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RW must not become President, Aragalaya reps tell Sajith

19 Jul 2022

Certain groups representing the “aragalaya” (struggle) at the “GotaGoGama” protest site at the Galle Face Green yesterday (18) met with Opposition and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Leader Sajith Premadasa, where they reiterated that Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe should not get the Parliamentary vote to become the President.  “Wickremesinghe is the common enemy. One aim of our struggle was to send former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe home and the remaining thing to do now is to send Wickremesinghe home. We also presented our action plan and we expect the next Government, whoever they are, to work according to that,” Sanka Jayasinghe, who identified himself as a representative of the Galle Face Green struggle, told the media, following the said discussion.  In a social media statement, the SJB said that groups representing the “aralagaya” had informed of their position to Premadasa and that Premadasa had said that neither he nor his party nor his coalition has ever betrayed the demands of the “aragalaya” and had pledged that such will remain the case in the future too. Inter-University Students’ Federation (IUSF) Convenor Wasantha Mudalige was among those representatives who met Premadasa yesterday. In a media briefing held by the IUSF yesterday, Mudalige said that while the 100 days’ struggle at the Galle Face Green had brought about significant victories to the country, Wickremesinghe should now be prevented from obtaining the seat of the Executive President “through the cunning route, by using loopholes in the Constitution”.  “He has no democratic mandate as he was not voted into the Parliament. He had a hand in the torture of youths at the Batalanda Detention Centre in the past, was a six-time Premier in this country which ultimately led to this Rajapaksa Presidency, and was the Premier during the Central Bank Treasury Bond scam and the Easter Sunday terror attacks. We invite all of you to go to your nearest junction or town tomorrow (19) and protest against a potential Wickremesinghe Presidency,” said Mudalige.  Wickremesinghe had earlier stated that reports of MPs being threatened to vote a certain way during the Parliamentary vote tomorrow (20) for a new President will be investigated.  “Parliamentarians making decisions in Parliament should be pressured, as they are not making personal decisions, but decisions that should reflect and represent the public who sent them there. We have the right to do so, and that is democracy,” said Mudalige.  Following a massive islandwide protest on 9 July demanding the resignation of Rajapaksa, the former President resigned on 15 July. The Parliament is due to select the new President through a vote, according to the Constitution, tomorrow. Wickremesinghe had announced that he would resign from his post of the Premier only to allow an interim Government to take over, defying the demands of many protestors, who called for a simultaneous resignation from him as well. If Wickremesinghe had vacated office with Rajapaksa, the Speaker of the House would have Constitutionally become the President until the Parliament elects another. Wickremesinghe and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Dullas Alahapperuma, both backed by the SLPP, along with Premadasa and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake are vying for the post of the President.


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