Reaffirming the close-to-absolute power vested in the position of party leader in the United National Party (UNP) Constitution, Ranil Wickremesinghe brushed aside all objections and persuaded the Working Committee to ratify his all-male choices for key party posts. Moreover, except for one appointee, the rest are all past pupils of Wickremesinghe’s alma mater, Royal College, Colombo.
Ranil
The UNP’s Working Committee, which met today effectively ratified the persons that Wickremesinghe had picked for these posts. A total of 57 members had been present at the meeting.
Accordingly, while Wickremesinghe and Sajith Premadasa retained the posts of Leader and Deputy Leader respectively, Ravi Karunanayake was appointed as Assistant Leader, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam as General Secretary and Navin Dissanayake as National Organizer.
Former General Secretary Kabir Hashim was made the Chairman of the party and Harsha de Silva appointed as the Treasurer. In addition, Ruwan Wijewardene was appointed the Deputy General Secretary. De Silva has always been a loyal supporter of his leader while Wijewardena is Wickremesinghe’s cousin. Of all these individuals only Kariyawasam is not an old boy of Royal College.
According to party sources, the consultative committee appointed to discuss and recommend reforms for the restructuring of the party has effectively been sidelined in the process.
Ranjan Ramanayake and Joseph Michael Perera had raised objections to the appointment of Karunanayake as Assistant Leader, the latter deciding to resign from the Working Committee in protest.
Ramanayake had suggested that Karunanayake’s appointment be put on hold until such time he is cleared of having had a part in the Central Bank bond scam.
Sajith Premadasa and Navin Dissanayake had opined that it would have been better if these office-bearers were elected. However it had been pointed out that a third of the members present would have to call for such as election as per the Party Constitution.
When Kariyawasam’s name was announced and the members asked if there were objections, ‘there was visible displeasure,’ sources told Colombo Telegraph.
‘You could see it in their faces. Ajith P Perera said that perhaps the leader should ask “does anyone approve (Akila being appointed as General Secretary)?”‘
Wickremesinghe had said that the General Secretary should be a nominee of the party leader, sources added.
Darling / April 27, 2018
Guys your comments are showing patriotism to the Nation, But deal is done by king RW! All set MaRa white van regime to come back. Just an GE away That’s all at end!!!!
/
Darling / April 27, 2018
Guys your comments are showing patriotism to the Nation, But deal is done by king RW!
All set MaRa come back. Just an GE away That’s all at end!!!!
/
Justice and Fairplay / April 28, 2018
Ranil makes politics so complicated when it really need not be. Had he done
the right thing and was not so obsessed with his own survival within the party, and had he not made it so patently obvious he would even tango with
the devil himself for power, today he would have been a much respected and revered leader few could have matched.
/
PERERA / April 27, 2018
AND HE LET A KNOWN ARMED(TOY PISTOL IT MAY HAVE BEEN BUT STILL A LOOKALIKE WEAPON ) THUG TO BE APPOINTED BY A UNP LED COUNCIL.
SHAME SHAME MR SLUMBER.
ELITEFOR COLOMBO THUGS FOR ELSEWHERE
/
K.Pillai / April 27, 2018
If only the changes to Working Committee of UNP came about before NCM!
As to preponderance of ‘Colleeeeeeeeeeeeege’ products, may be coincidence!
Only males? Well, how else will one keep Rosie out?
/
Edwin Rodrgo / April 28, 2018
Samson, what did out get from this?. We know that you are the UNP organizer in the 3rd Reich. Your English is as bad as how good your German is. So, you will only get Maskatu from Ranil’s table. But for a Sakkili ballige putha’ like you, it is good enough.
/
Buddhist / April 28, 2018
Won’t the common sense of Mrs Wickeremasinghe make her advise the PM to leave the leadership of UNP and hold on to the PMs position? No one wants him to be the leader of UNP, so why is he holding that position. He can be the PM but not the leader of the opposition. He he sticks on then UNP is going to be split.
/
Ranjith / April 28, 2018
If they want to win election the need to get rid of top 20 samalingikayan in the party. Why all samalingikayan get attracted to UNP like flies to the crap? Does anyone know?
/
Pansexual / April 28, 2018
Pansexuals love Pansexuals.
End of story. DO NOT Censor this because I am not using names. But certain pink lipped preferences was always there from the days of sharing rooms and boxer shorts for some people. As I am not mentioning names, CT please do not censor this. It is quite clear what the game plan is. RW will be the candidate for President. He will win because he has 30% to 35% of the Sinhala Buddhist vote. He gets that plus 99% of Tamil votes and 95% of Muslim votes. Gota cannot get Muslim or Tamil votes. End of discussion. Ranil Haamu is the future President and let him have his blue eyed or is it pink lipped favorites.
/
nalmen / April 28, 2018
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/comments-policy-2/
/
Justice and Fairplay / April 28, 2018
Ranil makes politics so complicated when it really need not be. Had he done the right thing and was not so obsessed with his own survival within the party, and had he not made it so patently obvious he would even tango with the devil himself for power, today he would have been a much respected and revered leader few could have matched in the entire region.
/
Good Sense / April 28, 2018
Somebody gave me a “logical presentation” as to why RW must have an all-Male team as follows: I thought of sharing it with the readers:
“It is my party. Why can’t I have it my way? So according to rules of democracy, which is nothing but hypocrisy, I must have a group of YES men to vote for whatever I say, so that I appear to be democratic. My supporters must indeed be prepared to have their pants down on my command. But can I find a woman like that? Aiyo! No! How can I ask a woman to be without any thing in the bottom? So my dear all, it has to be an all-male show.”
/
Upul / May 1, 2018
The emperor has no clothes!! And, the pseudo reformer has no clue what the word REform means.
There has been no desire on the part of RW or his henchmen to reform or recreate the UNP, that will strengthen the original founding principles.
Reform, reorganisation and its many incarnations have been thrown out as fodder for the hoi-polloi who demand changes every few years. And, Sajith, Ravi and other leeches, every now and then, hijack the bus and demand changes; which they know rather well, are never coming!!
It serves to placate the general public that something is being done. Who is the self respecting party member who will even pretend Ravi Karunanayake is not a crook? Still, has anyone in the party hierachy done anything to have him removed. He claims he has a 100 day plan to revive the economy. What did he do for the 1 year he was Minister of Finance?
/
Baffled / May 2, 2018
Were these appointments not made by the UNP Politburo? And was not the Politburo elected by SECRET ballot by the whole UNP MPs caucus? Why blame RW only?
/