I WON’T VACATE THE POST

UPFA General Secretary

Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said yesterday he would continue as the General Secretary of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) as long as President Maithripala and the UPFA Central Committee wanted him to serve in that post.

He said he was not prepared to listen to a few politicians of the joint opposition and the 16 SLFPERS who quit the government on May 8 and carrying out a malicious and selfish political vendetta against him.

“I asked permission from the President who is our party leader to let me resign from the post of UPFA General Secretary. He advised me against it and asked me to continue serving the country, the UPFA and the SLFP together with SLFP General Secretary and Minister Duminda Dissanayaka,” the minister said. He told Daily Mirror that whoever who succeeded him and Minister Dissanayaka as General Secretaries of the UPFA and SLFP, must enjoy the respect, love and dedication of the party. The minister said the 16 SLFPERS would not join the joint opposition but sit in Parliament as a separate SLFP group of the opposition under the leadership of President Sirisena. However, he said he had not given up uniting all SLFP factions under one umbrella under the leadership of President Sirisena and ensure party’s victory at the forthcoming PC, presidential and general elections.