President Maithripala Sirisena informed us to get ready to face the Local Government elections between April and May.
The election will be held in June according to the new system for sure, Western Province Chief Minister Isura Devapriya said.
Addressing media during a press conference at his office in Colombo yesterday he said that although some in the UNP want to hold the LG polls according to the old preferential system, the SLFP does not want to do it.
At the moment the SLFP is in the process of selecting suitable candidates, he said.
The Chief Minister also said some UNP MPs have threatened SLFP MPs in the National Government: “This is not a UNP Government,” he said.
“Both the UNP and the SLFP have 82 MPs each in their sides.
The SLFP MPs cannot `go shopping' (kade yanna) for the UNP even they are in the National Government.”
“The UNP got the SLFP General Secretary to contest against the former President Rajapaksa because the UNP did not have a capable leader who could defeat the former President,” he said.
The Chief Minister pointed out that now some UNP MPs use President Sirisena's photos for their political campaigns and functions, with the intention of disappointing SLFP supporters and in order to discourage them and push them to divide the party.
They should not get the President involved in their political events, he said. Of the former President he said, “It is good if the former President stand by the policies of the SLFP.
He should contribute actively towards the victory of the UPFA in upcoming LG Polls because he is one of the advisors of the SLFP.”
“The UPFA is intact and the SLFP will face the upcoming LG Polls as one undivided political party and definitely win it,” he said.