19 July 2022 12:00 am Views - 105
By Yohan Perera
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference yesterday urged all MPs to set aside their political differences and agendas and then come to a consensus to appoint an interim President and Prime Minister who is honest and able to muster everyone’s confidence.
Absence of such an interim President and Prime Minister will further aggravate the country’ s situation and people will lose faith on all elected MPs,” the statement signed by President Sri Lanka Catholic Bishops’ Conference Bishop Harold Anthony Perera and Secretary General Bishop Anthony Jayakody said. The Bishops Conference also called for the fixing of a time frame for the General Election so that people could exercise their franchise and choose their representatives.
“The country is in a crisis situation, economically, socially and politically. It has crippled our motherland totally. What the country needs is an instant remedy and work on long and short term solutions to put it back on track. Since political instability is at the centre an interim leadership has to be established. It seems that there is a tussle for political power. All political parties are yet to come out with a consensus on new President and Prime Minister. The need of the hour is a consensual government for a specific period. Rejected leaders should not be entrusted with the government,” the Bishops Conference added.
Meanwhile Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith issuing a separate statement said Parliament should elect a new President and a Prime minister who are acceptable to everyone. He urged parties not to try and buy over MPs from other camps.