Sri Lanka towards a government of national unity
Newly appointed Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena has been tasked with coordinating consultations with political parties. President Ranil Wickremesinghe spoke to parliament after his election, urging MPs to join forces to change the system. The Samagi Jana Balawegaya and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party will work together on the basis of the proposals put forward.
Colombo (AsiaNews) – Sri Lanka’s new prime minister, Dinesh Gunawardena, has been tasked with coordinating consultations with political parties to form a government of national unity with the possibility of expanding the cabinet.
For this reason, he will negotiate with the parties in parliament a common programme in which they could play a "significant role" in the government, with the objective of providing a solution to the current political and economic crises.
Government sources told AsiaNews that the two main parties in parliament, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) led by opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) of former President Maithripala Sirisena, have expressed their willingness to enter a national government depending on the proposals that will be put forward.
According to the current plan, the number of ministers will be limited to 25 since the cabinet cannot include more than 30 members, while the number of deputy ministers will be less than 40, although their number could be increased, depending on the response from the other parties in parliament.
Constitutionally, if a national government is formed, the number of cabinet ministers, ministers of state, and deputy ministers could be decided by parliament.
A government of national unity is the "best solution to overcome the current crisis,” some analysts told AsiaNews.
According to sources in the SJB, once the “model of the all-party government” is presented, they will be "willing to discuss the proposals within the party and make a final decision.”
The SLFP said instead that they would consider the proposals if their proposals too were accommodated. At present, they have not yet decided whether to accept ministerial positions or not.
According to a senior government official, newly elected President Ranil Wickremesinghe urged all parties in parliament, "to join hands and unite to implement a new system as the period of division was now over.”
“Public opinion,” he explained, “does not want the old politics; hence, parliament must unite and work together to work towards specific goals to ensure the country moves forward”.
For the president, “it is a well-known fact that the country is facing great difficulties and the country’s youth are demanding a change in the system". Hence, “it is necessary to put aside political differences and unite to get the country through this difficult period.”
In his speech, Wickremesinghe extended a special invitation to his rival candidates, Dullas Alahapperuma and Anura Kumara Dissanayake, as well as opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, former presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa, and Maithripala Sirisena and all other parties, including the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), to join the national unity government.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gunwardena took up his duties this morning. He is an old schoolmate of Wickremesinghe, a friend since the age of three, but heads a party diametrically opposed ideologically.
Whereas Wickremesinghe is a free-market champion and pro-Western, Gunawardena is a staunch Sinhala nationalist who believes in socialism and would like more state control over the economy.
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