• Wants local bodies to remain, FCID should be rescinded

At the press conference from left: Western Provincial Councillor Udaya Gammanpila, National Freedom Front Leader Wimal Weerawansa, Mahajana Eksath Peramuna Leader Dinesh Gunawardena, Democratic Left Front General Secretary VasudevaNanayakkara and former Minister of Education Bandula Gunawardena– Pic by Lasantha Kumara

By ChamodiGunawardana

The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) yesterday called on the Government to dissolve Parliament immediatelyand call for elections but insisted Local Government bodies should remain.  



MahajanaEksath Peramuna (MEP) Leader and UPFA Parliamentarian Dinesh Gunawardena addressing a media briefing stated that UPFA rejected the decision Government has made to dissolvethe Local Government bodies.



“We expect that Local Government bodies should dissolve after September.The Government should postpone dissolving these bodies too,” Gunawardenasaid.



“Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa started so many development projects all over the country during his reign. However those projects have been halted. If the Government dissolves Local Government bodies immediately, these projects will stop completely,” Gunawardena added.



National Freedom Front (NFF) Leader and UPFA Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa insisted the Governmentwas following orders from the United States. “US Secretary of State John Kerrywas the first American Secretary to visitSri Lanka after 40 years, so we believe that he suddenly came here to observe if the Sri Lankan Government is following US orders properly. It will be a new chapter of Western imperialism,” Weerawansa stressed.



Shifting to the topic of the Financial Crime Investigation Division (FCID) cabinet subcommittee, Weerawansa mentioned that the subcommittee was punishing accusers via its own secret namelist.



“Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is the person adding names to that punishment list. However the State-owned media has published victim’s names on their websites before the punishment,” Weerawansa said.



Democratic Left Front (DLF) General Secretary and UPFA Parliamentarian VasudevaNanayakkara addressing the gathering said they were expecting a united Government in Sri Lanka.



“We wantto establish a new Government. President Maithripala Sirisena will be in the same position and former President Rajapaksa will be the Prime Minister in that new Government. We have organised several meetings all over the country to make our dream a reality,” Nanayakkaranoted.

Government insists no politics in probe



 

The Government yesterday insisted that the investigations being conducted by the Police Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) were not influenced by any politician.



Cabinet Spokesman and Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said that the Gazette notification issued once the FCID was launched may need some amendments but the probe would go on.



“Even the President said that the investigation does not have a political hand,” he said.



Senaratne said that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had raised concerns over the FCID when he met President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday.



However, he said that the President had noted the investigations were part of the promise given in the President’s election manifesto so they would continue. (Colombo Gazette)