JO’s move would weaken party fabric

By Uditha Kumarasinghe

SLFP General Secretary and Agriculture Minister Duminda Dissanayake said, the decision by the SLFP MPs in the Joint Opposition (JO) to boycott today’s SLFP Convention is a deliberate attempt at rendering the SLFPers helpless and create internal conflicts within the party. This is not a move to strengthen the party, but rather, to weaken its fabric.

The SLFPers at grassroots level will have no difficulty in distinguishing who is sincere in safeguarding the party and its policies- the SLFP led by President Maithripala Sirisena or the SLFP dissidents in the JO who make baseless allegations against the party, the Minister told the Sunday Observer yesterday.

The SLFP convention is common to all party men. There could be different schools of thought among the members, but everybody should take part in the party convention. The decision by the SLFP dissidents to boycott it, clearly reflects their lack of commitment to strengthen the party or its supporters at grassroots level. It is obvious that their decision to boycott is nothing but to realize narrow political objectives at the cost of their own party, the Minister said.

Minister Dissanayake said, the SLFP dissidents in the JO have given three reasons to justify the boycotting. First they say, attempts are being made to emasculate the SLFP by collaborating with the UNP. This would certainly happen if the SLFP is divided, but their joining hands with the National Government will have no adverse impact on the party, the Minister countered.

Second, they say former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been subjected to various harassments and discomfort. At present, investigations are conducted on the alleged financial irregularities against the former President. However, it is this National Government which rescued the former President from being hauled before the ‘electric chair’. Had there been a UNP Government with no SLFP coalition, he could have faced this tragedy. Both, the former President and war heroes have been protected due to President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to form a National Government, Minister Dissanayake said.

The third reason highlighted by the SLFP dissidents is that the decision to boycott the convention was taken after consulting the Bala Mandalas. Primarily, they should have accepted the people’s verdict of January 8, before consulting the Bala Mandalas about attending the convention. It is absurd that they have descended to the level of consulting Bala Mandalas, ignoring the people’s verdict, the Minister said.