The National Front (NF), along with another 13 political parties, decided to support President Maithripala Sirisena after leaving the former President's camp, NF Leader Ranjith Peiris said.
Addressing a press conference held at the Centre of Society and Religion (CSR) in Colombo, yesterday, he said they decided to support the President's national agenda due to several reasons.
"Other countries that gain independence alongside Sri Lanka had progressed and achieved developed status. But after 70 years of independence, Sri Lanka is still struggling to achieve development. Sri Lanka never had a national agenda; we never had unity among us. But now, President Maithripala Sirisena has given Sri Lanka a national agenda. He is a selfless leader who does not have ulterior motives. He has decades of experiences in politics; some development projects given to the country by him such as Moragahakanda will offer many benefits to the people for another several thousands of years. This Good Governance government did a lot for the country. It increased public servants' salaries by Rs. 10,000 and also reduced the prices of gas and fuel. Therefore, this golden opportunity should not be wasted," he said.
The previous President, during his regime, thought only about himself and his family. He never paid attention towards the welfare of the people. State-sponsored terrorism was present during his time and a lot of journalists and others disappeared. He a left Rs. 9,000-billion debt for us to pay. Rajapaksa should retire now without making trouble for current leaders. He sold priceless lands to foreign countries, he said.
“All who rally around the former President only aim to snatch more money. We left him because he did not want to get rid of Basil Rajapaksa,” he added.
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