Ranil ensured safety and rights of all political leaders - Vajira

It was United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe who acted to save the country from the issue that arose against Sri Lanka in the UN Human Rights Council in 2000, 2013 and 2014, the Chairman of the United National Party (UNP) Vajira Abeywardena said.

Abeywardena recalled that in the past, some people talked about electric chairs, but Ranil Wickremesinghe did not allow anyone in the country to be taken to electric chairs, adding that he had ensured the safety and protection of the rights of all political leaders.

Abeywardena was speaking to the media after a religious programme at the Paramadhamma Chethiya Pirivena Temple in Ratmalana on September 17 to mark the birthdays of J.R.Jayewardene and Anagarika Dharmapala.

Organized by the Buddhist Committee of the United National Party and UNP activists in Ratmalana, this religious programme. Deputy Secretary of the Sri Kalyani Samagri Dharma Maha Dharma Sangha Sabha, Vice President of the World Sangha Federation, Ratmalana Paramadhamma Chethiya Pirivena Dr. Maitipe Wimalasara Na Thera gave an Anusasana. Kumara Vidyalaya, Honorary Master of Arts, Hadigalle Chandraloka Thera.

Following the religious sermons, Vajira Abeywardena said the origins of the United National Party begin with Anagarika Dharmapala through the Buddhist Renaissance Movement in Sri Lanka. “Today is his 157th birthday. A statue of him who was not a politician but a Buddhist leader has been erected in India. People still worship it today. Also, if there is a statue of a Sri Lankan political leader in the world, it is only the statue of former UNP leader J.R.Jayewardene. The Japanese still pay homage to the statue, which was erected in Japan. Accordingly, September 17 is a very important day not only for the country but also for the UNP,” he said.

The United National Party has now completed 75 years, he said, adding that it also marks the 75th anniversary of Sri Lanka’s membership of the United Nations. Moreover, India and Sri Lanka will complete a similar period of independence.

He noted that all these special issues were a process led by the United National Party as well as the major political forces in the country.

Also responding to questions raised by the media regarding the ban on chemical fertilizer imports, he said that the Government has given approval to only two companies to import the fertilizer required for the country’s tea and rubber cultivations.

“This is a serious tragedy. At that time we as the United National Party stated that chemical fertilizers should be imported immediately. Without chemical fertilizers, the damage to tea, coconut and rubber plantations will not be reversed for many years to come. The government should be ashamed for allowing only two companies to import chemical fertilizers. They should allow chemical fertilizer to be imported as even if they lift the ban now, the damage caused by the ban would be felt for another 1 ½ to 2 years. There is no need to be ashamed as everyone makes mistakes. Therefore, the only alternative is to reverse this decision even now,” Abeywardena said.