Crucial SLFP convention today as split looms

With a major split in the making, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s 65th annual Convention will be held today at the Maligapitiya Grounds in Kurunegala.

The convention will be held under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena who is also the leader of the party but has come under heavy pressure from a group loyal to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

SLFP General Secretary Duminda Dissanayake said he believed today’s convention would be the party’s biggest ever, with supporters coming in from all parts of the country.

He said a significant feature of the convention would be the large turnout of supporters from the Northern and Eastern provinces which gave a huge vote to Mr. Sirisena at last year's Presidential election.

Several resolutions relating to the country and the party are expected to be passed at the convention. Mr. Dissanayake said all SLFP members had been invited, and no one had officially informed the party that they would not be attending. But Rajapaksa group loyalists had publicly announced that they would not attend the convention. Mr. Rajapaksa himself has gone to Malaysia for a conference.

One of the Rajapaksa group frontliners Dulles Alahapperuma told a media conference that none of the 52MPs in the so- called 'Joint Opposition' (JO) would attend the convention. It would also be boycotted by several Provincial Councillor and other local council members. Another JO frontliner, Keheliya Rambukwella said yesterday they were not prepared to work with the SLFP leadership as long as it continued to be in Government with the United National Party (UNP).