Premadasa rejects UNP leader’s offer of ‘conditional’ support

UNP’s presidential hopeful Sajith Premadasa speaks at a rally in Mathumaga yesterday, a day ahead of a crucial Working Committee meeting of the party – Pic by Pradeep Pathirana  

• Offer of conditional support angrily rejected by Premadasa
• Says he is no one’s puppet or scarecrow
• Tells public rally he will not agree to cowardly political conditions
• UNP leader’s offer of unanimous WC endorsement tied to him retaining UNP leadership and being PM candidate

By Chandani Kirinde

Offers of conditional support by the UNP leadership to its Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa to win endorsement as a presidential candidate at the party’s Working Committee (WC) meeting scheduled for today hit a snag after the latter said he would not be bound by conditions under any circumstances.

“I am not anyone’s puppet or a scarecrow. I will only be guided by my conscience. I will say clearly that Sajith Premadasa will not agree to any cowardly political conditions. The days of dancing like puppets on strings are over,” the UNP Deputy Leader told a public rally last evening in Matugama.

Premadasa’s public rejection came hours after Temple Trees announced the “positive” outcome of a meeting held between UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and senior members of the party. While Premadasa was not present at the meeting, Ministers Kabir Hashim, Malik Samarawickrama and Ranjith Madduma Bandara, who staunchly support his candidature, were present.

Sources close to Wickremesinghe said the UNP leader had agreed to support Premadasa to get the unanimous support of the WC to be named the United National Party’s (UNP) candidate for the upcoming presidential election but it came with conditions attached.

The proposal on the table was for Premadasa to be the presidential candidate while Wickremesinghe would remain party leader and would also be the UNP’s prime ministerial candidate at the next general election, party sources said.

Premadasa would have also had to stand for the abolition of the Executive Presidency, the same platform on which the UNP-backed Common Candidate Maithripala Sirisena contested the 2015 presidential election. Furthermore, he would have had to give an undertaking that the laws pertaining to the abolition of the Executive Presidency would be tabled in Parliament within a specified timeframe and put to a referendum for approval by the people.

The proposal was to have Premadasa’s name ratified by the UNP WC today and then the resolution was to be submitted to the United National Front (UNF) and the proposed Democratic National Alliance Leadership Council for approval.

However, Premadasa’s public rejection of any conditional offers of support is likely to once again cause internal divisions within the pro-Wickremesinghe and pro-Premadasa groups of the UNP.

UNP sources said that Wickremesinghe and Premadasa are likely to meet ahead of today’s WC meeting.