The people of our country will have yet another opportunity to exercise their democratic right to choose a leader of their choice. No one can stop, coerce or in any other way wrest this right away from them.
Ranil Wickremesinghe
I request with all sincerity and with the greatest respect from all our voters that they proceed to their respective polling booths and exercise their franchise silently, courageously and with a sense of pride.
I also request that everyone, regardless of the candidate they voted for, celebrate the victory of democracy after the final results are announced in a spirit of friendship drawn from the commonality of shared citizenship in our fair land. In particular, as the Leader of the Opposition, I request that you contribute to building a new and more wholesome political culture in our country by standing up to defend your neighbour who may have been at odds with you politically should the need arise.
*Statement Issued by Hon Ranil Wickremesinghe, Leader of the Opposition -January 7, 2015
dcn / January 7, 2015
This is a very decisive election which may decide the fate of the country and its generations to come
and it is the responsibility of all of us to do our duty by casting the vote. We also must be ery vigilant to ensure this valuable vote is not misused.
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Wombotta / January 7, 2015
Will your name be on the voting paper Ranil mahattaya, with the elephant symbol?
If so, I will vote, but not otherwise.
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Sha / January 7, 2015
He is more intelligent than what you think and will realize it in future. MR is nothing in front of him. Lots of MADA thrown at him by State media and government but truth will prevail at last.
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The Messenger / January 7, 2015
ALL THE TAMILS SHOULD VOTE TOMMORROW.
First thing in the morning tomorrow go to the polling booth and cast your vote. Nobody has to tell you, all of you know whom to vote. You have suffered enough under this Anti-Tamils dictator who grabbed your lands and made you refugees and kept you under military control.
Enough is enough, take a stand to prove that your opinions, your ideas and your needs also matter in a democracy. Do not be afraid of their threats, this is one best opportunity to defeat the devil that keeps haunting you.
All Tamils please do your duty, use your power in the ballot box. This is the hour of peoples power, please do not let go. Get up in the morning and go, vote for the Common candidate and show your strength.
The Tamils living outside Sri Lanka, please inform your relatives and loved ones back in Sri Lanka to be brave and defeat the war criminal family by casting their votes to the common opposition.
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Sangha / January 8, 2015
Isn’t his brilliance already evident in the way Mithripala Sirisena came out from the house of Pharaoh…. While the DIG Wakista and Chief of National Intelligence goons whose intelligence is questionable in the way he masteminded this? mahinda is just a crude, shrewd kapatiya while Hon. Ranil the statesman is learned man who knows when to play his cards and how.
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Silva / January 7, 2015
Wombotta,
Plug your wombotta in your [Edited out] for no one needs it.
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dcn / January 8, 2015
Wombatta
Even a child would say who the contestants are and their symbols and Ranil W, the gentleman politician, whom he is supporting/sponsoring. Choice is yours.
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Amarasiri / January 7, 2015
Ranil Wickremesinghe
“The people of our country will have yet another opportunity to exercise their democratic right to choose a leader of their choice. No one can stop, coerce or in any other way wrest this right away from them”
Well done. That is one of the most precious rights.
Ask the people to exercise their Right to choose in a Democracy, which the MaRa dictatorship is trying prevent,Ranil Wickremesinghe.
We the People of Sri Lanka will exerice our right to vote and select our own representatives without intimidation
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Ajith / January 7, 2015
Save this beautiful island from destruction and dictatorship. It is in your hands. It is your future. This is the Time you think of Buddha and preachings. Buddhism need not suffer in the hands of selfish dictators. We need change towards good values and it is our moral duty to bring back rule of law and law of people.
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Gayan / January 7, 2015
I hope we will see more of you these days. In my view you are the most respected but strangely the least appreciated MP that Sri Lanka has. High time you have a chance to show that “yes you can” make Sri Lanka really develop – without taking small petty cash (6 billion out of 1300 FYI) from China alone.
Sri Lanka is worth becoming part of the international world, with trade going east and west, with better education, more innovation, and a judiciary system that is functioning. All is there. High educated citizens, a strategic location. A booming Asia at the doorstep.
Open up the trade from Jaffna / Mannar directly to India. Maintain good relationships with China in the South. Give those Provinces the chance to show they are able to govern their provinces.
Deal with those recommendations from EU regarding sustainable fishing industry, as the trade with EU is much more valuable than what Putin (a dictator) can offer Sri Lanka.
Make small towns along the coast more beautiful – repair colonial houses that will get tourist to want to visit Sri Lanka.
Invest in some real public transport. Electrify trains and make them much much faster. And prioritize the highway to Kandy. The second largest city has congested access roads for more than a decade.
Rent out the Mattala Airport + harbour to either India or China or USA – get the highest bidder. Plenty of other countries do this. A billion per year – easy!
Realize that India will dig that channel north of Sri Lanka (Suez and Panama are being doubled in size, a second Panama canal is planned so why should India not?). That means Trinco / Jaffna become strategic as well.
Rename our Colombo streets into the English names, and give airports only the name of dead politicians or better: murdered journalists to remember “this NEVER again”.
People in Sri Lanka are so tolerant – but after years of propaganda they seem to be suspicious of others, of foreigners. Somehow this will have to heal.
Low hanging fruits all over the place. NEVER understood why Mahinda didn’t do all of this. He would be so incredible popular.
Good luck!
Gayan
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Demart / January 7, 2015
THANK YOU verymuch Sir, for your encouraging words. We will oblige and
help to create a DEMOCRATIC SRI LANKA
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Lalith / January 7, 2015
Words of a true Satesman. What a contrast to the one in power, a gutter Politician who does not believe in Democracy. He will move hell and high water to remain in power, no matter what the verdict is.
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Shan / January 7, 2015
A true leader. What more do you Want? Respecting every one and reminding all the fellow countrymen about their democratic right and wishes.
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Mallaiyuran / January 7, 2015
It is not just Ranil’s guarantee, even UN issue a guarantee Tamils will not believe it.
Everybody saws the pictures and videos that when the Tamils fell down on the feet of the international agencies’ officers and beg them not leave them alone. UN officers not simple left them alone, Vije Nambiar and his assistance, when they went to Colombo, they falsified the death toll that came from the northern wars front. After that America forced them to vote for Fonseka. Until IC sincerely investigate and bring justice and rebuild the confidence in their mind, they will be looking at this UN and Gangs as part of war machine of the racial Sri Lankan Government.
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Dev / January 7, 2015
if only he practiced what he preached and allowed for democracy within his own party. !
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Saman / January 7, 2015
Mr.Ranil Wickramasinghe is an intelligent statesman.
Some people have not realised the calibre and talent of Mr.Ranil Wickramasinghe.
He does not cheat people like Mahinda Rajapaksa by holding and kissing children and ladies.
Mr.Ranil Wickramasinghe is not a thief like Mahinda Rajapaksa who robbed public money and Tsunami Fund and many other resources and bought many properties in Dubai and Seashells.
Please vote for Mr Maithreepala Sirisena tomorrow.
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Homo Erectus / January 7, 2015
“He does not cheat people like Mahinda Rajapaksa by holding and kissing children and ladies.”
yes we know. We also know what he really likes kissing!
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Native Vedda / January 7, 2015
Homo Erectus
“yes we know. We also know what he really likes kissing!”
What is it that he really likes to kiss, not another Homo Erectus of course?
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thondamannar / January 7, 2015
No One Can Stop; Exercise Your Franchise Silently And Courageously: AND send the garbage Chaura Regina packing home on the first flight on the 09th.
Ranil the Magician of the Year… Have transformed the ELEPHANT into a SWAN……Left the diehard UNP’ers on the lurch.
Dispecable and if not disgusting…………….
Ranil does not cheat BUT this lifetime President of the UNP has not audited foreign funds that he received during the 20 elections defeats to date. A gentlemanly thief.
Gyan has loaded a lorry load of goods in Ranil’s Morris Minor making Ranil look a struggling “Natami”.
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messenger / January 7, 2015
thondaya,
This is the last few hours of your sordid life. Unload the remaining stockpile of your filth and eat them while you watch your war criminal banana rogue earns defeat!
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ramona therese fernando / January 7, 2015
Oh well…..just in case you win : All the best.
Just to say that while I like your supposedly non-racial stance, I do not like autonomy for minorities (in whatever form it means).
Everybody has to be one Lankan race. MR, for all the chauvinism he showed (he probably was trying to bolster up the Sinhala race because they are duds in comparison to Thamils), holds a trustable hand out to Thamils.
You, on the other hand sit in apology for what your Uncle JRJ did. You are not JRJ. His bad Karma does not translate onto you. Therefore, enough of the fiasco of feeling sorry for minorities. Take the more intricate and complex path, like what MR is doing, and make Sri Lanka a true United-Democracy.
In the midst of pulling up Sri Lanka by the socks so they will join the ranks of Liberté, égalité, fraternité , do not disregard Lankan ancient heritage, which was always about Liberté, égalité, fraternité (till colonization and Olcott and Anagarika Dharamapala).
In the midst of your cut and dried non-aligned autonomy for Sri Lanka (including taxation of the rich for the poor after opening up private enterprise),(minus playing vassal to any great power- you are not going to sell out to USA, are you?…..ok, selling to both is the key), develop a culture where damned Sri Lankans (of all races), will know that they are traitors if they bring all their brains and money to the West(from free Uni-ed paid by ME-worker’s taxes, and land sales from ME worker’s hourly-paid wages – come to think of it, if everything goes towards China, no one would actually want to go there, and most monies will stay in-house).
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ramona therese fernando / January 8, 2015
I mean, taxation of the rich for the poor after opening up private enterprise, is what you SHOULD do, and not…..circumvented around, as hitherto undertaken.
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Observer / January 7, 2015
Hon. RW,
Thank you sir for taking the most correct and clever course of action for saving the country from the petty Rajapaksha thieves and their cronies. You are the unmatched tactician and statesman among the current set of politicians in the country. Getting MS to run against the incumbent is the wildest of imaginations to any of us but you translated it to reality! You are unparalleled in strategic maneuvers. We are fortunate that we are about to benefit from your talents as a country.
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Ahfzll / January 7, 2015
Addressed to:
Mr Maithripala Sirisena, Madame Chandrika Bandarnayake, Mr Ranil Wickremasinghe, The Honourable people of Sri Lanka …….
The time has come to stop Mahinda Rajapakse (No Title), his family, his hoodlums, his brothers, his Bodu Bala Sena, his Nivaard Cabraal, his B.P. Jayasundera, his Mohan Pieris – all the people who followed his whims and fancies thinking they would not be held accountable …
TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE for their dis-service to Mother Lanka.
However, we should bear in mind – that both – Mahinda Rajapakse and Prabhakaran used the Citizens of Sri Lanka to fight for what they believed was their RIGHT – to manipulate anything and everything to take advantage of every situation, to their personal advantage… to the both of them WAR was business. ( Money making opportunity – as is advocated by the Jews).
If we work on the basis of the JEWS – that ” THE END JUSTIFIES ITS MEANS ” then neither Mahinda Rajapakse nor Prabhakaran could be found fault with. In LOVE and WAR – anything goes.
So, here is wishing and warning the Maithripala Government – That the primary objective should be that every CITIZEN is equal in the eyes of the Law. NO ONE SHOULD BE ABOVE THE LAW. Not the President nor his henchman.
Every Citizen should be treated equal – NO special tax-breaks or privileges to Government servants and/or bootlickers.
Independent CIVIL SERVICE, POLICE, ARMY and NAVY, Foreign service, etc. etc.
POLITICISATION is a crime in the eyes of the CITIZEN – as a result of which it should be declared by Parliament as a crime – for the future of our SRI LANKA.
You SIR, have given us hope – We are voting for you – DON’t become an also ran, PRESIDENT.
MAKE THE NECESSARY CHANGES.
WISHING YOU THE BEST OF LUCK –
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K.A Sumanasekera / January 8, 2015
Terrorists kill more than 12 people , including 3 Police in the heart of Paris.
Our inhabitants will get a chance to read this horrible news, before they walk up to the polling booths.
It is a stark reminder of what they face, if the current anti Terrorist measures, which are in place are dismantled.
And the Separatist groups with proven track records are allowed to operate again, under the guise of giving us good governance.
We all know, I mean the great majority of the inhabitant population know, how this Leader of the Opposition operated during his very very short stint of Leadership of the Nation as the PM.
If Prabakaran accepted Ranil’s offer,we wouldn’t have had an election today.
Even if we did, it would have been in only 2/3rds of the Country.
What do our inhabitants face if this failed UNP Leader’s latest gimmick is allowed to succeed?.
It will be Sinhalese against , Sinhalese on top of Muslims against Muslims , and Tamils against Tamils and Sinhalese against Tamils and Muslims combined , to grab what ever they can, once the fool proof constitutional measures now in place are dismantled.
Our inhabitants did not face any Terrorist attacks for 5 years,
And our inhabitants must put that as their priority when they tick the Ballot , this time, more than any other time in the past.
God Bless Srilanka, in order for our Holy Pope to have a pleasant stay and bless the Million poor rural Catholic inhabitants , specially in Madhu and Talawila areas who wouldn’t have had the money to travel to Colombo..
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Sadith / January 8, 2015
This is the world record holder for getting his ass kicked by the people for 29 times, this will be his 30th !!!
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Pena Kiyanna / January 8, 2015
Sadith, he obviously loves being kicked in that part of the body, that is why he comes from behind, getting someone else as the candidate.
Ash lover.
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