Johnston: Opposition’s plan to get people to boo govt. politicians failed

The Opposition plan to get people to hoot at government politicians in their electorates had failed, Chief Government Whip and Highways Minister Johnston Fernando said yesterday.

“Their plan was to organise people to boo ministers and MPs when we visit our electorates and villages. That did not work because they have no strength or organisational power to work out a campaign of such level. Today their plan went awry and was proven to be another flop. We have come to the village and provinces, but there is none to enact the Opposition’s plan,” Minister Fernando said at Chenkalady, on Tuesday, after commissioning the newly restored 86.7 km Bibile-Chenkalady road.

The Minister said that Opposition members’ wishful thinking that the electorate would reject government political leaders was shattered because they were not capable of engineering such a plot successfully. “It is so weak and that was why people did not vote for them. They think that just because they promote such ideas on social media people would listen to them. Their conduct is so pathetic that they cannot even utter a lie convincingly. On the other hand, people are more intelligent than the Opposition members’ assessment of them. They know we are for real and we will develop this country. We have ensured security in all parts and provinces of this country and brought about a situation where Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Malay and Burgher communities live as a single nation. They know that we could transform the next three years to be the most successful period in our country’s history.

“We have been working to develop and upgrade the country’s road network system into a modernised network of connectivity as we have promised in the Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour programme of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. We have started developing around 800 roads in the Eastern Province alone. The Opposition had once tried to create an opinion that we do not have funds because Islamic countries refuse to help us. Today that too has failed. This road has been modernised with the funds from Saudi Fund for Development. The Fund has allocated more funds for the development of roads. In addition, the World Bank gave us 500 million dollars to develop roads in rural areas.

“There is no disharmony among communities. There is no such problem for the Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Malay and Burgher communities. It is the Opposition’s plots to create rifts among those communities thinking of taking political advantage of such clashes and disharmony.

Our relationships with Islamic countries are intact and thriving. It was Mahinda Rajapaksa who started those diplomatic relations by supporting the cause of Palestine.

People would not fall for the cheap politics of the Sajith Premadasa gang and the Anura Kuamra Dissanayake clique because they know that it was during the times of governments under Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gotabaya Rajapaksa these provinces recorded the highest development. People know that during the yahapalana time these provinces had nothing but misery and stagnation,” the Minister said.

Upgrading the 86.7 km road from Bibile to Chenkalady cost Rs 7,200 million. The Saudi Fund for Development assisted the Lankan government in covering the cost. The project is considered a major booster to the economy as it provides people easy access to markets and social infrastructure such as schools and hospitals and reduces the travel time due to the reduction of traffic congestion and ultimately reducing the travel cost benefiting passengers and industries.