President, SLFP to back PM: UNP

President Maithripala Sirisena and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) are reported to have pledged their support to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe with regard to the no-confidence motion against him, the United National Party (UNP) said today.

UNP MP Kavinda Jayawardana said according to reports received from sources the President is backing the Prime Minister.

“However, we are not sure to what extent the reports are true. What we know is that the President will protect the government which he created and the UNP will protect the President. When others defamed him, we stood by him. Even if all SLFPers leave the President tomorrow, we won’t leave him. He is one of ours,” he told a news briefing held at Sirikotha.

The MP said the objective of the joint opposition’s no-confidence motion was to isolate the President and to destabilize the country.

MP Hirunika Premachandra said SLFP General Secretary and Minister Duminda Dissanayake has confirmed they would also back the Prime Minister.

“The SLFP Secretary has said they will vote against the motion. Its the opinion of the party leader President Sirisena which is being expressed through the secretary. Therefore, the statements made by other SLFP members cannot be held as the official views of the party,” she said.

Ms. Premachandra said the SLFP members at the Dehiwala- Mt.Lavinia Municipal Council decided to support the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) at the last moment due to the ambiguity in SLFP's decision-making prosess.

“When I asked why they supported the SLPP, the SLFP members said they received contradictory instructions from President Sirisena, Minister Duminda Dissanayake and Minister Mahinda Amaraweera. The President has to resolve this,” she said. (Lahiru Pothmulla)

Pics by Nisal Baduge