, Muslim, Burgher, Malay, etc. He emphasized that no positions are awarded based on personal relationships or friendships, and that appointments are made purely on merit, results, and abilities.
Talent is given its rightful place
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa pointed out that it is necessary to introduce new mechanisms to develop the country’s 10,096 schools since they cannot be improved solely through government and provincial council funds. He mentioned that he has prepared an appropriate plan for this, but claimed that the President does not understand the issue and is spreading false information. He stated that, as someone who has lived with his feet firmly planted on the ground, he knows the true situation in schools, and therefore, skilled individuals are needed to uplift them from this condition. He also emphasized that he rejects appointing individuals to positions based on family politics or family connections.
