The leader of the United National Party (UNP) and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe today met with the Chief Prelates of the Malwathu and Asgiri chapters and briefed them on the current political crisis.
UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe who visited the Malwatte Vihara first called on the Mahanayake Thera of the Malwathu Chapter Most Ven. Thibbatuwawe Sumangala Thera and received his blessings. Thereafter Mr. Wickramasinghe met with the Chief Prelate of the Asgiriya Chapter Most Ven. Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thero at the Asgiriya Temple.
Following the meetings with the chief prelates, the former Prime Minister joined a UNP public rally held in Kandy this morning to protest the political coup orchestrated by the President Maithripala Sirisena.
Speaking at the rally, Wickremesinghe commended the Speaker Karu Jayasuriya for following the Standing Orders and standing up to the purported government to reestablish democracy in parliament.
“We should thank the Speaker for his outstanding conduct. Now they blame him for enforcing Standing Orders. Because he was not subdued. Because of him peace reestablished in the parliament.”
Wickremesinghe pointed out that a majority of people in 2015 voted at Presidential and Parliamentary Elections to keep Mahinda Rajapaksa out of office, but the president has given power to someone who was rejected by the people.
He said the parliament’s value and the future of the people should not be destroyed through the forcible gain of power in Parliament.
The UNP leader stressed that the current political developments in the country are undemocratic and the trust placed by the youth and the general public has been destroyed by such acts. If this political crisis continued, the future of the country, the people and the youth will be in jeopardy, the UNP leader said. “We are not afraid of elections if they held constitutionally,” UNP leader said requesting the people to unite and fight against the Sirisena-Rajapaksa dictatorship and restore democracy.
Courtesy: Colombo Page
