I am no dictator, says President

20 August 2013 12:16 pm Views - 13211

President Mahinda Rajapaksa said today that many people who called him a dictator were unmindful of the fact that they were using such slogans while being on a democratic platform which allowed them the freedom to express such opinions about the President of the country.

Addressing an election rally in Gampola, the President said he could not understand how they could term him a dictator.

“I don’t understand how they could accuse me of being a dictator while casting such allegations in public on a platform within the country itself. If one takes a paper or a website they slander me using obscene language which are not even found in the Sinhala language. But they have been given that freedom to do so,” the President said.

The President further said that every citizen of this country enjoyed the freedom of expression.

“ Every citizen of this country has the right to do as he pleases, our aim is to preserve such democratic values and that is why we conduct elections. We give the responsibility to the people to choose who should govern them. However, these few people use this democracy and freedom to slander,” he said.

The President also said a few Non-Governmental Organisations and bankrupt political leaders seem to betray the country internationally in order to further their agendas.

“We have had to fight again to protect our country because of these people. Just as we were rebuilding our country these people portray us to the world as being destructive people. Their main agenda is to portray our country in bad light,” he said.

The President during his speech said that every province in the country is reaping the benefits of development.

“ There are no racial and religious barriers because each and every province and village is reaping the benefits of the development that we are carrying out. But a few people cannot bear this fact and therefore are engaged in discrediting and slandering us internationally. However, never can this government be made to kneel through such slander,” he said. (Suranga Rajanayake)