The political tug-o-war over the No Faith Motion against the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers continued yesterday, with the JVP openly confirming that it would support the Joint Opposition move, while the UNP and the JO/SLFP remained equally certain of victory.
All eyes will be on the Tamil National Alliance and its 15 MPs, who could make or break Wednesday’s vote seeking to oust the Premier and dismiss the Cabinet of Ministers including over a dozen SLFP MPs.
The TNA would make its decision on the No Confidence Motion after its parliamentary group meets on April 3, party spokesman and Jaffna District Legislator M.A. Sumanthiran told the Sunday Observer.
JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that the JVP has decided to extend
its support to the JO’s no faith motion, and said the party would add charges to the motion during the April 4 debate.
The crucial vote on the no faith motion will take place on April 4, and will be a do-or-die moment for Sri Lanka’s first Government of National Unity.
In the backdrop of the current political hustle and bustle, the UNP Working Committee which met at Sirikotha on Thursday unanimously decided that all UNP MPs should vote to defeat the NCM to be taken up in Parliament this week.
UNP Deputy General Secretary and Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said even those UNPers who had initially supported the NCM, Such as Minister Palitha Range Bandara had now pledged to defeat it.
A senior party official said a decision has been taken to give effect to the proposed restructuring within two months and added that sweeping reforms would take place within the party soon after the NCM.
The SLFP is yet to arrive at a decision on whether to support the NCM at its Parliamentary group meeting scheduled to be held tomorrow, which will be led by President Maithripala Sirisena, State Minister of Public Enterprise Development Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena told the Sunday Observer.
Meanwhile, the SLFP on Friday called upon the Prime Minister and UNP leader
Ranil Wickremesinghe to resign before the debate on the NCM against him on April 4.
Addressing a media briefing at the SLFP headquarters, SLFP Media spokesman and State Minister of Highways, Dilan Perera said if the Prime Minister has an interest in protecting the National Unity Government and his party, he should quit his post before April 4.
Meanwhile, Science, Technology and Research Minister Susil Premajayantha
said that according to the Constitution if an NCM against the Prime Minister is passed in Parliament, the President will have to appoint a new Prime Minister who commands the support of a majority in parliament. He said that among the 14 points in the NCM, 13 were proposed by the SLFP on the Treasury Bond scam.
State Minister T B Ekanayaka said all SLFP Ministers had already decided to
vote for the motion but they are not in a position to publicly announce their stance as it breaches the collective responsibility of the Cabinet.