The term ‘butterflies’ used by President Maithripala Sirisena during the political rally at Battaramulla had no sexual connotation, Co-Cabinet spokesman, Ports and Shipping Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said.
Addressing the weekly Cabinet press briefing held at the Government Information Department Auditorium in Colombo yesterday he said the word ‘butterflies’ did not have any meaning related to the sexual orientation of a certain community.
The President meant only that a group of persons who rallied round the former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had interfered with the work making it difficult for the President.
Minister Samarasinghe said former Minister Rajitha Senaratne had told a recent press briefing that he can be one of the butterflies mentioned by the President.
When the late Vijaya Kumaratunga was assassinated, Dr.Sarath Amunugama wrote an article to a newspaper and named the assassination as ‘an assassination of a butterfly’. Therefore the word ‘butterfly’ can have many meanings than one.
Minister Samarasinghe said the word `leech’ should also be interpreted by the person who used it just like the word ‘butterfly’ is interpreted. Co-Cabinet Spokesman andMass Media and Digital Infrastructure State Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said several projects launched by the previous Government was politicised after the United National Party (UNP) scored just 31 percent of votes during recent Local Government Election held in February this year.
The UNP MPs openly said their supporters should be given employment and all the other benefits in order to gain their votes at future elections. But President Sirisena ordered not to politicise any project and programmes. He instructed the honour of all graduates of Sri Lanka should be strictly protected and employment should not be given on political preferences.