19 August 2019 08:51 am
“Individually, anybody could call himself or herself as the presidential candidate. Whatever it is, anyone should agree to the final decision taken by the party as a whole,” said Agriculture Minister P. Harrison yesterday.
The Minister said this at a function in Kekirawa to mark the payment of compensation to farmers for their crop failure.
He said there had been agreement among the party leaders on various conditions put forward. The Minister said the party leaders would sit together and decide on the candidate.
Mr. Harrison said it was not only Minister Sajith Premadasa but also Minister Lakshman Kiriella proposed to offer himself as the party’s candidate for the presidential elections. He said Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe would not take arbitrary decisions.
“The Prime Minister will listen to all shades of opinion and take the final decision,” he said.
He said the UNP was not a party belonging to one individual or group. (Kanchana Kumara Ariyadasa)