In a statement, the state minister says, his intention is to make false and funny promises to mislead the ordinary voter and cheat the youth of the country to come into power by any deceitful means.  By way of his actions he is only demeaning the intelligence of the voters of this country.

 

Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa who imposed an oppressive rule continuously for a period of ten years unashamedly crushed all human rights of the student community. What they were agitating for many years has been the increase of Mahapola scholarship assistance, then from Rs. 2,500 to match with the risen cost of living. The response of Rajapaksa regime to this reasonable request was only by way of attacks on the students using tear gas, water cannons and baton charges; not by considering the request to grant relief even in a small measure. This only proved that the former regime did not have an iota of concern to the just and reasonable request of the student community.

 

Mahinda Rajapaksa who enjoyed power for ten long years only thought of increasing the Mahapola Scholarship assistance to Rs. 4,000 when the defeat at the Presidential elections loomed largely on him. The budget presented by Mahinda Rajapaksa in November last year was an election budget aiming the Presidential Election and most of the proposals made were only Election gundoos (ploys). At the last moment Mahinda Rajapaksa declared an increase of the Mahapola scholarship assistance to Rs. 4,000 only to suppress the massive students’ protests gathering momentum daily. However, this ploy was a total failure and a large majority of the university students of this country voted to defeat the Rajapaksa regime at the previous Presidential elections.

 

Consequent to the victory in the Presidential elections, the Government led by President Maithripala Sirisena and the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe increased the Mahapola scholarship financial assistance to Rs 5,000 because the new government was well aware of and sensitive to the concerns of the student community. The government which stood for good governance made it clear that the request for an increase of the Mahapola scholarship amount was just and fair and it was a burning question faced by the students.  So it was not necessary for the students to take to the streets and stage demonstrations to achieve a just demand. Therefore, immediate action was taken by the new government to provide relief to the university students. It was hailed by the entirety of the university student population irrespective of their political leanings.

 

The defeated Presidential candidate Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa states that if he comes to power the Mahapola scholarship assistance will be increased to Rs. 6,000.  By these utterances, whom is he trying deceive?  What he could not do during the ten years he held power can he do it now?  That is why his election promises have become a pack of jokes.

 

The truth that is perhaps not known to many is this. His argument is that in a situation of impending defeat there is no need to be responsible about the amount of financial involvement for fulfilling those promises.

 

Accordingly, it is observed that anybody who is destined to be defeated can make any election pledge in any manner he likes because he knows very well that he will not be called upon to bear the responsibility of fulfilling such promises. That is the fate of Mahinda Rajapaksa today. We would like to make one request to him.  He should refrain from insulting the intelligence of the university students by trying to make them believe in his election pranks.