Sri Lanka's new President Ranil Wickremesinghe says he is not a 'friend' of Rajapaksas, vows to bring in system change

I am not a friend of the Rajapaksas I am a friend of the people President Ranil Wickremesinghe has told Sri Lankans pledging to bring in the muchneeded system change they are yearning forThe 73yearold veteran politician was on Wednesday elected as Sri Lankas President by lawmakers and sworn in on Thursday as the 8th president days after former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country and then resignedThe antigovernment protesters who succeeded in forcing the powerful Rajapaksa family to leave their official positions amidst the unprecedented economic crisis are also demandingWickremesinghes resignation as he is seen as close to Gotabaya RajapaksaAfter being elected as the President Wickremesinghe visited the Gangarama Temple one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Colombo on WednesdayWhen asked how he will be different from the Rajapaksas as he is an old friend of theirs Wickremesinghe said How am I an old friend of the Rajapaksas Ive been opposing them all this time the new President saidHe further said that I am not a friend of the Rajapaksas I am a friend of the people I have worked earlier with former president Chandrika Kumaratunge She belonged to one party and I belonged to another For me to work with a President from another party does not mean I am his friend the President saidHe also said he would give the change the people want and stressed that is a friend of the peopleWickremesinghe said he is looking at the opportunity to strengthen his United National PartyHe also commented on the storming and vandalisation of iconic government buildings here on July 9 and subsequent daysHe said that forcibly occupying the Presidents Office and the Prime Ministers Office is illegal and legal action will be taken against people who engage in such illegal actsProtesters burnt down Wickremesinghes private homeThe Aragalaya was against the system We must allow those who engage in peaceful dissent to do so We can also respond to them he saidAragalaya is the Sinhalese word for iqueststruggleiquestHowever an Aragalaya should not be used to topple governments torch houses or occupy important officesThat is not democracy those are illegal acts said the PresidentIn recent months the three brothers from the Rajapaksa family finance minister Basil Rajapaksa prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and president Gotabaya Rajapaksa were forced to resign for mishandling the economy that resulted in the island suffering its worst crisis since 1948Sri Lanka needs about USD 5 billion in the next six months to cover basic necessities for its 22 million people who have been struggling with long queues worsening shortages and power cutsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever