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Friday, 16 February 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Dharisha Bastians
As frantic efforts continued to keep the crisis-gripped National Unity Government together, Law and Order Minister Sagala Ratnayaka, a close ally of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, took the fall and announced his resignation yesterday.
On his official Facebook page, Minister Ratnayaka announced that he had informed the UNP parliamentary group last morning that he would not continue as Minister for Law and Order.
“I told the Prime Minister this morning that I am willing to sacrifice any position for the party and do everything I can for the good of the UNP. I informed the UNP parliamentary group that this was a personal decision in order to strengthen the party and my loyalty to the party remains as strong as ever,” Ratnayaka’s announcement said.
Ratnayaka is the fourth UNP minister to be axed since the Unity Government was established in September 2015. Ratnayaka’s resignation is reportedly precipitated by swirling allegations within the Government and even inside the UNP that Premier Wickremesinghe’s ally had failed to successfully investigate and prosecute members of the Rajapaksa regime suspected of corruption and financial crimes and high-profile murders and assaults, highly-placed political sources told the Daily FT.
During the parliamentary group meeting held at Temple Trees on Thursday, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe explained that a Cabinet reshuffle could be on the cards and MPs discussed it was best to try and stay in the unity coalition rather than strike out as an independent government.
However, the struggle to change the leadership in the UNP has continued in spite of this general agreement, with several deputy ministers and state ministers escalating calls for Wickremesinghe’s removal, the Daily FT learns. Several UNP deputy ministers have been vocal in their calls for leadership changes at several internal party discussions held over the past several days, authoritative sources told the Daily FT.
President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe conferred again in what have become nearly daily late night talks about the future of the ruling coalition. Both leaders and their aides are being tight-lipped about the discussions.
The UNP showing signs of favouring a continuation of the National Unity Government comes amid attempts by the SLFP/UPFA to force the Premier’s resignation and form a Government with the support of the Joint Opposition and other parties in Parliament.
Political circles were abuzz with rumours of potential crossovers and counter-crossovers, with reports also emerging of major backroom horse-trading by both the UNP and the SLFP kept posturing to show a simple majority in the House.
Stirring the pot yesterday was former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, fresh from the victory a party with his backing secured in last week’s local government election. Speaking to reporters at the Abhayaramaya Temple in Narahenpita last afternoon, the former President, during a Bodhi Pooja at the temple, said: “We are ready to govern together with the SLFP.”
Rajapaksa also categorically denied claims by Cabinet Spokesman Rajitha Senaratne that he had telephoned Premier Wickremesinghe to ask him not to resign.
Meanwhile, President Sirisena met with SLFP electorate organisers from all over the island at the President’s House in Colombo 1 last evening. SLFP General Secretary Duminda Dissanayake and party MPs also attended the meeting.
For months the UNP and SLFP – the two main parties in the governing coalition - have battled dysfunction and struggled to achieve policy coherence, trading blame for mismanagement and accusing each other of failing to rule by the principles of good governance.
The crisis came to a head after both ruling parties were routed in an electoral contest to secure power in local councils across the island, with the Rajapaksa-backed SLPP winning two-thirds of the councils up for grabs.
