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Ranil asks Opp. to join all-party Govt to fix Govt.

31 Aug 2022

BY Buddhika Samaraweera Claiming that some parties are not joining an all-party Government due to certain actions of the Government that they cannot condone and their opposition to the Government’s policies, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that any political party will have the right and mandate to change such action and policies within an all-party Government. Presenting the interim Budget for 2022 in Parliament yesterday (30), he said that the prevailing crisis situation can be overcome only if all parties work together in unity with common consent. Emphasising that it is essential to prioritise the necessities of the country and the nation, the President reiterated the invitation to all parties represented in Parliament to join an all-party Government. “Some parties say that they will not join an all-party Government due to actions by the Government which they cannot condone. Others express a reluctance to join such a Government due to their opposition to the policies. In this instance, I wish to emphasise that I am not the person who decides the actions or policies of an all-party Government,” he said. Speaking further, Wickremesinghe said that an all-party Government is not an administration of a single person or a single party, but will be established according to the consent of all the stakeholders of the Government. Therefore, he said that if there are policies or practices which the other parties do not condone, then they have the right and mandate to change them within an all-party Government. “I request all of you in this House and all the citizens to put aside your personal political goals and unite in the context of the national cause of rebuilding the country and the nation. If we all come together, we will be able to uplift our motherland and create a nation that competes and moves forward with the ever-changing world. If we miss these opportunities, we will be marginalised globally.  “I would like to remind you of the line of the lyrics in the song Aaju Thapara Lahila written by Bandara Eheliyagoda for a teledrama produced for the Mahapola Scholarship Fund – ‘Apa pamanada ekathena karakenne – Apa thanikara lokaya diva yanne’ (Are we the only ones who are going around in circles – The world will run off leaving us behind). So, let's get together for the country, without spinning in one place anymore. Let's create a knowledgeable society with a strong economy that can run forward.” Following the resignation of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa due to massive public protests that demanded the same, Wickremesinghe was appointed as the President through a Parliamentary vote. The newly appointed President appointed an 18-member Cabinet of Ministers on 22 July. There are also reports that several MPs are to be appointed as Deputy and State Ministers in the coming days, while there are talks about the formation of an all-party Government.  Some political parties, including the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the parties represented by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) “independent” MPs, have expressed their consent to join such a Government.  However, the main Parliamentary Opposition, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People's Power have continuously stated that they would not join an all-party Government, but instead support the progressive programmes of the Government in order to overcome the prevailing crisis until elections are held.


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