He made these remarks while addressing a public meeting held in Bopitiya, Pelmadulla.
“The President is not going to travel around the world and come back. It is good to travel within the country; there is no problem with that. The head of state should represent the country and attend international conferences. But when we attend such conferences, we should also talk about the benefits that will result from them,” Rajapaksa said.
He criticized the government for allegedly signing questionable agreements in secrecy. “Don’t sign agreements with thieves and close the shop. The government says it has signed fraudulent agreements with some countries and cannot disclose them. If so, what is there to hide? Why do politics behind closed doors?” he questioned.
Rajapaksa further alleged that the government is attempting to silence political opponents. “When the government cannot perform, it tries to shut our mouths, show us prisons, and destroy our lives. We will not do politics out of fear. Even if they try to fabricate false evidence and put us in prison, it will not work,” he said.
He added that he and his family have not done anything wrong according to their conscience. “We challenge the government to conduct impartial investigations instead of politicizing matters. Don’t tarnish the reputation of officers in state institutions,” he said.
Rajapaksa also remarked that the government’s actions appear to be motivated by paranoia. “When the government goes to sleep at night, it dreams, and the next day, someone makes a case based on that dream. The most common dream is about me and my father. That’s the problem—why us?” he asked.
