Securing local bodies is only the beginning : Tissa

By Yohan Perera 

Whilst highlighting that the joint opposition effort to secure local bodies have been a success, one of its allies yesterday said the joint effort of all opposition parties will continue to confront the ruling party together.   

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) National Organizer Tissa Attanayake who played the role of bringing opposition parties together in order to secure local bodies said joint effort of opposition parties would remain and would work together.   

“Joining up to secure local bodies was only a beginning,” Attanayake told a media briefing.   

SJB, SLPP, UNP and PA got into an understanding to form administrations of hung local bodies together in the recent past.  

“Joint opposition effort to secure local bodies has been a success as they have managed to secure 94 local bodies where no party commands a majority. The ruling NPP has only been able to secure 71 hung local bodies. The SJB has been able to secure 34 local bodies, IATAK has secured 31, SLPP 26, SLMC 3, ACMC 3, CWC 3,PA 2 while UNP has secured 2 local bodies,” he revealed   

“There are ten local bodies for which votes are to be held to get their heads elected next week. We are confident of achieving our target of securing 100 local bodies,”Attanayake added.   

Also he claimed that NPP was able to secure some of the hung local bodies because of the influence inflicted by various Ministers who were present when the votes were taken up. “Even President Anura Kumara Dissanayake also influenced the outcome of votes by making various statements from time to time,” he said.   

Meanwhile Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said NPP has been able to secure power in more than 200 local bodies. “NPP has been able to secure more than 200 local bodies while main opposition has been able to secure only little more than 30 local bodies. Can one say that the figure 200 is lower than 30. Only a person such as Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa could make such a claim,” he said.