By Asoka S. Seneviratne –

Prof. Asoka.S. Seneviratne

Let it be known that the NPP’s victory on 21 September 2024 will be a victory for all. The NPP unequivocally rejects violence any time before or after the presidential election. The NPP’s unwavering commitment is to a peaceful future for the country, where every citizen can live without fear and uncertainty. This commitment to peace and unity is the cornerstone of the NPP’s vision for a better future where every citizen can thrive. Finally, it is a beautiful life for all.

Peace: The Spirit of Aragalaya

Having secured a very comfortable victory for the NPP on 21 September 2024, some opponents of the NPP are attempting to instil fear in the public, suggesting that past-election violence will be incited. However, it’s important to note that Aragalaya was a model of peace, with the entire nation united in the face of unprecedented economic hardships. The spirit of Aragalaya lives on in the NPP, fostering unity, harmony, and peace before and after the election, and laying the foundation for the new NPP government on 21 September 2024, led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD). It must be mentioned that peaceful Aragalaya was brutally attacked by the violence incited by Temple Tress or Rajapaksa’s political cronies.

Priority Of tThe NPP Government

Naturally, not all voters will support the NPP, and we respect that. However, the NPP’s commitment to the entire country and its people, regardless of their political affiliations, is a testament to its leadership. We value every citizen, and our goal is to foster unity and all-inclusive peace, as our country has experienced the bitter consequences of division. With this in mind, harmony and consensus are part and parcel. They will naturally be there, paving the way for a stable and sustainable economy that enhances the overall welfare of the people.

It is pertinent to indicate that the NPP’s victory on 21 September 2024 resulted from more than two decades of political life with the people and the country. As a result, NPP learned precisely what the people and the country expect from them. For the above, NPP had an array of discussions with the people and formed the economic and social policies with a vision to provide a better life to the people on par with developed countries, deal with all forms of corruption, strictly following sound governance principles and ensuring justice and for all based on law and order. This vision for a better future is not just a dream but a reality we are committed to, a reality that gives us hope for the days to come.

Given the above, the NPP government will not do anything to harm or hurt anyone for any reason but only for the welfare of all. Indeed, more than two decades of preparing with a vision is a long time, but it is worth it because its ultimate result is that the majority of the voters are with the NPP. In other words, the economic and social development policies of the NPP look after and serve the entire population in the county, not only the people who support the NPP, because it is not democratic. Indeed, as I explained previously, only a small group of voters will not support the NPP. However, after the elections, they will support the NPP because they will be convinced that the NPP looks after all equally and similarly. In short, the NPP leadership and his colleagues do not possess a low mentality. NPP has the highest degree of morality and discipline in dealing with the masses, so any opponent or political party will never come close to the NPP.

After the election on 21 September 2024, the top priority of the NPP government is to provide all assistance to cope with the increasing cost of living, help about one-third of the population that lives under the poverty line, or generally deal with all the hardships of the people, as indicated by the NPP manifesto. Parallel to the above, the NPP is committed to working with the foreign debt burden of about US$55 billion based on the benchmarks of the IMF by increasing government revenue, slashing unnecessary expenditures, and engaging in extensive export drives, etc, while maintaining the stability of Sri Laka rupee, exchange rate, interest rate and price level. Indeed, most people are convinced of the above, so they expect the positive outcomes of their welfare will be improved after the election.

The Claim That The NPP Does Not Have Policies

Given the imminent victory of the NPP on 21 September 2024, some small group of opponents or the opposition did three immoral or wicked things. First, it is pertinent to mention that before the manifesto was launched on 26 August 2024, the opposition questioned the NPP about its program and policies, while the opposition did not have social programs and policies. When the NPP launched its manifesto on 26 August 2024, they stopped talking about the program and policies of the NPP because they produced the best programs and policies that have feet on the ground and are people- and country-friendly. Following the NPP manifesto, people who were not with the NPP also started supporting the NPP, making the opponents of the NPP fully upset. In other words, opponents parties promised to give everything under the sun except headaches, but the people did not believe them. This gave mounting shockwaves to the opposition parties.

The Claim Of Secret Deals

Secondly, and following the above, the opposition of the NPP made stories that the NPP is having secret deals with SJB and President RW. The NPP responded that those alliances and coalition political movements and memorandums of understanding, including with the Somali pirates like politicians and politicians convicted by the law courts, have secret deals. Still, the NPP has no partnerships or coalitions and does not deal with anyone, secretly or otherwise. It has an open agreement, but it is only with people in the country who firmly believe, respect and accept NPP as the only political movement that they can have a beautiful life and future. This means the majority of voters rejected the manifestos of the opposition parties of the NPP.

Storymaking By The Opposition

Third, when the opposition of the NPP failed again to get support from the people, the last attempt was to instill fear in people that violence would be there after the election on 21 September 2024. This seems to be the last trump card. However, as the people have been convinced of the commitment and dedication of the NPP to welfare improvement, they do not care about such stories at all. However, it is against the law in the county to spread such fabricated stories about future violence by the NPP, particularly during election times.

Undoubtedly, political opponents of the NPP want to incite unrest.

Given the above, it is up to the law enforcement authorities to act against them to stop such claims of violence and punish them according to the country’s law.

*The writer, among many, worked as the Special Advisor to the Office of the President of Namibia and was a Senior Consultant with UNDP for 16 years. He worked as a Senior Economist with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (1972-1993) before he migrated to New Zealand. The writer can be contacted at asoka.seneviratne@gmail.com