President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that he decided to go for an early presidential election as he wanted to be elected as president in a free national election where the people of the north and east could also freely vote with the people of the other parts of the country.

He said this in response to a question by a journalist as to the reasons for holding a presidential election two years prior to completion of his six-year year term.

Addressing journalists from the print media President Rajapaksa said that Sri Lanka still faces a severe threat from separatists though the LTTE has been militarily crushed, and the country united after a 30-year war. He says people should recognise the continuing threat to the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, by manipulative forces both within and outside the country.

He accused SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem of trying to revive the separatist movement once spearheaded by the LTTE, and cautioned that a fresh threat of terrorism would cause another disaster, The Island reported.

The President asserted that a controversial understanding among parties backing candidate Sarath Fonseka in the presidential election could be the basis of the impending threat. He said the government would gradually ease security restrictions in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, as well as other parts of the country because the LTTE no longer posed a conventional military threat. Emphasising his readiness to scale down HSZs in the Jaffna peninsula, the President said that could not be done overnight though the war ended last May. It has to be a gradual process, he said, with progress already being made.

He added that even in times of peace, the security of key installations couldn’t be compromised, and that no one should seek political advantage out of a purely security matter. The easing of restrictions would depend on a careful study of the ground situation. The LTTE, too, had maintained HSZs, the President recalled.

Since the end of war, the government had taken a series of measures to facilitate civilian life, including opening of the Kandy-Jaffna A9 road, the President said.

Dismissing criticism that he had undermined the country’s foreign policy by aligning with countries such as Iran and China , the President said Sri Lanka followed a Non-Aligned foreign policy, and was not aligned with any particular country. He reiterated that the relationship with any country would not be at the expense of another and he intended to continue that policy. He strongly defended growing relations with Iran while underscoring the importance of unprecedented Iranian financial assistance received at a time the world was facing a severe economic crisis. He gratefully recalled the grant of an interest free Iranian credit facility to Sri Lanka to purchase Iranian crude oil, following his visit to Iran in November 2007, and Iranian funding to upgrade and expand the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery, which was originally built by Iran .

Responding to The Island queries, the President said he would secure a second term with a comfortable margin though the UNP-JVP combine was engaged in an all-out mud slinging campaign against him. He said that the Opposition campaign could not be considered fit for a presidential election. "They are not discussing political issues but carrying out a hate campaign against the Rajapaksas," he said. The Rajapaksas had been involved in politics for over 70 years but never experienced such a vicious propaganda assault he said, adding that the people would never be deceived by Opposition claims that they (Rajapaksas) had bought the Lanka Hospitals (formerly Apollo), Swarnavahini and property all over the country. Today no one could even open a wayside eatery or winkle without the Rajapaksas being accusing of buying it, he said.

He added that the Rajapaksas were proud of their social status. Today, there was also an attempt to lump all the wealthy Rajapaksas together, including those not related to him to create an impression in the public mind that the Rajapaksas were engaged in building a huge business and financial empire.

The President said that the Rajapaksas were a cosmopolitan family though their opponents would not accept that publicly. Several Rajapaksas were married to Tamil speaking people. Although some people targeted Nirupama for marrying a Tamil, she had contested the Hambantota District and won. He said that a section of the press did not want to reveal the fact that the Rajapaksas had Tamil relations, the President said, adding that the Tamil speaking husband of his niece had been killed by the LTTE.

Referring to a recent article carried by Ravaya editor Victor Ivan, the President said that the paper had exposed the Opposition’s strategy. The President said that Ravaya had responded to a range of baseless corruption charges being levelled against him and his family. He said a luxury house down Balapokuna Road built by the proprietor of House of Fashion had been dubbed “Basilaramaya” by the Opposition to discredit his younger brother Basil. The latest allegation was that the Rajapaksas got 100 acres of land in Colombo. He did not know whether their was such land in Colombo, and if so it could be used for a good development or housing project for the people.

Commenting on his opponent’s manifesto, the President said that it would shortly end up in a wastepaper basket. There was absolutely no substance in it, he said. Fonseka’s manifesto hadn’t even been page-numbered. That alone proved that they weren’t serious about their policy statement.

The President said he was ready to discuss his proposals with regard to Constitutional amendments, including electoral reforms. Whatever political parties might agree to, nothing could be implemented without the consent of people. He said that he wouldn’t make promises that could not be met, but would strive to reach a consensus among political parties. He called for cooperation among political parties to achieve a lasting solution to the national question. The merger of the Eastern Province with the Northern Province was out of the question the President said, reiterating his commitment to thwart whatever attempt made to divide the country on ethnic lines.

Commenting on his talks with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which recently pledged its support to candidate Sarath Fonseka, the President said he had refused to give in to the TNA’s demands. The TNA had called for the re-merger of the Eastern and the Northern Provinces; the withdrawal of military camps from that region, and the immediate dismantling of the HSZs. "Had we given in to their demands, they would have asked for the removal of the police, too," the President said.

He dismissed TNA leader R. Sampanthan’s accusations that he wasn’t interested in settling contentious issues. The President said that Basil Rajapaksa, too, had been present at the discussion with the TNA. He stressed that maximum possible relief would be provided directly to people and no one should expect political advantage out of it. There was absolutely no need to provide relief through the TNA, he said.

The President told the media that the TNA would have sided with the Opposition even if the government had accepted most of its demands. He dismissed the TNA’s criticism of his policy on HSZs as nothing but a political gimmick. Countries all over the world had secure perimeters and corridors to protect airports, harbours and other vital installations. Likewise, Sri Lanka, too, had established HSZs and the government could not be faulted for that, he said. He accused the TNA of working according to an agenda of the pro-LTTE sections of the Tamil expatriates to destabilise the country, cause chaos and effect a regime change so as to create an environment conducive to the revival of the LTTE and furthering their separatist interests.

President Rajapaksa referred to a threat posed by LTTE operatives still in the Jaffna peninsula. According to him, the area had not been fully cleared and the operatives there could be as high as 10 per cent of the total population.

He said he will present his own solution to the problem of the people of the North and East during his second term. A number of All Party Committees had been appointed to find a solution, but with no agreement reached on a solution, the Daily News said.

“Therefore, I would present my own solution so that all parties and groups could discuss it and arrive at a consensus solution acceptable to all groups in the country,” the President said.

The Opposition political campaign was not based on a political philosophy but on a vilification, and the allegations made by the Opposition were fabricated, he said.

The Mahinda Chintana Idiri Dekma-The Vision Ahead- policy that he presented aims at rapid economic development of the country with plans for all sectors. The first Mahinda Chintana policy program had been implemented with mega infrastructure development schemes such as five ports, a new international airport, a number of power plants, bridges, highways, and expressways, health and education development programs. Most pledges made during the 2005 Presidential election had been implemented and the pledges made for the next six years in the second manifesto will also be implemented, the President noted.

“My opponents say they would abolish the Executive Presidency if they are elected to power but no Executive President can abolish it. Under the provisions of the 1978 Constitution it could be only be abolished by a two-thirds majority in Parliament, a decision by the Supreme Court and followed by a referendum.

Therefore, the promise of abolishing the Executive Presidency was only a political gimmick put forward to deceive the people the President added. ”We have been able to pursue a sound foreign policy during the past four years based on the principle of non-alignment enunciated by the founder leader of the SLFP, my party, followed by Premier Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Due to the pragmatic foreign policy we followed several countries helped us without strings attached. For instance when the world oil crisis was looming Iran helped us by giving us oil for six months on an interest free credit agreement. Other countries including our neighbour India, as well as China and Japan had also helped in several areas”.

President Rajapaksa assured he will reduce the unnecessary powers of the Executive Presidency and believes that the present election campaign has been degraded from a presentation of political issues to a struggle between classes.

“Thondaman, Douglas Devananda, Pillayan, Sidharthan are all with me. Even certain persons in the TNA have told me in confidence that they support me but are with the TNA simply because they don’t want to divide the party,” the President said in response to a question raised by Daily Mirror online.

When asked if he would reduce the powers of the Executive Presidency, the President replied “I will limit all the unnecessary powers. What have I done with the powers I have? I only banned the LTTE and stopped the ceasefire.” Can you tell me what extra executive powers I have used, he asked.

President Rajapaksa emphasised that he has never been an ambitious politician. “I have never been an ambitious man- I never had dreams of becoming a politician or the Prime Minister from the time I was a school boy. What I tell all our young politicians is to be with the people and that is enough. I am a party man if the party tells me to go I will go,” he said.

On matters of constitutional reform the President stated he would give the people the 13th amendment where and upper house would ensure the rights of the people were protected. The 13th amendment must transfer power to the people. It will help the Provinces to participate with the centre. However Police powers I will not be given. Ask anyone in Colombo if they would like it if police powers were given to any provincial council. All this time I was asking them (the Tamil Parties) for proposals. But this time I am going to present the proposal and tell them “if you want to add anything we will discuss it.” the President said.

With regard to the 17th amendment the President questioned the independence of the independent commissions appointed under this amendment the amendment. “This amendment was only passed to keep governments going; who is appointing these independent commissions? The politicians will do it. Therefore, how can you say they are independent? The President questioned.

The President stated that the opposition no longer had a political foothold and therefore had reduced their campaign to that of a class struggle through mud slinging. “This election then has ultimately come down to a class struggle- as they have no political issues to talk about. They can’t say I sold any banks or state property- these are all there for the people to see. I am a man from the village and I am not ashamed to say it. They talk of corruption and refer to alleged buying over of property in Sri Lanka. They don’t talk about me owning land in America, Australia or England because if they did so then it would put me into a different class- their class- the really corrupt class,” he said.

The President expressed his confidence of winning the upcoming election. “I am not afraid, I am confident that I will win with a comfortable margin,” he said.