Prasanna says coalition chairmanship does not absolve Sirisena of former anti-Rajapaksa efforts

Tourism and Aviation Minister Prasanna Ranatunga 

• Assures SLPP did not make agreement with Sirisena but with SLFP
• Raises concerns about Prof. Hoole’s impartiality, says independent commission members have to be more responsible  

 Tourism and Aviation Minister Prasanna Ranatunga pulled no punches yesterday when he criticised former President Maithripala Sirisena for decisions taken when he was in office, saying that even though he now heads the alliance formed between the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), that does not absolve him of negative decisions made when he was in office. 

Speaking to reporters in Colombo, Ranatunga said the SLPP had only made an agreement with the SLFP to contest the forthcoming General Election and not specifically with Sirisena. It was only due to the alliance with the SLFP, which was named the Sri Lanka Nidahas Podujana Peramuna (SLNPP), that former President Maithripala Sirisena was appointed as Chairman of the alliance.

“There is no separate agreement with former President Maithripala Sirisena. We signed an agreement with the SLFP to form a strong Government to develop the country. However, that does not change my opinion about the former President,” he said.

Ranatunga said Sirisena’s statement just ahead of the 2015 General Election that he would not support Mahinda Rajapaksa to become the Prime Minister frustrated many Rajapaksa supporters and cost votes to the party. 

“Had Sirisena not made that statement Mahinda Rajapaksa would have been the Prime Minister and the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) would have been able to form a Government. I cannot agree with the way he removed the SLFP and UPFA General Secretaries from this post and appointed his own loyalists,” he added.

He accused Sirisena of standing in the way of forming the SLPP and attempting to prevent crossovers from the SLFP, which Ranatunga saw as direct efforts to undermine Rajapaksa.  “As an individual who always stood with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, I will not be able to forget how he treated Rajapaksa family.”

Ranatunga said the SLPP will focus on forming a Government with a two-third majority to continue President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s policies to address longstanding social and economic challenges. He noted a strong Government would be vital for them to make expected changes in the country.

“When President Rajapaksa was elected, the SLPP did not have enough seats to implement President’s desired policies. The Opposition did not even support us to increase borrowing limits of Vote on Account (VoA), therefore we have to have a Government that will fully support the President.”

Referring to controlling the COVID-19 outbreak, Ranatunga claimed the Government was able to successfully control COVID-19 outbreak due to the wise decisions made by the President and the Prime Minister. He noted the airport was closed to prevent any infected individual entering the country, which he viewed as a critical decision that helped to limit the infected individuals in the country.

“If the President and the Prime Minister had not made those decisions on time, the situation could have been different. Luckily the Government made the correct decision and we all can see the positive results today.”

Ranatunga also raised concerns about the controversial statement of the Election Commission (EC) member Prof. Ratnajeevan Hoole. He said EC members should be impartial and Prof. Hoole should not have a statement indirectly calling for people to not vote for the SLPP.

“Prof. Hoole’s behaviour raises concerns about his role as an EC member. His behaviour leads us to believe whether he is holding a neutral position as an EC member. It is his responsibility to behave in the way that promotes public trust in the independent commissions,” he said.