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SLFP to support Ranil sans portfolios

17 May 2022

  • Denies Dayasiri, Siyambalapitiya and 2 others taking up Ministerial posts 
BY Buddhika Samaraweera The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) has decided to support the progressive programmes that would be implemented by the future Government headed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to resolve the prevailing economic crisis in the country, without taking up any posts. A discussion was held between a group of SLFP MPs and Wickremesinghe yesterday (16) morning. Earlier, it was reported that during the said discussion, the SLFP's position regarding the acceptance of posts in a future Government would be discussed. When contacted by The Morning to inquire about the discussion, SLFP Senior Vice President Prof. Rohana Luxman Piyadasa said: “The party has decided to support the positive measures being taken to overcome the current crisis without joining the Government, and Wickremesinghe was informed of this by the SLFP representatives yesterday.” He also refuted reports that SLFP members Dayasiri Jayasekara, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, Shan Vijayalal De Silva, and Sarathi Dushmantha Mithrapala – who were MPs elected from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) – were preparing to take up Ministerial posts in a future government.  “There are false reports that Jayasekara, Siyambalapitiya, De Silva, and Mithrapala are ready to take up ministerial posts in the Government headed by Wickremesinghe. It was these MPs who had been nominated by the SLFP to be the delegation that was to meet the Premier. What they did was inform the Premier of the party's decision. De Silva did not even take part in the discussion,” said Prof. Piyadasa. Meanwhile, when questioned about the statement by SLPP MP and SLFP Member Chamara Sampath Dasanayake that he would support a government to be formed in the coming days even if the SLFP decided not to, Prof. Piyadasa said that the SLFP has decided not to join the Government or to take up positions within it, but that anyone who wished to do so could go independently to join the Government. Following his appointment as Premier on 12 May, Wickremesinghe has invited several political parties, including the main Parliamentary Opposition, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, the SLFP, and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna-led National People's Power to support the government to be formed.


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