SLPP renews call for caretaker Govt.

SLPP members MP Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, MP Sudarshani Fernandopulle, and MP Piyal Nishantha addressing reporters’ yesterday

– Pic by Sameera Wijesinghe 

• Says even willing to consider non-politician to head caretaker Government

By Nuwan Senarathna

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) yesterday called on the United National Party (UNP) and other political parties represented in Parliament to assist them in forming a caretaker Government to hold a general election.

Insisting that this was the best way forward to uphold what he termed as the public mandate to resolve the current political turmoil, MP Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena stressed that a general election was essential. 

“We would like to invite all the political parties which are represented in Parliament to join this effort as it is the best course of action to resolve the current crisis,” he said. 

He said SLPP would also agree to appoint any reputed person as the head of the caretaker Government until the end of a general election. “Even if anyone wishes to appoint a reputed Supreme Court Judge as the head of the caretaker Government, we would not oppose that request,” he added.

He pointed out that MP Mahinda Rajapaksa would also agree to appoint a neutral person as the head of a caretaker Government if all political parties represented in Parliament agreed to hold a general election.

He noted SLPP would also invite the UNP to consider a referendum to seek public opinion to resolve the current political turmoil. 

Responding to questions as to whether MPs supporting MP Rajapaksa wish to leave the House, Abeywardena said that it was a move to avoid clashes among MPs in the House. 

“We decided to leave the House as a way for protest as we did not want any clash among MPs in the well of Parliament. But the Speaker and UNP are trying to use this vote to show they had the majority in Parliament, which is unacceptable.”

He claimed that United National Front (UNF) was trying to nominate Speaker Karu Jayasuriya as a common candidate at a possible future election. 

Abeywardena also charged Speaker Karu Jayasuriya’s behaviour had violated the Constitution. “Speaker Karu Jayasuriya’s negligence of notifications in the Gazette issued by President Sirisena has led to the current political turmoil.”