AKD secures 70.7% of the seats in P’ment leaving opposition splintered: M.M.Zuhair

Amidst universal praise for the unprecedented confidence bestowed by the people of Sri Lanka on the National Peoples’ Power (NPP) at the recently concluded national General election, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s party, having won 61.56% of the valid votes, has secured a massive 70.7% of the seats in Parliament, thanks also to the 21 bonus seats, leaving the parliamentary opposition splintered into a dozen groups sharing 29.3 % of the remaining seats!    In a statement published on 30th September 2024, a week after the Presidential elections, It said “AKD’s party has already secured 2/3rd of the 160 electorates” Island 30/09/2024. In a statement published on 4th May 2024, commenting on the May Day rallies of major political parties, nearly 5 months prior to the presidential elections, It said “Anura Kumara Dissanayake led NPP had drawn the largest crowds, maintaining its recent trends of peoples’ support…” Daily Mirror 04/05/2024.    The tribute of unwavering trust in the disciplined leadership of the NPP must necessarily be bestowed on the people of Sri Lanka of all regions and religions, as much as on the grueling process the party and its members had gone through since 1988 to eschew the bullet and turn to the ballot.    NPP’s predecessor the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) cannot forget the 15th of December 1988 or the then United National Party (UNP) Presidential candidate Ranasinghe Premadasa who was elected President four days later on 19th December 1988 or the Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) late M. H.M.Ashroff! It was Ashroff’s initiative with Ranasinghe Premadasa to reduce the cut-off point for political parties and independent groups to enter Parliament from 12.5% to 5% which was virtually enacted overnight as the 15th Amendment to the Constitution, which opened the doors for small parties and groups to enter the democratic process!   

Though Ashroff’s plea was for the SLMC and was then frowned upon by extremist elements including sections of the media, Premadasa did recognize that he would like to see the JVP giving up violence and enter the democratic process.   

With the appointment of the new Cabinet, the people would look forward to the NPP’s leadership in rebuilding the nation expeditiously in the economic front, particularly achieving self- sufficiency within the next two years in all major food items while encouraging exports of commercial and semi- industrial products; ensuring a consistent policy of overcoming the country’s oppressive debt burden over the next decade; uniting the people as Sri Lankans respecting everyone’s ethno religious perspectives and seeking solutions to long standing grievances, minimizing thereby external interventions; eliminating all forms of corruption, injustices, discrimination and abuse of power in all sectors etc.   

The results of the general elections has shown the NPP as having earned support of all the ethnic groups, the majority Sinhalese, the Northern and upcountry Tamils and the Muslims. The manner in which the new Cabinet and the parliamentary majority resolves problems and conflicting issues, without succumbing to extremist or external elements will pave the way very soon, to eliminate the remaining pockets of majoritarian or minoritarian extremism!   

To begin with, the religious affairs of the three minority religions, where the State has a statutory role, should be assigned to Ministers already in the Cabinet who belong to the respective religions, to ensure that those who belong to other religions do not control the affairs of religious minorities.   

-The tribute of unwavering trust in the disciplined leadership of the NPP must necessarily be bestowed on the people of Sri Lanka of all regions and religions, as much as on the grueling process the party and its members had gone through since 1988 to eschew the bullet and turn to the ballot.