My proposal for a common opposition front was not heeded: Mayantha

By Yohan Perera

Lack of understanding among right-wing and centre parties made me decide to keep away from the General Election this year, former Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Mayantha Dissanayake said yesterday.

“I took a bold decision not to contest the General Election this year because there is no understanding between the parties which follow the right wing and middle path. I don’t mean that there should have been a merger of all these parties, but only saying that there should have been some kind of understanding among them,” Mr. Dissanayake told Daily Mirror.

“I have proposed that right-wing parties and those who follow a middle path should come to an understanding. I made this proposal to the party leadership from the beginning, but that did not come through,” he said.
He said these parties should have fielded a common candidate for the Presidential Election as well.
However, Mr. Dissanayake said he will remain as the SJB Nuwara Eliya District leader and will support all candidates who will be contesting the General Election from the district.

Also, he said he intends to contest other elections such as the Provincial Council election in the future.
Commenting on the future of SJB, the former MP said he believed that the party would emerge stronger under a new direction.

Also, he said the vacuum created by the demise of his father late Minister Gamini Dissanayake is still felt by many. There are people who say the political situation would have been much better if my late father was alive today. “ ‘Ane Gamini Dissanayake Mahaththaya ada hitiyanag’ they always say,” he said.