Saturday, 23 November 2013 09:03
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Karu to head new Reconciliation Board to clear pending disciplinary inquiries against membersBy Dharisha Bastians
The United National Party Leadership Council has decided to suspend all pending disciplinary action against party members, with ongoing inquiries to be transferred to a special reconciliation board to be headed by Council Chairman, Karu Jayasuriya.
Addressing a media briefing at Sirikotha yesterday, Council Member and incoming Party Chairman Kabir Hashim said the Council had held its first official meeting at the Parliamentary Complex on Thursday. The Council had decided to prioritise restoring party unity in the short term, Hashim told reporters.
“The reconciliation board will be headed by Karu Jayasuriya and will clear the pending files within four weeks so that we can finish these things and move forward,” he said.
Going forward, Hashim said the Council had emphasised at Thursday›s meeting that party discipline would be paramount for the entire UNP membership.
“The Council has decided that strong action will be taken against those who act against the party constitution and the party›s ideologies and policies,” Hashim explained.
The Leadership Council had also decided to prepare for a national election in the near future and to that end the UNP was going to focus on steering electoral organisers, he said.
“MP Mangala Samaraweera has already presented a draft framework for the UNP›s electoral campaign. This will be studied and improved upon in the coming weeks,” Hashim noted.
He said that the Leadership Council had also discussed extending the powers of the Council and having those powers constitutionalism at the next Party Convention. This would be held soon after the Budget debates are concluded in Parliament, Hashim said.
