All stolen property to be returned to the people: MR at JO rally
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday (27) pledged to return everything the present Government has allegedly stolen, back to the people, when he regains power.
Mr Rajapaksa made the pledge while addressing the crowd during the ‘ Peraliyaka Erambuma’ protest rally organised in Nugegoda, by the ‘Joint Opposition’ (JO).
Mr Rajapaksa further told the crowd that he left Colombo to his residence in Medamulana, on the morning of January 9, 2015, with the aim of retiring from politics and getting some rest. However, leaders of the 'JO' held a rally in Nugegoda and called for his return, he reminded the gathering. “But I must also tell Maithripala Sirisena that it was because of his doings that I came back.”
He accused the Government of trying to reverse the gains made by the historic war victory, by introducing a new Constitution, which was not what was promised during the campaign. Pointing out that the key pledge of the Government was to abolish the Executive Presidency and transfer powers to Parliament, he called on the Government to stop the deception of a new Constitution.
"The Government was now engaged in selling the country’s lands and its ports," Mr Rajapaksa alleged. "Even on Friday, a gazette had been published giving 8 acres of land in Colombo to a foreigner," he further claimed.
The former President also issued a stark warning to such buyers to be “very careful” about what they were doing.
He took aim at the “thieves” who were behind the Treasury Bond scam, saying they were now using their illgotten wealth to buy up TV and radio stations, newspapers and shares of banks. “When we regain power, we will take back all that stolen property and give it back to the people,” he emphasised.
In his speech, Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) Leader Dinesh Gunawardana said that, while there might be legally elected Presidents and Prime Ministers in the country, Mahinda Rajapaksa will always be the President in the hearts of the people.
"This Government has already proved itself to be bankrupt and a failure," he told the crowd, asking them whether they had ever heard of a previous Government that robbed the country's Central Bank.
Referring to the journey of the 'JO' as unstoppable, he called on the Government to hold the Local Government polls without delay, so as to see who has more support. "If the Government continues to withhold that democratic right, we must be prepared to take to the streets to get it," the MEP leader said.
The 'JO' has moved its chess pieces across the board expertly over the course of two years, the MEP Leader quipped. "We now hold all the pieces and only need to make a few more moves to checkmate the king and queen," he said.
Many MPs representing the JO in Parliament, along with former MPs, trade unionists and religious leaders also addressed the large gathering. The JO has stated the rally is the first step at toppling the Government within this year.