• SLFP faction of which he is Gen. Secy. to decide on candidate tmrw.

Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) General Secretary and Opposition Parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekera made allegations against MPs supporting President and independent Presidential candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe, claiming that these MPs have been granted firearm licences and over 1,200 bar permits.

Speaking at a press conference held yesterday (1), Jayasekera claimed that the firearm licences issued allow for the purchase of firearms worth over Rs. 300,000. He also mentioned that substantial amounts of money have been given to those whose houses were damaged during the recent political struggle. 

“Firearm licences have been issued for the purchase of firearms above Rs. 300,000, and large amounts of money have been given to those whose houses were damaged during the struggle,” alleged Jayasekera. 

He further criticised the MPs currently supporting President Wickremesinghe, noting that many of them were previously his opponents who attacked him personally. 

“The majority who are with President Wickremesinghe today are the ones who worked to defeat him when he was in the Opposition. They are also the ones who accused him of being a perpetrator in the Treasury Bond scams,” Jayasekera stated. 

He pointed out that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) was created as an alternative to the then SLFP-United National Party (UNP)-led 'good governance' Government, yet now, most of the people who pioneered making the said Party (SLPP) have joined Wickremesinghe for personal political survival and other benefits. 

He indicated that the SLFP faction that he leads will decide tomorrow (3) on the Presidential candidate whom they will be supporting and emphasised that this decision will be made democratically. 

“The SLFP faction led by me is to decide on the Presidential candidate whom we are going to support tomorrow. We will make a decision democratically, unlike the SLFP group led by Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva,” Jayasekera observed.