Opposition parties concerned over SJB-NPP alliance in Beruwala PS

• Opposition groups express displeasure to former President Ranil Wickremesinghe   
• SJB says its members of Beruwala PS have acted on their own  
• They acted against the advice given to them by the party. As a result, we will have to suspend their party memberships and take steps to replace them

By Yohan Perera   

A group of senior figures from several opposition parties have expressed concern over the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB)’s decision to form a joint administration in the Beruwala Pradeshiya Sabha alongside the National People’s Power (NPP).   

The displeasure was conveyed during a meeting with former President Ranil Wickremesinghe at his office on Monday evening, according to a statement from his office.   

Representatives from the People’s Alliance, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), and political leaders including Udaya Gammanpila attended the meeting. They stated that the SJB’s decision had placed them in a difficult position, particularly following the party’s earlier push for a joint opposition front to take control of local bodies that ended in a deadlock.   

In the Beruwala Pradeshiya Sabha, the NPP secured only three seats, while the SJB and an independent group each won six. Despite this, the SJB chose to partner with the NPP to form the administration, securing the Deputy Chairman post in the process.   

Some opposition leaders have speculated that the SJB may have entered into a political agreement following the Cabinet’s recent decision to investigate the alleged misuse of funds in the Central Cultural Fund in 2019.   

Meanwhile, SJB National Organizer Tissa Attanayake commented on the controversy, stating that the party’s Beruwala organizer, Ifthikar Jameel, and the six SJB members of the Pradeshiya Sabha acted without the 

party’s approval.   

“They acted against the advice given to them by the party. As a result, we will have to suspend their party memberships and take steps to replace them,” Attanayake told the Daily Mirror. The dissidents were suspended from the party later during the day