Senior monks have called on the UNP Leadership to set up a special Leadership Council that will replace the position of Party Leader at a special series of meetings with Ranil Wickremesinghe, Karu Jayasuriya and Sajith Premadasa today.
Ranil
The monks are proposing a leadership council chaired by Jayasuriya who is a former UNP Deputy Leader. Wickremesinghe would remain Opposition Leader.
The meetings were held today at the Polwatte Rajakeeyaramaya in Colpetty.
Wickremesinghe who met the senior monks after Jayasuriya and Premadasa informed them that he was willing to establish the Council as long as he could remain leader of the UNP.
The monks’ proposal is to be put before the UNP working committee meeting on Monday (7) for decision.
Dev / October 4, 2013
Oh yes, the UNP is your private property and you hold on to it till you die !
Thank God you don’t have any kids, otherwise you will pass it on to them -not sure who is a bigger curse to this nation, you or MR or Prabakaran !
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China Doll / October 4, 2013
Ranil wickramasinghe is absolutely pathetic. His wife should ask him to quit and get a therapist since he has been hiding from the people since the massive defeat but is still not resigning.. after loosing so many elections. The shame he lives with is awful but he still cannot let go the UNP leader slot although everyone wants him out!
Ranil obviously has a huge mental problem that he is unable to hear and LISTEN to what everyone is saying! Ranil needs a psychiatrist and should be put in a mental institution because he seems to have some trauma about stepping down despite the fact that EVERYONE HATES Ranil!
Maitree do you job as wife and get him a THERAPIST. Ranil Wickramasinghe belongs in the lunatic assylum!
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Don Stanley / October 4, 2013
Ranil is a miserable pathetic and insane person who should be put in the asylum and given treatment for trauma…
He has ruined the UNP which is IMPLODING and the political culture of Lanka has reached the lower depths because of RW and his alliance with Rajapassa
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Dinuk / October 5, 2013
Correct Don! Ranil is a DICTATOR in the UNP. He is actually worse than Rajapassa who is Lanka’s first military dictator in waiting.
Together they have rotted POLITICAL CULTURE in the country and naturalized dictatorship, cronyism and intellectual and moral corruption within the 2 main political parties.. Today it is possible to say that Sri Lankan politicians are the SCUM OF THE EARTH because their leadership is CORRUPT to the core.
What is worse is that COLOMBO CIVIL SOCIETY – singularly lacking in imagination or principles – has perpetuated the myth that there is no alternative to Ranil in the UNP..
Ranil’s AUTHORITARIANISM and dictatorship within the UNP has been supported by a myopic,self-serving intelligentsia…
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Amarasiri / October 4, 2013
Ranil W, the best present UPFA ever had.
Long live Ranil W.
The MR and the Maras can live longer too.
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Silva / October 4, 2013
Dev, you barren pimp, the biggest curse to this nation is no those you named, but your parents who ejected a stupid bastard like you to this world!
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D.Panabokke / October 5, 2013
Who is the biggest curse rightnow?
Ranil and the UNP faction who nod for him
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Namal Perera / October 4, 2013
More than this Joker, the corrupt Regime will not allow this Joker to step down. Then only the corrupt Regime could continue to destroy the Country and fill their pockets without any interruption.
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Iro / October 4, 2013
It will be a good move he should be remain as party leader to unite the party.
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Citizen / October 4, 2013
One thing is certain. if Sajith Premadasa is given undue importance, then it is the end of the UNP. Ranil is doing his job at a time when there is turmoil because of the arrogance MR and his siblings. Sajith Premadasa has no recognition at any level. Ranil is just marking the time. Chandrika spoilt everything no sooner the CFA was signed, when, in fact, Ranil has not signed it. Ranil was almost on the verge of restoring democracy with the consent of major section of the Tamils. Ranil was taking stes to ignore terrorism and he could have got the Tamils on his side.
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Silva / October 4, 2013
Citizen, very true!
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Upul / October 4, 2013
So let me get this straight Ranil, You decide what you want to do and what the rest of us can do ? Did you happen to inherit the UNP whilst the rest of us were drunk? Is there an aorta of democratic principles left in your senses anymore?
And why run to an insignificant temple to cover your arse? If what was being suggested was fair, no one in their right mind would have an issue with it. You would’nt need the Temple to sanction it. I don’t carry water for Premadasa and Jayasuriya. They are both spineless, unprincipled human beings whose weaknesses you have cleverly exaggerated and exposed, to cover your own shortcomings.
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Park / October 4, 2013
At last there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. Even the UNP has to learn from Chief Minister Justice Wigneswaran how to manage their own affairs.
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Leo76 / October 4, 2013
Poor pathetic Ranil!! It is embarrassing to see a man who is supposedly intelligent and cultured stooping so low. Just another lowlife trying to cling to power when he is not wanted.
RW lives in a fantasy world only he knows about.
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vishvajith / October 4, 2013
Let us be reminded that Ranil nearly won the Pres Election TWICE. Both times the LTTE influenced the election.
Btw, Ranil too, as Mahinda Rajapaksha and his clan knows now, can’t solve the Tamil Political Problem. Sajith, like his father is another Rajapaksha in waiting, he is no replacement for Ranil.
The Motherland carries on. We opine like bloody fools.
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yusibrahi / October 4, 2013
RW is the only leader with liberal/secular values which reflects the true identity of all that the UNP stand for.It is for this reason that minorities have voted for the UNP.The unp presedential candidate more than the UPFA candidate requires the minority vote to get the 50% +1 at the Presedential election.Its unlikely that Karu J or Sagith will get the minority vote without the backing of RW.
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manel fonseka / October 5, 2013
“…liberal/secular values” reflecting”the true identity of all that the UNP stand for”???
Wasn’t it the UNP, that introduced the messy business of weeks governed by the phases of the moon — Poya days etc? Hardly secular was it? And didnt JR, during the Referendum campaign, cause 84,000 (or some such figure) lamps to be lit in a temple premises (Kelani vihara?) to bring him good luck. Another bow to religious sensibilities, though illegal of course, in a an election campaign — to campaign from a religious premises. Then there was Premadasa’s golden roof for the Dalada Maligawa, and so on. And as for LIBERAL values there’s a whole long list one could recite to show the opposite. Or was it the epitome of liberalism to say, as JR did, something like: “I make up the rules as I go along” & “aim at the face to hit the stomach”. I should think, too, that it was highly ILliberal to use a referendum to deny thousands of new young voters a chance to choose their representatives, and to cast opponents into prison on trumped up & flimsy charges — like the Naxalite Plot or the Rice Ration Book fraud.
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gamini / October 5, 2013
Manel what happened to the Rice from the Moon? Let alone as you claim that the Referendum denied thousands of new young voters a chance to choose their representatives, thousands of such voters on whose shoulders, Mrs B. promising rice from the moon came to power in ’70, not only denied their vote but their lives as well. That was the beginning where the UNP under Premadasa with Sirisena Cooray continued the mayhem to a crescendo.
What I fail to understand is why you are Myopic?
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manel fonseka / October 5, 2013
What
I
fail to understand, Gamini (father of Milinda S?)
is why you moved the goalposts?
Surely not to be able to accuse me of myopia?
The article here & ensuing comments deal with Ranil & the UNP, & I reacted to the description of the latter’s ID as secular & liberal. What rice from the moon & Mrs B have to do with that, beats me. But then, perhaps, I am guilty of linear thinking.
And as one who voted neither for the UNP nor for Mrs B, & wasnt even living here at the time rice from the moon was on the menu, I’m afraid I lack the necessary knowledge to enable me to understand your intervention.
Or, perhaps I am, simply myopic. Maybe you should link the dots for me.
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manel fonseka / October 5, 2013
Hey! How do you manage to react at 9.40 am to something I posted much later!!! 12.22 am
CT, are we in a time warp?
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Safa / October 4, 2013
Leader, Leadership Council, Monks advising? Cant the UNP do things in the normal way followed in all developed countries? When an election is lost the leader steps down.
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Silva / October 4, 2013
Safa,
“..Leader, Leadership Council, Monks advising? Cant the UNP do things in the normal way followed in all developed countries? When an election is lost the leader steps down..”
And you donkey creeps in to do the dog’s work! What a paiththiyan moron are you?
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podi malli / October 4, 2013
IT IS BETTER TO HAVE EDUCATED EXPERIENCED AND KNOLEDGEABLE PEOPLE TO RUN THE COUNTRY.SO RANIL SHOULD BE THE LEADER OF THE UNP AND THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF SRI LANKA
Ranil should be the leader of the unp.if some one think that sajith should be the leader of the unp and then the president of sri lanka, it is better to keep mahinda as the president of sri lanka because he won the war against the ltte and at least mahinda has done something for the country.when sajith papa was president of the of sri lanka premadasa had given cement to ltte to built bunkers not only that he had given weapons and ordered 600 police personnel to serenaded to ltte and then tigers killed all 600 of them.
because of these cements and metal ltte made lots of bunkers many whole country knows that premadasa help ltte.
who appointed sotti upali to working committee?
Actually R premadasa, sajiths father ruined the unp.
if sajith ever apologise to the country what his father has done
to become the leader of the unp and if he has a plane to be the president of the country he should have education qualification because he will become the chief executive of the country. like other organization
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podi malli / October 4, 2013
RANIL SHOULD BE THE OF UNP
PARADEELA PALAGIYE NEEE
MA KAWA DAWATH WENAS UNE NE
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srilal / October 4, 2013
oh no , the endless drama is going to finish in a spectacular way , loads of lighting , heaps and heaps of loud thunder but no rain , it looks like RW wants to cling on to the official opposition leadership while the other night mate takes on the rein of UNP !
my take on the reform ,
1)keep RW and his old guard as an advisory panel.
2)refrain appointing Sajith as the party leader (only after scrapping the executive president system, sajith can become the leader )
3)karu is the only one left with some real experience so he is qualified to lead the party.
4)Ajith c perera, Sujeewa senasinghe , Harsha silva ,Buddika p, Ranjan R , Haren F , Akila V et al can be on a steering committee and all the collective decisions can be made in this committee.
5) a meaningful working committee to approve steering committee’s decisions.
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Javi / October 6, 2013
Good sense and decency.
Old is gold but all that glitters is not Gold.
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srilal / October 4, 2013
correction
it should be “Lightning” not lighting
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Commoner / October 4, 2013
All talks about the UNP defeat at the Provincial Council election. But have one thought what happened when the power was disconnected for few minutes in Kandy when the poll boxes were delivered to the Kachcheri???? It is no use who heads the opposition, the opposition should stop the election rigging at counting centres.
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ilyasfazly / October 4, 2013
shame, shame, shame, shame, shame on him , shame on me, shame on you and shame on us all for tolerating this ……..nin…….f….. shame,shame,shame,shame,shame,shame….’.it could have gone on all night and still have begged for shame, shame shame!
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Silva / October 4, 2013
Ranil is the sole and true UNP leader we are left with. He holds and reflects the true principles, qualities, politics and workings of authentic UNP upon which UNP was founded and evolved. Dear Ranil, the moment you are no more with UNP so are we. We will bid farewell to all our pains, labour and efforts spent on the party through various means including internet comments. We will look on the way these uneducated fools get perished and drag the country to the grave yard! It is very sad but what to do. We were born in the wrong country!
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Javi / October 5, 2013
“Leadership Council”
Even in Jazz its one person who decides. If Sajith becomes President Rajiv’s bodyguards/classmates would get him for sure and that’s their promise- check bradman.
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watey ranil / October 5, 2013
there he goes skirting the subject of stepping down…again.Now he is depressed so he usually agrees to such arrangements and after the meds really kick in he+cronies get into action mode.
Apart from ceding control he will agree to anything to buy time,hang on due to his inner voices (ko Prozac eka?)
politicians sell hope,this pathetic man’s unp sells toxic.
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shankar / October 5, 2013
I can’t understand what is the difference between the current setup and a leadership council with ranil continuing as the UNP leader?If karu is the chairman of the council what is his powers?How are decisions going to be made?If karu and sajith want something done will ranil be able to veto that?There should be more details given on how the proposed council is going to work.Having a leadership council is not such a bad idea because let us face it,karu,sajith and ranil individually are not enough to tackle mahinda and bring him down but collectively they could do it.
Even if all three tackle mahinda and bring him down,there is 2 formidable characters gota and basil.Who are going to tackle them and bring them down.The Rajapakshes are a leadership team of brothers.
The best way to go is to include rosy to represent women,and ranil’s nephew to represent the youth and give all 5 a equal vote on a any decisions made by the leadership council with the decision going to the majority.5 heads are better than one especially after prabha and infighting between premedasa,lalith and gamini cut off all the heads.UNP is like a headless chook now so a leadership council makes sense to me but nobody in it should have veto power because then we are back to square one again with wrong decisions made by one person.
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seb / October 5, 2013
why do they have to listen to monks ?
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Nagananda / October 5, 2013
This is pure evidence of a mental decease. It clearly establishes that this man is suffering from some kind of incunable mental decease.
Pure man , Why not generate some funds and send him abroad for treatment.I will donate Rs 1000.00 for the purpose and I’m sure when there is a collective effort it will rise to tens of millions.
He served the party for a long time and I believe all party supporter are under duty salvage this pure man.
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Saman Wijesiri / October 5, 2013
Eh…Ranil still wants to retain his leadership position! People will not vote for the UNP if they come to hear that the rascal continues to remain at Sirikotha even as its door-man!
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Haniff Mohamed / October 5, 2013
Every want Ranil to go. why not suggest Ranil to contest the Western Province for Chief Minister.give another opportunity to Ranil and see.
shame less leaders wont quit. Thissa Aththanayake resign from organizer not from general secretary he is going to fool whom. what about other organizers who lost their seats?
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Javi / October 5, 2013
Still waters run deep.
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shankar / October 6, 2013
I agree with you hanif that ranil should contest for CM western province.If he does that Sajith should contest the CM southern province.
The leadership council should be established with karu as its chair.Other than maintaining order at the meetings karu should not be given any further powers so that he is just one of the 3 leaders.
Ranil should not be made leader of the party,because the leadership council will be the leader and whatever the leader has to sign and approve previously can be signed now by a majority of the council.
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gamini / October 5, 2013
It is very Funny indeed that the majority who demands RW’s resignation are the very MR supporters, barring a few fanatics who have no understanding of the ground situation here, possibly living outside.
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Yoosuf / October 5, 2013
Let the Leadership council start their operations as fast as possible. And first and foremost business of their agenda could/must be to find a most suitable candidate to replace the incumbent leader. So that the all time curse would be taken care of.
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Bob Marley / October 5, 2013
Ranil is the most pathetic leader this country has ever had…. He will go down in history as the most shameless leader Sri Lanka has ever had….
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Lalindra Jayewardene / October 5, 2013
Let’s forget about the UNP. Let it die its natural death. We’ll rally around General Sarath Fonseka and the Democratic Party. At the moment he’s the best alternative to the dictatorial regime.
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Javi / October 5, 2013
I wish I knew!
BTW even UKIP is wooing British Muslims. Each man his duty let fishermen go fish.
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Kalu Nangi / October 5, 2013
Ranil, please go home. You are not wanted any more. Please do not forget to take Mangala with you.
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Ninja / October 6, 2013
SHIT HEAD WITH A CAPITAL ‘S’ go home. We will never ever vote for you. Mostly because of your thick skin
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