SLFP - UPFA CRISIS OVER .... 4 NAMES SCRATCHED OFF
The crisis that prevailed for a period of one week in relation to nominations of the SLFP and
UPFA has by now come to an end and the relevant Parties have initiated placing their signatures for the nomination papers at the Mahaweli Kendraya in Colombo, it is reported.President Maithripala has adopted a silent mode of principle in respect of the matter of giving nominations to Mahinda Rajapaksa which issue brought about pressure from within the Party as well from the common public and he had carefully sorted it out it in a manner that the former President is appeased though not to his heart's content and finally the United people's Allance has been able to collect nominations from both sides according to news received.Mahinda Rajapaksa has come forward to contest from Kurunegala as a candidate for the parliament while Namal and Chamal would be contesting from Hambantota. Since both Basil and Gotabhaya have still not given up their American citizenship they are not eligible to contest for this election according to the new amendment of the constitution.
Wimal Weeravansha and Susil Premajayantha would be contesting for Colombo and the leader for Colombo will be Susil. It is also understood thatformer General Secretary of the United National Party Tissa Atthanayaka and ownr of the newspaper 'Mawbima' former member of parliament, Tiran Alles have been named for the national list of the United People's Freedom Alliance, it is reported. While a list of 20 members of those who had been involved in various irregularities for not being granted nominations were spoken about in the past, initially the chairman Maithripala had stood his ground as withholding nominations from all of them. However, Susil and Anura had been during the past week kept on meeting and pleading continuously saying that their names have been tarnished, since they are good 'election machines', it would be a loss to drop them. It was revealed from the dialoguesthat took place among them that they were on the standpoint at the meeting held yesterday of the SLFP media briefing that 'those who wre not involved too much in irregularities are not to be taken into account'. In the process what associate of the Alliance former MP Wimal Weeravansha mentioned at a media briefing held today was "how many ' Suda's are there in the UNP .... and they find fault with the very people we bring forward which is wrong ...". As such, the 20 members who are in the blacklist as having been in the Alliance of the Mahinda segment targetting pressure on the Maithripala segment have come down to 4 and it is learned that and all other MPs have received nominations. Those 4 are the former MPs Sajin Vas Gunawardena, Duminda Silva, Mervin Silva and Sarana Goonawardena. By this morning it was reported that Mahinda Rajapaksa and his group too had given the approval under the United People's Freedom Alliance not to give nominations to them. Whatever it is, there had been no obstruction for Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Rohitha Abeygoonewardena, Johnston Fernando and Lakshman Wasantha Perera who were in the list as those who were not to be given nominations to secure their nominations.
By yesterday a problem regarding nominations being given to Prasanna Ranatunga had cropped up because it was announced that his brothers Arjuna and Ruwan both were in the Gampaha list. It was understood that excluding the aforementioned 4 all others are expected to sign for the nominations today or tomorrow at Mahaweli Kendraya.