President’s resignation letter received

By Shamindra Ferdinando

The Speaker’s Office announced last night that it had received President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s letter of resignation.Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena’s Office has said that at a party leaders’ meeting held on Thursday evening members called for the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is now Acting for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Speaker Abeywardena chaired the meeting at the parliamentary complex, where the military top brass and the IGP briefed the members on the rapidly deteriorating situation in the country. The Island learns that they told lawmakers their inability to thwart the large body of protesters under present circumstances.According to the Speaker’s Office, members of the Parliamentary Business Committee and party leaders were of the view that Premier Wickremesinghe should quit to facilitate the immediate restoration of normalcy. As soon as Wickremesinghe quit the premiership, he would lose the post of Acting President.Lawmakers who attended the meeting as JVP supporters clashed with the police a little distance away from the parliament told The Island even at that time President Gotabaya Rajapaksa hadn’t delivered his letter of resignation as repeatedly promised. Speaker Abeywardena has twice announced that he received an assurance from President Rajapaksa that he will quit before midnight on 13 July.

Among those who attended the meeting chaired by the Speaker were Maithripala Sirisena (SLFP), Lakshman Kiriella (SJB), Anura Kumara Dissanayake (JVP), Mano Ganesan (Democratic People’s Front), Vasudeva Nanayakkara (Democratic Left Front), Weerasumana Weerasinghe (Communist Party), Douglas Devananda (EPDP), Gayantha Karunatilleke (SJB), Ranjith Madduma Bandara (SJB), Angajan Ramanathan (SLFP), Gevindu Cumaratunga (civil society group Yuthukama), Rauff Hakeem (SLMC), V. Radhakrishnan (Up country People’s Front), Udaya Gammanpila (Pivithuru Hela Urumaya), Ven. Athureliye Rathana (Our Power of People’s Party ), M. A. Sumanthiran (Illankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi) and Prof. Tissa Vitharana (LSSP).

The largest single party in parliament the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) refrained from attending the meeting.A senior spokesperson for SLPP told The Island that they felt the meeting should have been called after the Speaker received President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s letter of resignation, which, he said, was most likely to be received later on Thursday (14) for the Speaker to activate what he called constitutional process.

Some of those who participated at the Speaker’s meeting subsequently issued a separate statement warning that the crisis would worsen, paving the way for foreign military intervention, unless it was contained expeditiously. They appealed to all stakeholders including the protesters to prevent interested parties from turning Sri Lanka into a Libya in South Asia.

The group faulted PM Wickremesinghe for the latest flare-up due to his refusal to resign as requested unanimously by political party leaders’ following a meeting chaired by Speaker Abeywardena on July 09.

The appeal was made in the wake of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declaring his intention to quit soon after protesters brought the President’s House and the Presidential Secretariat under their control.

The following MPs have signed the statement demanding the immediate resignation of Premier Wickremesinghe: “Ven. Athureliye Rathana, Wimal Weerawansa, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Udaya Gammanpila, Prof. Tissa Vitharana, A.L.M. Athaulla, Asanka Nawaratne, Gevindu Kumaratunga and Premanath Dolawatta. In addition to those lawmakers, Dr. D. Weerasinghe has represented the Communist Party.

The Speaker has met selected group of MPs amidst the JVP calling for bringing the Parliament under their control. Former JVP lawmaker Bimal Ratnayake leading the protest against the Parliament declared that their victory over the Rajapaksas dictatorship wouldn’t be complete unless they secured the House. However, the police backed by the military thwarted the JVP led attempt after both sides suffered injuries.

The group said that disruption of Parliament would seriously hinder the proposed vote on a new President scheduled for coming Wednesday (20). One of the participants pointed out that the protesters move on the parliament would only benefit those somehow trying to continue with the existing set up.

Meanwhile, protesters made a joint declaration yesterday that they would vacate all government buildings they had occupied since 09 July.Meanwhile, Army headquarters alleged that some of those who tried to force their way into the parliamentary complex had attacked troops and police with clubs, iron rods, stones, helmets, etc., and snatched two T-56 assault rifles with ammunition and caused injuries to a dozen personnel. Two seriously wounded men had been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital and the Colombo Army Hospital for emergency treatment.

Army headquarters said that some of the attackers had been apprehended. The Army has warned the protesters that they would have to face the consequences if similar tactics were adopted and tangible measures were to be taken to protect the lives and public and personal property.