Ranil answers Dayasiri

Thursday, 8 August 2013 00:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Opposition Leader quotes from Dhammapada to show former UNP MP was ungrateful
Reveals that the ex-MP had participated in the selection of candidates for the Wayamba poll the day before quitting the party
Ranil tables documents in Parliament to prove Dayasiri accepted UNP leadership in writing
Says Dayasiri was in talks to join Govt. for the past year
Claims Dayasiri had failed to realise politics was a path to tread with endurance

By Ashwin Hemmathagama Our Lobby Correspondent Making a surprisingly emotional speech in Parliament, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday attempted to uncover the truth behind the statements made by his departing Kurunegala District MP Dayasiri Jayasekera, who he said had misled the House last week. Wickremesinghe charged that Jayasekera had accepted the Party and its leadership in writing on 11 July, assured the same verbally on 18 July. He said that having participated in the selection of the candidates for the North Western Province on 23 July, Jayasekera had criticised the Party and its leadership on 24 July and left the Party. “This reflects the depth and trustworthiness of this person,” the UNP Leader said. According to Wickremesinghe, Jayasekera had been in discussions to join the Government for the past year. “Honourable Speaker, at this moment, a stanza coming in the fourth Udaka rahada sutta at Valahaka vagga in fourth part of Angutthara Nikaya comes to my mind. There are four types of lakes in the world. At times, the shallow lakes appear to be deep; at other times, deep lakes appear to be shallow; at still other times, the deep lakes will appear to be deep; and also at yet other times, the shallow lakes appear to be shallow. The stanza explains that people are also like that,” Wickremesinghe said. Wickremesinghe said that some party members blamed him for not taking action against Jayasekera and expelling him from the UNP. “It was I who paved the way for Dayasiri Jayasekera to enter Parliament. For the first time, I proposed him at the residence of Minister G.L. Peiris, to contest the election in 2001 for the district of Kurunegala from the United National Party,” he recalled. The UNP Leader said that he and the party seniors had given Jayasekera every opportunity to proceed with his work in Parliament. He said that it was because of this encouragement that Jayasekera had been able to rise politically. “If I had not taken such decisions, he would not have been able to come into Parliamentary politics. At that time, I saw him as a character that can go forward,” Wickremesinghe said. Recollecting a sermon made by Lord Buddha about Ven. Sariputtha, Wickremesinghe said: “Rare are the ones who help, the ones who know help and the ones who are grateful”. “The ex-Member Dayasiri Jayasekera failed to understand that politics is a path to tread along with endurance and adjust his practices accordingly. Sometimes, some people fall into pitfalls on their way. Unfortunately, he also encountered that fate. As was sermonised by Ven. Thing Na Hang, a Vietnamese priest, we have a very short period and so, we should proceed slowly,” Wickremesinghe said in conclusion.