The Opposition Common Candidate Gen. Sarath Fonseka will declare his assets to the Elections Commissioner when he hands over his nomination papers for the election – on December 17, 2009 –said his Co-Media Spokesman Anura Kumara Dissanayake MP (JVP) yesterday.

Gen. Fonseka will hand over his deposit for the election to the Elections Commissioner today.

Addressing the first media conference organised by the Common Candidate’s Media Office, Mr. Dissanayake said that the elimination of terrorism was only the first phase of ensuring the future progress of the country. He said democracy should be established and strengthened in the second phase.

Mr. Dissanayake said that this task had been launched by the Common Candidate who had led the war against terrorism to a successful completion.  He said that the Constitution was being blatantly violated in this country today. He alleged that even judicial orders were ignored.

“We have to launch the second phase of our war. This is to uphold democracy. In the absence of democracy, we cannot think of economic development or good governance. We won the war against the LTTE. We achieved that victory at a tremendous cost. A large number of soldiers and civilians had to sacrifice their lives in the exercise. Yet, this is not enough for the forward march of the country. The country must keep democracy intact,” he said.

Gen. Fonseka’s Co-Media Spokesman Mangala Samaraweera MP, meanwhile, challenged President Mahinda Rajapaksa to declare his assets along with those of his family members.

Mr. Samaraweera said that Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa appeared to have become the media spokesman for President Mahinda Rajapaksa now, since he had given many newspaper and TV interviews. He said that the defence secretary had no right to do so as he was a senior public servant.

General (Retd) Sarath Fonseka will submit a list of his assets along with his presidential nomination form,to the Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake on January 17. President Mahinda Rajapaksa should do likewise, JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake said yesterday.

He told a news conference in Colombo that in keeping with the directive of the Elections Commissioner for candidates at the Presidential Election to declare their assets Rajapaksa should also reveal how wealthy he was.

"Our Common Presidential Candidate, General Fonseka will declare his assets on January 17.If President Rajapaksa is a law abiding citizen he should do the same."

MP Dissanayake said that Rajapaksa was using various persons in government to sling mud at Fonseka, but they were not saying that Rajapaksa was honest. "The strategy is to tarnish General Fonseka’s reputation as an honest public servant. In effect what they are trying to say is that both General Fonseka and President Rajapaksa are rogues.But baseless allegations against General Fonseka will not stick."

"Sri Lanka’s annual income is in the region of Rs.800 billion and 75 per cent of that is consumed by the President and institutions that come under his purview," he said. "All tenders called are channelled through a company controlled by the Rajapaksa family and they are not accountable to anyone. The Rajapaksa’s motto is Ratata Pera Paula(Family before country).A Commission to investigate the Rajapaksa family will be appointed after General Fonseka is installed as the sixth President of Sri Lanka on January 26."

Rajapaksa has stooped to the lowest form of politicking by getting posters of General Fonseka removed and preventing parties supporting Fonseka from obtaining public venues, to hold their meetings and events, he alleged. "I appeal to the President to face the election on an equal footing, without abusing his executive powers."

MP Dissanayake alleged that the government was also responsible for a series of recent attacks on JVP cadres, offices and vehicles.