INSTABILITY WILL END IN A WEEK: PRESIDENT
I took two crucial decisions in 2014 and 2018 under same circumstances unpers must realize that it was their leader Ranil who ruined their party Ranil must not be given the opportunity to run this country as he does not have a vision for the country
While saying that he would honour and accept whatever ruling passed by the two apex courts in the country, President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday said the political and constitutional impasse gripping the country would come to an end in the next seven days.
We are required to choose a political path that would be suitable for us. I explained to him the calamity brought about by the Central Bank bond scam
However, he pointed out that people in the country hold different views on the recent orders given by the court and added some say it was a good one and some others say it was like the chief incumbent of a temple making a preaching that should have been delivered by the Mahanayaka of the Nikaya.
President Sirisena, who is also the leader of the SLFP delivering the keynote address of the 67th annual convention of the party at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium last afternoon dedicated a major part of the his speech to explain the circumstances that led to the current political and constitutional crisis and severely criticized former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe branding him as the chief architect to it.
“I quit the SLFP on November 19, 2014 to fight against corruption, selling of State assets, waste and collapse of the rule of law etc. I took a decision on October 26, 2018 on the same reasons to fire Ranil Wickremesinghe from the premiership and appoint Mahinda Rajapaksa to replace him,” President Sirisena stressed.
He said the SLFP holds its annual convention at an extremely critical juncture of Sri Lanka’s political history. Some say this was a huge political crisis. There is no political crisis in the country right now but a political clash or political differences. If there is a conflict all must be dedicated to resolve it as conflict resolution is a science.
“I salute to 6.2 million voters (most of them were Unpers) who voted me to power on January 8, 2015. The two critical decisions that I took to quit the SLFP and fire Ranil from the premiership in November 2014 and October 2018 respectively were correct, prudent and timely decisions taken after much thought to save the country and nation. Both of them were taken considering the national requirements. They were analytical judgements taken based on a political ideology and against corruption, theft, crimes. The objectives of those judgements were to restore decency, rule of law and spiritual cleanliness in the society,” President Sirisena emphasized.
He said he appointed Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister soon after he was sworn in as the Executive President following the election victory on January 8, 2015.
“From the very beginning, Ranil started to destroy all the hopes kept by 6.2 million voters who elected me to power and trampled all the pledges and undertakings during the poll campaign. I took all these wicked, cruel and dictatorial actions of Ranil in my strides with extreme patience and restraint for three and half years thought it was not an easy exercise. I remained in the SLFP for four years with undergoing same painful experience before I decamped from the party and I did the same for three and half years before taking the decision to sack Ranil from the premiership on October 26. The removal of Ranil and appointing Mahinda as the PM is not a hasty decision. I felt enough is enough by that time and sacked Ranil accordingly as Ranil destroyed the country and the economy. He also ruined the grand old party, the UNP established, built and made one of the biggest political forces in the country by great politicians like, D.S. Senanayake, Dudley Senanayake, JR Jayewardene and R Premadasa. Though there are ideological and policy disparities between the UNP and SLFP, both parties are greatly respected political parties in the country. It was this party that is destroyed under Ranil. He not only destroyed the UNP but he also destroyed me politically to some extent. Ranil made the concept of Yahapalanaya meaningless. The only solution to this disaster was to expel him from his post,” President Sirisena added.
‘We are required to choose a political path that would be suitable for us. I explained to him the calamity brought about by the Central Bank bond scam. He did not listen. He withdrew powers given to local government bodies. He was fully dedicated to neo liberal policies that do not suit our country. He did not realize that those alien economic policies ruin our country. He deceived people in the North. We would have given many a benefit to the people in the North without obliging to create a federal system. He deliberately ignored to provide facilities to the Northern People.
I took five important decisions and issued five gazettes on them as the Executive President for the good of the country. I did all of them to protect democracy and in bona-fide intentions. I expelled Ranil and appointed Mahinda as Prime Minister. I prorogued Parliament and later dissolved Parliament. I did all these things to save the country. The country has not experienced something like this since we gained independence in 1948. This impasse is completely a new experience to all of us. However, this kind of crisis is not something new to other countries where Parliamentary democracy exists. In Germany, Italy or Australia, Parliaments remain dissolved for months and without proper governments to rule the country. The country has experienced a social uncertainty for two to three weeks. The petitions pertaining to Constitutional issues in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court are not criminal cases. We respect and accept whatever judgements given by these apex courts. However, I repeat what I told the UNP Parliamentary group on Monday night that I am determined not to reappoint Ranil as the Prime Minister even the entire 225 members of Parliament demanded to do so.
I don’t have any personal grudge with Ranil. He is a person who is suitable to give the leadership to this country. He must not be given the opportunity to run this country as he does not have a vision or plan for the country and nation. I am aware that those UNP supporters, who voted for me in 2015, hate me. But they must realize that it was their party leader Ranil who ruined their party. The only political party that can give patriotic, people friendly solution to the problems and sufferings of our people is the SLFP as opposed to neo liberal, destructive and anti-national policies of the UNP. The curse on the country and nation created by Ranil would be eliminated in a weeks time and the country will be back to normalcy. We all resolve ourselves to save the country from this calamity,” President Sirisena noted.
Senior Vice President of the SLFP, Parliamentarian Nimal Siripala De Silva, UPFA, General Secretary, Parliamentarian Mahinda Amaraweera and National Organizer of the SLFP, Parliamentarian Duminda Dissanayaka also spoke.
I quit the SLFP on November 19, 2014 to fight against corruption, selling of State assets, waste and collapse of the rule of law etc.