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We are not with the government. We left
the SLFP led PA Government when Chandrika Kumaratunga
was the President. We opposed her for signing an
agreement with the LTTE after the tsunami, when she
introduced the P-TOM. After that we continued to remain
in the Opposition and supported the government on a
variety of selected issues.
Later when Mahinda Rajapakse, who was
then the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka , became a
candidate in the last Presidential election, we entered
into an agreement with him putting forward 13 demands as
conditions for supporting his Presidential campaign.
We worked and contributed to his victory.
After the swearing in as President, Mahinda Rajapakse
requested us to join his government. He also urged us to
take up ministerial portfolios in his government. At
that time we told him that in the agreement we entered
with him to render our support in the Presidential
campaign and that we have not agreed to join the
Government after his election victory. Therefore, we
informed him that we are not in a position to accept
ministerial portfolios offered to us.
However, in case our participation is
needed and if we were to join his government we pointed
out that there should be agreement on certain issues and
we put forward a 20-point draft proposal to President
Mahinda Rajapakse. We started negotiating with the
President, based on 20-point proposal put forward by us.
While we were negotiating, President was
also involved with a negotiating with the UNP group led
by Karu Jayasuriya. In our view, this position of the
President reflected a politically contradictory approach
of the Government.
Subsequently the Government did not
accept some of those points we put forward in our 20-
point draft proposals. Therefore we continue to remain
as an independent group in the opposition. Today JVP is
the chief opposition Party in the Parliament. We
continue to give support to the Government on an issue
basis.
Today there are 23 UNPers in the present
Government under President Mahinda Rajapakse. This is a
UNP-SLFP Coalition Government. Similarly, the Opposition
too is carrying on with a green plus blue coalition.
In the last 60 years, the country has
been ruled alternatively by the UNP and the SLFP.
As a result of their misgovernance of the
country, every child born in this country is burdened
with a loan of Rs.140,000. The country is burdened with
the shackles of loans and the country has today lost its
economic freedom.
Today Sri Lanka President is pursuing the
open economic policy -- a policy which might be able to
satisfy a section of the international community, the
World Bank and the IMF, but not the people of the
country.
This anti-Sri Lankan policy of open
economy was sired by the UNP leader and the President of
Sri Lanka, the late J.R. Jayewardene.
By adhering to this economic policy
neither Mahinda Rajapakse nor Ranil Wickremesinghe will
be able to lift the people of this country from their
present plight.
Therefore we are of the opinion that it
is important to build up an alternative force in the
country.
With the view to build an alternative
force in the country, JVP met with the professors,
teachers, attorneys-at law, artistes, religious leaders
and patriots of this country and listened to their views
on building up a national coalition with the people of
this island nation.
To build up a national coalition with the
people of this country we conducted seminars and
meetings all over the country.
We are creating awareness in the midst of
the people. We are talking with the people and telling
to them why a comprehensive national people’s front is
needed. We are putting forward this question to the
people and creating awareness that a national front
could only be formed with the people of this country and
not by entering into coalition arrangements with various
political parties.
Therefore, it is the people of this
country who should determine the coalition they want to
have with the political parties in this country.
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Interview
