• Reiterates willingness to work with any party committed to anti-corruption efforts

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana  

The National People’s Power (NPP) will not hesitate to  change its policies if the need arises, its MP Dr. Harini Amarasuriya  in Parliament yesterday. 

 MP Amarasuriya said NPP is willing to change its policies  in the future if the need arises, whilst it will hold on to its original  policies as of now. “We will change our policies if the need arises, and we are not afraid to do it,” she said.  

“NPP is a party which is capable of understanding the  global situation and can adjust itself in line with any global change,”  he said.   

“Some are trying to point out that President Ranil  Wickremesinghe was instrumental in arranging the visit of our leaders to  India. However, the President had nothing to do with it. It is the  Indian government which directly invited our leader Anura Kumara  Dissanayake for an official visit,” she said.  

“The invitation extended to our party by the Indian  government will boost our image in the international arena. Therefore, it  is natural that certain parties have panicked about our leaders’ visit  to India,” she said.  
Dr. Amarasuriya said her party is always prepared to work  with any party who is committed to eradicate corruption in the country.  “Our party is always willing to work with any party which is committed  to eradicate corruption. This is why we decided to work with the  Yahapalana government in 2015,” she said in this regard.  

“We decided to distance ourselves from the Yahapalana  government as the then government began to deviate from the  anti-corruption drive carried out by the Anti-Corruption Committee.  Ananda Wijepala who was a member of the Anti-Corruption Committee was a  public servant. However, the then Prime Minister began to attack him  verbally during that time.  Work carried out by the Anti Corruption  Committee was disabled after it began probing actions of ministers in  the Yahapalana government,” she alleged.   

She added that what people want is a great reform which  goes to the extent of changing the political culture. “People do not  want a mere change of government,” she said.  

State Minister of Foreign Affairs Taraka Balasuriya who  responded to Dr. Amarasuriya later said the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB)  should follow the NPP and should change its policies.