Former Minister and Kurunegala District SLPP MP Johnston Fernando on Saturday said that even if the JVP wins an election it could not govern a country because it has no capacity for that purpose.

Addressing an election rally in Kegalle, MP Fernando said that some seemed to have been impressed by the massive numbers of participants at JVP rallies. “The JVP has 70,000 members who are taken from one rally to another so that they could show the numbers to impress others. It is not a new phenomenon. They had been doing so for years. But when it comes to the final count of votes only their trick is exposed. Even if they win or lose they have a mechanism to bring people to their rallies. The JVP has created a Facebook wave to show that they are going to win the forthcoming local polls. Even in the last elections the JVP could only poll 42,000 votes in Kurunegala. Suppose they would get their maximum this time, even then they would get only 120,000 to 130,000 votes from Kurunegala. With that they would not be able to get power.

“Even if they win the election they cannot govern a country because they do not know how to do that and they do not have the capacity to do that. Anura Kumara Dissanayake would not be able to work with the international community to get the necessary assistance to steer the country out of the present crisis. He would not be able to secure the support of the international community to bring fuel. He does not have international connections. Basil Rajapaksa got 4.5 billion US dollars from India. Using that money we imported fuel. Anura cannot do that. He cannot even speak to Indian fishermen to get at least a liter of petrol from them. We challenge the JVP to name who would be the ministers of finance and foreign affairs under a government of theirs. They do not have persons with capacity to hold such positions.

“The JVP has always been duping the people. During the time of Sirimavo Bandaranaike in 1971 they got around 12,000 youth killed and in the 1987-88 period another 60,000 youth. Those who were born after 2000 do not know the real conduct of the JVP.

“One of my supporters told me that his family members attended a recent JVP rally in Kurunegala. Some JVP supporters told them that last time when the houses were set on fire, the houses of only those who had supported the government were destroyed and if they would not attend the rally they would be labeled as government supporters and their property and houses would be at danger when such an incident occurs next time. So they attended the rally. That means some people attend these rallies out of fear.

“JVP trade unionists take money from industrialists and company owners threatening them that their unions would strike if the money is not given to them. They extort money from the business community. This they do without the governing power. Imagine what they would do if they come to power,” Fernando said.