SJB Parliamentarian Patali Champika Ranawaka said the election to choose an Interim President from Parliament should be held with immediate effect to make the country politically stable.
He told the media on Thursday, that the new President should be a real and dedicated caretaker President of the country. The person elected to become the next President by Parliament should not be involved in party politics and should retire from politics after his tenure.
MP Ranawaka also said that the President should not promote any political party and should act in a manner that will be helpful to overcome the present crisis.
He said, “Any person elected after a power struggle would not fulfill the public’s aspirations.” However, MP Ranawaka requested the public not to allow any faction to form an administration outside of Parliament as it will bring a lot of bad consequences.
Letter of resignation
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who arrived in Singapore on Thursday evening sent his letter of resignation to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena through the Sri Lankan High Commission in Singapore.
According to a senior official at the Speaker’s Office, the letter has been sent via email and the Speaker will be checking its legality with the Attorney General. The Speaker had called for a special Party Leader’s meeting on Friday to plan out the future course of action.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on July 9 evening announced his intent to vacate the post after thousands of people thronged Colombo demanding his resignation. The protesters overran Police barricades and stormed into the President’s House, the Presidential Secretariat, Temple Trees and the Prime Minister’s Office. They occupied the premises until Thursday. However, the protesters decided on their own to hand over the premises to the authorities at the request of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka.
“Follow July 9 agreement”
SLPP Parliamentarian Dullas Alahapperuma said all Party Leaders must follow the agreement they made on July 9 and immediately proceed to elect a new President, and then a new Prime Minister, as agreed. Alahapperuma made this observation on twitter on Wednesday. Alahapperuma said, “The longer it takes it will worsen the ongoing unrest. Then nobody will be able to stop Sri Lanka from descending into a lawless and stateless country.”
“PM should step down”
Former President Maithripala Sirisena in a statement on Wednesday said the President and the Prime Minister should immediately step down to stop the country from sliding into an anarchic state and a pool of blood. Sirisena pointed out that a tragedy that has never happened in the history of Sri Lanka is happening at present.
Sirisena said that a few people hungry for power are working to completely destroy the country.
“Governance is about ensuring the safety of the people and the security of the country. Asserting one’s personal power is not the solution to the pressing problems of the people of the country. In the history of Sri Lanka, politicians who behaved like fanatics for the sake of power have always led to the destruction of the country,” he said.
PM’s office
A tense situation prevailed opposite the Prime Minister’s office on Wednesday after protestors stormed the building at Flower Road, Colombo 7 by breaking Army and Police barricades. The protesters in their hundreds reached to the second floor and waved the national flag chanting slogans. Barricades were erected at the entrance of Flower Road preventing the protesters from entering the Prime Minister’s Office. However, the protesters broke all barricades along the Flower Road and reached the Prime Minister’s Office despite many attempts by the Police to disperse the crowd using tear gas and water cannons.
Several helicopters belonging to the Air Force were seen flying at a low altitude and the Police informed protestors to return to the Gotagogama at Galle Face Green soon. As they were proceeding towards the Prime Minister’s Office, a few protesters on a Police barricade addressed the protesters.
Protesters enter Rupavahini premises
Meanwhile, protesters had entered the Rupavahini national television premises and transmission was suspended for about an hour after several protesters appeared on a live broadcast on Wednesday morning.
They said during a live broadcast that the Rupavahini Corporation must only telecast balanced programs of the Jana Aragalaya. The Independent Television Networks (ITN) also suspended its transmission on Wednesday acting on the information that a group of protesters were trying to storm into the premises and disrupt its activities. However, the transmission activities began within 30 minutes after security around the station was beefed up by the security authorities.
Protesters meet political party reps
Those engaged in the struggle met political party representatives and civil society activists in Colombo on Tuesday and presented their program of work.
SJB Parliamentarian Dr. Harsha de Silva said the SJB agrees with the proposal of the group engaged in the struggle adding that, however, a time frame should be agreed to implement them.
SLFP MP Duminda Dissanayake said the proposals were very progressive but added that the current difficulties faced by the people should be given precedence by the new Government. JVP member Lal Kantha also praised the proposals as very progressive.
SJB Parliamentarian Eran Wickramaratne said the most important need of the country today is to set up an All-Party Government that can be accepted by the citizens of the country and it is also essential that Government should be acceptable to the international community and the International capital market.
He said, “It is the only solution to come out of the crises facing the country and the people. This was also the demand of the protesters.”
At a recent press conference at the Opposition Leader’s office, Wickramaratne said according to the system change demanded by the people including the activists, a new President, an All-Party Government, and a new Cabinet of Ministers will be appointed in the next few days.
He expressed confidence that through this new system change, the country’s direction will be changed in the right direction by removing the sufferings of the people.
“Today we are at a very critical moment. He said on May 9, the people of this country announced the end of Rajapaksa rule and politics in the country. The strugglers and people of this country emphasised that Gotabaya Rajapaksa should leave the presidency and the Rajapaksas should leave the regime,” he said.
“It is very unfortunate that this issue which was supposed to be resolved on May 9 has been delayed. As the activists have been demanding for three months, a new President, a new Government and a new Cabinet are to be appointed in this country,” Wickramaratne said.
The country is in this situation today due to the result of increasing the powers of the Executive President and making decisions based on those powers, he said.
Protestors vacate Govt buildings
The Galle Face protesters on Thursday decided to hand over the Government buildings they have occupied, including the President’s House, Temple Trees and Prime Minister’s Office, aiming to restore peace in the country.
Those premises were taken over by the public as a symbol of their protest against the incumbent Government and its programs. The protesters occupied the President’s House in Fort, the Presidential Secretariat, Temple Trees and the Prime Minister’s Office in Flower Road following the July 9 mass protest held in Colombo seeking the resignation of the incumbent President and the Prime Minister.
The protesters said they are peacefully withdrawing from the President’s House, Temple Trees and the Prime Minister’s Office with immediate effect, but will continue their struggle. The protesters had reached this decision following the announcement made by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana on Thursday.
At a press briefing at the protest grounds on Thursday, Rev. Fr. Jeewantha Peiris said that the protesters would vacate the occupied Government buildings and hand them over to the authorities.
He said they took this decision as a measure to protect the peace in the country, after the Speaker’s statement. However, it was reported that damage had been caused to some properties in these buildings during the tense situations that occurred while taking over these premises.
TNA Parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran told the media on Wednesday that the Party Leaders had reached a decision to call for Ranil Wickremesinghe’s resignation ahead of the President’s resignation. He said all Party Leaders were present excluding those from the Government, except Minister Tiran Alles.
Sumanthiran said two unanimous decisions were taken at the meeting, and one was for Ranil Wickremesinghe to resign immediately, while the other was for the speaker to sack the Prime Minister before the President’s resignation takes effect.
Chief Opposition Whip MP Lakshman Kiriella said the Commanders of the three-armed forces were also present at the meeting.
He said, “The Prime Minister was avoiding the Party Leaders.” The Commanders had explained that the youth involved in this struggle were near the gates of Parliament, and wanted permission to repel them by using force. “We said we cannot agree to such a request,” adding that at the last Party Leaders meeting the call was for the President and the Prime Minister to resign. The Party Leaders have called on the Speaker to sack Ranil Wickremesinghe and take up the post of Acting President, and thereafter Parliament is prepared to work with the Speaker.
Ready to give leadership
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said that he is ready to give leadership to a new Government and stabilise the country and build the country’s economy. He also requested from all stakeholders to lend him support in re-building the country. Making a special statement on Monday, the Opposition Leader said, “Since the mandate of the President, the Prime Minister and the SLPP Government is over, we are ready to form a new Government.”
Premadasa said that the Rajapaksa regime had “destroyed the country’’ and he was ready to lead efforts to put the country back on track both socially and economically. He also said that if anyone is making conspiracies in Parliament against this, it is an act of treason. Premadasa urged everyone to support him in the task of re-building the country.
He said, “There is no other option. We are ready to save our country and give leadership to rebuild our country. We also appreciate the efforts by the people’s struggle which led to the ouster of the Rajapaksa regime.” Opposition Leader Premadasa on Wednesday also urged officials of all Security Forces to act with responsibility at this crucial hour for the sake of over 22 million people in the country and not for the protection of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The Opposition Leader said at this moment when the entire countrymen make one request from the Government to solve the severe economic problems faced by them due to the escalating prices of essential commodity items and also the shortage of essential goods such as fuel and gas it is not ethical to attack them using the Armed Forces.
Protest in the Maldives
Sri Lankans in Maldives have held a peaceful protest against the arrival of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the Maldives. The President arrived in the Maldives in the early hours of Wednesday. The protesters, with the Sri Lankan National Flag and placards with anti-government slogans, were demanding President Gotabaya Rajapaksa be sent back to Sri Lanka. President Rajapaksa left for the Maldives on Wednesday morning on an Antonov-32 aircraft belonging to the Sri Lanka Air Force with the First Lady and two security officers.
However, his decision to leave Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in charge as Acting President triggered more demonstrations, with protesters storming the Premier’s Office demanding that he go too. The President arrived in Singapore from the Maldives on Thursday.
Party Leaders have made a request collectively to the Speaker to ask President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and acting President and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to step down immediately.
“Well planned manoeuvres”
SLMC Leader Parliamentarian Rauff Hakeem told the media on Wednesday that the Party Leaders are of the view that this issue cannot be solved without the President and the Prime Minister’s resignation. However, Hakeem said that neither the Prime Minister nor any member of the ruling party except Minister Tiran Alles were present at the Party Leaders Meeting.
Public Security Minister Tiran Alles, Tri-Forces Commanders and Inspector General of Police were present at the Party Leaders’ Meeting held on Wednesday. He said that the service chiefs outlined the situation in the country and what may happen in the future too. The SLMC Leader said that they are well aware that these manoeuvres have been planned by the Prime Minister and the President. “If they want to bring normalcy to the country, the President and the Prime Minister should step down,” he said.
“Sinister work”
UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara said the arson attack on the private residence of Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe was a sinister plan by SJB Leader and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. At a press conference on Thursday, he said that there is evidence of the SJB’s involvement in the incident and they could have even harmed the life of Wickremesinghe if he had been inside.
He said, “The CID is investigating the incident. Intentionally or unintentionally, a private TV channel also fanned the flames.”
Range Bandara said the Constitution has to be followed in the absence of the President in the country. He said, “Wickremesinghe has taken up a temporary post. Parliament should elect a new President when it meets next week. If there is a more suitable person than Wickremesinghe, he could be appointed by following the due procedure.”
Party leaders meet
A special meeting of political party leaders, chaired by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena was convened on Friday, July 15. The meeting was attended by the members of the Committee of Parliamentary Business as well.
The focus of the discussion was to fall on the consensus reached by the political party leaders on nominations for the prime ministerial portfolio. A final decision was expected to reach the Parliamentarian to be appointed as the new Prime Minister.
The main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has decided to nominate Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa for the prime ministerial portfolio. SJB National Organiser MP Tissa Attanayake has said they intend to reach a consensus with other political parties regarding their nomination.