Govt. party leaders’ meeting:

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Former Minister and Communist Party veteran D.E.W. Gunasekera has urged the SLPP government to address the simmering crisis over its policy of cremating the Muslims who die of COVID-19. He cautioned that Western powers could exploit the issue to undermine the country as in the past.

The former lawmaker issued the warning at party leaders’ meeting chaired by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat recently. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was also present.

Political sources said that the discussion had lasted for about three hours and was the first such since November 2019 presidential election.

Gunasekera said that the government couldn’t afford to turn a blind eye to geo-political realities against the backdrop of China-US confrontation and Sri Lanka’s strategic importance.

Gunasekara underscored the importance of responding to situations swiftly and decisively. The former General Secretary of the CP said that over 6.9 mn people had voted for Gotabaya Rajapaksa because they had faith in him.

Gunasekera warned that if the dispute over the cremation of all corona victims got out of control, extremists would take advantage of the situation. He also found fault with members of parliament for failing in their responsibilities both in and outside parliament. None of those present responded to Ginasekera’s criticism.

During the lengthy discussion, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa pointed out that the SLPP MPs hadn’t at least visited areas affected by recurrent armyworm (Sena caterpillar) invasion. The President recently toured Anuradhapura, where significant crop losses had been caused by insects.

Gunasekera also took exception to a recent article written by Asanga Abeygoonesekera in his capacity as a civilian attached to the Defence Ministry, a subject coming under the purview of the President. Gunasekera said Abeygoonesekera shouldn’t have taken a hostile stand towards China, which was a friend of Sri Lanka.

Gunasekera said that such a stand would cause irreparable damage to the bonds between the two nations. He said the writer in his capacity as a Defence Ministry official had called for a common front against China.

National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa raised the apparent government decision to go ahead with the handover of the East Container Terminal (ECT) at the Colombo harbour to India’s Adani Group.

Weerawansa alleged that the deal on ECT would be detrimental to the country. The previous yahapalana government in late May 2019 entered into an MOC (Memorandum of Cooperation) with India and Japan in respect of the ECT although the latter is no longer part of it.

The proposed deal on ECT has sharply divided the government with trade unions vowing to scuttle it.

Gunasekera said that interested parties could take advantage of the recent developments, particularly the cremation of bodies of Covid-19 victims, a sensitive issue for the Muslim community.

Gunasekera last served the Cabinet in 2011. President Maithripala Sirisena left Gunasekera out of the National List following 2015 parliamentary polls.