Opposition parties should form a coalition in the face of 20A: Ruwan

UNP Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene addressing the media 

• Commends SJB for faith placed in him
• Calls on Health Minister to resign 
• Says Govt. has reduced funds allocated to Health Ministry by Rs. 20 b for 2021
• Questions usage of $ 590 m of Chinese funds for COVID-19
• Alleges Govt. planning to remove ventilators in Suwasariya Ambulances to plug capacity gaps in hospitals
• Urges Govt. to expedite relief in curfew areas, calls for more clarity in Govt. information sharing

By Asiri Fernando

The United National Party (UNP) yesterday called on all Opposition parties to form a coalition in the face of the 20th Amendment. 

UNP Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene made the suggestion at a press conference held yesterday, following comments by Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara that the UNP should appoint Wijewardene as the Party Leader. 

Bandara extended the olive branch to Wijewardena on Monday (1), pointing out that that the SJB was willing to work with the UNP if Wijewardene was appointed as Party Leader. 

“After passing of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, the President has gained an enormous amount of power. I believe that all Opposition parties must come together and form a coalition in Parliament against it,” Wijewardene said, thanking the SJB for the faith it had placed in him. 

Wijewardene called on Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi to take responsibility for the failure to contain the latest COVID-19 outbreak and resign from her post. 

“We as the UNP ask that the Health Minister take responsibility and quit. The Government should appoint someone competent to be the health minister at this time. Please don’t play with the lives of the public,” he stressed. 

The former State Minister for Defence criticised a statement by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa blaming the public for not doing their part to contain the spread of the virus. 

“We regret that the President has shared the blame of this situation with the public. He was seen in public, amongst school children, without a face mask or social distancing, He should have led by example. The fact is the Government thought that COVID-19 was contained and got distracted by their focus on consolidating power by pushing through the 20th Amendment,” Wijewardene charged.  The UNP also pointed out that the Govt. had slashed funds for the Health Ministry in its Vote on Account for 2021 by Rs.20 billion. 

“The amount allocated for the Health Ministry while this crisis is ongoing is Rs. 158 billion for 2021, that’s down Rs. 20 billion from 2019. However, the Ministry of Highways has been allocated Rs. 330 billion. You can see where the Government’s priorities are,” Wijewardene said. 

The UNP Deputy Leader also questioned what became of the $ 590 million worth of funds the Chinese Government had made available since March this year to combat COVID-19.

Citing media reports on lack of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds and ventilators for COVID-19 patients, Wijewardene challenged the Government to disclose how the funds were used.

“We have received information that the Government is planning to remove ventilators from Suwa Sariya Ambulances to plug the gap in hospitals. If the Government had acquired adequate ventilators with the funds available, it wouldn’t have needed to resort to such moves,” he argued. 

Wijewardene called on the Government to address the public and give an accurate picture of the COVID-19 situation and its plan to contain it, while listening to advice of medical professionals and equipping front-line personnel with adequate equipment to keep them safe. 

He also urged the Government to expedite distribution of essential supplies and relief to those unemployed and affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.