UNP to go to Supreme Court
Sri Lanka’s largest single party Saturday said it will mount a legal challenge against “tyrant” President Maithripala Sirisena’s shock sacking of the legislature.
“We will go to the courts,” Mangala Samaraweera from the United National Party (UNP) told reporters in Colombo. “We will fight in the courts, we will fight in parliament and we will fight at the polls.”
Samaraweera said his party had supported Sirisena to come to power in January 2015, hoping he would be a benevolent leader like Nelson Mandela of South Africa, but that he had shown himself to be a “tyrant.”
“He (Sirisena) came to power promising to be a Mandela, but we ended up getting a Mugabe, a mad man,” Samaraweera said, referring to Zimbabwe’s strongman former president Robert Mugabe.
He said the UNP along with its allies had an absolute majority in the 225-member assembly and despite the sacking of the assembly, the party would publicly demonstrate its majority to the people.
“We will demonstrate to the public of Sri Lanka our majority. Maithripala Sirisena dissolved a parliament where we enjoyed a majority,” he said.
“We will fight the emerging tyranny of Sirisena. We will fight it in the courts, fight it in parliament and we are also ready to fight against this tyranny at the polls.
“We are on the right side of democracy, we are sure we can win this battle,” he added.
He said Sirisena had “kicked the constitution in the teeth” when he dismissed the assembly after failing to muster a majority to legitimise his replacement prime minister Mahinda Rajapakse after a two-week stand off.
(AFP)
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Mangala, You say you will fight in court, Parliament and at the polls. Dont waste your energy fighting, just respect the peoples decision on January 5th. So many countries in the world has Presidents without any election. Sri lanka is electing its President in a democratic way, so give democracy a chance.
Indra,
Your wishes have been granted.
The matter is going to Courts; though a few of the Judges are sus, the majority will prevail.
Furthermore, MR and co appear to have made the 2nd fatal decision in standing in front of the Cut Throat and receiving illegal appointments in haste, on the word of stupid advisers who promised a crossover of >20 Greenies. The 1st fatal decision was to go to early Presidential polls in Nov 2014 having listened to stupid soothsayers.
The Greenies are on a winning streak; they are bound to win the Big Chair and a Parliamentary majority whether they go to the polls now or as per constitution in 2019 and 2020.
By all means sir!
Oh! Now he is a “tyrant” but previously he was a sweet angel. What sort of low life these are these hum bugs.
I agree 100 % if parliament is open by a Supreme Court order bring in a no confidence motion against the president Sirisena and also bring in 20 amendment and read it 3 times and gazette it and end the Presidential powers for good in Sri Lanka
Fiery Fernando,
I have no problem with anybody going to the court, argue their points in an open court and getting a ruling where the judges explains the basis of their decision.