No one can guarantee 100 per cent national security – Gen. Mahesh | Daily News


‘I never left the war front in my career’:


National Peoples’ Movement Presidential Candidate former Army Commander General Mahesh Senanayake said yesterday that he had been part of the war effort for 30 long years and had never left the war front during his career in the forces.

He was addressing news media in Kandy.

The former Army Commander said he had come forward to contest the Presidential elections not to fulfill a contract given by someone but with the sole intention of changing the political culture which has cast unnecessary burdens on the people for the last 71 years.

General Senanayake, who visited Kandy yesterday to worship the Sri Dalada Maligawa and pay his respects to the Malwatta and Asgiriya Prelates, subsequently held a media briefing at the Royal Kandyan Hotel.

He said he considered all Presidential candidates as equals and as such had no desire to ensure another person’s victory by depleting anyone’s vote base.

Gen. Senanayake said that of all the candidates contesting the Presidential election, he had the best credentials to talk on national security as a person with 38 years’ military service directly connected to war effort for 30 long years.

He said people should consider why people who had been once roundly defeated were seeking their mandate again. He said that to find the answer to this question, people should consider the individuals and hangers-on who had flocked around these contestants.

If they wanted to salvage the country now bogged down in party politics, they should build a new political culture devoid of party differences. He had come forward to contest the elections to build servants of the people rather than people’s masters.

He said no one could guarantee 100 per cent national security since a small incident crated by a lunatic could create a major catastrophe. He could, however, assure that national security situation was at a satisfactory level.

He said the argument that the next elected President would be a totally powerless mere figurehead in terms of the 19th amendment to the constitution was totally untrue and baseless.

A president could perform a plethora of duties and responsibilities under existing powers. For instance, he had the powers to decide on the number of ministers serving in the Cabinet, since a large Cabinet of Ministers would be an unnecessary burden on the state and the exchequer.

Former Auditor General Gamini Wijesinghe, Former Secretary to the Presidential Commission investigating large scale fraud and corruption Lacille de Silva, leading artiste Kamal Addararachchi, Kandy Puravesi Hawula representative Sudantha Senanayake and Okkoma Wesiyo Okoma Rajavaru Party representative Neil Dias were present.


Add new comment