12 June 2020 04:12 pm
United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe today appointed its National Organizer Navin Dissanayake as the President of the UNP-affiliated Lanka Jathika Estate Workers Union (LJEWU).
Mr. Dissanaysake announced his new appointment at a media briefing today and said former MP R. Yogarajan was appointed Secretary. “We were appointed in place of Harin Fernando and Vadivel Suresh who had previously held these posts. They were removed from these posts after their party membership was suspended,” he said.
“We were appointed under the powers vested in the party leader. Incidentally it was former president J.R. Jayawardene who appointed my father the late Gamini Dissanayake as the president of the UNP-led estate union,” Mr. Dissanayake said.
When asked about the withdrawal of former Minister Mangala Samaraweera from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya list in the Matara District, Mr. Dissanayake said Mr. Samaraweera and others who have withdrawn from the SJB lists are welcome to rejoin the UNP. “ We request Mr. Samaraweera to rejoin the UNP our doors are open to anyone who withdraws from the SJB electoral lists,” he said. “Many UNPers are eager to save the party from further decline and are stressing the need to take quick action to revive the party."