by Sahan Tennekoon in The Morning, June 14, 2023
–Vetoes aligning with JVP-NPP as latter rejects tying up with the ‘corrupt’ and ‘thieves’
In the wake of Freedom People’s Congress (FPC) Leader and Opposition Parliamentarian Dullas Alahapperuma expressing the FPC’s intention of establishing a joint Opposition with a programme to counter the administration of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the main Parliamentary Opposition Party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has already commenced discussions with the FPC on forming such an alliance, The Daily Morning learnt.
When queried by The Daily Morning yesterday (13), SJB General Secretary MP Ranjith Maddumabandara said that discussions have been going on for several days now in order to reach a consensus on the matter. He also said that the SJB is willing to welcome any party that intends to form an alliance against the incumbent Government in a future election and that they have started consulting several Opposition parties in Parliament as well as other parties in this regard.
However, he said that no such discussion has been held with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) and that there is no intention for the same either.
Meanwhile, speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday, NPP Executive Committee member and former JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti said that the NPP will never form any alliance in the future with any party that is allegedly connected with corruption and that they will only form an alliance with the people of Sri Lanka. He also said that there is no need of forming a new alliance with other Opposition parties since the NPP is already an alliance, adding however that it will be broadened further in the future. “Those people who propose a new alliance have already been rejected by the people. So, they know that they cannot face the public alone. That is why they propose such an alliance. But, the NPP will never be a part of any alliance formed with the help of those corrupt MPs who are labelled as ‘thieves’ by the people,” he said.
Handunnetti also noted that if people consider every MP who comes out with such proposals, they will understand that no one on the list has a good history in politics and that most of them are flag bearers of the Rajapaksa regime (a reference to the former Government led by then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and then-Prime Minister and incumbent Government MP Mahinda Rajapaksa) which was ousted by the people. “People in this country ousted the previous Rajapaksa regime claiming that they are corrupt. Most of these MPs were frontline members of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. Even though they resigned from that Government, those MPs cannot deviate from the responsibility of being a part of a political culture that destroyed the country. Therefore, our conscience will not let us join them,” he said.
https://www.themorning.lk/articles/MWt09zsEfobDzCZpLryO
