By Saman Indrajith

Parliament was not a den of thieves, said former President Ranil Wickremesinghe said in Dambulla on Wednesday (30).

Speaking at a New Democratic Front (NDF) event, Wickremesinghe acknowledged that while some MPs had made mistakes, labelling the entire parliament as a “den of thieves” was unfair.

The former president also defended the privileges afforded to former presidents, criticising President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s NPP for trying to do away with them.

“President Dissanayake can’t make such a decision – he only secured 42 percent of the vote,” the former President said.

He also stressed the need to provide adequate security to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who had ended terrorism. Wickremesinghe further warned President Dissanayake against undermining parliamentary democracy and urged the public to vote on 14 November to reinforce the parliament’s strength.