By Akitha Perera

Most MPs had voted for Ranil Wickremesinghe for personal gain and to maintain their grip on power, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) General Secretary, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, said yesterday.

“Most of these people want the government to build them better houses from the taxpayer’s money. They also want bigger vehicles. And, most of all, they want to remain in Parliament and enjoy the perks as long as possible,” he said.

Madduma Bandara added that Wednesday’s vote to elect a President did not reflect the will of the people. The last general election had been held when Gotabaya Rajapaksa was the most popular politician in Sri Lanka, he said.

“People managed to chase away Gotabaya. But his corrupt yes-men still remain in Parliament. People are demanding their resignation, too, and the election of a group of new MPs. However, this has not happened. The same corrupt bunch was given the chance to elect a new President,” he said.

The SJB General Secretary said that if Dullas Alahapperuma had won the vote, the establishment of an all-party government would have been possible. The main opposition as well as a number of parties across racial and religious and class divides would have worked with Dullas, he said.

“We didn’t spend any money for the election, but the same can’t be said about all candidates. The election of Ranil shows that there is no democracy in the country and that the people’s will is not reflected in Parliament,” he said.

Madduma Bandara said they are closely monitoring the actions of the government. There have been allegations of corruption since Wickremesinghe became PM, he said.

“We were planning on limiting the Cabinet to 15 and to compose it with representation from all parties. On Friday evening we will see if this is an all-party government,” he said.

The SJB stalwart said that Ranil and those who brought him into power have no solutions to the problems faced by the country and that this is why the country needs an all party government.

“If there was any hope that Ranil would behave differently, that was shattered with what happened at Gota Go Gama on Friday morning. The government is trying to destroy democracy,” he said.

The attack on protestors would do a lot to undermine the Wickremesinghe administration, both locally and internationally, he said.

“Already most countries have expressed their displeasure on what happened. This has angered Sri Lankans, too. Maybe, he can scare the people for a few weeks, but this will blow up in his face,” Madduma Bandara warned.