UNP seniors seek urgent Convention

[September 15 2010]

By Shanika Sriyananda

With the internal crisis deepening, UNP senior politicians have urged the UNP leadership to call the Annual Convention to reform the party.

Several prominent UNP politicians threatened to be independent if the party leadership ignored calls to save the party from the crisis immediately. UNP Media Spokesperson parliamentarian Gayantha Karunathilaka said the Convention was scheduled for December but many UNPers including its top Parliamentarians wanted to reform the party according to the UNP Reform Committee recommendations, soon.

“ The Committee has recommended a system to appoint the party leadership and other top posts through a Special Committee. There are several other vital recommendations in the report but without holding the Convention we cannot bring any changes”, he said. According to informed sources, the majority of UNPers are in favour a new leadership and want changes in other top posts too.

“ The party Convention needs to be held before December and we cannot delay it if we want to make the UNP a vibrant party as it was”, he added. Karunatilake stressed that the party needed new faces to face the future challenges. However, the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe told the reporters that future leaders like Sajith Premadasa would be given a chance to hold more responsibilities