By Maheesha Mudugamuwa The General Secretary of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, one of four Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) members in a core group appointed to foster the Coalition Government with the United National Party (UNP), says it is impossible to topple the ‘Yahapalana’ Government till 2020. In an interview with The Morning, he also ruled out any return to power by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, noting that the votes of the ideologically-based group will not suffice to elect the President of Sri Lanka, but the support of the floating voter base, minorities, etc. is also needed. Following are excerpts of the interview:   Q: How do you see the future of the Unity Government? A: Some people talk about toppling the Government today or tomorrow. That is needed to please their supporters; but it is impossible to topple this Government till 2020. An election is due only at that time. Before that, it is not realistic. People should understand that this is not a government run by a single executive authority. This is not a traditional form of governance in Sri Lanka. In the past, the President and the Prime Minister belonged to the same party. Now the situation is different. Today, it is more democratic. Therefore, everyone can express their opinions and we have more freedom. Over the past three years, we have achieved a lot. We managed to re-establish our diplomatic ties, which remained strained in the past, and to gain some form of relief at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) with respect to allegations against us. Also, we were able to lift the ban on fish exports to the markets in the European Union and the GSP (Generalised System of Preferences). All these will translate into ‘the good of the country’ at the end. These are positive developments.   Q: Even though you talk about positive developments, the two parties are unable to see eye to eye on the economic policies as we see that the UNP is implanting economic policies disregarding the SLFP policies. How do you feel about this? A: Economic related issues affect every country, and Sri Lanka is no exception. At present, the SLFP cannot implement its own policies. Likewise, the UNP cannot have its own way. The UNP comes up with its policy projects. Yet, when it comes to implementation of them, we reach a common position. But under the previous government, the situation was completely different. When the cabinet takes the decision regarding something it wouldn’t change under any circumstances. Now it is always the correct decision that is made. If there’s a decision that will have negative impacts for the country, the President doesn’t allow it to go through the cabinet as he always handles such decisions in the same manner where he appointed a special committee to look into the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Sri Lanka and Singapore. He always rejects bad decisions of both parties.   Q: There is a lot of political talk over presidential candidates. What is your take on the matter? A: As far as the SLFP is concerned, we want President Maithripala Sirisena to be the next presidential candidate, as we believe he is the best suited. So far, it is only the SLFP that has revealed the name of their presidential candidate. All other parties have not yet come into an agreement. Judging by recent interviews in the media by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, there appears to be a lot of confusion in the Rajapaksa camp as to who will be the eventual presidential candidate, if they are going to put one forward.   Q: You mentioned that President Sirisena is the best person to be the next SLFP Presidential candidate. Are you certain that President Sirisena still has the confidence? A: Yes. President Sirisena has won the hearts of minority population around the country, which is the turning point of each presidential election, and when we reach the grassroots as part of the SLFP re-organisation, we are seeing that people are coming back to the SLFP. He is not a corrupt politician and has done a lot of good things for the country over past three years. That is why SLFP has already selected President Sirisena as its next presidential candidate.   Q: What do you think about Gotabhaya Rajapaksa being a presidential candidate in 2020? A: As I said earlier, there is lot of confusion in the Joint Opposition as to who will be their next presidential candidate. According to the constitution, it is very clear that the former President cannot run a third term. But still, he has not given up his hopes. My opinion is that if any person wants to be the president of Sri Lanka, he not only needs hard-core supporters, but also the support of the floating voter base, the minorities, etc. Just getting the votes of the ideologically-based group is not enough. He must be able to appeal to all the people of Sri Lanka. I can’t see Gotabhaya being able to do that.   Q: Sixteen of the SLFPers are now in the Opposition. As the General Secretary of the UPFA, are you going to take any disciplinary action against them? A: No. They have not left the party. They left the government and are sitting independently in the opposition whilst being SLFPers at present. Therefore we don’t need to take any disciplinary action against them.   Q: How important is agriculture to the Sri Lankan economy? And what are the biggest issues facing agriculture in Sri Lanka at present? A: The ageing population of farmers has become the biggest issue right now, and it’s clear that agriculture needs to attract more young people. This is a global challenge: half the farmers in Sri Lanka are 55 years or older. Also, the agriculture sector has an image problem. Simply put, for the majority of the Sri Lankan youth, agriculture simply isn’t seen as being “cool” or attractive. Most think of it only as back-breaking labor, without an economic pay-off, and little room for career advancement. In Sri Lanka, only 5.7% of the younger generation is currently engaging in agriculture sector. Therefore, the most important issue at present is attracting more young people to this sector. We have recently launched a new programme to promote agriculture among the youth. Initially, we introduced a model agriculture village in Kahattewela, in Haputale. Through this programme we hope to bring the modern technology into farms and paddy fields. The next such village will be Yakagala and Wadigala, in Angunukolapelassa. The government is focusing on the development of agriculture in Sri Lanka through new technology and plant protection, so that farmers of the country can get better yields from their crops, leading to greater benefits for the entire nation. We hope that with embracing new technology, the agricultural sector will undergo a revolutionary change.