Remove Ranil the way you removed D.M. – JO tells Maithri

The Joint Opposition have pushed President Sirisena to appoint Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva as the Prime Minister the same way he appointed Ranil Wickremesinghe on January 09. The JO have pressed the President stating that he should do this if he has genuine intentions to form a SLFP led government.

A Joint Opposition leader, when inquired about the statement made by Vajira Abeywardena claiming that the President does not have the power to dismiss a Prime Minister according to the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, said that his party’s legal experts have pointed out that there are no such legal impediments, provided the President has a genuine need and the backbone to do this.

“A UPFA government existed when Maithripala became the President on January 08. Back then, there were 121 MPs in Parliament from the SLFP without the likes of Wimal and Dinesh. Only a few SLFP MPs like Duminda Dissanayake, Faiser Mustapha, M.K.D.S. Gunewardena, Rajitha Senaratne and Arjuna Ranatunga supported President Maithri.

There was a rumour going around that at that time stating that if Ranil were to be made the Prime Minister, D.M. Jayarathne should resign first. However, D.M didn’t tender his resignation. Ranil who commanded only a minority group of MPs in Parliament, was named as the Prime Minister. Only then did the likes of Mahinda Amaraweera join the government.

It is valid even now. The support of the people lies with us after the local government elections. The opportunity has presented itself now if the President has a genuine wish to proceed”, the JO MP added explaining his stance.

 What are your thoughts on the 19th amendment?

When asked about the legal issues raised by Minister Vajira Abeywardena, The JO MP said that the same conditions that applied to the post of Prime Minister then will also apply now, especially with regard to the 19th amendment to the Constitution.

According to the nineteenth amendment to the Constitution, The Prime Minister shall continue to hold office throughout the period during which the Cabinet of Ministers continues to function under the provisions of the Constitution unless he – (a) resigns his office by a writing under his hand addressed to the President; or (b) ceases to be a Member of Parliament.

However, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has strongly rejected calls for his resignation and has challenged the President to show the majority in Parliament if he decides to appoint someone else.

Pact between JO and SLFP

Meanwhile, The JO MP further said that the Joint Opposition and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party are expected to sign a pact today (16).

The agreement between the two sides will be signed at the official residence of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the JO MP added.