News
Former President Sirisena in thrust to revive UPFA
The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) met last week under SLFP leader Maithripala Sirisena to discuss plans to revitalize itself and upgrade its manifesto to suit the times.
Conducted via zoom, the meeting was attended by Mahajana Eksath Peramuna leader and Minister of Education Dinesh Gunawardena, Sri Lanka Mahajana Paksha leader MP Asanka Navaratne and other party leaders, party sources said.
“It is time that UPFA stood up again,” former President Sirisena said. “We must strengthen UPFA so that many like-minded parties and groups could join under a single banner.”
“Deputy Chairman of the SLPP Thilanga Sumathipala has moved a motion that we should prepare a new manifesto containing policies covering social, cultural and economic matters to rebuild the nation. We have that proposal as a base and it has been approved by all members of the SLFP Executive Committee. We would obtain proposals from other parties in the coming two weeks,” Sirisena said.
Lengthy discussions were held on the preparation of a plan of action for the UPFA. These centered on reviving the UPFA under the betel leaf symbol which Sirisena said had the trust of people.
MEP leader Dinesh Gunawardena spoke of the need to accommodate proposals of other political parties and to invite them all for future discussions to decide the future course of the UPFA.
A moment of silence was observed in memory of CWC leader Arumugam Thondaman, Mangala Samaraweera and Desha Vimukthi Janatha Party’s P.M. Podi Appuhamy.
SLFP Senior Deputy Chairman Professor Rohana Lakshman Piyadasa said the SLFP Central Committee had recently decided on reactivating the UPFA. The alliance will be formed with all progressive political elements including leftist, patriotic, and nationalist political parties as well as parties unrepresented in Parliament.
Thilanga Sumathipala said that the entire political paradigm has been changed by the effects of COVID-19 pandemic.
“There’s a need to think beyond the policies that had been upheld and accepted as the best prior to the pandemic. Covid has outdated these. We must build a formidable political force on the basis of people-friendly political policies and should accommodate friendly parties to form a grand alliance. We must uphold policies that could build our nation. It is the UPFA that could accommodate all forces,” he said.
He added that the UPFA that came to being in 2004 by joining forces of all progressive and leftist parties under the leadership of the SLFP had a record of winning two presidential elections, two general elections and winning seven provincial councils in three elections. In the 2015 general election the UPFA won 95 parliamentary seats.
By A.A. Pemasiri
Nine government officers who promoted presidential candidates in violation of the Establishment Code have been removed from election duties, according to Hambantota District Returning Officer, H.P. Sumanasiri. Contacted for comment, he said they were part of a group of 19 officers currently under investigation for the same offence.
Among the errant officials were three doctors, one public health inspector, nine principals, a vice principal, four teachers, and a manager of a Samurdhi Bank, Sumanasiri said.
Sumanasiri said the Public Administration Circular 32/2017 classified Staff Grade Officers and Non-Staff Grade Officers in the Public Service and Provincial Public Service. That circular and the Establishment Code made it clear that such officials could not exercise political rights other than voting, and specified the procedures to be followed in dealing with errant officials, he said.
“Subsection 1:2 of Chapter XXXII of the Establishment Code states that ‘an officer not entitled to the exercise of political rights is prohibited, under threat of dismissal, from engaging in any form of political activity except casting his vote in a Presidential Election, Parliamentary Election, Referendum, Provincial Council Election, or Local Authorities Election,” Sumanasiri said.
The Establishment Code further specified that the aforementioned officers could participate in any election, Sumanasiri added.
Schools will be closed today in view of tomorrow’s presidential election. They will reopen on Monday (23).The Education Ministry said a large number of schools would be used as polling centres on Saturday.
All Zonal Education Directors and principals had been instructed to provide necessary tables, chairs and hall facilities for election officers for their activities, the Education Ministry said.
The 2024 Presidential Election will take place on Saturday (21), with 17,140,280 voters across the country eligible to elect Sri Lanka’s ninth Executive President.
By Hemantha Randunu, Dilip S. Jayasekera, and Piyasiri Ariyarathne
Four persons were shot dead and two others wounded in separate incidents that occurred in Tangalle, Dehiwala, Rasnayakapura, and Midigama on Wednesday night and Thursday morning (19).The police said those shootings had been over personal disputes, they were not politically motivated.
Thirty-three-year-old Nayagam Wishwanadan was shot dead around 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday inside a shop on Saranankara Road, within the Kohuwala police division. Nayagam, the shop owner, resided in Nedimala, Dehiwala. Two men who arrived on a motorcycle carried out the attack. The assailants entered the shop, asking for a cigarette before opening fire on Nayagam, who had no prior criminal record.
In a separate incident on Thursday morning (19th), one person was killed, and two others were seriously injured in a shooting in
Midigama. According to the police, two unidentified gunmen riding a motorcycle opened fire on the victims, killing 38-year-old Kelum Chathuranga. The other two victims are receiving treatment at Karapitiya Hospital. Police suspect that associates of Midigama Chooti carried out the attack.
Another shooting on Wednesday resulted in the death of a 30-year-old man at a restaurant in Rasnayakapura, Kurunegala. The victim was a resident of Thammuwewa, Rasnayakapura.Meanwhile, on Wednesday, 33-year-old Deshan Eranda, a cowherder, was shot dead in Dematawewa, Tangalle. Eranda was killed with a 12-bore shotgun.
Showers will occur at times in Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Colombo, Gampaha, Kandy, Kalutara, Galle, Matara and Nuwara-Eliya districts
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