by Shamindra Ferdinando

Western Provincial Council member Udaya Gammanpila yesterday returned to the UPFA’s fold to back President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s re-election bid, after resigning as the JHU’s Deputy General Secretary. He warned that in the event of Maithripala Sirisena securing the presidency the country would be plunged into an unprecedented crisis.

Gammanpila said he had been left with no option but to quit the JHU as his priority was to safeguard Sri Lanka’s interests. Commenting on opposition presidential candidate Sirisena having separate electoral pacts with the UNP-led Opposition and the JHU, Gammanpila pointed out the serious discrepancies in the two agreements.

Gammanpila, addressed the media at SLFP headquarters at T. B. Jayah Mawatha.

The JHU rebel said that he didn’t want to contribute in any way to a project which was inimical to the national interest.

The JHU contested the last parliamentary poll in April 2010 on the UPFA ticket. The UPFA constituent secured two seats in Colombo (Patali Champika Ranawaka) and Gampaha (Ven. Athureliye Rathana thera) Districts.

The JHU could have averted a split had it fielded a candidate of its own at the January 8, 2015 presidential election, former Western Provincial Council Minister Gammanpila said.

Gammanpila revealed that the majority of the party heavyweights had pushed for a candidate to represent the interests of Sinhala Buddhists when the party realised the dialogue with the SLFP was on the verge of collapse.

Gammanpila claimed that in spite of having strong support within the party for joining the fray, a sudden decision was taken to field a common candidate. Gammanpila side-stepped a question whether the majority of the JHU backed the candidature of Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera as their own candidate.

Asserting that there had been shortcomings on the part of President Rajapaksa, Gammanpila said that if the incumbent was to be defeated, his successor should be a better person.

Gammanpila disclosed that he briefed JHU General Secretary and MP Patali Champika Ranawaka of his decision to quit the party on Wednesday. Asked by The Island whether he could reveal Ranawaka’s response to his move as well as explain his efforts to change Ven. Athureliye Rathana’s approach vis-a-vis presidential poll, Gammanpila said that there had been many conflicts within the party over the past six months. However, Gammanpila declined to discuss what really transpired during story sessions. “The media didn’t know what was happening on the ground.”

The country couldn’t have abolished executive powers pertaining to 13 the Amendment to the Constitution without jeopardising unitary status, said Gammanpila. He had problems as regards good governance that couldn’t be the major issue to decide on their relationship with the SLFP, he stressed.

The former Provincial Minister said it was nothing but a joke to expect former president Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga to promote good governance and Ranil Wickremesinghe to protect democracy. Gammanpila said that Maithripala Sirisena’s declaration that certain dictatorial features of the presidency would be scrapped within 100 days wasn’t realistic.

Former JHU heavyweight said that the JHU had never endorsed the 17th Amendment to the Constitution. “In fact, we never voted for its passage in Parliament,” Gammanpila said.

“Although I was given an opportunity to enter parliament twice, I turned them down, he said.

Commenting on the presidency, Gammanpila said that the people the countries which had presidential system of governance did not demand the abolition of that institution. He insisted that it was an effective system though there were some unnecessary features in Sri Lanka’s system. Gammanpila called for constitutional reforms while stressing the need to preserve the executive presidency.

Courtesy:The Island