News
RW-SLPP MPs’ alliance act of desperation on both sides – Mujibur
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.
In a swift search and rescue (SAR) operation, the Sri Lanka Navy on 22 Jun 2026 rendered assistance to a one-day fishing trawler that had failed to return to its intended destination.
Reportedly, the fishing trawler and its 02 crew members ran into trouble due to adverse weather conditions off the north coast of the island. The rescue mission was launched
immediately following an alert from the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources regarding the overdue trawler.
Responding to the distress call, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Colombo, coordinated the deployment of naval craft for the SAR operation.
During the operation, naval personnel located the distressed trawler and its 02 fishermen in the seas off the Analaitivu Island and they were brought to safety.
Maintaining a round-the-clock vigil, the Sri Lanka Navy, through the coordination of MRCC Colombo, remains constantly prepared to deploy assets and extend vital lifesaving assistance to the naval and fishing communities facing perils within the Sri
Lankan Search and Rescue Region.
The NPP government has not taken a final decision regarding filling of the vacancies in the judiciary.
A group of Opposition MPs, led by SJB leader Sajith Premadasa, on 12 June, requested Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickremeratne to take up the issue of judicial vacancies with President Dissanayake. Opposition sources said that there were four vacancies, each in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, and the inordinate delay had adversely affected the judiciary.
Government sources indicated that there was no change in the status quo as regards filling of vacancies. Referring to the government proposal to extend the retirement age of judges, authoritative sources said that no final decision had been taken yet.
SJB lawmaker Dayasiri Jayasekera told The Island that they would raise the issue in Parliament this week.
He said that the deliberate delay in making appointments to superior courts and the move to extend the retirement age couldn’t be taken separately.
The MP noted that the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, the Lawyers’ Collective, the Colombo High Court Lawyers’ Association, Colombo Magistrate’s Court Lawyers’ Association and the Bar Association of Badulla had opposed the government move.
There hadn’t been any public statements in support of the government move, MP Jayasekera said, urging the government to end uncertainty in the judiciary.
by Shamindra Ferdinando
SJB leader Sajith Premadasa has invited the UNP and other political parties to join his party. Premadasa, who is also the leader of the Opposition, has emphasised that the UNP and the SJB could reach a consensus on policies but his party wouldn’t, under any circumstances, accept whatever formula to share positions. Premadasa said so, speaking to the media over the weekend, after meeting the Mahanayaka Thera of the Malwatta Chapter of the Siyam Nikaya Most Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera.
A statement issued by the Opposition Leader’s Office quoted MP Premadasa as having extended an invitation to all political parties to give up extremist policies and join the SJB.
The SJB leader alleged that the NPP government feared facing elections and that was the reason for the inordinate delay in holding Provincial Council polls. PC polls were last held in 2012, 2013 and 2014, on a staggered basis. Premadasa said that if PC polls were held his party would definitely win the majority of PCs.Premadasa also urged the government to reduce electricity tariffs and fuel prices.
ICC launches post-pregnancy return-to-play guidelines
Chamari Athapaththu: ‘I think I’m a failure as a captain’
Navy’s prompt search and rescue mission saves lives at sea
UK’s Starmer resigns as prime minister
President chairs discussion on providing swift solutions to challenges in apparel sector
Schools close as more than half of France under red heat alerts
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
News7 days agoBeijing Capital Airlines to resume flights to Colombo signalling boost to tourism
-
Features6 days agoKilling of Colombo’s ancient trees — a warning on UN’s World Desertification Day – 17 June
-
News4 days agoCreditor receives USD 2.5 mn as Lankan public bears loss from theft of Treasury funds
-
News3 days agoCreditor not yet paid
-
News3 days agoConsumers bearing 22% tax burden despite 18% VAT claim: Dr. Harsha de Silva
-
Opinion5 days agoBeyond diagnosis: A strategic design for 7% growth by 2029 (Part I)
-
Opinion7 days agoFifty years after Soweto uprising
-
Sports7 days agoCatch every moment of the 2026 FIFA World Cup free on the Dialog PLAY App