Mangala calls for strict discipline in UNP ranks to oust Government

By Dharisha Bastians

The struggle to oust the ruling regime must be fought like a war and requires that Opposition parties must inculcate militaristic rigour and discipline within its ranks, UNP Parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera said yesterday.

Addressing a news conference last morning, Samaraweera charged that this was a Government unwilling to go home in a hurry, so traditional methods cannot be relied upon to defeat the Rajapaksa administration.

“This regime is consumed with power lust. Like the Mubaraks and the Gaddafis of the world. That is why they are hunting the Judiciary today. Because they are currently the major hurdle on the march to authoritarianism,” the forthright Opposition Legislator claimed. He said that during this campaign to oust the Government, the UNP membership should strictly adhere to party discipline.

The UNP Parliamentarian added that the Party Convention on 1 December would be a historic and decisive one during which the main Opposition would formally get the endorsement of its membership to kick-start a radical campaign against the Rajapaksa Government.

“Some Rajapaksa factions of the UNP have gone to court to try and stop the convention on Saturday. But we are happy to note that the court has declined their request to stall the convention since that would be a wholly anti-democratic act,” Samaraweera said.

He added that it was necessary to have the UNP Leader’s term endorsed for six years by the members, because elections held for the leadership annually was creating major friction within the party. “There was a battle for the leadership last year. All that achieved was that bad blood was created between our party seniors. If this goes on, the ultimate winners will be the Government,” Samaraweera charged.

The UNP Convention scheduled for 1 December has been mired in controversy after several party members filed action against moves by the leadership to hold elections for Party leader only once every six years.

However yesterday, the Nugegoda District Court refused to issue an injunction against the Party Convention, dealing a blow to reformists within the party. Annual elections for party leadership was one of the reforms undertaken after successive defeats at the polls created a major leadership crisis within the UNP.