Some powerful nations want a weak government in Sri Lanka

By Yohan Perera   

Some powerful nations including those from the region want a weak government in Sri Lanka so that they can get what they want, MP Rajitha Senaratne said yesterday.   

“Some powerful nations want a weak government in Sri Lanka as such a government will depend on them. Also these nations can get what they want out of Sri Lanka when there is a weak government here,” Dr. Senaratne told a press conference.   

“However I don’t think India will interfere with the presidential election as it has been supportive of Sri Lanka as per my experience. I remember meeting the then Indian External Affairs Minister to discuss on Indian fishermen issue during my tenure as the fisheries Minister. The Indian Minister listened to me and gave me what I wanted. It was a case of me asking for things and the Indian Minister agreeing to everything,” he said.   

Dr. Senaratne came up with this remark in response to a question raised by the journalists on the remarks made by some including politicians that India is interfering with the Sri Lanka’s presidential election and influencing candidates.   

At the same time he said the economic policies of President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) are almost the same unlike the policies of National Peoples Power (NPP). “It was SJBers such as Harsha de Silva and Eran Wickramaratne who proposed that Sri Lanka should go for a dialogue with IMF and seek assistance when the nation was plunged into an economic crisis. However they are critical of Wickremesinghe at times. When Wickremesinghe does something they find it wrong but when they do the same thing that is right.   
The MP attacked the JVP led NPP and said it was the former which introduced an armed struggle in 1971. “This armed struggle in 1971 influenced LTTE to take up arms,” he said.