Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has told UNP parliamentary group to refrain from responding to the criticism made by the President Maithripala Sisena, at the same time the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said the President’s statement shows that there is no government in the country.At loggerheads

Responding to President Maithripala Sirisena’s statement made at the 76th commemoration of the late Ven. Sobitha Thera, at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute (SLFI) on Wednesday, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has reportedly told members of his party to refrain from responding to the statement made by the President, and instead focus on resolving the problems of the people.

In the meantime, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said continuous speeches made by both the President and the Prime Minister validated that the only solution available to the current issues is the dissolution of Parliament.

He said, The country cannot be developed or taken forward in this manner. The Parliament should be dissolved and a general election should be held to establish a stable government.”

Earlier, junior MPs belonging to UNP had asked that the party respond to allegations made by the President at a speech made at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute on May 30.

Don’t respond to President’s statement, focus on resolving the problems of the people, ” the Prime Minister had made his position clear, while responding to a suggestion by junior MPs at a meeting with party members at the UNP Working Committee meeting at Sirikotha.

Earlier, in his speech at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute President Srisena said that he did not know who made the 100-day programme, and that its biggest mistake was that it did not state that the Parliament would be dissolved the day after the Election.

However, Highways Minister Kabir Hashim commenting on President’ criticism said, the 100-day-programme was prepared by those who campaigned against former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2014.

He told this to the media after the UNP Working Committee meeting held at Sirikotha.

The UNP is responsible for the 100-day-programme,” he said in response to a statement made by President Maithripala Sirisena on Wednesday that he was unaware as to who prepared the 100-day-programme.

Moreover, the President had said dissolution of Parliament soon after the 2015 elections would have been a better option as far as politics was concerned.

President Sirisena, who attended the 76th commomeration of the late Ven. Sobitha Thera held at Foundation Institute in Colombo without an official invitation went to the extent of denying any knowledge of the formulation of the much touted 100-day programme that was launched immediately after presidential polls on January 8, 2015.

President Sirisena, who paid a surprise visit to the event, said he had not received an official invitation to attend the event.

The President went on to say-

I had not received an official invitation to attend the event. I came to know about it through a third party. My media director said the event was organized by Ravi Jayawardene. I contacted him and asked about my omission. He said there had been a mistake. Everyone had hoped I would be invited but no one took the initiative to do so.

President Sirisena had said that some of the content of the 100-day programme implemented by the Good Governance government after he won the election in 2015 were ‘stupid’ and he didn’t know whose idea it was to include them.

He spoke in particular of the 19th amendment to the Constitution, which diluted many powers of the Executive Presidency, and was passed with 218 voting in favor in a 225-member government, on 28 April 2015.

In which parliament, in the history of the world, has a Constitution been amended for the want of a mere 47,” he asked referring to the number of UNP MPs in the government at the time, who were agitating for a change.

President Maithripala Sirisena said that late Maduluwawe Sobitha never intended to choose a common candidate, for the Presidential Election, with the aim of stealing from the Central Bank.

He added that whilst there were some who questioned his Chairmanship of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), due to the presence of SLFP Ministers the country was safeguarded from many dangers. He also added that he was prepared to debate this with anyone, even on television.

The President said that the Presidential Election will take place towards the end of next year and claimed that speaking of it now would only destabilize the country.

Sirisena further noted that he was prepared to answer to anyone who claimed that the country has deteriorated during the past few years.

He also added that he was not the one who had provided the previous President with a helicopter to go to Tangalle after he won the last Presidential Election and the latter lost it. He added that the order had been given by a person in the Air Force who had claimed that the order came from Sirisena.

Adding that whilst there were those who claimed that even a dog would have won if they were put forward as the common candidate at the last Presidential Poll, Sirisena said that he was chosen as the common candidate because there was no one else suitable for that position.

I was used as the common candidate as I was a clean politician and came forward as a lion despite life threats”, he said.

I brought today’s ‘Daily Mirror’ newspaper along with me. It has posted a photo of me and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad saying that I have not done what he has done in five days. It says Malaysian Prime Minister has arrested nine ministers, 144 businessmen and 50 judges accused of corruption. I phoned Malaysia and our High Commissioner in Malaysia and they said these claims are all false. Social media also criticized me in the last few days, saying I have not done what Mahathir took five days to accomplish.

I am a person who came forward to make this country better and carry out the principles of good governance in its true sense. I could have earned huge sums of money when I was the Health Minister if I wanted to. I am truly hurt by the wrong interpretations that has been formed in the minds of the public about me. I am taken aback when I hear things such as the fact that cases against wrongdoers are not being taken up because of me.

People never expected an investigation to be launched into allegations that former Minister T.B. Ekanayake gave a vehicle to someone, former Deputy Minister Priyankara Jayaratne giving a job to his daughter and former Minister A.H.M. Fowzie misusing a vehicle belonging to another ministry.

People in this country did not expect such behavior from their public representatives. If family members of murdered rugby player Wasim Thajudeen and lawyers appeared in his case were taken to one place and asked, they would reveal what had happened.

We must see why I could not carry out most of what people expected me to do after electing me the President. I had not experienced insults, character assassination and disgrace in my 47-year-old political career than I experienced as the President. As former President Ranasinghe Premadasa had said, I am someone who is well-tempered with politics.

Some say the government went wrong after I took up the chairmanship of the SLFP. I can explain to you what actually happened and who ruined the vision of the Ven. Sobitha Thera.

After I was sworn in as the President on January 9, Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the Prime Minister. However, the UNP had only 47 seats in Parliament then. How can a Government be formed with only 47 seats?

Had I not accepted the chairmanship of the SLFP, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake of the group of 47 MPs would have failed to pass the budget in Parliament.

– Asian Tribune –