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Heads roll in SLFP hierarchy

22 Sep 2022

BY Buddhika Samaraweera The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) has removed all members who have accepted Cabinet and State Ministerial positions contrary to the decision of the SLFP Central Committee from their positions held in the party. Speaking to The Morning, an official of the SLFP said that SLFP Chairman, former President, and incumbent “Independent” MP Maithripala Sirisena has removed the MPs who accepted Cabinet and State Ministerial posts in the Government led by President Ranil Wickremesinghe from the other posts they held within the party. He said that the relevant decision has been taken on the advice of the party’s attorneys. Accordingly, Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva and Mahinda Amaraweera who were the SLFP Senior Vice Presidents, State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna, who was the SLFP Treasurer, State Ministers Ranjith Siyambalapitiya and Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, who were SLFP Vice Presidents, and State Minister Jagath Pushpakumara, who was the SLFP Vice Secretary, have been removed from the respective positions. President Ranil Wickremesinghe had recently invited several political parties, including the SLFP, to support the Government. In response to the invitation, the SLFP announced that they would support any progressive decision that would be taken by the Government to resolve the prevailing crisis without taking over Ministerial posts.  However, SLFP Members and MPs elected from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), namely de Silva, Amaraweera, Alagiyawanna, Siyambalapitiya, Dasanayake, and Pushpakumara, accepted Ministerial and State Ministerial posts under the Government led by Wickremesinghe. Meanwhile, several amendments were recently implemented to the constitution of the SLFP, including a clause empowering the party’s Chairman to remove any officer or member at their discretion. Despite the opposition of several members of the SLFP’s Parliamentary group such as de Silva, Amaraweera, and Dassanayake, the amendments were passed in the Party’s Central Committee, and its All-Ceylon Committee. Following the party constitution being amended, sources within the SLFP told The Morning at the time that the same has resulted in a division of two groups within the party.  


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