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SJB to support without ministries, NPP declines ‘Rajapaksa-Ranil’ Government

04 Aug 2022

  • Sajith says not the time to opportunistically obtain Ministries
  • AKD says RW wants to remain Prez for ‘three years’
Opposition and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Leader Sajith Premadasa said the SJB would support the realisation of the policies articulated in President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s speech yesterday without accepting Ministerial portfolios, while National People’s Power (NPP) Leader and Opposition MP Anura Kumara Dissanayaka said that the NPP will not accept the President’s invitation to form an all-party Government, as they believe that what the President is proposing is merely for all parties to support and strengthen a “Rajapaksa-Wickremesinghe” Government. Speaking to journalists at the Parliament complex following the President’s speech at the opening of the third session of the ninth Parliament, Premadasa said that the SJB would support the policies through the multi-party committees and councils to be established in Parliament. “We are in agreement with the policies set out in the President’s speech on the multi-party governing system. But these policies need to be put into action, and if these are put into action, we are ready to provide positive support through the Parliamentary committees, namely the committee of party leaders and also the strengthened committees and through the national committee. But we can’t form an all-party Government which involves the granting of Ministries for personal gain. If there is anyone being opportunistic trying to gain ministerial posts from this current situation that is not a multi-party ruling system, but a system that would penalise the general public even further. I am elated at this moment that it was not included in the speech,” he said. Premadasa added that the President must make the vision a reality. “After listening to the speech, it could be concluded that it was very positive and meaningful. However, we all know that in politics often there is a large gap between words and actions. Therefore the words should be turned into action. You have to walk the talk. Also the most positive aspect to this is that this contains the required provision for the  activation of the multi-party unified programme,” he said.    Meanwhile, Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, addressing a media briefing said yesterday (3) that the NPP will not accept President Wickremesinghe’s invitation to form an all-party Government. “When President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned, we proposed an all-party interim Government with Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana serving as the President. We wanted the President and the Premier to be two people with no future political aspirations, and for the Government to be an interim one, so that an election could be held as soon as possible. We wanted only 10 Ministers in that Government, and for it to focus on bribery and corruption allegations as well. But Wickremesinghe and the Rajapaksa camp formed a government. Wickremesinghe has not mentioned for how long he wants this Government to act, thus hiding the intention that he wants to rule for the next three years,” said Dissanayaka at the NPP press briefing yesterday (3).  Therefore, Dissanayaka stressed that the NPP will not join the all-party Government as it is “merely a Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa Government for which they want support” and one that will not represent the rights and demands of all the parties in the Parliament.  “However, if the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa Government is prepared to present a short term programme to come out of the current crisis, we are prepared to give our ideas and opinions to its beneficial aspects,” said Dissanayaka.  Dissanayaka said that, from the 46 years that Wickremesinghe has spent in Parliament, 43 of them have been either as a Cabinet Minister, Opposition Leader, or Prime Minister, and thus, he is one of the main witnesses to the present state of the country.  Yesterday, when the President presented the Government’s policy statement at the ceremonial opening of the third session of the ninth Parliament, he requested all the parties to unite in the formation of an all-party Government.  “I respectfully extend the hand of friendship to all of you. I confidently invite you to put aside the past and come together for the sake of the country. I have already initiated discussions with political parties to form an all party Government. Certain parties have declared that they would consider my programme, and give their consent to form the all-party Government. I wish to make my observations in this regard. An all-party Government is not a Government that acts on the sole opinion of one party. It is a Government that comprises the views of all the parties, within a common policy framework which will be implemented after decisions are made,” said Wickremesinghe.  


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