SLFP unopposed to contesting polls under flower bud symbol

Friday, 22 February 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

SLFP MP Dilan Perera – Pic by Lasantha Kumara

By Nuwan Senarathna

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s (SLFP) breakaway fraction yesterday said that they would not oppose contesting upcoming elections under the symbol of the flower bud, which is the symbol of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) backed by Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa if policies match their standards.

“If the majority wants to contest under that symbol, we would not be hesitant to contest under the symbol of the flower bud as long as the policies of the campaign aligned with our vision. Policies are the most important element to win elections, not the symbol,” MP Dilan Perera told reporters at MP Thilanga Sumathipala’s residence.

According to Perera, SLFP is open to compromising on the symbol of the alliance under which they are likely to contest any upcoming elections including the Provincial Council Election and Presidential Election. He noted the policies of the political parties would play a bigger role during the upcoming election, insisting the public would not cast their votes based on one person’s track record or character.

“I don’t think people will cast their vote based solely on one particular person’s charter or his reputation. It is obvious that Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa is a key factor to win elections, but that doesn’t mean we will win just because he is in our camp,” he added.

Perera said the Provincial Council Election and the Local Government Election could not be compared, insisting different approaches needed to be followed for different elections based on recent political developments.

He pointed out that minority votes will play a crucial role in the upcoming election and any political party or alliance that wishes to win would have to attract minority votes to secure a win.

“Local Government Election and Provincial Council Election are totally different scenarios. The Presidential Election is something that is different to every other election. We have seen that even Mahinda Rajapaksa was unable to get that crucial 51% of the vote, therefore we need an approach that addresses issues pertaining to minorities to win the election,” he added.

Perera said, comparing results of Local Government Elections, SLFP had performed better than SLPP in the areas where minority votes played a bigger role. He noted that such situations should not be missed, therefore collective work would be needed to win the elections.