The government hopes to conduct Provincial Council elections shortly and an awareness has been created about it among relevant officials and leaders of political parties. As such, the UNP and SLFP supporters should have a proper understanding about their respective party operations and activities, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said.
He was addressing a meeting after the distribution of land title deeds held at Kegalle town under the one million title deeds national programme on August 19.
The Prime Minister who emphasised the need for UNP and SLFP Ministers and Parliamentarians to continue such programmes of strengthening the people, said members of his government always honoured their word by deed without trying to blow their own trumpets.
Speaking in lighter vein, the Prime Minister said the country was a sick patient when the Government assumed power and most people urged them to go for a life saving measure to help the country. The patient had now gained consciousness and showing progress. The government gave the people a breath of freedom the moment it assumed power after forming a National Government and establishing a democratic framework in the country.
The Prime Minister said some doctors were now waging strikes to oppose the Sri Lanka Singapore - Free Trade Agreement. Going by this trend, another group of people may soon resort to strike action spurning Bollywood songs.
The Prime Minister who said that the ‘Maharaja Concept’ (Emperor cult) is still visible in the country, added that democracy would not be of any use if that concept persisted.
He said the “Hitler Concept” mooted recently in some corner did not attract much criticism from the media. If by any chance anyone asked him to be a “Hitler,’ he would have instantly criticised and denounced the idea. However, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had failed to denounce the proposal so far.
Lands and Parliamentary Reforms Minister Gayantha Karunatilke said the land title deeds presentation programme would be continued in the Kegalle district for the benefit of the peoplet. Minister Kabir Hashim said the government was able to save former President Mahinda Rajapaksha from the electric chair phobia.
The cocktails circuit which had lost their former government contracts was now engaged in an effort to put the government into inconvenience. He asked whether the people had forgotten the manner in which the former government had allegedly offered land and distributed lands surrounding the Somawathie Chaitya to private companies during its time.