Gota says he will not attend SLPP rally

• Invitation not received for Friday rally in Kandy

Former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said he will not attend a Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) rally later this week and would only enter the political sphere at the right time, hinting at divisions within the party closely linked to Opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Rajapaksa has indicated that he has presidential ambitions but relations between him and the SLPP appear to be somewhat distant after he declined to attend the rally being organised by SLPP on 8 March. SLPP had earlier said Rajapaksa would attend the rally but the former Defence Secretary later clarified that he was not invited and would not participate at the SLPP rally. 

“It is too early to enter to politics. When the time comes, I will be there,” he said responding to questions at a book launch held on Monday. However, he did not give additional details of his plans. 

Presenting his policies earlier in the day Rajapaksa has said he has the ability to make a change in the country recounting his steps to end the 30-year conflict and infrastructure developments in Colombo prior to 2015.   

Rajapaksa said the current Government had failed to deliver its election promises. According to Rajapaksa, members of the Government had been speaking about development but has failed to implement projects that could contribute to economic growth.  “There are lot of people who talk but they don’t work,” he added.

Meanwhile, Rajapaksa speaking at the book launch said Sri Lanka needs a change that is based on cultural values. He noted Sri Lanka should adopt policies based on local cultural and traditional values instead of focusing on western-championed policies.

Rajapaksa argued the country had been experiencing negative effects because it has adopted policies followed by foreign nations. “The recent social and economic challenges arose because we had adjusted our policies based on the preferences of foreign nations. We have changed our policies based on conceptions of foreign nations. Policies that worked for them may not be suitable for us,” he added.

He pointed out that countries such as Japan had been able to develop their nations because they focused on preserving cultural values.