No need for a General Election - Healthcare Minister

COLOMBO: The country today has a National Government consisting of several parties. It is strong to tackle any problem and as such there is no need for any General Election said Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva.

The Minister was speaking at the opening of two new bridges across Loggal Oya at Meegolla and Ekiriya under the Uva-Wellassa Development project, which cost Rs. 120 million.

De Silva said 18 UNP Parliamentarians have now crossed over to the Government. The 9 JHU MPs and Rauf Hakeem's SLMC, Arumugam Thondaman's CWC, Chandrasekaran's UPF and several other parties too have joined it, making it a Government representing all communities. Although the support of the TNA Parliamentarians was still lacking, many Parliamentarians representing the Tamil Community were today fully supporting this Government.

He said the security forces have now eliminated terrorist atrocities in the East including Vakarai. Only a few areas left to be captured to liberate the Tamils from LTTE clutches.

The TNA Parliamentarians too may come forward and support the Government when it is completed.

The Minister said now the Government has majority support in the Parliament to develop the country under the Mahinda Chinthanaya.

There was no need to waste public money by unnecessarily going for another election.

He said Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe now had a habit of attributing everything to chikungunya.

Doctors have told him that many people who contracted chikungunya suffered from loss of memory. Perhaps Ranil Wickremasinghe too may have forgotten the fire engulfing his party due to similar loss of memory.

Meanwhile, Health Ministry release said the newly opened bridges will shorten the distance from Passara to Viyaluwa from 80 km to 10 km. Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva also opened the passara new public Bus Stand built at a cost of Rs. 150 m.