Angry President says Enough is enough
President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday (16), walked out of the Cabinet meeting after making an emotional speech, in which he criticized United National Party (UNP) members who were attacking him on the campaign trail, authoritative political sources told Ceylon Today yesterday.
Tracing his political roots, President Sirisena reminded the Ministers that he had reached the top after a hard struggle and taking the brave risk of contesting as the Common Candidate against a powerful incumbent.
He also said, he had given up a significant portion of the powers of an Executive President to the Prime Minister. He had also pointed out that he had not meddled in the Government.
He noted that the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Central Bank Bonds issue had not been appointed by him to attack the UNP.
He reminded the Prime Minister and the Ministers that he had opposed the appointment of Arjuna Mahendran as the Governor of the Central Bank.
He also pointed out that he had opposed the appointment of Ravi Karunanayake as Finance Minister and pointed out that the Government had ignored the advice.
He said, several UNP Ministers and Members of Parliament, including Sujeewa Senasinghe, Nalin Bandara, Harin Fernando, Chaminda Wijesiri and S.M. Marikkar are launching scathing attacks on him.
The President had then said, under these circumstances he could not…… work with the UNP Government and the cohabitation has to end. Finally saying “then you can run the Government on your own,” he had got up from his seat and walked away.
Then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and a group of senior Ministers had followed him and gone to the President’s room at the Presidential Secretariat and spoken to him. They then persuaded the President to return and escorted him to the Cabinet room and the Cabinet meeting began in earnest.
Multiple sources from the Cabinet confirmed these details to Ceylon Today.
Thereafter, it was agreed at the Cabinet meeting that the UNP and the SLFP would not criticize each other, especially in the run up to the 10 February Local Government elections.
(Source: Ceylon Today – By Ravi Ladduwahetty and W.K. Prasad Manju)
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A missed opportunity.
He should have been let to walk out of Yahapalana.
RW is too much of a Statesman and a Patriot.
RW too much of a Statesman & a Patriot? Come on read the teaxt carefully. HE Sirisena said Ravi and Mahedran were given posts contrary to HE’s advice. Statements and Patriots never appoint rogues to important positions! Never protect them after proven guilty!!
Ravi and Mahendram saved the nation from total economic collapse.
There were billions of dollars owed to Constrictors of roads, airport and harbour. There was nil budgetary allocation. Further delay in payments would have incurred many more billions of dollars as delay costs.
The money from Bond Auctions paid off most Constructors who had been awarded inflated contracts by previous rulers.
If the Bond Auctions had been confined to the initial amount, the country’s economy would have collapsed under debt burden.
Text book sort of struggle is associated somehing more than what he went through to reach the top as he claim. It was basically and outcome of the UNP rallying behind him backed by the muslims and the tamil parties. The outcome of this unholy alliance will have lasting influence in time to come. As is he claims that he opposed to the appointment of RK’s appointment to the finance ministry. owever he concede for reasons known to himself. Having done so he conceded to Mahendran another crook in Mahendran to be appointed to head the CB.
Sirisenas road to perdition continued wit the confirming the appointment of coomaraswamy to replace Mahenradn……again reasons known to himslef for he neither has the qualifications nor experience to direct CB operations. As is the CB is nothing more than alibaba`s cave with divided loyalties and its corrupt operations run deep and resolution of its problems will meed something more than the IMF.
SLFP.s loyalty to Sirisena is paper thin and does not command the respect to campaign succesfully at the next presidential election. Nor can he provide the leadership to the party to win win the next general election. He is fighting hard to establish his credibility but has fallen short of expectations. He has done nothing to contain the muslims in wil[pattu nor declared that the operations are illegal! Then the issues in connections with colonisation of sri pada reserve. He some reason has failed miserably to strengthen the sinhala coalition that led banda to leave the unp in tatters in 1956. Contrary to banda vision he has undermined the buddhists allegeing that they are formenting extremism.
Most likely sirisena need to write a new chapter to is politics. unfortunately he has not robbed to make enogh money to do even that maybe his progeny and siblings maybe of some help
Looks like parawalalla has begun to come homeward!!!!
Hey Zama,
You reckon Sillysena Family is pure Lotus?
Mate, the bro is in Tech Policy institution selling band width to Killy.
The SIL is komis agent for Soviet ship makers.
The Daughter’s advertising agency handles all Govt accounts similar to what NR Associates (Legal Service provider) did during the previous regime.
Also, the Bro who is a rice dealer in A’Pura, commands national retail prices of Rice.
Mate, the Sillysena Family activities were highlighted in a London Based website which has now been banned in SL.
Hello Indra, I read your comments for a long time. You are Rajapakse henchman.
why is it that sirisena who has all the above facts against him and our chaotic economy being due to him is attacking the UNP and Ranil he should have being permitted to leave