Minister of Agriculture K. D. Lalkantha said today (16) that the request made by Buddhist monks who had arrived on a protest march seeking the release of Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, who is currently serving a prison sentence, could not be granted.
Minister Lalkantha made these remarks while speaking to the media following an event held at the Ministry of Agriculture today (16).
He said the request made by the monks who had undertaken the march could not, in fact, be fulfilled, adding that granting it would amount to both the President and the Government going against the mandate given to them by the people.
The Minister said the monks needed to understand that their request was one that could not be granted.
Unlike under previous administrations, the rule of law had now been established, and neither the President nor the Government would act in defiance of the people's mandate, he said. He added that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was acting in accordance with the mandate received by the team, including himself.
Minister Lalkantha said granting the request would have to be regarded as a betrayal of the mandate given to the President and the Government. He stressed that the Government would make decisions solely on the basis of the mandate it had received from the people.
He added that he was making this position clear and unequivocal so that the Buddhist monks, the general public and everyone else would understand it. He said the people had given the Government a mandate to uphold the rule of law, and the country had been steered in that direction.
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