SLFP dissidents in JO going it alone as SLPP LG polls first round in January
Posted on November 27th, 2017
By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy The Island
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) yesterday made deposits at Kalutara, Galle and Gampaha kachcheris, signalling that it was going it alone at the forthcoming local government polls in spite of the SLFP’s efforts to forge an alliance with its dissidents to contest the mini polls together.
The SLPP made its move close on the heels of President Maithripala Sirisena assuring a group of civil society representatives on Sunday that he wouldn’t pursue an agenda detrimental to the unity government.
Having paid deposits in Kalutara, Chairman of the SLPM Prof. G.L. Peiris told The Island that there was absolutely no point in having a dialogue as long as the SLFP remained in the UNP-led administration.
Prof. Peiris was accompanied by SLPM General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam and its administrative secretary Renuka Perera.
Former External Affairs Minister Prof. Peiris said his party would pay the deposit for Colombo, Anuradhapura and Puttalam on Tuesday (Nov 28). The nominations will be received from Dec 11 to Dec 14.
Prof. Peiris led outfit is an integral part of the SLFP rebels-led Joint Opposition (JO) consisted of 54 members of parliament elected on the UPFA ticket. The UPFA secured 95 seats at 2015 August parliamentary polls.
The former Law Professor said that having worked with JO since the change of government in January 2015, all parties were keen to face what he called first round of local government polls meant to test yahapalana government’s popularity.
According to Prof. Peiris, the first round involved 93 local government bodies and the rest would take place on a staggered basis. Responding to another query, the former minister said that SLPM would field candidates in all electoral districts, including Jaffna peninsula.
However, JO MPs refrained from joining SLPM officials at any of the venues where deposits were paid. JO member Pavitradevi Wanniarachchi’s husband, Kanchana Jayaratne, Chairman of the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council accompanied the SLPM delegation led by Prof. Peiris.
Prof. Peiris said those who had been talking about SLFP reunification hadn’t examined the future of the JO both in and outside parliament. The former Law Professor said that he personally believed that would be a monumental mistake on their part to join the SLFP, at a time the government was reeling over treasury bond scams.
Prof. Peiris said that they were proceeding with their campaign. The former minister said that reunification talks were irrelevant. Responding to another query, Prof. Peiris said that with elections to 93 local government bodies now certain to take place in January, soon after the releasing of the presidential commission report on treasury bond scams, it would be a major issue.
The former External Affairs Minister emphasized that the local government polls wouldn’t be fought on local matters but issues of national significance and would test the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government.
November 27th, 2017 at 9:23 pm
I think MR WILL HELP to reconstitute the SLFP, because BOTH MR and MS KNOW that to do OTHERWISE is tantamount to ensuring a UNP victory, albeit by a narrow margin, and leaving a fractured moribund SLFP in its wake.
BUT, MR will DO SO ONLY after RECEIVING significant concessions from MS, maximally the PM post in a NEW Govt with a NEW Cabinet, or minimally the post of Leader of the SLFP for now. MR WILL NOT give his support to the MS-SLFP Faction for MERE CRUMBS, but for SUBSTANTIAL CONECESSIONS that will ENSURE that the Patritic MR-FACTION will ULTIMATELY TRIUMPH and form a New Govt under his leadership.
The SENTIMENT among Sinhala Buddhists in Sri Lanka is HEAVILY against the Yamapalanaya and is in favor of the Patriotic Opposition. They will SWEEP the Local Govt elections, no matter whether they are in or out of Govt.
The UNP will use all of its thuggery and its propaganda machinery to confuse the issues, but THEY WILL FAIL ABYSMALLY, only AGGRAVATING the anger of the majority community. II WILL BE TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE, and the best laid plans of its DESHAD-DROHI leaders will fall to pieces!
The only other method to protect Sri Lanka in the short term is to create a BROAD Coalition between the JO, the NFF, the SLPP and ALL other Patriotic Forces and contest as an ENTIRELY NEW Political Party.
The Sinhala Buddhist Community will support that effort instead of the MS-SLFP faction, but nevertheless the result will be a UNP victory, albeit with a MUCH STRENGTHENED Patriotic Front that can compete and WIN the General Elections in 2020.
The result could also be that in the INTERIM, the UNP, DESPERATE to WIN in 2020 and save its leaders from PRISON and/or permanent residence abroad, will COMPLETELY CONTROL and HASTEN the creation of a New Constitution and other LEGAL SAFEGUARDS for themselves at the expense of the Nation, IMPRISON all of its opponents, and will EMPOWER EVERY Minority community to the fullest.
VIOLENCE in the STREETS will be the order of the day, and the blood of Patriots will FLOW profusely in good cause.
Nevertheless, in the end, the PATRIOTIC FORCES will TRIUMPH, and the current PARA-GATHI Yamapalanaya leaders will fly out of the country to safe havens ALREADY in place in foreign countries and survive on their ill-gotten gains sequestered abroad. Now you know another reason why ROBBING the Central Bank and leaving the ROBBERS FREE to deploy the funds both within and outside Sri Lanka was the HIGHEST PRIORITY of the Yamapalanaya. That FUNDED the PARACHUTE that enabled their leaders to take the necessary criminal risks in the future.
November 28th, 2017 at 4:27 am
Ananda – your comments are amongst the best I have read in these columns and I do hope that the voters of Sri Lanka
will have an opportunity to access them.