Gotabhaya pledges to transform Sri Lanka into a secure country

Presidential Candidate Gotabhaya Rajapaksa today (Oct 9) pledged to transform Sri Lanka into a secure country if voted into power.

“People cannot visit their religious places of worship without being attacked although it has been less than a decade since then (defeating terrorism),” the former Defence Secretary said at his maiden rally in Anuradhapura.

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Presidential candidate, revealed that among his top priorities were to release soldiers whom he said have been imprisoned on “absurd charges”.

“By the morning of November 17, I will release all these soldiers,” he remarked.

He also said that civil security force personnel who complete 22 years in service would be granted a pension under his government.

Rajapaksa pledged to maximise concessions for farmers and uplift the standards of the poor. “It is our duty to uplift the lives of those living in rural areas,” he insisted.

He also promised to provide compensation for farmers whose crops had been affected due to the drought in the recent past. “We will wipe off all loans including micro-finance loans obtained by farmers within six months of coming into power,” he stressed.

The SLPP candidate said his government would expand warehouse facilities for farmers to store their excess harvest, while also purchasing their stocks at a reasonable rate.

He emphasised that a programme to provide clean drinking water for every household would be on the top of his priorities when voted into office.

Rajapaksa pledged to obtain scientific advice from experts to resolve the issues between humans and elephants which has resulted in several fatalities in the recent past.

He also promised to increase the allocation towards the education sector starting from his first budget to enhance learning opportunities for the youth and uplift their educational standards.