Committed to democracy, not UNP: ACMC

The All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) yesterday said that they are committed stakeholders of Sri Lanka’s democracy and not striving to promote United National Party Leader MP Ranil Wickremesinghe as an individual.

“We do not have any personal passion for the individual, Ranil Wickremesinghe. There are no ‘relationships’ between ACMC and the UNP either. We, ACMC, stand with UNP chiefly to safeguard democracy and to uphold our Constitution that has been violated repeatedly; and we join UNP’s call against this violation,” said the Leader of ACMC Rishad Bathiudeen, issuing a statement. “Some media have been wrongly reporting that ACMC is colluding with UNP due to our call to re-appoint Ranil Wickremesinghe. We call for Wickremesinghe’s return as Prime Minister not because of any personal passion for the individual Wickremesinghe nor due to any ‘relationship’ between ACMC and the UNP, but because his removal is a clear violation of the Constitution.” 

“All Sri Lankans are bound to act according to the Constitution and no one can violate it. The removal of MP Wickremesinghe from his post as PM is a clear violation of the Constitution, and this is where we say it is wrong. The President’s sacking of the previous Cabinet, too, was illegal. Also, the President said that even if all 225 MPs say they want the deposed PM Wickremesinghe back, he would not allow it – which, too, was in violation of the Constitution. We oppose all these anti-constitutional acts and statements by the President of the country,” added Bathiudeen. 

ACMC Leader Bathiudeen MP was addressing the press immediately after returning from the Police HQ, having given his statement to CID on the alleged plot to assassinate him as revealed by the media recently. A taped conversation between ‘Dushana Virodhi Balakaya’ Director Namal Kumara and a resident in France named Thushara Peiris, which was aired many times by media channels, mentioned the plot to assassinate Minister Rishad Bathiudeen during a ceremony in Batticaloa. Accusations have also been made saying that Thushara Peiris had provided funding/financing to Namal Kumara to assassinate Minister Rishad Bathiudeen and place the blame on the Tamil community. Thereafter, the then Minister of Law and Order Ranjith Madduma Bandara, at a press conference, had stated that a wide-ranging investigation would be carried out in this regard. As a result, ACMC MPs lodged a complaint with Colombo Police HQ on 23 October on the alleged plot against their Leader, Bathiudeen. The ACMC Leader was thereafter summoned by the CID to give his own statement on these developments. 

“We are against the illegal appointment of MP Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister. President Maithripala Sirisena has used a power he does not have as President in making this appointment. It’s a severe violation of the Constitution. We will never support this constitutional violation or any other violations. The violation could be by the President, Prime Minister, or even anyone else. We oppose the violation of Sri Lanka’s Constitution by anyone, as it is anti-democratic,” Bathiudeen added.

Speaking of the assassination plot, MP Bathiudeen said: “It started as an assassination plot on President Sirisena, but later developed to involve my name too. I have no idea why anyone wants to assassinate me, but my entire security detail has been withdrawn – both the MSD and STF security details. At the time this plot was revealed and I was under threat, my security was withdrawn. Therefore, today, I informed the CID that I am a Partly Leader – the only Minister in the former Cabinet from the Northern Province, and a Vanni District MP. 

“The entire responsibility of withdrawing my security falls on President Maithripala Sirisena, since he is also the Defence Minister; and he is answerable should anything befall me. I also informed the CID to fully investigate about this Namal Kumara incident, and I have full faith in them that they would fully investigate this.”