Friday Dec 13, 2024
Friday Dec 13, 2024
Friday, 5 August 2022 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Maneshka Borham
President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday met with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and a faction of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna led by Dullas Alahapperuma and Prof. G.L. Peiris for discussions on forming an all-party Government.
At the meetings, Wickremesinghe opined that the main aim of an all-party Government was to convert the entire Parliament into a Government to take necessary decisions in order to rebuild the nation. The meetings between the groups were held at the President’s Secretariat yesterday evening, the President’s Media Division said.
Noting that the draft of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution has now been presented to Parliament, Wickremesinghe told the groups he expects the support of all parties in this regard. He also highlighted the importance of arriving at a consensus through discussions, the PMD said in a communique. During the meeting, Wickremesinghe had also informed the two groups that the interim budget would be presented in Parliament in the first week of September and the Government hopes to provide certain relief measures to the people while also stressing the need to implement a 10-year economic revival plan. The President had also reiterated his commitment to set up Parliamentary sectoral oversight committees.
Chairman of the SLFP, Maithripala Sirisena extended his party’s fullest support to the forming of an all-party Government while its General Secretary Dayasiriya Jayasekara said an all-party Government should be formed according to an accepted system.
However, falling short of extending their fullest support, Prof. G.L. Peiris had opined an optimistic expectation of the formation of an all-party Government. Meanwhile, Alahapperuma had said all parties must be prepared to discuss the setting of an acceptable all-party Government.
