People have complete right to lie: Kottahachchi

Colombo, December 21 (Daily Mirror)- People have the complete right to convince others that something true is false or something false is true, as it is a democratic right, NPP MP Nilanthi Kottahachchi said today.

Speaking at an event in Kalutara, she said people also have the right to see the negative side of good things the government is doing and that the government will never block that democratic right.

"You have the complete right to convince any truth as a lie and any lie as a truth. That is your democratic right. You have the right to see the negative side when the government is doing something good. And also, you have the right to praise when a leader, government, institution or an individual is doing something harmful to society," she said.

The MP said it takes time to see the results of something and said it is better to wait till the results come before criticising something.

She said the NPP members never lied during the election campaign to bring Anura Kumara Dissanayake to presidency and that they did not want to do so either.

"Some people claim that NPP members lied on political stages to bring Anura Kumara to presidency. Any NPP member including me did not want to tell lies and mislead the people to bring Anura Kumara to presidency because we are not a bankrupt political force to do so. It is the others who were bankrupt. Because of their bankruptcy, people trusted Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the NPP. We will not foul that confidence," she said.