UPFA party leaders to meet MS and MR to discuss elections

• No split between SLFP and UPFA: Yapa

SLFP General Secretary Anura Priyadharshana Yapa (second from left) addresses a media conference. Others from left: Thilanga Sumathipala, UPFA General Secretary Susil Premajayantha and Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene look on - Pic by Gayan Amarasekara

By Jayashika Padmasiri

The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) yesterday said that leaders of 14 parties would hold discussions with President Maithripala Sirisena and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa separately about the forthcoming general election and how the party could contest.

UPFA General Secretary Susil Premajayantha addressing a press conference yesterday said that they planned to hold these meetings to get ready for the forthcoming election. 

“We are going to inform all the parties of the UPFA how to contest from the UPFA and we will hold separate meetings with the President and the former President along with the leaders of the 14 parties of the UPFA. We will be meeting President Sirisena and former President Rajapaksa. At present we are focusing on the election manifesto for our party at the forthcoming general election,” he explained yesterday.

Commenting further, he added that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s remarks over creating a national government consisting of the whole Parliament was ridiculous and undemocratic as then there would be no Opposition. He pointed out that it was only Wickremesinghe and the United National Party (UNP) who are talking about national governments because they are well aware that they could not come into power alone. 

UPFA MP Anura Priyadharsana Yapa addressing assured that no split in the party would occur and that the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) together with the other parties of the UPFA would contest the forthcoming general election and emerge victorious. 

“We strongly believe that we will be able to get the 20th Amendment passed in Parliament, hold the election under a new electoral system and come into power,” he added.

Yapa also opined that already law and order has collapsed in the country under this Government. “The incident in Jaffna concerning the rape and death of the underage schoolgirl is a good example which shows how this Government has failed. They don’t have any idea about managing the country’s economy either,” he said. 

Yapa also said that if the UPFA came into power again,it would correct the mistakes it made in the past.