Moves to form SLFP, UPFA Govt.- Dinesh

Discussions are under way to form a government comprising the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) MPs, Joint Opposition Parliamentarians’ Committee leader Dinesh Gunawardena said yesterday.

Negotiations between the two parties had led to them suggesting that SLFP Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva be named Prime Minister under this move, Joint Opposition MP Udaya Gammanpila said. The President suggested that we accept ministerial portfolios in a joint Cabinet, Gammanpila further said but the Joint Opposition had informed him that they would only do so if Mahinda Rajapaksa was appointed Prime Minister. The President had rejected this suggestion.

“Thus we decided that we would support the President to form a SLFP government but not accept ministerial portfolios,” he said.

Accordingly, a committee, which comprises both the SLFP and the UPFA Parliamentarians, has been appointed to look into the process of forming a new joint government.

Minister Susil Premajayantha will lead the SLFP sector at the committee while Dinesh Gunawardena will lead the UPFA sector.

Several rounds of discussions have been held between the two parties aiming to come to an acceptable conclusion. The preliminary discussion in this regard was held between Minister Premajayantha and Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa last morning.

It has been reported that the idea to form a new joint government was proposed when the Minister Premajayantha met Former President Rajapaksa at his residence on Wijerama Road, Colombo.

In the meantime UPFA MP Kumara Welgama informed the media yesterday that the President had stated that he would send for the Attorney General’s opinion on whether he, the President could remove the Prime Minister from his post.

​The move to form an SLFP government however has not been accepted favourably by all SLFPers.Sources state that a group of SLFPers led by Minister Duminda Dissanayake have opposed this deal. Further, certain factions within the Joint Opposition itself have voiced reservations regarding working together as they point out that the SLFP is yet to inform the Speaker in writing that the agreement between the UNP and SLFP stands null and void.