• SJB MP Chandima Weerakkody criticises President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s attempts to influence various sectors in preparation for upcoming elections
• Slams SL’s Military and Police leadership, noting that commanders are holding positions based on political affiliations rather than merit
• Urges EC to remove such officials with political affiliations to ensure impartiality in upcoming Presidential elections
• Calls on IMF to prevent misuse of Govt. funds for political purposes

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Member of Parliament Chandima Weerakkody yesterday criticised President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s attempts to prepare for upcoming elections by allegedly influencing various sectors of the country. He highlighted Wickremesinghe’s attempt to extend Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam’s tenure, accusing the President of compromising Rajaratnam’s dignity in the process.

Weerakkody expressed gratitude to the majority of Constitutional Council members for their decision to uphold the independence of the judiciary, the Attorney General’s Department, and the electoral system. “The President’s attempt to manipulate the election process by extending the Attorney General’s term has failed,” he declared. He urged the Election Commission to positively consider the message sent by the Constitutional Council.

The MP also criticised the current state of Military and Defence leadership, noting that all three military commanders hold their positions based on political affiliations rather than merit. “Commanders of the three armed forces should retire at the age of 55, but they are clinging to their positions due to their political connections,” he said.

Weerakkody further pointed out that the current Secretary of Defence, a former political speaker for ex-President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, was directly involved in politics, raising concerns about the impartiality of his decisions.

Weerakkody also addressed the controversy surrounding the appointment of the current Inspector General of Police and the politicisation of State media heads. He called on the Election Commission and independent election monitoring groups to remove these politically affiliated individuals and appoint impartial figures to ensure a fair Presidential election.

He criticised the President’s submission of a supplementary budget requesting Rs. 8750 million, alleging that this move is aimed at influencing local Government election candidates. “The President is allocating these funds from the President’s Fund and other national resources to further his political agenda,” Weerakkody said, announcing plans to protest this action in Parliament. He also called on institutions like the International Monetary Fund to intervene and prevent the misuse of Government funds for political purposes.

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