10 September 2010 06:50 am
By Jamila Najmuddin
The UNP will hold urgent talks on Tuesday to discuss the leadership crisis and the future of the party after 25 UNP MP’s warned that they will sit as independent MPs in Parliament if the party crisis is not settled soon.
UNP MP Dayasiri Jayasekera, who is among the 25 UNP MPs, told Daily Mirror online that the crisis faced by the party had gone out of control and if a solution is not found by next week then they will sit independently in parliament.
"Enough is enough. For years we have been talking about revamping the party and no one is doing anything. This is a neverending problem for all the UNP supporters and members. We urge the leader to have a quick and urgent solution," Jayasekara said.
He added, " On Wednesday we told the party leader we need to call for a meeting but he declined. We are extremely worried about this situation. I will raise this matter on Tuesday and if it is not addressed, then 25 MPs including myself will sit as independent MPs in Parliament. We have had enough," Jayasekara added.
The meeting on Tuesday will take place between UNP Leader Ranil Wickramasingha and several UNP members who have been calling for an end to the leadership crisis. The future of the organization will also be discussed during the meeting, a senior UNP MP told Daily Mirror online.
A group of prominent UNP members had on Wednesday called for an urgent meeting with Wickramasingha to discuss issues arising within the party particularly over the leadership crisis.
In a letter handed over to the Party Leader that same day the UNP members had called for the meeting to take place that very evening but the request was rejected by Wickramasingha who suggested the meeting take place next week.
The UNP members were of the opinion that one of the ways in which the leadership crisis could be settled was to create a new ‘Senior Leadership’ post within the party to which Wickramasingha should be appointed. The members had then stated that Sajith Premadasa should be appointed as the new UNP leader and Karu Jayasuriya should be retained as the Deputy Leader of the party.
Meanwhile, UNP MP John Amaratunga while confirming that the party would meet Wickramasingha on Tuesday to discuss its future said that opposition political parties and various organizations are also expected to be present during the meeting to discuss the future of the country. (Daily Mirror online)