By Norman Palihawadana Courtesy The Island

President Maithripala Sirisena, who is the Chairman of the SLFP, could not unilaterally decide to sack him, MP S.B Dissanayake said, yesterday, commenting on the announcement that his party membership had been suspended.

Dissanayake said: “Only the Central Committee of the SLFP can take away my membership. A number of people who took part in the CC meeting told me that they had not talked about suspending MPs. Thus, the Chairman can’t take a unilateral decision.”

A. H. M. Fowzi, who has also been suspended, said that he had been an SLFP member for 40 years and he had been sacked without any warning. “This is not fair. None of us have received this in writing yet. We will decide what to do when we get the letter,” he said.

On Saturday, the SLFP suspended the membership of five of its national list MPs, for joining other political parties.

They are Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, S. B. Dissanayake, Dilan Perera, Vijith Wijayamuni Zoyza, and A. H. M. Fowzi, according to political sources.

The party will write to them, informing them of its decision to suspend them.

SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekera said: “These MPs will receive their charge sheets soon. Disciplinary inquiries will be conducted against them for supporting other political parties while holding SLFP membership. They have already been removed from the positions they held in the party,.”

MPs S. B. Dissanayake and Dilan Perera obtained SLPP membership on August 29. MP Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena joined the SLPP earlier. SLFP MPs A. H. M. Fowzie and Vijith Wijayamuni Zoysa crossed over to the government, last year.