President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that all political parties should come to a common agreement to provide a solution to the ethnic problem by the upcoming 75th Independence Day celebrations. President Wickremesinghe said so at the All-Party Conference at the Presidential Secretariat on Tuesday (13). The President convened the conference to find a solution to the ethnic problem through national reconciliation.
The President told the All-Party Conference, “We must all come together to resolve the problem in this country. Whether it is called an ethnic problem or something else is not important. We want to provide solutions to these problems. All the political parties came together to find a solution to this and reach an agreement in Parliament. Today, this Party Leaders’ meeting was called for that purpose.”
President Wickremesinghe said, “Northern parliamentarians have raised the national issue of the country today. This question can be discussed in two parts. The first is the process of compensation for the missing and investigations. There are many problems that need to be resolved regarding the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), as well as land. The second is the arrangement required to do legal work related to power devolution.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Justice are jointly implementing a special program in this regard. “We hope to provide a report on the missing persons and political prisoners. After that, we can talk about devolution.”
13th Amendment
Parliamentarian Rauff Hakeem said, “We feel that we could address this issue in a very simplified manner, by taking a resolve to implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in full as an initial stage before the 75th independence. We can then work on other constitutional reforms through a structure that can be created by the All Party Conference and also to involve the civil society if it is possible. I will also just add briefly about the grievances of the Tamil-speaking population in the North and the East.
Day-to-day livelihood issues have been impacted heavily by land grabs not by the Army alone but through other departments of the State particularly, Wildlife, Forest and also the Archaeology Departments. There are a variety of issues which affect not only the Muslim community but also the Sinhalese community and some other parts of the island as well.”
Hakeem said, “All of us are willing to work with the State to resolve these issues.”
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said, “The discussion today is of great importance. I am happy that we have a timeframe for this program. Such a program with an aim is of great benefit to the country. Unity is important even for the economic development of a country. The people of different communities are living so equally in the country that we should not use differences such as caste and religion in politics. We have to remove such people from politics.”
“We can bring about reconciliation by way of removing such differences and we have to get rid of racism or else we would not be able to create a new world for the future. All should have a feeling that all communities are treated equally and we can solve all these issues by way of a home-grown mechanism. As we have commenced this program, we have to ensure that it continues. We all have to unite to make this all Party Conference a success.”
The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) on Monday (12) hinted that the party was willing to form a political alliance with the United National Party (UNP) while not compromising the policies of both parties.
SLPP General Secretary MP Sagara Kariyawasam said the SLPP is willing to join hands with any political party which is ready to march ahead with a set of principles for the country’s future and the younger generation.
Kariyawasam told the media at the party head office, Battaramulla, that no political party would survive in politics unless they change their principles according to the needs of the country and the citizens.
He said, “This is what happened to the oldest leftist political parties in the country.” He said, “As the Leader of the United National Party (UNP), Ranil Wickremesinghe was made the President of the country by the SLPP, a bond has been created between the two parties. Both parties would form an alliance if possible, without causing any harm to their identities.” Kariyawasam said that as a political party, the SLPP is always ready for an election.
SJB Party Convention
The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) appointed Sajith Premadasa as the Leader of the party for 2023. The decision was made during the annual Party Convention at Campbell Park, Borella on Sunday. Parliamentarian Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka was re-appointed as SJB Chairman while MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara was re-appointed as the General Secretary. MP Tissa Attanayake was appointed as the National Organiser of the SJB, while Dr. Harsha de Silva was named as the Treasurer of the party.
SLPP parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa has challenged Aragalaya activists to contest the Hambantota district and defeat him without destroying the country to get revenge from the Rajapaksas. In a recent YouTube channel interview, Rajapaksa said that any party can contest the General Election and get elected to power with the blessings of people to govern the country. Aragalaya people are doing what the LTTE did to the country during the past 30 years.
He said that the country is trying to survive from the Covid-19 economic impact. He said, “At a time like this, Aragalaya activists are trying to further ruin the country and grab power. But we will not allow for such a thing.” Rajapaksa questioned as to why the Argalaya people are trying to stop tourists arriving in the country. He said that even after former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned, as to why Aragalaya activists chanted a slogan that President Ranil Wickremesinghe does not have the legitimate people’s power to be the President.
SLPP National Organiser and former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa said the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) is not ready to be held responsible for the decisions taken by the incumbent Government. During a television program on Monday, Rajapaksa said that the Government was not formed by the SLPP despite the support for it given by the party. He said had the people of the country been a bit more patient, the economic crisis would have been resolved.
Basil praises Ranil
In response to a question, he said that the SLPP is ready to join hands with the United National Party (UNP) if that is what the supporters want them to do. Rajapaksa was appreciative of the measures taken by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to give priority to restoring law and order in the country following months of unrest during which residences of a number of politicians were torched and destroyed. He also said that Wickremesinghe was the only one who was willing to take on the challenge to bring back economic stability to the country and the one who is capable of doing it.
Parliament on Tuesday expressed concern and displeasure regarding the incident where former Vice Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya Prof. Atula Senaratne was assaulted by a group of university students recently. Several Government and Opposition lawmakers raised concerns over the matter and demanded justice.
Transport, Highways and Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardena said that a lengthy discussion was held in the Cabinet regarding the attack on the former Vice-Chancellor of the Peradeniya University and his son and damage to the house.
Minister Gunawardena said, “The President has ordered an impartial investigation and submit a report. This is not the first case in the history of such assaults. Prof. Stanley Wijesundara of the Colombo University was killed in the past. There is a problem if Professors cannot work without fear and doubt. The common law of the country should become the law of the universities as well. There cannot be two laws. Let’s work together regardless of political affiliations to create an environment where academic freedom is protected.”
Chief Opposition Whip MP Lakshman Kiriella said that the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) strongly condemned the incident. Kiriella said, “Students should have a peaceful atmosphere to study in universities. The University of Peradeniya was started to develop on the Oxford-Cambridge system but those goals have not been achieved. The incident is strongly condemned.”
Former President and Easter Sunday attacks
State Minister of Defence Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon told Parliament on Tuesday that former President Maithripala Sirisena cannot walk away from the responsibility of the Easter Sunday carnage. State Minister Tennakoon was responding to SJB Parliamentarian Thushara Indunil.
He said, “When the Easter Sunday attacks took place, it was President Maithripala Sirisena who held the portfolios of Defence, Police and Commander-in-Chief. We never thought that he could evade the responsibility of the incident. I will provide information regarding this matter in detail in future.”
State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe said that the President’s aim is to stabilise the economy and make the country self-sufficient. The State Minister said even though Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa was proposed to take over the Premiership, he did not accept it and therefore, the Opposition even now must support the Government to stabilise the country.
State Minister Semasinghe was responding to the Opposition Leader under Standing Order 27 (2). He said, “I will not make this a debate. We do not accept what the Opposition Leader says. There is a weak economy in the country. We need to take steps to stabilise it. Thereafter, the people can appoint the rulers they need. The Opposition Leader was asked to take over the Premiership, but he did not accept it. What needs to be done now is to restore the economy. Without doing so, no party can go to the polls. The people do not want a vote. What they want is to stabilise the economy.”
In response, Opposition Leader Premadasa said that the word ‘economic recovery’ needs to be clarified. “They said that I did not accept the Premiership as the Opposition Leader. I did not accept it because I could not take oath in this regard in front of an illegitimate President,” Premadasa said. He said that the best answer to these problems is to hold an election. “If you have faith in the people’s sovereignty, go for elections,” he said.
Presidential candidate for all
UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara said President Ranil Wickremesinghe will be the Presidential candidate of the entire country and not of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna at a future Presidential Election. He was speaking to the media at the ‘Sirikotha’ Party headquarters, Pitakotte on Tuesday. Responding to a statement by his counterpart of the SLPP, MP Sagara Kariyawasam regarding the formation of a political alliance by the SLPP and the UNP, Range Bandara said the two Parties have not reached such an agreement yet.
Commenting on the attack on the former Vice Chancellor of the Peradeniya University, the General Secretary said the UNP condemned the attack and law should be enforced strictly against the culprits. He said the People’s Struggle (Aragalaya) was also peaceful at the beginning, but it became violent when the political parties such as the SJB, JVP and the Frontline Socialist Party joined it.
He said, “There is no unity among SJB members and they don’t respect their leader. Therefore, someone who is unable to control the party members speaking about toppling Governments is ridiculous.”
SJB Badulla District parliamentarian Vadivel Suresh said all should join hands irrespective of petty political affiliations to put the country on the right track. MP Suresh said that he is unable to look at it from the perspective of political parties when the country’s economy is in crisis. He was speaking at the Badulla district Coordinating meeting in Badulla on Thursday under the patronage of President Ranil Wickremesinghe. He said, “I participated in these meetings on behalf of the people living in villages in the plantation sector and as a trade union leader representing plantation workers.”
Broader alliance
COPE Chairman, MP Prof. Ranjith Bandara said that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) will contest future elections together with 15 other parties and the UNP through a broad coalition.
Prof. Bandara told the media at the Kandy District Secretary’s office on Wednesday that in politics there were no enemies or friends forever. He said that there is no right-wing and left-wing division in politics and that every Government that came to power after 1977 engaged in more or less advancing the free economic policy.
Prof. Bandara said that when any party is in the Opposition, what they do is criticise other parties and politicians which was a common phenomenon and that after an election, all of those criticisms come to a halt. He said that several rounds of discussions were held between SLPP National Organiser Basil Rajapaksa and President Ranil Wickremesinghe to come to an agreement. Prof. Bandara said that although Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa talks about capturing the moon and the stars, there is no one yet in politics who has been able to do that and that the SLPP does not have any challenge from any other Party.