All party cadres will be invited: Minister

65th SLFP Convention

SLFP parliamentarians including those in the joint opposition and all party cadres will be invited to its 65th convention being held in Kurunegala on September 4, Minister John Seneviratne said yesterday.

He said the SLFP Central Committee (CC) was bound to take action against those who violated the party constitution.

The minister told the media that elaborate arrangements had been made to hold the SLFP Convention as a prelude to cleansing the party, to take disciplinary action against those who insulted and ridiculed the party leadership, violated party guidelines and instructions, tore party invitations and stoned the party headquarters during paada yathra.

“Under no circumstances can we forgive these men and women who betrayed the party at every opportunity. Our intention is to make the SLFP a strong, democratic and peoplefriendly political party not polluted by undisciplined hooligans, thugs and corrupt elements,” he said.

Commenting on the requests from certain JO members to sever ties with the UNP, the minister who is also a senior Vice President of the party cannot heed to that request as the consensual government has been formed under an agreement signed between the two main parties and the consensual government has to achieve much for the benefit of the country and people during its tenure.

“Both parties have pledged to work together to achieve accelerated economic progress, introduce electoral and constitutional reforms, raise the standing of Sri Lanka in the global community, etc. Sri Lanka is in a transitional period with much hopes and dreams to realize and the consensual Government would achieve most of those goals by 2020,” the minister said.

He said the CC has appointed a committee to look into the violation of the party discipline and rules and recommend the action to be taken and added the 65th convention of the SLFP would be a turning point of the party’s destiny as a number of extremely important decisions are to be taken.

Meanwhile, SLFP Leader President Maithripala Sirisena said the SLFP would celebrate its 65th anniversary on September 4 in Kurunegala in an extremely festive and glorious atmosphere than all the anniversary celebrations held during the past 64 years.

“The SLFP has the full freedom and the right to build the party while protecting its own identity and the SLFP should move forward while strengthening the Women’s Organizations of the party for the betterment of all mothers, sisters and daughters of the country,” the President said.

He expressed these views at a workshop organized by the SLFP Women’s organization at the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) headquarters in Colombo under the theme, “Strengthened country - Sustainable future” with the aim of ensuring 25 per cent representation for women in national and local government bodies.

The President said the history of the SLFP could be explained as an era which held women in high esteem with the highest regard for our culture and our thinking.

He said the SLFP in coalition with the UNP, would rule the country with a noble objective of taking the country forward, solving financial issues and facing allegations made by the UNHRC on war crimes, a legacy of the Rajapaksa regime.

The history of the SLFP could be explained as an era which held women in high esteem with the highest regard for our culture and our thinking Our intention is to make the SLFP a strong, democratic and people-friendly political party not polluted by undisciplined hooligans, thugs and corrupt elements