Posted on January 29, 2010 by admin

SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena, MP, yesterday said that the abolition of the Executive Presidency could no longer be an issue as the people had overwhelmingly rejected the joint Opposition s vow to do away with the executive powers.

Responding to The Island query, at the first post-presidential poll press conference at the BMICH, the Agriculture Minister said that clipping the presidential wings had been the main campaign slogan of the UNP-JVP combine though they turned a blind eye to its appeal.

He said that in light of the extraordinary victory achieved by President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Tuesday s poll, the abolition of the executive presidency could not be a panacea for all ills as claimed by the UNP-JVP combine. It was a mandate to continue with the existing presidential system of governance.

Sirisena, who is widely believed to be one of the ruling party politicians, who had been high on the LTTE hit list, emphasised that the war effort would have failed if the enemy destabilised the country by manipulating the Parliament. Minister Sirisena said that he did not want to ridicule Parliament though it was no secret what was going on for some time.

He said that the President had effectively used executive powers to resist foreign intervention in support of the LTTE.

National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa, MP, emphasised that no one could win a national election without affirming his or her commitment to the concept of a unitary State. He asserted that people had rejected the Opposition move to do away with the country s unitary character to suit whims and fancies of the separatists. He said that the country could not have been deceived by what he called Sakvithi-type lies propagated by a set of bankrupt politicians bent on causing chaos. He said that a project to undermine and destabilise the country and pave the way for foreign intervention involved a section of the diplomatic community, the Katakatha Brigade and use of the internet and SMS to paint a bleak picture of the country.

The former JVP heavyweight said that JVP would not be a decisive factor in Sri Lankan politics due extremely poor showing at the presidential polls. Criticising JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe for taking politically suicidal decision to throw his weight behind the UNP, Weerawansa claimed that a substantial number of loyal members had deserted the party at the presidential. President Rajapaksa performed better in the Southern Province due to a section of the JVP voting for him regardless of a party directive to support the candidate of the Opposition presidential candidate. He said that nothing could have been as irresponsible on the part of the JVP leadership to join an alliance comprising the UNP-TNA-SLMC and the Western People s Front.

JHU representative Minister Patali Champika said that minority political parties could no longer function as kingmakers. He said that they had lost their power and today they were actually capable of only destroying leaders and not helping them to achieve their political objectives.