Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena yesterday said that one of the main constituent parties of the recently formed United National Alliance (UNA) would soon switch its allegiance to President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Addressing the press at the Information Department, Minister Abeywardena said that this would take place before the next election.
Although parliamentary elections were scheduled to take place by April next year, the government would explore other options, he said. The possibility of a presidential election preceding parliamentary polls or both big elections being held on the same day could not be ruled out, the Minister said.
Led by the UNP, the UNA comprises several political parties, including the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and the Democratic People’s Front, led by Rauff Hakeem and Mano Ganeshan, respectively.
eader of the SLFP (M) and former Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera slammed the government today for messing up the country’s relations with friendly nations and aligning itself with dictatorial regimes which are of no use to this country. Participating in the vote on Account debate, MP Samaraweera said, "By using a heavy handed, thuggish approach towards friendly nations, the government has turned them into foes and undone the high esteem Sri Lanka enjoyed with the international community since its independence in 1948."
The doors of the White House in Washington, Kremlin in Moscow were open to us which is why most government had supported us when we fought against the LTTE," he said.However, he said that this situation was now changing rapidly as the government was getting close to dictatorial regimes world over.
The United National Front formed on Tuesday cannot be considered as a new political alliance because it comprised a handful of people who had worked with UNP and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe for the past several years said Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Minister Keheliya Rambukwella.
Minister Rambukwella said the Opposition Leader had formed the so called alliance in a hush hush manner to overcome the charges levelled against the UNP leadership for bringing the party’s downfall.
UPFA is the largest political alliance in Sri Lanka. There are 18 political parties that formally signed the memorandum of understanding and the other 14 parties support it. So in practical terms there are 32 political parties in the UPFA representing all ethnic groups . But the newly formed UNP- led common alliance, the UNF has four main parties and 16 others, Mass Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardane told a press conference at the Media Ministry yesterday.
He said: “The UPFA has no challenge with this new political alliance led by the UNP. In the near future, we can see very vital political changes in the country. One main political party which signed the memorandum of understanding of the UNF has agreed to support President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the next presidential election.”
Government affiliate Sri Lanka Nidahas Sevaka Sangamaya has asked president Mahinda Rajapaksa in once voice to first hold the presidential polls.
The call came at the union's 7th national convention at Temple Trees, Colombo yesterday (Nov. 04).
At the meeting, when president had asked the union members about their opinion, they had unanimously called for the holding of presidential election before the parliamentary polls.
At a recent meeting with president Rajapaksa, local government representatives too, had made the same request.
Yesterday, the president said he would consult the party activists and the party would decide which election should be held first, at its annual convention on November 15.
He said that if the people asked for the presidential polls first, he would forego his remaining two year term and hold the election of their choice.
Southern Provincial Councillor Nishantha Muthuhettiga-ma’s car yesterday met with an accident at Gambeddegoda, Ratgama causing damage to the vehicle.
The controversial politician, who recently took oaths as an UPFA member of the SPC before an astrologer cum JP after ignoring an invitation from the Presidential Secretariat to be sworn in before the President, told The Island that the Gods had saved him. "I am lucky to be alive," he said, adding that he was on his way home following a consultation with his lawyers in Colombo when his car driven by another person collided head-on with a speeding luxury private coach.
JVP frontliner Anura Kumara Dissanayake said yesterday President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s recent intervention on behalf of his nephew Sashindra Rajapaksa, who is the Chief Minister of Uva, bolstered the JVP’s position that the executive presidency had to be abolished.
Addressing a recent press conference at the party headquarters, Dissanayake said that the President went to the extent of using his executive powers to allow Sashindra Rajapaksa to remain the Basnayake Nilame of the Kataragama Devale while being Chief Minister of the Uva Provincial Council.
Dissanayake said if not for presidential intervention, Sashindra could not have been appointed Uva Chief Minister before relinquishing the post at the Kataragama Devale.
Responding to our queries, he said that the then President Ranasinghe Premadasa had introduced legislation way back in 1989 to prevent anyone from being sworn in as a member of Parliament, Provincial Council or local government body unless he quit post held at temples or devales. But the incumbent President had issued a special gazette notification exempting Sashindra from that law.
The executive presidency is the cause of the present authoritarian rule by Mahinda Rajapaksa and his government. The new alliance, United National Alliance (UNA), which was officially formed under the leadership of the United National Party yesterday, would work to abolish it, the leader of the new alliance Ranil Wickremesinghe said.
At present, 13 parties with the identical ideology had joined to form the alliance and others, including the JVP, have been invited to join it in a bid to abolish the executive presidency and re-establish democracy with a corruption free government, he said.
The party leaders of the UNA signed the agreement yesterday at an auspicious time at the Parliamentary Complex. Opposition and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, Leader of the Democratic People’s Front MP Mano Ganeshan, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Leader MP Rauff Hakeem, Sri Lanka Freedom Party (Mahajana Wing) leader MP Mangala Samaraweera and the leaders of Nawa Sinhala Urumaya, National Development Front, Democratic United National Front, Ruhunu Janatha Party, Jana Vimukthi Sahayogitha Peramuna, United People’s Front and National Intellectual Board, signed the agreement for the new alliance. UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe heads the UNA. Mano Ganeshan, Rauff Hakeem and Mangala Samaraweera are the co-chairmen.
The UNP-led alliance was sealed in the parliamentary complex yesterday with the participation of 12 political parties.
The new Alliance called the United National Front comprises four main parties including the UNP, the SLMC, SLFP (Mahajana Wing) and the Democratic People’s Front. The other parties in the Alliance are the National Development Front, New Sihala Urumaya, Prajatantrawadi Janatha Peramuna, Ruhunu Janatha Party, Janawimukthi Sahayogitha Peramuna, Ape Jathika Peramuna and Eksath Janatha Sandhanaya.
Sri Lanka Government presented its vote-on-account to the parliament this morning amid heavy interruptions from the opposition parties.
Deputy Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama presented the vote-on-account to the House seeking a mandate for state expenses for the first four months of 2010.
This is the 10th occasion that a vote-on-account was presented in the Sri Lankan parliament.
When the Minister was presenting the vote-on-account to the parliament opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe said it was contrary to Management of Monetary Liabilities Act in 2005.
The Cabinet approved President Mahinda Rajapaksa's proposal to present a vote-on-account for the first four months of 2010 to cover the government expenditure until a budget is presented in the new parliament after the general elections to be held before April of next year
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