At a press conference held today (26th ) the Leader of the JVP Comrade Anura Dissanayake stated that neither the JVP nor the NPP will be involved in an interim government and where Gotabaya Rajapaksa remains as President.
He was speaking at a media briefing held at the JVP head office at Pelawatta today (26th) morning. At this press conference, three main issues were brought to the attention of the people. They are the resignation of the President, the resignation of the Prime Minister and the establishment of an interim government and the holding of a general election shortly afterwards.
He said, “Today there are two major crises in our country, the political crisis and the economic crisis. These two crises do not seem to be moving forward toward any solution. We, as a political movement, and the economic experts of this country presented facts on the economic crisis that has been going on in the country for more than two years. We, as a political movement, and the economic experts of this country presented facts on the economic crisis that has been going on in the country for more than two years. The wrong policies that have been followed for a long time have intensified in the last two years and we presented our views at length regarding the impact on society as a whole. But this President, the Minister of Finance, the Governor of the Central Bank as well as the government did not care about it and implemented their decisions and allowed the crisis to intensify. Today the citizens of our country are facing the consequences of all that.
Unsustainable commodity prices, over-printing of the currency, failure to control the value of the dollar and rising fuel prices have had a severe impact on all sectors of the economy. Farmers agitated in large numbers against the misguided and idiotic policies pursued in agriculture. Food prices in the country have skyrocketed due to indifference. Due to the shortage of dollars, there is a huge shortage of imported goods. Due to this overall background, the present government has failed to provide at least the basic responsibility of a government in providing daily meals and other services to the people. Due to this a number of political movements are agitating against this ruler and the government. The youth who have not yet taken to the streets, a large number of middle-class people are now demanding the resignation of this government and the ruler. However, this government led by the President and the Prime Minister is repeatedly trying to maintain power in their own hands by engaging in various scams.
The economic crisis cannot be resolved without alleviating political instability. Various parties have put forward proposals to alleviate political instability. Mahinda Rajapaksa had stated that an interim government should be formed under him as Prime Minister. Their statements show very well how chaotic and frantic the rule of the Rajapaksa family is. It is very clear from their statements that they are acting in a state of mental confusion or frenzy.
It is clear that there is no mental balance in resolving this crisis. A large number of proposals have been that this President and the government should step down and form a short term interim government. A general election should be held shortly and an opportunity should be given to building a stable government. Although it may seem like a fair solution, there are no interim governments, coalitions or all-party governments. What are formed are governments. The parties to the agreement reached an agreement for a period of one year or six months to maintain the government. Those joining parties can break that agreement at any time.
The President has the power to dissolve Parliament. Even if a resolution is passed in Parliament, the President has the power to dissolve it. All so-called all-party governments, interim governments, all depend on the president. Can he be trusted? A group of parliamentarians including the Sri Lanka Freedom Party recently discussed with Gotabaya Rajapaksa about an interim government. The next day Shantha Bandara was given a state ministry. Raghavan was also given a state ministry. This is a president with such an unbelievably mad and distorted mind. Therefore, we do not agree at all with the interim rule proposed with this President in this chair. The main demand of the people has been the resignation of the President. But no matter how unstable the country is, no matter how much confusion the people have, no matter how much the people have difficulty living, no matter how the state apparatus collapses, Gotabaya Rajapaksa is thinking only of maintaining power in his own hands. The rulers are working to protect their power no matter how much they have put the whole country and the people in danger.
The people of this country must end the rule of this family. These rulers continue to prove that they are unable to fulfil the basic needs of the people and build the country. Therefore, we emphasize that this President and the government should resign. Then we have to build some inter-parliamentary administration for a very short period of time and go to the polls very soon. Only by giving a new mandate, the opportunity to build a new administration, can permanent solutions be had. If the rulers do not step down, the power of the people must be exercised., if the President is prepared to rule Within the provisions of the Constitution, by deploying the army, living inside a bunker in the Presidential Palace, it will not be a successful administration at all. Therefore, Gotabaya Rajapaksa should stop sticking to the clauses of the constitution to consolidate his power. If the leader of a country is going to rule the country from within a bunker, it should not be allowed. Troops have already been brought to Colombo from Monaragala and Dambulla. Should the country be ruled from within a bunker with various armoured vehicles? This President should step down without creating further chaos.
If they do not leave, the people should take to the streets and agitate. Our trade union movement has prepared a large number of actions in collaboration with other trade unions. An entire general strike has been called on the 28th. A series of protests have been organized in every city across the country. The power of the people, the strength of the people should be used for this. Also, the people should be given the opportunity for a new mandate.
They say they have a mandate of 69 lakhs. They belong to the past. The present mandate must be measured immediately. If Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Rajapaksa family are contesting an election, it is possible to gauge how little they are left with. We will move forward in the process of obtaining a mandate. These rulers must understand that power is not confined to bunkers. It must be understood that power does not lie within the army. The necessary environment must be created for the exercise of the sovereign power of the people. The JVP, the NPP, the trade union movement, the farmers’ movement and the youth movement will hold a large number of agitations and protest rallies in the future. This government should be defeated and punished. The people should not tolerate the family rule that has destabilized the country completely, created chaos and created a huge food shortage for the people. The JVP is ready to take a number of steps to oust these rulers.”