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| Sunday, 9 November 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Cautious response to President's 'national govt.' offer : UNP ready to negotiate by Don Asoka Wijewardena and Deepal Warnakulasuriya The United National Party is ready to negotiate with President Chandrika Kumaratunga to resolve the current political stand-off without causing confrontation, a senior Party official told the Sunday Observer yesterday. Meanwhile, Leader of the House and Justice and Buddha Sasana Minister W. J. M. Lokubandara told a news conference yesterday evening that the UNP parliamentary group had decided that the Party should respond to a call by the President to discuss the setting up of a 'government of national unity' only after the President had rectified the problem that has arisen with her takeover of three ministerial portfolios. As political strategising and inter-action between parties gathered momentum at the tail end of last week in the aftermath of Tuesday's Presidential move, the UNP Parliamentary Group met on Friday evening to consider their next move. A top Party official told the Sunday Observer that the UNP was keen to avoid any political confrontation that would destabilise the country. The Prime Minister and the Party leadership wanted to engage in dialogue with the President to resolve the political stand-off that followed last week's presidential takeover of the Defence, Internal Security and Mass Communication ministries. This official pointed out that political confrontation would result in instability. He also said that the UNP wanted to avoid the holding of a snap general election because of the high economic cost of elections. The Government would take every possible measure to resolve the crisis peacefully, he said. Minister Lokubandara told the media yesterday evening that the UNP Parliamentary Group had decided to initiate steps to hold a meeting of the House at which the entire Parliament would discuss and come to a decision on steps to restore political stability. The Government would consider holding general elections only as a last resort, he said. He pointed out that if there was truly a 'cohabitation', the President would have consulted the Prime Minister before acting to sack the three Ministers and takeover their portfolios. He also argued that the delay in the presentation of the Budget to Parliament cause by the suspension of Parliamentary sittings could also delay foreign aid flow into the country. He claimed that the Presidential action also put the ceasefire in jeopardy. He said that the Government was examining the validity of the takeover by the President of the Independent Television Network (ITN), which came under the Finance Ministry and the takeover of the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd, which was under the purview of the Public Trustee. |
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