President takes measures to strengthen his party amid looming split

Tuesday, 23 August 2016 00:07 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday appointed a new district leader and a new organiser for Sri Lanka Freedom Party to strengthen the party amid a possible split.

Minister of State for Finance, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena has been appointed to the post of leader for the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) for the Matara district.

President Sirisena also appointed Western Province Minister Gamini Thilakasiri as the Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s new organiser for the Homagama electorate.

The President’s Media Division said the new appointees received their appointment letters from the President yesterday at the President’s Office.

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State Minister Abeywardena replaces joint opposition MP Dullas Alahapperuma who resigned from his post as the District Leader for Matara district last week in protest of President removing loyalists of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa from the SLFP organiser posts.

Following MP Alahapperuma, UPFA MP Bandula Gunawardena, who was the SLFP district organiser in Homagama, also announced his resignation from the post. Provincial Minister Thilakasiri replaces MP Gunawardena.

President Sirisena in a major reorganisation move appointed 40 new District and Electoral Organisers of the party on 17 August. With the reshuffle the President has removed 13 loyalists of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa from the SLFP organiser posts.

Western Province Chief Minister Isura Devapriya said some of the organisers who had attempted to divide the party during the past one and half years, have been removed.

The SLFP members in the joint opposition, who are loyal to former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and do not accept President Sirisena’s leadership, are contemplating forming a new party.

Meanwhile, the joint opposition held a special meeting yesterday evening with the participation of the former president to decide whether the SLFP members of the joint opposition join the 65th SLFP anniversary celebrations scheduled to be held in Kurunegala under President’s leadership.

Former President Rajapaksa recently stated that the SLFP has been divided after the removal of many ‘popular’ organisers of the party from their posts.

President Sirisena last week threatened to expose the ‘misdeeds’ of his predecessor’s rule if the former president goes ahead and forms a new party.