President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday said when Mahinda Rajapaksa was nominated as the Presidential candidate in 2005 many party leaders did not support him.
“However, I did,” President Sirisena said in Galle. “I was behind him since the beginning until his success. Even former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga did not support him. She preferred the victory of Ranil Wickremesinghe to Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2005. When she asked me not to support Mahinda I was shocked and hurt and I came out of the room sobbing,” he said.
The President was addressing a gathering of UPFA former local government representatives of the Galle district. The meeting was held at the Sri Lanka Ports Authority circuit bungalow in Galle Fort.
“However despite all such obstacles I dedicated myself wholeheartedly towards Mahinda’s presidential victory. Only a few in the party, including me worked honestly with dedication for the former President’s victory,” President Sirisena said. He said as the party’s then General Secretary he did everything possible for Rajapaksa’s victory. The President said Rajapaksa’s brothers who were overseas arrived in Sri Lanka only “after we set all winning grounds for Mahinda.” The meeting was convened to give a last minute briefing to the local government representatives over the arrangements for the SLFP May Day celebrations. “My prioritised aim is to ensure unity in the party and then transform it into a virtuous and orderly party ushering freedom and democracy within it. To ensure a morally upright country, we have to first guarantee a good party for which purpose we need to refine the party, ” the President said.
“I can unite the party and lead it towards success provided all stand in harmony together with me. Some who are rallying round other retrogressive forces are demanding me to unite the party. I urge them to first stand with the party and then help unite the party,” he said. “Together with all these attempts we have to study the causes for the defeat of our party at two consecutive national elections in 2015. A lack of discipline and unruly behaviours of some of local government heads during that period contributed to this. Many allegations of sexual abuse, corruption and fraud were leveled against a number of Pradeshiya Sabha Chairmen. But no action was taken against any of them. So people lost faith on our party,” the President said. “On the other hand democracy and freedom of party members including even Cabinet ministers were lost. Decisions over vital national issues were taken by five members of Rajapaksa family at the tea table.
There were no consultations from Cabinet ministers. Cabinet portfolios were just nominal. I can give many more reasons for the party’s downfall which would take days to talk about and need number of volumes to scribe,” he said. “At the previous election people did not give a clear victory to any party. The UNP obtained 103 seats while the UPFA sustained 95 slots in Parliament. As the President according powers vested on me I did the best thing I could do,” President Sirisena said.
“However many political transformations will take after the May Day celebrations both in the party and the country. There would be a reshuffle in the Provincial Council Board of Ministers,” he said.
Ministers Chandima Weerakkody, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana, Faizer Musthapa, Southern Province Chief Minister Shan Wijayalal de Silva and Western Province Chief Minister Isuru Devapriya, former minister Piyasena Gamage, Deputy Minister Manusha Nanaykkara and former Minister Gunarathna Weerakoon also participated.
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