By Shamindra Ferdinando

SJB parliamentarian Mujibur Rahuman said acceptance of a large section of an utterly corrupt ruling SLPP to his camp was nothing but an act of desperation on the part of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, as well as the ruling party.

The former UNPer said that President Wickremesinghe had quite conveniently forgotten that the unprecedented public protest campaign that ousted his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022 was prompted by flawed SLPP policies.

Whatever the circumstances leading to President Rajapaksa fleeing Colombo in July 2022, the SLPP couldn’t absolve itself of the responsibility for the economic-political crisis caused. President Wickremesinghe wouldn’t have been compelled to stoop so low if his bid to win over a sizeable group of SJBers succeeded, lawmaker Rahuman said.

MP Rahuman: “President Wickremesinghe should be ashamed of himself for being proposed as candidate at the 2024 presidential election by Prasanna Ranatunga, who had been sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment suspended for five years, in June 2022, by the Colombo HC for threatening a businessman. Has the President been unable to get a person acceptable to society to propose him?”

Responding to another query, MP Rahuman said that President Wickremesinghe’s partnership with the SLPP faction was advantageous to the main Opposition SJB.

Having accepted premiership from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in May 2022, the UNP leader was able to attract only two SJB, MPs namely Manusha Nanayakkara and Harin Fernando, MP Rahuman said. The much-touted claims and predictions of a sizeable group of SJB MPs switching allegiance to President Wickremesinghe never materialized, MP Rahuman said, urging the electorate not to be deceived by Wickremesinghe-SLPP unholy alliance.

The Colombo District MP said that the bottom line is that the divided SLPP may field two candidates at the presidential election. Wickremesinghe would be one, MP Rahuman said, adding that whoever the other candidate turns out to be, the people were certain to reject both.

Premier Dinesh Gunawardena’s backing for Wickremesinghe’s candidature wouldn’t make a difference, the SJBer said.

Meanwhile, dissident SLPP MP Prof. G. L. Peiris said that President Wickremesinghe’s declarations and actions were contradictory.

Having claimed that President Wickremesinghe had the backing of nearly 100 SLPPers, the Head-of- State was still exploring ways and means of jeopardizing the scheduled presidential poll, the former External Affairs Minister said.

Prof. Peiris added that President Wickremesinghe’s refusal to appoint an Acting IGP on the basis that a vacancy didn’t exist therein exposed his vulnerability.

Addressing the media on Thursday (01) at Nawala, Prof Peiris said that President Wickremesinghe’s actions belie their own claims of the independent candidate gaining overwhelming advantage in the run-up to the September 21 presidential election.

Prof. Peiris alleged that President Wickremesinghe rejected the Election Commission’s request for him to make an Acting appointment as Deshabandu Tennakoon remained in office.

Prof. Peiris reminded President Wickremesinghe that the last presidential election, in November 2019, had been conducted under the supervision of an Acting IGP. The then President Maithripala Sirisena made the appointment in the wake of Pujitha Jayasundera being sent on compulsory leave over his failure to thwart the Easter Sunday carnage.

The former Minister said that President Wickremesinghe wouldn’t have behaved this way if he was certain of his victory.

Commenting on a large group of SLPPers switching allegiance to President Wickremesinghe, Prof. Peiris said that the situation on the ground would be quite different to the alliances made among/within political parties represented in Parliament.

Prof. Peiris said that it would be a grave mistake on the large rebel group’s part to think SLPP supporters would desert their leader Mahinda Rajapaksa and embrace Wickremesinghe. “Supporters will definitely feel betrayed by their MPs’ actions,” Prof. Peiris said.

The SLPP won 145 seats at the last general election whereas the SJB secured 54. Of the 29 National List slots, the SLPP and SJB shared 24 seats while the UNP was reduced to one NL seat.