UNP in a deadlock
With the party in a deadlock, with the Leader refusing to budge and Reformists threatening to take to the streets to force him out, UNP General Secretary MP Tissa Attanayake yesterday declined to comment on the ongoing crisis.
National List MP Attanayake, widely believed to be a Wickremsinghe loyalist, told The Island that he wouldn’t discuss the issue as speaking out would only complicate matters further.
An irate Attanayake said that his comments on the contentious issue of Reformists’ challenge could exacerbate the situation. He urged The Island to get in touch with those willing to discuss the leadership issue.
Another earlier Wickremesinghe loyalist and the party’s Deputy Secretary General designate Dr Jayalath Jayawardana yesterday said that most of the people in the party were frustrated and cut up with the situation they were in. “I am fed up”, he said
He insisted that he is in no one’s camp and that in fact his political guru was Sajith’s late father Ranasinghe Premadasa and he will never forget that.
I took the post of JSS President to fight on behalf of UNP workers who are being victimised by this government and not for personal glory or to oust Sajith. In fact Sajith continues to be responsible for the trade union movement.
He said the party was in a truly deadlocked situation as Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected unanimously at the last party convention in December last year and therefore he could go on till this December. In terms of the Constitution he could be replaced before that date only if he resigned or something happened to him, but he was not willing to resign, the MP said.
“Joseph Michael Perera, John Amaratunga, Tissa Attanayake, Wijedasa Rajapakshe, Lakshman Kiriella and I took up this issue with the Leader on Thursday, the day after the noisy party group meeting, but he was adamant that he would continue till the end of the year,” Jayawardana said.
As the Chief Organiser for Negombo, he said he was worried about facing the forthcoming election as a divided party.”Otherwise we have everything under wraps here”, he said.
Asked why none of them spoke up for the leader at the group meeting, Jayawardana claimed that there was total pandemonium with reformists shouting abuse, therefore it was not possible for anyone to speak.
Questioned as to the solution he would propose to rescue the party from the present mess, Jayawardana said only God knew the answer.
Ratnapura District MP Ranjan Ramanayake lashed out at the factions led by Wickremesinghe and Premadasa for causing debilitating setbacks. Due to their actions the party had suffered irreparable damage, the UNPer said, alleging that the incumbent leadership and so-called Reformists were acting as if they had taken a contract from the Rajapaksas to ruin the UNP.
Responding to a query, MP Ramanayake said that in spite of the UNP having a chance to secure the Colombo Municipal Council at the forthcoming LG poll, the two groups were fighting it out. Had there been any love for the party and a determination to defeat the UPFA in Colombo, they would never engage in a public fight.
MP Ramanayake accused both factions of turning a blind eye to the plight of defeated Opposition presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka now languishing behind bars on a bogus charge.
He asserted that the UNP had failed to exploit the ground situation caused by economic difficulties and a section of the international community taking on the Rajapaksasas due to rifts among various factions.
Courtesy: The Island
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RW cuts such a pathetic figure in the photo. I am glad the bitter in-fighting and blood-letting continues. Whether Karu or Sajith ousts RW at the end, it matters very little to us, as none of them have cridibility in the public domain. Thgey are all a bunch of pal horu.
Isn’t it high time that RW is arraigned before the High Court for Batalanda mass murders, and for betraying the country to the LTTE by signing an under-hand so-called peace deal with VP/LTTE, giving them autonomy and 1/3rd the country as they demanded? Was it his private hegemony to do so?
The picture on this news item speaks a million words. The total dissaray in the UNP is visible in the persona of the honourable gentleman.
The Blue Brothers can celebrate another victory. They have systematically destroyed the UNP by coddling up to Ranil Wickremasinghe (the peak was sending him to New York to talk to the UNSG on their behalf in which task Hon RW utterly and miserably failed). I sympathise with the young men in the UNP who see no future at all.
The dissillusionment in the leadership is spreading to the elder cadres in the UNP as well.
The Blue Brothers must be clapping their hands in glee.
The UNP is irreversibly destined destined to the rubbish heap in the footsteps of the LSSP and CP.
The only hope for democracy now shifts to man behind bars in Welikada. If his spirit can sustain the cruelty unleashed by the Blue Brothers, there’s hope of a democratic revival of society.
If not, vaste swathes of the City of Colombo and all scenic places in SL including its beaches will soon belong to noodle-eaters and the citizens of Sri Lanka will become third class. The Blue Brothers, of course, will have bulging sackloads of greenbacks.
No one is indispensible and this goes to RW too. If he loves UNP and SRi Lanka he step down. We need a strongly led UNP to challenge the MR and his clan.
Ranil we love you! Please step down.
Come on.. Come on.. What else more…?
All are thinking of only winning. But only Ranil is not so. He’s a good man who can bear the win & lost both…
Yeah, yeah, agree with Amden, Hon Ranil tretas both imposters (victory and defeat) just the same.
Poor Ranil, Dr Mahinda has plans for him.
Will Rana adapt up to MR…?
Amden,
Hon Ranil will soon be Dr Mahinda’s Prime Minister.
Realy… Will pissu pusa be so…?
‘Rata Dinawana Api’ should be ‘Mahinda Dinawana Mama’ at the end, what is going to happened/happening is, Rata Kelawana mama (RW)’
Pissu pusa rata yaida danne na….!? Man langadi us, uk gihinuth awane…
Parakum yugayak eida Amare…?
How old is this mad cat now..?
Amden, Amare,
Do you know what this is all about?
Ranil has secretly negotiated with the Blues Brothers to form a National Government to solve “national problems” and face up to Western pressure on “War Crimes”.
In the National Government, Ranil will be PM and 3 Cabinet posts to the UNP for Ravi K and others.
As always, the National Government was agreed with the Blues Brothers by Ranil in secret, no other person in the party knows what’s going on.
When Sajith’s group became aware of this, they are jumping up and down because they have been ignored and they will no place in the National Government. If they want to fight, they have to break away form the UNP.
Dr Mahinda is a cunning guy who will keep the UNP divided all the time and just before the next election, he will make sure that the UNP will be finished and whoever is remaining as Presidential candidate will not get more than 100,000 votes.
Balamu balamu…
Balamu balamu… Ethakota mea “Grease Yaka” ewanne Jvp ekenda..?