Disciplinary Action Against Johnny And Indi
The United National Party (UNP) will initiate disciplinary action against two of its rebel members, Johnston Fernando and Indika Bandaranayake for making negative proclamations against party decisions.
UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake said that although the members had the democracy to give dissenting opinions on party decisions within the party, they cannot make such statements in public.
“We sacked Azath Salley because he went public against the party decision, and action will now be taken against Fernando and Bandaranayake,” Attanayake added. (MM)
These two members together with about 25 more rebel UNP Ministers in the Government are lucky to have a President like Mahinda. Now the Excellency has thrown about 25 to 30 life saving belts into the sea from his boat, even though he had two more years to hold the Presidential Elections. The million doller hidden secret behind this gamble done by HE was due to the impending Parliamentary Elections due before the end of April 2010.
So the President was faced with the uphill task of selecting UPFA lists of members for the General Elections in 2010, as he has already about 30 extra Cabinet Ministrs from the UNP with him, to give nominations from the UPFA list.
But as he had already sitting MP’s who are members of the UPFA, where the rebel UNP Ministers were elected from, and also he has other SLFP electoral organizers in the district electorates, if had gone for a General Elections first, there would have been a big split within the Goverment Party sitting MP’s and electorate organizers, and the rebel UNP Ministers now within the Goverment, and the HE was faced with a difficult task of showing the gratitude for the rebel UNP members to keep their existing jobs as Ministers.
So His Excellency the President was forced to go for a snap Presidential Elections first and to save the existing UPFA members Parliamentary seats, UNP rebel members Parliamentary seats in tact, by having the Presidential Elections two years ahead of time.
And also the HE was aware of the if the Parlimentary Elections are held first, he has to name a Prime Minnisterial Candidate too. And also he has to leave room for the JHU members too to keep their MP positions, as he was faced with the task of accomodating them too on the UPFA list, together with other 13 political parties now supporting the President inside the Parlement.
So the excellency the President had no choice open, but to sacrifice his two years for sake of the problems he was faced in preparing the UPFA nominations lists for the 2010 April Parlementary Elections.
So now he has thrown several life saving belts from his boat, to rescue the rebel UNP Ministers, JHU, and other 13 political party representatives now supporting him in Parlement.
Even though one may argue that by holding the Presidential Elections in adance time is to show how democracy exists in Sri Lanka, if we examine the above listed facts carefully, another person could argue that there was a hidden motivation, in having the Presidential Elections first.
And also according to the TV news more that 200,000 displaced Tamil citizens have not applied for voting registration, and only about less than 7000 have applied so far, the argument put forward by His excellency the President saying that he is holding his elections first, to get the mandate from the tamil people in the North and East also leaves a big question hanging on now?????