Minister of Megapolis and Western Development Patali Champika Ranawaka said that a young common candidate should be nominated for the 2020 Presidential election to win the election.
The Minister said so addressing the gathering at the sworn in ceremony of the newly elected Local Government Councillors yesterday, at the Mahaweli Centre in Colombo. He said the votes of the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party(SLFP) broke away during Local Government elections as the people were disappointed with the present government.
“According to the electoral results, it clearly shows that the people have given less importance to main parties and have chosen other parties instead, while now there was a tendency of new people being chosen by the public,” he said. The Minister further said that Mahinda Rajapaksa’s vote base was reduced in the recent Local Government election, compared to the elections held in 2005, 2010 and 2015.
He noted that the government while changing its ways of conduct, should also take immediate measures for the development of the country.
Minister Ranawaka said that if the UNP did not take progressive decisions, it would end up as Communist and leftist parties in Sri Lanka.
“Communist and Leftist parties were unable to survive after the demise N. M. Perera, Colvin R de Silva and Bernand Soysa. They kept on talking about their successful past and never took any initiative to safeguard their party or the country,” he said.
The Minister said that they would take initiatives to make necessary changes if the UNP failed to do so.
“If the UNP does not take measures to change not only their political policies, but also the economic perspective, we would take initiatives to create a change,” he said.
Minister Ranawaka insisted that all parties, including the SLFP and UNP, should handover the responsibility to young people to take decisions and to witness a positive change in the country.
He said that the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), was not a party that gave false promises to the people.
It proved its ability through action and requested the councilors to continue to serve the people.