31 August 2019 01:31 am Views - 1088
UNP will ultimately field the candidate who is wanted by everyone and who could win the presidential elections, the party’s Gampaha District MP Harshana Rajakaruna said yesterday.
Mr. Rajakaruna told a press conference yesterday that the candidate of the party would be one who is most popular among the people. He said the party has three opinions when it comes to the candidature, which would include the current party Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa and Speaker Karu Jayasuriya.
Asked why the party is divided on the candidature, the MP said it will come together once the candidate is named. “All members of the party will come together to back its presidential candidate once he is named. Voicing of different opinions is a usual phenomenon when it comes to choosing a candidate for the presidential election. The situation was the same as the SLPP before the former Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa was named as its candidate. All UNPers will come together to back our party’s candidate once he is named,” MP Rajakaruna said.
Also, he said there are many important issues which have to be spoken of today other than the presidential election. “The Matara - Hambantota stretch of the Southern Expressway will be opened in a few days time, while salary increments have been given to public servants. The number of recipients of the allowance paid to disabled persons has been increased from 35,000 to 70,000 while Samurdhi is paid for 600,000 unlike in the past. These factors are hardly talked of while the focus is on the presidential election which has not even been declared as yet,” the MP added. (Yohan Perera)