The opposition’s common candidate, General (retd.) Sarath Fonseka, addressing his final campaign rally yesterday ahead of Tuesday’s Presidential election vowed to end President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s political career on January 26.
“Our forward march cannot be stopped and the only thing left for the President is to hand over power,” he told a mammoth rally at the Tower Hall junction in Maradana.
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| A section of the crowd at Gen (retd). Sarath Fonseka’s rally in Negombo on Saturday. |
The war-winning four-star general said that after 40 days in politics he felt he had come a long way and he believed he had achieved much more than what President Rajapaksa had in his 40 years in politics.
He said that after he entered politics, some of the undesirable elements in the United National Party (UNP) had left the party and he should get part of the credit for getting rid of such persons.Charging that his rival was resorting to desperate moves in the face of certain defeat, the war-winning Army Commander said a terror campaign had been unleashed against opposition supporters who were craving for a change – a change that would herald a new era where corruption and nepotism would have no place.
Gen. Fonseka said the latest victim of the government’s witch-hunt was Ven Uvatenne Sumana Thera who was earlier a strong SLFP member and now backing him. He said the monk had been arrested on trumped up charges that he had in his possession a large cache of illegal weapons and ammunition.
“As the monk works in my office now, they are trying to claim that the weapons were given by me,” he said.
General Fonseka also charged that the government was gearing to rig Tuesday’s presidential poll and claimed that the rival camp had forged more than 150,000 National Identity Cards of people who were living abroad.
“They may attempt to win the election by rigging, but will not allow that to happen,” Gen. Fonseka vowed.
Earlier in the day, Gen Fonseka addressing a meeting in Galle said that God had given a great opportunity to save the country and the people should make use of the opportunity.
“The President claims that he had fulfilled 98 percent of the promises he made in his Mahinda Chinthana, but it appears that he has got things mixed up. It should be that he has fulfilled two percent of the promises and 98 percent of the promises remain unfulfilled,” he said.
Declaring he was confident of victory on Tuesday, he vowed he would work from day one to fulfil the promises he had given to the public. “Our country has failed and we need to change that situation. This may be the last chance to save democracy and move towards prosperity. If President Rajapaksa wins, he will lead the country to dictatorship and it is not sure whether we will have anymore elections,” Gen. Fonseka said.
He said that ending corruption and malpractices will be high on his agenda in addition to providing relief to the people in the country.
Gen Fonseka also addressed a rally in Negombo yesterday.
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