(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) – Finance and Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera yesterday severely criticized Retired Major General Kamal Gunaratne and Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa over their violent and offensive comments on the new Constitution.
The minister in a strongly worded statement accused them of acting as pawns of former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. He reiterated that the “Viyath Maga” movement was formed to cater to the future political aspiration of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. The Minister reminded that the unity government received a clear mandate in 2015 to introduce a new Constitution to usher in permanent peace, reconciliation and development.
Also citing Gunaratne and Retired Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara’s recent comments that all who support the new Constitution must be killed and the most recent comment by Weerawansa that Parliament should be bombed, pointed out these horrific comments were made at a time the government is working towards delivering this undertaking of formulating a new Constitution.
“We need not reply to filthy statements of racists, yet I should voice the concerns of democracy-loving people who stand against the barking of those blood thirty and power hungry political elements. If they can make such gory comments on a civil platform when they are out of power, people with some sense could imagine the crimes they had committed when they held ruling power. These threats also put the lives of democracy-loving and wise people at risk,” Minister Samaraweera stated.
The minister went on to say that Kamal Gunaratne in his recent book had betrayed the Sri Lanka Army by illustrating the fatal attacks on the Northern people and instances of looting their property and thus preparing the ground for war crimes allegations. He reminded that the investigations are still on against Gunaratne over a mysterious death of a Sri Lankan occurred when Gunaratne was in the diplomatic service.
Samaraweera, commenting on Weerawansa’s statement on bombing Parliament, said Weerawansa had displayed his fanatic political hooliganism following the same footsteps of his brother-in-law who bombed Parliament in the 1988-89 era.
The minister, recalling the infamous white van culture in the Rajapaksa era, noted that the criminal mindset of those in the Rajapaksa camp remains unchanged with or without power.
The minister stressed that no one could stop the ongoing efforts of the government to usher peace and reconciliation and develop the country.
