-Sharmila's Letter to Ranil on the Issue Left Open
(Lanka-e-News -14.Dec.2024, 11.20 PM) When the United National Party (UNP), under Ranil Wickremesinghe’s leadership, contested the parliamentary election held on the 14th of the month as part of the newly formed National Democratic Front (NDF) using the symbol of the "Cylinder," they repeatedly claimed they would send experienced individuals to Parliament. However, they failed to reach a consensus on appointing experienced representatives to the two National List MP positions allocated to them.
During the formation of the National Democratic Front, an agreement was reached, and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Ranil Wickremesinghe on behalf of the UNP, Dr. Ramesh Pathirana as Secretary of the Podujana Nidahas Eksath Peramuna, Nimal Siripala de Silva as Chairman of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Lasantha Alagiyawanna as Secretary of the Podujana Peramuna, and Anura Priyadarshana Yapa as the leader of the new coalition. Attorney-at-Law Sharmila Perera is listed as the Secretary of the NDF.
In the absence of a consensus among the signatories on any National List MP, Sharmila Perera initially forwarded the name of Ravi Karunanayake to the Election Commission. Accordingly, the commission gazetted Ravi Karunanayake’s name. Now, as no consensus has been reached for the second MP position either, Sharmila Perera forwarded the name of President's Counsel Faizer Mustapha to the Election Commission, resulting in his name being gazetted for the second National List MP position.
In a letter sent to Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sharmila cited several issues. She stated that although Ramesh Pathirana and others proposed the name of Kanchana Wijesekera and reportedly obtained Ranil’s approval, the letter sent to Sharmila was informal and lacked an official letterhead.
Additionally, Tissa Jayawardena, as Secretary of the United People's Freedom Front, forwarded the name of Dinesh Gunawardena to Sharmila. However, the United People's Freedom Front is not a signatory to the MoU.
Similarly, Tiran Alles' name was proposed under the banner of the Podujana United Freedom Alliance, but this group also has not signed the MoU.
Under these circumstances, it has become extremely difficult for the official signatories of the MoU to agree on a single nominee. Therefore, the NDF Political Committee, where Sharmila serves as Secretary, convened and approved the nomination of President's Counsel Faizer Mustapha, forwarding his name to the Election Commission.
A copy of the letter sent by Sharmila Perera to Ranil Wickremesinghe, questioning the actions of the experienced members, is attached here.
Meanwhile, the remaining four National List MP positions allocated to the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) remain unfilled, as they continue to engage in internal disputes.
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by (2024-12-15 00:05:27)
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