By Sandun A Jayasekera   

The chief whip of the opposition and senior vice President of the SJB Lakshman Kiriella said yesterday that the SJB expects the fullest cooperation and blessings of the SLFP and the 11 party alliance for the No Confidence Motion (NCM) against the government and the Impeachment motion to oust President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.   

There must be a consensus among the two groups and all other like-minded politicians in parliament to ensure the successful conclusion of the NCM and thereby topple the Rajapaksa led government, he added.   

The SJB should have spoken to the SLFP and the 11 party alliance before collecting signatures for the NCM from parliamentarians as it was unlikely to topple the government without the support of them which is backed by 42 lawmakers, Jayasekera added.   

“We invited the Leader of the Opposition, Sajith Premadasa for a discussion. He attended and we highlighted the importance of a consensus among all political parties and politicians who aspire to see the end of the Rajapaksa regime sooner than later,” Jayasekara stressed.   

“Besides, taking signatures allegedly to an empty sheet of paper is not a proper thing to do. It affects the dignity of parliamentarians. Our position is that if the SJB expects our support, they must talk to us. Then we can discuss the game plan, when to hand over the NCM to the Speaker and the next step after toppling the Rajapaksa regime etc. We are in the dark on these vital information at the moment,” Jayasekara stressed.   

If the NCM fails to get through in the House, it will be a big boost to the government. As such all other endeavours of the opposition and the independent group to bring stability to the country and find solutions to pressing economic, social and political issues will be a total flop.  Therefore, it was extremely vital to build a strong consensus among the opposition and the independent group against the government before the NCM and the impeachment motion against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa are moved in the House, Jayasekara told Daily Mirror.