UNP Chairman and former Minister Wajira Abeywardena says that the end is near for the JVP/NPP government.Speaking at a UNP rally held in Thalpitiya, Galle, on Saturday, Abeywardena said that the JVP/NPP government had become dysfunctional.

“It has not done anything new. It has been following what the UNP leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe did as the President. It’s like an incompetent student copying from the notebook of a bright student,” he said. “Sure, the weak student might scrape through an exam, but when faced with a new problem, he’s completely lost. That’s exactly where this government stands. They copied Ranil Wickremesinghe’s governing style, but when real challenges arise, they have no answers.”

Abeywardena said all that JVP/NPP members could do was to keep on blaming the previous administrations for corruption. “They keep ranting about corrupt former rulers. But during those times, a coconut was Rs. 80. Today, under these supposedly ‘clean’ leaders, it costs Rs. 250.”

The UNP Chairman said that recently when there was a nationwide power outage, the Energy Minister had claimed that it had been caused by a monkey. “Even a schoolchild wouldn’t make up such a ridiculous lie,” Abeywardena said. “This bizarre excuse made international headlines, bringing shame to our country.” He said that the economic crisis was likely to deepen in the coming months. “Economists have predicted a downturn by November or December, and this government has no plan to face it,” he said. “Just like a weak student, they can only copy Ranil Wickremesinghe. Beyond that, they’re clueless.”