UNP to appoint office-bearers tomorrow

by Jaliya Wijeyekoon

The United National Party (UNP) held its Annual Convention in December and adopted a number of resolutions to revitalise the party in the hope of regaining its lost glory.

Ranil Wickremesinghe consolidated his position for a further six years as the party leader and other top positions of the party were to be filled at a subsequent Executive Committee meeting.However, due to some crucial national issues in the country it was delayed by few weeks and now the party hierarchy has decided to appoint the other top office-bearers tomorrow when the Executive Committee meets at its headquarters in Siri Kotha, Pitakotte.The incumbent National Organiser of the party Eastern Provincial Council Opposition Leader, Daya Gamage told the Sunday Observer that all the top positions of the party would be filled tomorrow and it is most likely that the same office-bearers would be reappointed by the leader for a further period.

According to the new amendments of the party, if more than one-third of the Executive Committee members do not agree to a certain person for a particular post, an election should be held among the exco members to elect a new member with majority support.

Asked whether the earlier office-bearers fulfilled their duties satisfactorily last year, he said that it was doubtful whether everybody fulfilled their duties one hundred percent successfully including himself as there were some unforeseen circumstances in the party and the Provincial Council elections. "Now all our problems have been effectively sorted out and I am quite confident that we could regain the party's lost glory soon. Now our leader, deputy leader and all other top brass are united and our goal is to form a UNP government at the next election.

"I will perform my duties fully as the National Organiser and I am quite positive that I would achieve my goals for my party soon.

By any chance if I fail to perform my duties as the National Organiser to the satisfaction of my party and the leadership, I will step down and let someone else to take over from next year, Gamage said. Daya Gamage is quite confident that with the aggressive campaign that the party hopes to launch in the near future the UNP would bounce back to power at a future election.Gamage said that the UNP is hydra-headed.