Focus on two ‘Saraths’: Mangala
common candidate for presidential poll
By Kelum Bandara and Kassapa Ellepola The JVP yesterday said it would not hesitate to introduce a common candidate or create an alliance with any other political party of the country to contest the forthcoming Presidential Elections.
In the meantime , at a separate news conference, SLFP (Mahajana Wing) Convener MP Mangala Samaraweera said there were several figures to be considered as common candidates for the Presidential Election and two of them were ‘Saraths’.
JVP parliamentarian Vijitha Herath said they would take this measure to help annul the Executive Presidency which would probably be the party slogan at the upcoming election.
“The President in 2005 pledged to the JVP that he would annul the Executive Presidential system but it seems he has betrayed the Parties focusing promise given to the people and the JVP,” he said adding that the president did not have an ethical right to conduct a presidential election if he was going to annul the Executive Presidency.
“The people have understood the governments’ failure and have started to go against it, which was proven through the government’s failure to obtain its expected 85% of votes at the Southern Provincial Council polls,” he said adding that the recent political turmoil had caused panic to the government.
However, Mr. Samaraweera said the proposed UNP led political alliance would consider the possibility of fielding a common candidate if President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared a snap presidential election.
Mr. Samaraweera said they would seek the possibility of obtaining the support of the JVP for such a candidate.
“We will try to identify a common candidate who can defeat President Rajapaksa at such an election. There are several such persons. There are two persons named Sarath. Besides, a few more qualified people are there in the UNP as well,” he told a news conference.
He was responding to a question regarding speculation that the UNP-led alliance was planning to field former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka as a common candidate. MP Samaraweera, however, noted that they had not taken a final decision in this regard yet.
“We will announce our decision soon after the declaration of the election by the President. The common candidate we select should agree to abolish to the executive presidency within 180 days upon election to office,” he said.
Asked when the proposed alliance is formed, he said the media would be informed of this date within the next 72 hours by the leaders of the alliance partners.
In the meantime, he said the present government had started launching scathing verbal attacks on Gen. Fonseka. He said he would not be surprised if the former Army Commander was branded as a traitor by this government.
“They branded all of us as traitors since we spoke the truth. The government used the military for its political expediency. After that they are being discarded in a humiliating manner,” Mr. Samaraweera said.
He said, “There is no need for the government to have an inferiority complex regarding Gen. Fonseka who has not done anything wrong. The government has turned against him because of its mere inferiority complex.”
common candidate for presidential poll
By Kelum Bandara and Kassapa Ellepola The JVP yesterday said it would not hesitate to introduce a common candidate or create an alliance with any other political party of the country to contest the forthcoming Presidential Elections.
In the meantime , at a separate news conference, SLFP (Mahajana Wing) Convener MP Mangala Samaraweera said there were several figures to be considered as common candidates for the Presidential Election and two of them were ‘Saraths’.
JVP parliamentarian Vijitha Herath said they would take this measure to help annul the Executive Presidency which would probably be the party slogan at the upcoming election.
“The President in 2005 pledged to the JVP that he would annul the Executive Presidential system but it seems he has betrayed the Parties focusing promise given to the people and the JVP,” he said adding that the president did not have an ethical right to conduct a presidential election if he was going to annul the Executive Presidency.
“The people have understood the governments’ failure and have started to go against it, which was proven through the government’s failure to obtain its expected 85% of votes at the Southern Provincial Council polls,” he said adding that the recent political turmoil had caused panic to the government.
However, Mr. Samaraweera said the proposed UNP led political alliance would consider the possibility of fielding a common candidate if President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared a snap presidential election.
Mr. Samaraweera said they would seek the possibility of obtaining the support of the JVP for such a candidate.
“We will try to identify a common candidate who can defeat President Rajapaksa at such an election. There are several such persons. There are two persons named Sarath. Besides, a few more qualified people are there in the UNP as well,” he told a news conference.
He was responding to a question regarding speculation that the UNP-led alliance was planning to field former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka as a common candidate. MP Samaraweera, however, noted that they had not taken a final decision in this regard yet.
“We will announce our decision soon after the declaration of the election by the President. The common candidate we select should agree to abolish to the executive presidency within 180 days upon election to office,” he said.
Asked when the proposed alliance is formed, he said the media would be informed of this date within the next 72 hours by the leaders of the alliance partners.
In the meantime, he said the present government had started launching scathing verbal attacks on Gen. Fonseka. He said he would not be surprised if the former Army Commander was branded as a traitor by this government.
“They branded all of us as traitors since we spoke the truth. The government used the military for its political expediency. After that they are being discarded in a humiliating manner,” Mr. Samaraweera said.
He said, “There is no need for the government to have an inferiority complex regarding Gen. Fonseka who has not done anything wrong. The government has turned against him because of its mere inferiority complex.”
