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CBK urges Ranil to involve political and civil society leaders 

22 Jul 2022

  • Notes arduous task ahead of former opponent in congratulatory message
BY Buddhika Samaraweera While congratulating newly appointed President Ranil Wickremesinghe, former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has stated that Wickremesinghe is assigned to perform the “difficult task” of establishing a system of governance in which the rule of law, honesty, and good governance will reign supreme, and which requires the active participation of political and civil society leaders, and the establishment of new institutions. Making a statement on the appointment of the new President, Kumaratunga, a one-time opponent of Wickremesinghe, said: "I extend my best wishes to Wickremesinghe on his election by the Parliament, as the eighth Executive President of Sri Lanka. He takes over the reins of our country, at a moment when it is besieged with unprecedented challenges." Further noting, that she has no doubt that President Wickremesinghe would remember, that this change was made entirely possible by the extraordinary activism of the young civil activists of the country, and with the full support of the vast majority of the citizens.  She also said that their strident call is for a regime that governs in the people’s interest and not its own.  "The people's strident call is for a regime that governs in the people’s interest and not its own, and where the rule of law, honesty, and good governance will reign supreme. They are in need of a Government which will give no space to corrupt public figures. This will be a difficult task, and it requires the active participation of political and civil society leaders in the process of governance, through the establishment of new institutions,"  Kumaratunga said, adding that Sri Lanka needs visionary leaders with farsightedness and generosity of heart at this decisive moment. On Wednesday (20), Wickremesinghe, who was appointed as the Acting President following the resignation of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was elected the eighth Executive President of Sri Lanka in a landslide victory led by the votes of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MPs.  Kumaratunga, who represented the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) in the 1994 Presidential Election, when Wickremesinghe became the Leader of the United National Party (UNP), achieved a landslide victory, ending the 17-year reign of the UNP. In the 1999 Presidential Election, Kumaratunga contested from the SLFP and Wickremesinghe from the UNP, and she became the President that time as well.  However, Wickremesinghe became the Prime Minister as a result of the UNP winning more seats than the SLFP in the Parliamentary Election held in 2001. Kumaratunga and Wickremesinghe at that time did not have a good political relationship, so Kumaratunga proceeded to dissolve Parliament in 2004 and Wickremesinghe lost his Premiership after the defeat of the UNP in that election. However, Kumaratunga played a leading role in establishing the “yahapalana (good governance)” United National Front led Government that came to power in 2015, in which Wickremesinghe was appointed Premier.


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