By Niranjala Ariyawansha Courtesy Ceylon Today

The United Left Front (ULF), the alternative group of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party led by Parliamentarian, President’s Counsel Dr. Jayampathy Wickramaratne, has withdrawn from the United National Front ( UNF) in protest over the decision taken to nominate UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa as the candidate to contest the 16 November Presidential Election, on the UNF ticket. 

Following its withdrawal from the UNF, the ULF decided to ally with the National People’s Power (NPP) headed by JVP Leader, MP Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, for the upcoming Poll. 

“Politically, Premadasa is really not mature enough to occupy the top most post in the land. We need to take society forward and not people who will strive to stall that progress from where it was in 2015,” ULF Central Committee (CC) Member, Attorney Lal Wijenayaka, speaking to Ceylon Today said. 

He said, the ULF decided to withdraw from the UNF on the very day (26 September) Premadasa was nominated to contest the election. 

When contacted, Dr. Wickramaratne said, that they had also decided to request from the people to give their preference to the strongest candidate against Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa in order to defeat the latter. 

According to Wijenayake, the 27 ULF CC Members had voted in favour of the withdrawal while three others had opposed the move.

He added that his Party will sign a memorandum of understanding with the NPP shortly.

“Back in 2015, having joined hands with late Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera and scores of other civil society groups, we formed the UNF Government to usher in good governance. Dr. Wickremaratne received his MP post as a result of this transformation. 

Some of the political amendments that we sought to introduce have been accepted. But, beyond this stage we cannot harbour any more hopes on the UNF. With the decision taken to nominate Premadasa to contest the Presidential Poll, we at the ULF do not agree that he could steer this country forward from where it is right now. Hence, by majority vote we decided to leave the UNF.”

The UNF and Dr. Wickramaratne played a key role in the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution as well the formulation of the proposed new Constitution.

Wijenayake claimed that Premadasa was completely bereft of ideas and does not have policies with regard to the devolution of power to the North and East, national reconciliation and Amendments to the Constitution.

“Whether Dissanayaka gets elected as President or not, we decided to tie up with the NPP, in order to form a massive people’s movement,” he asserted.