Even if offered, MR should reject SLFP nomination: GL

Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa should reject nominations of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) even if he was offered to contest at future elections from that party, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Chairman G.L. Peiris said yesterday.

He made this remark in a response to the SLFP General Secretary Minister Duminda Dissanayake’s statement that the SLFP would no longer offer nomination to Mr. Rajapaksa.

“My personal view is that even if Mr. Rajapaksa is offered SLFP nominations, he should reject them in a heartbeat because the SLFP based at Darley Road has become a tool of the United National Party (UNP) today. The SLFP at Darley Road no longer follows its founding values and principles,” Prof. Peiris told a news conference.

He said the SLFP-UNP coalition government had failed to come up with solutions to the plight of the people and that in a way the government was attempting to distract the people to get its sinister moves implemented.

“With the Dengue menace, strikes and the SAITM issue, the government is attempting to divert the attention of the public so it can pave the way for dangerous plans such as the implementation of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance,” he said.

Sri Lanka signed the Convention in December 2015 and ratified it in March 2016. Prof. Peiris said most of the countries such as the US, UK and Australia had not signed the convention and countries like India or Scandinavian countries are yet to ratify the convention though they have signed it.

“The countries are reluctant to sign or ratify this convention in an attempt to save armed personnel and officials of these countries. However, Sri Lankan government had gone out of its way to sign and ratify this convention,” he said. (Lahiru Pothmulla)