{"id":42354,"date":"2015-07-28T19:58:35","date_gmt":"2015-07-28T23:58:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=42354"},"modified":"2015-07-28T19:58:35","modified_gmt":"2015-07-28T23:58:35","slug":"upfa-led-by-appacchchimahinda-releases-manifesto-titled-assurance-for-the-future-empower-the-country-and-lets-start-afresh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=42354","title":{"rendered":"UPFA led by \u201cAppacchchi\u201dMahinda Releases Manifesto titled \u201cAssurance for the future: Empower the country and let\u2019s start afresh\u201d."},"content":{"rendered":"


\nBy<\/p>\n

Dharisha Bastians<\/strong><\/p>\n

Better late than never, the United People\u2019s Freedom Alliance yesterday unveiled its framework for governance if the coalition is returned in the 17 August Parliamentary election, promising big handouts and swift return of mega development project the party claimed had been stalled by the 100-day Government.<\/p>\n

The UPFA manifesto was unveiled amid fanfare at the Henry Pedris Stadium in Colombo last morning, with UPFA candidate for the Kurunegala District Mahinda Rajapaksa, as presumptive premier of the alliance, handing over the first copies of the document to Buddhist clergy, senior members of the UPFA and leaders of the alliance\u2019s constituent members. <\/p>\n

The manifesto was titled \u2018Assurance for the future: Empower the country and let\u2019s start afresh\u2019.<\/p>\n

The former President leapt on to the stage, waving enthusiastically to the crowd to the sounds of a song hailing him as \u2018appachchi\u2019 \u2013 a term of endearment made popular by the UPFA during the presidential election campaign in January. Large crowds were gathered at the stadium for the manifesto launch.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The manifesto has a 12 point program focusing on various areas such as national integrity, anti-corruption mechanisms and judicial independence, economic management, education, foreign policy, health, housing, environment and wildlife and infrastructure development.<\/p>\n

The manifesto pledges to conduct transparent investigations into all charges currently being made and ensure the public is kept informed about the revelations of those probes. The policy document also pledges to ensure the independence of the Judiciary and capacity building in the judicial service.<\/p>\n

The policy document also contains a 30-day practical action plan that aims to restart development projects that the UPFA\u2019s de facto prime ministerial candidate claims have been suspended by the UNP Government.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have learned lessons from the past,\u201d Rajapaksa claimed, addressing the crowd. \u201cWe can be patient when we want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evoking his strongman, tough on national security image, the ex-President, wearing his trademark white national and burgundy shawl, vowed to get tough when the country needed fighting for.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are ready to fight for the country, we will take on that struggle,\u201d Rajapaksa charged.<\/p>\n

Hinting that the UN report on allegations of major war time abuses by Government forces and the LTTE would become a hot button campaign issue in the weeks ahead, the UPFA\u2019s premier hopeful demanded: \u201cWill you vote to divide this country and take us to court in Geneva?\u00bb<\/p>\n

Rajapaksa also promised a new constitution within six months of winning the election in August. \u201cThe electoral reforms will also be enacted under the new UPFA Government,\u201d he vowed.<\/p>\n

The former President also denied speculation that the UPFA was a deeply-divided coalition, saying the party\u2019s only adversary was the United National Party.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is only one faction in the UPFA. That is the faction against the UNP,\u201d Rajapaksa asserted.<\/p>\n

He said the UNP Government had stopped \u201c58,000\u201d development projects around the island.
\n\u201cAll that because of a hatred of us \u2013 1.5 million jobs were lost because of this,\u201d he told the crowd.<\/p>\n

Emphasising the UPFA\u2019s refrain that the party was hoping for a second chance, Rajapaksa announced: \u201cWe are ready to start afresh.\u201d<\/p>\n

Borrowing from a copy of a leaked manifesto allegedly designed by the Rajapaksa camp in May 2015, the former President said: \u201cLet\u2019s build a modern nation, a proud race and a harmonious society.\u201d<\/p>\n

UPFA General Secretary Susil Premajayantha said the party had a short-term plan and a five-year plan included in the manifesto released yesterday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no doubt that Mahinda Rajapaksa will be elected prime minister on 17 August, and it is our development plan for the country that will be implemented,\u201d Premajayantha promised.<\/p>\n

Former Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva and former UPFA dissident Rajiva Wijesinha attended the manifesto launch and each were handed over copies of the document by the former President. <\/p>\n

Courtesy:Daily FT<\/em><\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Dharisha Bastians Better late than never, the United People\u2019s Freedom Alliance yesterday unveiled its framework for governance if the coalition is returned in the 17 August Parliamentary election, promising big handouts and swift return of mega development project the party claimed had been stalled by the 100-day Government. The UPFA manifesto was unveiled amid …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘UPFA led by \u201cAppacchchi\u201dMahinda Releases Manifesto titled \u201cAssurance for the future: Empower the country and let\u2019s start afresh\u201d.’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42354"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42354"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42355,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42354\/revisions\/42355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}