•  Takes Ranil, SLPP to task over same as many parties waiting to join, SLFP Snr. VP says another condition is expeditious polls

  BY Buddhika Samaraweera Claiming that many political parties are willing to join an all-party Government under a progressive programme, Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Senior Vice President (VP) Prof. Rohana Luxman Piyadasa said, however, that the formation of such a Government would not take place as President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)-led Government do not seem capable of creating the necessary environment for it. Speaking to The Morning on 11 August, he mentioned that among the main conditions of many political parties, including the SLFP – who have expressed interest in joining an all-party Government during discussions with President Wickremesinghe – is to limit the number of Cabinet Ministers as much as possible and to hold a General/Parliamentary Election and a Presidential Election within a certain period of time. “As the SLFP, we have informed the President that if an all-party Government is to be formed, the number of Cabinet and Deputy Ministers should be reduced as much as possible, especially considering the current economic situation. However, many Parliamentarians in the current SLPP-led Government are hoping for ministerial positions and other privileges. So, it is doubtful whether the President and the Government are ready to agree with our conditions,” he added. Speaking further, Prof. Piyadasa claimed that MPs representing certain political parties will be given ministerial positions, deputy ministerial positions, chairmanships of District Co-ordinating Committees, and certain other privileges in the near future. However, he said that even if the MPs from other political parties were to join the Government due to such, such a Government would not bring about the expected results of establishing an all-party Government. “Right now, the President is trying to show the international community, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), that he is taking the initial steps to establish an all-party Government. That is why he is negotiating with various political parties and groups. Furthermore, measures such as raising the electricity tariffs are being taken to please the IMF. However, due to the President and the Government not taking the necessary steps, the establishment of an all-party Government and the support of the IMF are unlikely to happen. In the end, the people will only be more and more helpless,” he further claimed. Following the resignation of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa due to the 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 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. Meanwhile, several rounds of discussions between President Wickremesinghe and SLFP representatives, including SLFP Chairman and SLPP “independent” MP and former President Maithripala Sirisena, have been held recently regarding the formation of an all-party Government. Following such a discussion recently, Sirisena, noting that he could not express a definite opinion on whether an all-party Government would be formed in the future, said that the primary responsibility in that regard rests with Wickremesinghe and the Government.