The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) on Friday issuing a statement on the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa paid tribute to the service rendered by him during his short tenure as the eighth Executive President of Sri Lanka.
A spokesman for the SLPP said that it is often seen in the political world that there are attempts to take political power, and relinquishing power and positions is very rare.
“In the history of the country, no Executive President has left office before the end of his term. It is indeed a difficult decision.”
The spokesman said that President Rajapaksa has reached that difficult decision and that he signed the letter of resignation on leaving the Presidency with half of his term remaining. The spokesman said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who played a decisive role in bringing peace to the motherland by ending 30 years of terrorism, won the last Presidential election with a historic mandate. He had to face the complex challenge of saving the lives of his fellow countrymen from the Covid-19 pandemic even before three months had elapsed since assuming the office of President.
The spokesman said that even the international community had accepted that the President of Sri Lanka had succeeded in managing the Covid-19 pandemic properly.
Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange problem, which was due to long-term reasons, developed into a serious crisis following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Saluting Gotabaya Rajapaksa for his service as a war hero on the battlefield, as the State Defence Secretary and as the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, the spokesman added that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna also emphasised that a dialogue on the values of an honest man such as Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be borne out through the conscience of future citizens.