Wijayadasa warns of possible mass uprising

SLPP MP Wijayadasa Rajapakshe, PC, on Thursday warned that frustration brewing among people was on the verge of exploding in the form of a public uprising and in such an eventuality it would be impossible to prevent the police and security forces members standing on the side of the people.

Addressing the media in Colombo on Wednesday, Rajapakshe PC said that the origin of the crisis was the grabbing of credit for winning the war against the LTTE by a single family, which made use of that victory to control the economy. “Today, we are facing the threat of not only losing the North and the East but the entire country because that single family has either sold many national assets to foreigners or been making plans to sell the remaining national assets off. We have already lost the Hambantota and Colombo Ports. Our monopoly in electricity has been sold. The Trinco oil tank farm has been sold for all practical purposes. They have been sold away so that the family in power could pocket the commissions coming out of those sales. Even if we blame the rulers of the past 73 years, it is the incumbent rulers who have deprived the people of their tomorrow and pushed the country down the abyss of uncertainty.

“This is not due to the COVID-19 pandemic. None of the Asian countries have suffered a foreign reserve crisis during the pandemic. They have increased their foreign reserves instead. During the past two years, the country’s economy was completely mishandled by the Rajapaksa family. The President, the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister have got together to deprive people of their national assets. They have sold many and the rest are to be sold soon.

“People including the 6.9 million who voted for this government are under tremendous pressure that is growing increasingly. Very soon there would be an explosion of this pressure and if the government is thinking it could bring the situation under control by using the police and military they are mistaken. This pressure is felt by the families of members of the police and security forces, too. It is inevitable that they will side with the people.”