Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said the Samagi Jana Balawegaya and the United National Party have “already come together” as a working alliance and challenged the government to hold long-delayed Provincial Council elections, addressing the SJB’s May Day rally at the P.D. Sirisena Grounds in Maligawatte on Friday.
Premadasa said earlier suggestions that a committee be appointed to facilitate cooperation between the two parties were no longer necessary as the alliance had effectively taken shape, and accused unnamed individuals of attempting to undermine the unity. He said the two parties were “ready to move forward collectively.”
The framing goes further than SJB senior MP Lakshman Kiriella’s earlier prediction, which described an opposition alliance as a future event that would crystallise after polls were declared. Premadasa’s remarks are the first time the SJB leadership has stated publicly that the alliance is already operational.
On the polls themselves, Premadasa said “the people must be given an opportunity to express their mandate” and that the government should not delay the democratic process. Provincial Council elections have not been held islandwide since 2013, and a parliamentary Select Committee continues to study legal hurdles, including amendments to the Provincial Councils Elections Act and outstanding delimitation rules.
Premadasa criticised the government on economic management, governance and what he described as alleged corruption, claiming public institutions had been weakened. He said the country needed urgent solutions for farmers, workers, professionals and vulnerable communities, and that the SJB was prepared to present an alternative programme. The opposition would also continue to work with “other progressive forces” to rebuild the country, he said.
Source: Newswire.
