Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that if attempts are made to silence Opposition leaders and establish an authoritarian rule, the Opposition must stand together to defeat them. He has also emphasised that all parties should unite and hold thousands of meetings across the country to educate the public on the suppression of democracy.
Speaking at the 79th anniversary of the UNP, held at Monarch Imperial at Kotte Jayewardenepura, on Saturday, Wickremesinghe said: “They are trying to arrest everyone, accusing them of being thieves. We passed the National Audit Act and the Anti-Corruption Law. If we were thieves, would we act this way?”
The anniversary celebrations were held under the theme: “Stand Together to Defeat Constitutional Authoritarianism”.Wickremesinghe further asked:
“The government asks what we have achieved in 78 years. We don’t need to explain again how we developed education and healthcare.”
by Chaminda Silva 