NEW GENERATION OF LEADERS TO STEER UNP: RANIL
Says no JO’S ‘Janabalaya’ and ‘Madyaye Pacha Balaya’ today
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday he was grooming the next generation of leaders in the UNP and that they should steer the party towards 2030.
Party has to be reorganised to safeguard the government
We increased the Mahapola scholarship scheme to Rs.4,000 and gave laptops to schoolchildren
We established democracy in this country. The country might have got disrupted if we hadn’t taken over in 2015
“The party has to be reorganised to safeguard the government. I have embarked on grooming the UNP’S next generation of leaders. The party will be eventually handed over to them. Let’s get together and face criticism. There will be both good and bad times. We need to make plans for the nation to move forward by 2030. It is necessary to reorganise the party. It is essential to go to the people in villages and towns. I have told the General Secretary and the National Organiser of the party to visit those at the grassroots level. One should not be in politics if he or she cannot get things organised. We should try to bring back those who left the UNP.
“We came to power in 2015 as a national government. We accepted a paddy field that was neglected and was to be sold. The one who was in charge of this paddy field ran away. We accepted the task of developing it. Many thought we would not be able to do it. We had a hard time as we had to face floods, drought and many other difficulties. We cultivated the field. Now let’s reap the harvest. We increased the Mahapola scholarship scheme to Rs.4,000 and gave laptops to schoolchildren. Over 9,000 schools have been given new buildings, school principal vacancies have been filled and schoolchildren insured. These have been done while cultivating the field. We established democracy in this country. The country might have got disrupted if we hadn’t taken over in 2015. We had to take difficult steps. We increased the VAT and prices of essential goods. All these were done for the sake of the new generation, to build a debt-free nation by 2025. We could not do things rapidly as we were faced with difficulties. A group from the national government brought a no-confidence motion against me. Still we move forward. We will complete this journey and emerge victorious,” he said.
On a different note, Mr. Wickremesinghe spoke on the protest march organised by the joint opposition on Wednesday.
“I received several phone calls during the past two days. I was asked if the UNP wanted to hold its anniversary celebrations. The callers said ‘Janabalaya’ protesters were storming from several ends. Some asked me if UNP anniversary celebrations would be postponed as the joint opposition attempted to capture power. They said the media had reported that the protest would be powerful and affect daily activities. I told them we would do our job and let them do theirs. There is no joint opposition’s ‘Janabalaya’ and ‘Madyaye Pacha Balaya’ (power of lies) today. The only thing that is left today is the 72nd anniversary of the UNP. Our deputy leader launched 137 housing projects on Wednesday. Was this given publicity by any media institution? If yes, I will give the informant a ministerial post. The media cannot destroy the UNP,” he said.