Sri Lanka’s oldest political entity the United National Party (UNP) has been forced to accept defeat at October’s Presidential election and will not be able to postpone the vote for two years, the Opposition said in one united voice.
The Opposition outburst came just hours after President Ranil Wickremasinghe’s UNP secretary general Range Bandara called for the postponement of October’s election by two years citing fears of economic and political instability in the country in a change of government.
“If they were sure of winning (the election) there would not be a need to call for a postponement of the election. By making such an utterance the President, government and the UNP have accepted defeat unable to face an election that they know we will come out clear winners. We don’t need any more proof”, said Opposition politician and chief organizer of the Samagi Jana Balavagaya (SJB) Tissa Attanayake.
Constitutional expert and Member of Parliament GL Peiris called the move to postpone or cancel the election a violation of the people’s democratic right as protests opposite the headquarters of the UNP in Colombo also gathered momentum with one activist branding President Wickremasinghe a son of a fox.
“Apart from the President’s UNP party the rest of the political parties in the country have in one voice opposed the postponement of the election and this is very clear. It is a case of greed and fear (for the President). On the one hand he loves power but on the other hand he also has his fears,” said Peiris.
Political activist Chanaka Bandara said any move to postpone the election would be met by a people’s revolt on a scale that ousted Wickremasdinghe’s predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
“This is JR’s (former President JR Jayawardena) Nari Bena (son of a fox) who is behind the move to postpone the election. They cannot run this country the way they want. There is a Constitution in place. We have this man Range Bandara who is the secretary of the UNP and a Member of Parliament who is displaying his ignorance like a bull.
“Be aware if the election is not held, the people will come onto the streets to safeguard democracy”, said Chanaka Bandara representing the People’s Struggle Movement.
Another Opposition political party and a sworn enemy of Wickremasinghe, the Jathika Jana Balavegaya (JJB) lashed out at Range Bandara and called on the UNP to withdraw its call for an election postponement.
“Whoever wants to postpone an election should be aware of the consequences and will face the same fate as Gotabaya Rajapaksa,” said Sunil Handunnetti national organizer of the JJB.
