Government priority is to develop country: Minister Johnston

By Yohan Perera   

The government will give priority to develop the nation rather than subjecting various sectors to victimization, a cabinet Minister said yesterday.   

Minister of Ports, Shipping, Roads and Highways Johnston Fernando said, this government will give priority to development as that is what the people of this country expect the government to do. “ If someone asks me as to whether we are going to penalize those have been engaged in corruption in the previous government I would tell them that our first priority would be to develop the nation as that is what the people want us to do,” he said.   

Speaking at a public function in Kurunegala, the minister said the present government is different to the previous one which subjected political opponents, businessmen, public servants, security personal and Buddhist monks to political victimization.   

“Venerable Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera was falsely arrested and imprisoned. Those in the previous regime dragged the country backward. Some ministers even dared to say that Sri Lanka was not a Buddhist nation,” the Minister said. “People voted against the UNP at the last general elections while cursing the previous regime. This curse will come upon the UNPers soon,” he said.   

He recalled that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa emerged victorious despite many efforts made by the previous regime to prevent him from contesting the presidential election.   

this government will give priority to development as that is what the people of this country expect the government to do