13th May, Colombo: The main opposition parties in Sri Lanka’s Parliament have refused to accept any ministerial roles in the new government to be established under Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Separate media conferences held today by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), and the group of independent parties including those of MPs Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila, revealed their choices.
Maithripala Sirisena, the SLFP’s chairman, claimed his party has refused ministerial portfolios offered by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government.
He went on to say that all political parties have a responsibility to work together for the people’s benefit and to help resolve the current national problem.
MP Bandara claimed that Ranil Wickremesinghe does not have a 113-seat majority in Parliament and that the Prime Minister is entirely reliant on the Rajapaksas and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna MPs (SLPP).
Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the head of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramun (JVP), claimed that Ranil Wickremesinghe bears the brunt of the guilt for the country’s economic decline due to the Central Bank Bond Scam, which occurred during his previous time as Prime Minister.
He also stated that the sale and deals of Parliamentarians to create the new government has already begun, adding that the JVP will never accept such offers and will not serve under a government led by Wickremesinghe.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has also stated that it will not operate under Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s leadership.
According to TNA MP Sumanthiran, the party will not take any ministerial portfolios offered by Wickremesinghe’s government.
