The common candidate of the opposition Maithripala Sirisena said that development projects will not suffice to build the communal harmony, especially between the Sinhalese and Tamil communities.

Speaking at a rally in Mannar, he said people’s lives should improve for their lives to be content. Once they live a content life the people can come together, Sirisena argued. The government should have an idea of the poverty of the people. However, Sirisena stated that the government was using public money for their own good in the name of development and was not realizing the level of poverty the ordinary people are in.

Sirisena added that his government be directly involved in assuring a good market for the farmers’ produce and the days when they had to pay ‘ransom money’ to businessmen will be over. He also stated that his government will initiate pension schemes for both farmers and fishermen.