ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s National People’s Power will not mis-use a two third majority given by voters to carry out its program, Tilvin Silva, General Secretary of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, the main party behind the political group said.
“We have understood the weight of responsibility of this victory,” Silva told reporters in Colombo after the landslide win.
“That trust we have to protect. We have got 159 votes, exceeding two thirds. There was opinion in society that there should not be two thirds. Actually, we did not seek it.
“But people have given it. So we have a responsibility to handle this excessive power very carefully.
“Because our leaders have mis-used it in the past to put down the people. They were drunk with power. We will not become bloated with the power. We will be very careful and be responsible.”
There were many challenges ahead of the government, he said.
“We will use the mandate given by the people, not to protect power,” Silva said. “We will use it to rebuild the country, built democracy and end corruption. We know the weight of responsibility.
“We have taken a fallen country. Due to debt we had to have an agreement with the IMF.
“We have to end rural poverty. We have to have a clean, Sri lanka. We have to revive a fallen economy and help people to live with dignity. We will use this mandate for that.”
The people in the North, East and the hill country have joined hands with NPP thinking like one nation, he said.
It by defeating, traditional, strong political parties who have reigned for 70 years this victory was bestowed on us. The old, elitist, the hegemonic era (prabhoo, adipathyawadi) has been ended. The power of our country has ended it.
The era where rulers took on an aura of elitism and used public funds and priviledges had ended, he said.
“Now the politics of the general public has come. I think this is a great victory,” Silva said. “On the other side, it has defeated nationalism. There were attempts to ethnic and religious division. The, politics where leaders depended on ethnic and religious extremism has ended.
“For many years, elections were won on nationalism. The Rajapaksa won on Sinhala Bhuddhist nationalism. Other used Tamil and Muslim nationalism. All those parties have been rejected.