‘People should protect the ideology that brought Sri Lanka president to power’
COLOMBO: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday said that the group which spread falsehoods about white vans, crocodiles and sharks are now trying to propagate falsehoods and misconceptions with regard to the environment after their failure in their previous attempt.
The president said that people should counter these organized local and foreign forces that circulate these falsehoods against him and his government in order to protect the ideology of the people that brought him to power.
“I always maintain that, the individual Gotabaya Rajapaksa is not important. What matters is the ideology and force that brought me here. We should protect that ideology.
The aim of the false propaganda now being carried out by the hostile forces is to defeat this ideology.
“What I do is fulfilling the promises I made to the people,” President Rajapaksa said.
The president made these remarks addressing the gathering at the opening of the 17th “Discussion with the Village” program held at the Bogaswewa Maha Vidyalaya premises in the Vedivaithyakallu Grama Niladhari Division of the Vavuniya North Divisional Secretariat Division in the Vavuniya District, Northern Province on Saturday morning
He added that he is building a green economy on the ruins of a collapsed economy that he inherited when he came in to the office despite the difficulties he has to face due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The president called on the people to find fault with him if he fails to provide solutions to the problems during his tenure.
President Rajapaksa reflecting on the current discourse in the country stated that the standards of all goods imported for consumption is regularly inspected.
The recent discovery of coconut oil unsuitable for consumption is a result of these inspections.
The president stated that it is the responsibility of the relevant institutions to carry out continuous inspections and check the quality of consumer goods.
Explaining the role he played during the period after coming into power, the president noted that palm oil cultivation which caused adverse effects to the environment was banned.
With the recognition of healthy effects of coconut oil consumption, the import of palm oil was halted. Space for drug trafficking into the country has been largely closed. The relevant Units have been able to seize narcotic and other substances that are unfit to consume in their raids.