Newly-appointed Minister of Tourism and Land Harin Fernando claims he did not betray the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. Speaking at a media briefing today the Minister said SJB supporters will understand the reasons behind his decision with time.
The Minister said he was disgusted to have accepted his letter of appointment from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, adding his disgust towards the state of the country is far greater. Minister Fernando added President Rajapaksa is now a mere namesake official and has already been rejected by the people.
The Minister said unlike other individuals, he was able to stand straight before the President and can approach the President and even criticise him and reiterated he will not take a balanced approach. Minister Harin Fernando said he didn’t take on the post of Minister due to Premier Wickremesinghe, adding that he is one individual who criticised the Premier the most.
However, the Minister said Ranil Wickremesinghe’s decision to accept the post of Prime Minister amidst the ongoing crisis, is commendable. He questioned if a country would exist had Ranil Wickremesinghe not accepted the post of Prime Minister.
Minister Fernando said they took five days to contemplate accepting the posts adding that he is not of the stance that the Prime Minister should be obstructed from working towards uplifting the country. Minister Fernando said he believes the President will step down after the country reaches stability.
The Minister said he will step down from his post if the Prime Minister fails to fulfil the promises. Minister Fernando added he could fail at fulfilling his duties, yet reiterated that he is not engaged in any games and is focused on bringing a sense of stability to the country.
The Minister claimed President Rajapaksa is aware that he has no future in politics in the country and called for a campaign titled ‘Sri Lanka Can’ to be initiated. Minister Fernando stated the country can come out of the present situation adding parties must stop thinking with a petty mind-set. He said progress will be evaluated every three months.
