The Leader of United National Party and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday requested the government to resolve the issues plaguing the country and the people peacefully without resorting to violence.
The UNP leader asked the government not to bring the racism issue to the protests and asked the government to present evidence to support its claim that extremists were behind the protests.
Full statement by MP Ranil Wickremesinghe:
Last night at Pangiriwatta in Mirihana a demonstration erupted as there has been no solution provided to the problems faced by the citizens. This incident can be described as a result of the collapse of the current political structure.
The Government has failed to solve the problems that are plaguing the citizens of Sri Lanka. The Opposition has also failed to uphold their responsibility. The Government is blaming various groups for the incident, but they must present evidence to support these claims. They must also reveal who is behind the violence, while refraining from making any racist comments.
This was not a racist incident. This was not a terrorist incident. Such comments would only exacerbate the already volatile situation. The protests that took place at Jubilee Post were peaceful, however, at Pangiriwatta that situation changed.
I express different views on this. We must remember one thing. No one should be harmed in a peaceful protest. Violence must not be tolerated. People have the right to protest freely and peacefully. Political parties should not take part in these citizens led protests. But political parties have the right to hold their own meetings and protests.
Although it is late, Parliament also has a responsibility now. Solutions acceptable to the people of the country should be presented to Parliament. We must implement them with a national consensus without party affiliation. We must fulfil this duty when Parliament convenes next week. I hope this crisis is resolved peacefully without violence.
Courtesy: Colombo Page
