Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) today distanced itself from the rally that has been organised by four of the UPFA ally parties, to raise awareness for their campaign to bring back former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Ministerial candidate at the upcoming elections.
Dinesh
SLFP General Secretary Anura Priyadharshana Yapa speaking at a press conference held after the Executive Committee and All Ceylon Working Committee meetings held in Battaramulla, told media that although they recognise the freedom for the four parties to campaign for agendas they believe in, it has not been supported as of yet by the SLFP or any of the other 9 UPFA member parties.
When inquired by a journalist on whether or not the SLFP will support the call for MR to be fielded as the PM candidate, Opposition Leader Nimal Siripala de Silva said that if the former President is willing to contest at the upcoming general elections he should submit the application to the party nominations board.
“Anyhow, eventually it is up to the President to decide on who should be appointed as the PM – it would be the MP who is able to win the highest support among parliamentarians. So what is the hurry to decide on the PM now, when the elections have not even been announced yet?” he questioned.
Several allies of the UPFA expressed their intention of fielding former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Ministerial candidate at the upcoming general elections. Those who seem to be working towards building this coalition presently includes Wimal Weerawansa, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Udaya Gammanpila and Dinesh Gunawardena.
Jagath Fernando / February 14, 2015
Days of Mahinda are over. He may be keen to get Namal into a leadership position if possible.
Mahinda has no chance as long as Chandrika is around. Thank god for that even though I am no Chandrika fan.
Hard core SLFP guys are mad to think about Mahinda at this stage.
The only way forward for SLFP is to get JVP and JHU into the coalition since other small parties have no voter base.
SLMC and CWC and other minority parties will contest alone or go with UNP.
Vasu and Dew and Tissa should be kicked out.
Hopefully all senior minsters under Mahinda will not be given nominations.
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Leelawathie / February 14, 2015
Days of Mahinda are over but his henchmen’s are still there.
That is the problem the people have to find solutions now.
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whywhy / February 15, 2015
Mahinda family loved problems,chaos,poverty and
corruption by all means.Mahinda was not a trouble
shooter, instead a trouble maker in every sense.
His henchmen are still there until next general
election which will see at least more than 50% of
reduction in them ! Next five years will see a
further reductions and eventually all out but
let’s not forget that some percentage (new ones)
will enter until the public is full ready for a
total purge !
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FAMOUS449 / February 15, 2015
The best solutions for this is to introduce through necessary constitutional amendments in the form of 19th amendment to the Constitution only to allow two or three major (the very popular) political parties to contest in the main elections such as:
a. the General Parliamentary election, and
b. the Provincial Councils elections.
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Amarasiri / February 15, 2015
Crooks and Robbers Wimal Weerawansa, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Udaya Gammanpila and Dinesh Gunawardena,
“Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) today distanced itself from the rally that has been organised by four of the UPFA ally parties, to raise awareness for their campaign to bring back former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Ministerial candidate at the upcoming elections”
Correct stance taken by SLFP.
Why don’t you guys retire?
Can you climb coconut trees? There is a great demand for coconut pluckers. Good commissions on the pluck, very ethical, and no need to rob the people. Chance to go to India as well, where the Para-Sinhala originally came from to the Land of Native Veddah Aethho.
Kerala wants Sri Lankan coconut pluckers
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/091115/FinancialTimes/ft37.html
A recent newspaper article spoke of Kerala planning to recruit Sri Lankan coconut pluckers a development which will surely gladden the hearts of this small community of skilled workers that is making a silent but significant contribution to the national economy.
The announcement of the Kerala State that it is prepared to recruit pluckers from neighbouring countries offering high perks has given our pluckers international recognition. This is not the first time that coconut pluckers are in the limelight. Over 50 years ago when that outspoken, one time prime Minister Sir John Kotalawala was told that the coconut industry was suffering from a dearth of pluckers, his famous quip was, “They have all entered Parliament.”
Whilst Kotalawala’s intention was to discredit the 1956 Parliament, he perhaps little realized that he was emphasizing that Parliament had ceased to be the preserve of the elite and become truly representative of the ordinary people. By saying so he also paid a compliment to the coconut pluckers.
Lets not forget that it was Robert Knox who stated, “Wash the mud off the peasant cultivator, he is fit to sit on the Throne”! Today with this new recognition that our coconut pluckers have earned, if Knox had been living, he would have said, “Take the ring (Walalla) off his ankles and dress him in a white suit, a coconut plucker is fit to be a minister”!
Today Sri Lanka professes to be a truly egalitarian society honouring all manner of rights, fundamental rights, human rights and what not.
The time has come indeed, like the State of Kerala to look up to our coconut pluckers not only literally but metaphorically too. The uniformed gentry of the Police and Armed Services who are compelled to salute politicians who have criminal records and often resort to low and disgraceful behaviour, should have no qualms in saluting our honourable coconut pluckers!
Edward Gunawardena
Battaramulla
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Thappa Street / February 15, 2015
Amarai..! Hilarious but interesting…
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dcn / February 14, 2015
Good decision by SLFP. It is refracts like Wimal, Dinesh, Udaya,Vasudeva who wanted this new alliance and MR to be PM candidate. These guys are politically bankrupt and since they enjoy the new freedom from the present regime they keep making noises. Let them go by themselves and they will be discarded by the people.
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Nawram / February 15, 2015
They desperately need to protect their ill-gotten wealth, specially buggers like booruwansa who has amassed ill-gotten wealth enough for generations to come. To that effect, these leftists will try every damn trick in the book, to fool the masses with such rhetoric as ‘more than 50 percent of the people voted for MR’. They will exploit that ‘line of thinking’ to justify the return of their Mafia boss to be the PM and in effect leader of the House and the country again, at a time when the Executive Powers of Presidency are being transfered to Parliament. All under the guise and pretext of ‘in keeping with loyalty and respect’ to the Peoples choice.
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Sylvia Haik / February 14, 2015
“Anyhow, eventually it is up to the President to decide on who should be appointed as the PM.” This is unlikely if the post is to be abolished in 100 days. What might happen and to the good of the country, would be if the elected members of the parliament elected the Prime Minister. This would result in the leader of the party with the largest number of members of parliament electing the Prime Minister.
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Off The Wall / February 14, 2015
Endorsement by these 4 lost cases is the final nail on Mahinda’s political career.
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Aia / February 14, 2015
“Those who seem to be working towards building this coalition presently includes Wimal Weerawansa, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Udaya Gammanpila and Dinesh Gunawardena.”
These politicians all have been to different parties time to time- such was their political ideologies. Most of them are nervous because they knew one of them would be arrested soon. Had been closest to MR means greatest will be the possibility to do their time behind bars.
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Leelagemalli / February 14, 2015
These penisless men have no courage to fight themselves, but to hang on a man who looted the nation to core -not even heathy 10 year old would get get but only those among 5.7mion reported to have voted MR could still be thinking in the same manner. How could one consider these men like Gunawardhane as senior politicians of the island nation. Right at the moment, those who really love to the country getting shaped to work collectively but MR die hard supporters seem to tick it otherway around.
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InconvenientTruth / February 15, 2015
These old leftist guard are men with courage, they have, they will, and they can do much good for the country than you and me who express ourselves in broken English from behind a computer screen. Whether anyone likes it or not 5.8 million people voted for Mahinda Rajapaksha, and that includes most of SLFP supporters, who will represent them?
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Shamil / February 14, 2015
These goons now die for survival not for people.
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Sunil Mohan / February 14, 2015
All those who are trying to build this coalition will be without political address soon after the next general elections are over, including the one whose political address was wiped out on 8th January 2015
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Backlash / February 14, 2015
Nimal Siripala, who went to early school with the Veddhas, had pittu in his mouth when MR was President. He did not speak openly in fear of losing his plum Ministerial post. Maitripala Sirisena tells the country the corrupt man used to come and cry to him that the Rajapakses do not allow him to have his way even in his Ministry. Now he has discovered the guts to speak out against the man who refused to make him PM. In fact, in true Rajapakse style MR had given hopes to 3 men they will be made PM after the semi-cripple Dimu J of Kudu fame.
It is up to the country and the SLFP to ensure the Rajapakses do not get anywhere near influential positions. The country narrowly escaped not only from their profligate ping-adi regime but also escaped the country being made a vast prison of a Police State.
Backlash
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Sukirihamy_Desparity / February 14, 2015
He is simply greedy of the PM post. That is it. But MS was not greedy at all. He just wanted to initiate a change. At the time MS jumped on to the fast moving train – all these buggers like NSiripala goyya was supporting MS but the difference is his greediness to the post by hook or crook is above everything. If NSiripala goyya became the common candidate to defeat MR last time, nothing would have achieved, because the man is just and another Nitwit when it goes for the country’s future.
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Dom / February 15, 2015
SLFP won’t give him the nominations to contest under SLFP. Since there are several reasons that caused destabilisation of the party by the corrupted MPs that caused too many troubles.
If SLFP gives him the nomination, the party would lose the major vote base from Sinhala Buddhist. In my opinion, they will never give him unless he seeks for pardon and recovery of the loss that he made during his govt.
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Ajith / February 14, 2015
These guys are a combination of fundamentalists who wants to bring back rascism, Fundamentalism and dictatorship. Why can’t these guys ask Mahinda and Gota to join one of their party(Wimalasena’s party) and contest election and make him as Prime minister if they win the election. They have the support of the BBS as well. These guys are afraid of rule of law and justice. I am sure all of them will be within the bars if the law is allowed to do its job.
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Pygmalion / February 14, 2015
One of those roads close to Royal College has been renamed as Philip Gunawardena Mawatha.Dinesh Gunawardenas father.Indika was in the communist party and Prasanna another sibling was in the UNP! All of them came from Avissawela but they want roads named after their father who was not someone worth to be remembered!
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Jayantha / February 14, 2015
You mean Boralugoda Buruwa? who denied English Education for the poor masses, but ended up as a Minister in the Dudley Senanayake UNP govt as a Minister and secured five Scholarships for all his children to study abroad. Is it in the vernacular? Bloody Humbug! Dinesh and Indika are born crooks and have robbed the UDA for millions of rupees.
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Tailgage / February 21, 2015
You mean the Bora,ugoda Booruwa is The Philip Goondawardane?
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Paddy / February 15, 2015
The SLFP will have to tread very carefully indeed if it wants to eliminate MR altogether. If they go for a vote, MPs like Duminda, Johnny, Aluthgamage, Pavithra and a few others will always want MR back on the saddle for obvious reasons.
I’m not sure if this will ultimately be a nightmarish reality .. judging by the pace in which they are dragging their feet to bring obvious culprits before a court of law.
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Sengodan. M / February 15, 2015
If Mahinda Rajapakse is to be brought back it will amount to a total reversal of the gains that the people of the country have made since January 8th.
Sengodan. M
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FAMOUS449 / February 15, 2015
How come those leaders Tissa Witharana and Dew Gunasekera are silent on this issue?
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Ga / February 15, 2015
NSiripala was more worried about the files lokka had shown him! That’s the reason he did not jump. I suppose MS & Co. Has some information, hence the reason for his attitude! Any way these political equations don’t add up rationally the we expect it to work out! This applies to NS De S, MR, Ms, Ranil and all other full blooded politicians!
Actor Ranjan Ramanayake I suppose is naive and insists on 1+1=2 ? In politics it does not work that way, not the way we’re told in the kindergarten! !!
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Lanka Watch / February 16, 2015
Vasudeva, Tissa and DEW should join Mr. Sirisena’s govt and try and help the President to bring about unity among all people and Tissa
in particular, can help to re activate the LLRC commission and find
a solution to the Tamil problem with a free hand. It is surprising
for the leftists to remain with the regime that plundered the country. Tho’ they do not have a vote bank ,they have the political experience and they are not corrupted men. They disliked thuggery, intimidation
and nepotism but did not show opposition in the former regime due fear of retaliation but they did not associate themselves with corrupted parliamentarians and they will be of some help in administrating the
country.
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Lasanda / February 16, 2015
What SLFP must understand is that the 5.8million of people voted for Mahinda and not for the party or ministers. If they want to win the General election they must put Mahinda Rajapaksa as PM.
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Humbug / February 18, 2015
The 5 plus million who voted for MR did not know THEN of the atrocities/ plunderings and the greed of MR, his family and his cronies. People will never forget the white van syndrome etc etc. In the next election if he contests with a band of rogues like WW, MAluthgamame, UG and thugs like Muththetuwegama he will not poll even 1/3 of those votes. Right now since this yahapalanaya govt has a little bit of respect for MR for his contribution towards the success of the war, they r dragging their feet without exposing him of all his corruptions and plundering. Once this is exposed MR will not even get nominations from the SLFP or the okay from the Elections Commissioner. This is what finally will happen to MR and all his cronies.
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Sylvia Haik / February 16, 2015
InconvenientTruth, Lasanda, you are proof there are no shortage of Rajapakse sycophants still beating the drum for the lost cause. Probably you were the exceptions that profited from this regime’s intolerance, greed and wickedness.
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Gurunanse / February 17, 2015
Don’t let Tissa, Vasu, DEW & Commies to come and join the President b/c they will only look for Perks, they are a burden to our society. No new ideas. They are vultures.
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yasapala / February 17, 2015
Once the corrupt activities are revealed and the plundering of billions from the country by the Rajapakse’s is exposed those who try to get the Rajapakse’s back should be charged and brought to justice as partners to the crimes committed.
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Nathan / February 18, 2015
MR is a criminal awaiting punishment.
So, how can he play any further part in ruling the country?
These three idiots who want MR back are real MODAYAS. not
fit to be in politics.They are not even good for plucking coconuts.
MR GR & SF should now relax and enjoy the freedom for the time being.
MR & GR have given a taste of prison life to SF so he will be ok.
But for MR & GR prison life will be a new experience.
The spirits of all those killed (Sinhalese, Tamils & Muslims) will continue
to chase these thugs until they perish in Jail.
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