Former President skips Independence Day celebrations

• Sirisena absent at celebrations following disagreement with SLPP
• Fonseka also fails to attend 
• TNA also absent; Sampanthan to make statement in P’ment on not singing national anthem in Tamil  

Former President Maithripala Sirisena was a notable absentee at the 72nd Independence Day celebrations.

Sirisena’s absence comes after the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) disagreed on a co-leadership to head the coalition contesting the Parliamentary Elections later this year. The SLFP had expressed hopes that their leader Maithripala Sirisena and SLPP Leader Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa could head the coalition together. 

However, this was swiftly rejected by the SLPP on Monday, with the Pohottuwa party insisting that they would only agree to only Rajapaksa leading the coalition. 

SLPP Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris told reporters that while they will not agree to Sirisena being co-Leader, they were willing to give him a prominent position in the coalition. Talks are expected to proceed as SLPP National Organiser Basil Rajapaksa returned to Sri Lanka after a holiday in the US on Monday. 

United National Party (UNP) Parliamentarian Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka was also absent at the Independence Day celebrations.  However, former Air Force Commander Roshan Goonetileke and former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda, who were recently awarded honorary ranks, were present at the occasion. 

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Leader R. Sampanthan was also not present at the Independence Day celebrations. The TNA office said this was due to the decision by the Sri Lankan Government to only sing the national anthem in Sinhala, moving away from the practice of singing the national anthem in both Sinhala and Tamil languages, as was done during the time of the previous Government. 

TNA leader R. Sampanthan is expected to make a statement on the absence of the TNA in Parliament. Parliament will convene from today to Friday. 

Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was present at the celebrations along with Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa.