Opposition Leader Nimal Siripala De Silva says that it is not important who will be appointed as the Prime Minister and that what is important is that a Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) government is formed.
“Neither I nor anyone else has so far made a request that I be made the Prime Minister,” the former Minister said while emphasizing that he is working tirelessly only for the benefit of the party and not expecting any posts.
According to the parliamentary system, following the conclusion of a General Election the MP who commands the confidence of a majority of the Parliamentarians will be appointed as the Prime Minister, he pointed out.
De Silva stated that if he is able to win the majority of the support of MPs then he will be appointed as the Prime Minister and if someone else wins it they will be made PM.
“Who knows if we will win or lose? These things can’t be predicted. In politics, we have to be prepared for anything,” he told reporters in Colombo today.
He said that it is good if the SLFP manages to secure a majority of the seats in parliament and that it is their aspiration and hope to obtain more than 113 seats and establish an SLFP government.
“If due to some reason we don’t get 113, we will have to add other parties. Then a problem will surface there as well. Therefore this is only a problem which is assumed.”
“What we are saying is let’s move forward without allowing this to damage the unity within the party,” he pleaded.
He stated that the President should be allowed to decide, when the time comes, the appropriate Member of Parliament who should be given the Premiership. “We have no greediness.”
“Everybody thinks I want to become the Prime Minister. I have no such madness.”
The Opposition Leader stated that what he wants is for members of the SLFP who have been “assaulted, sacked from their jobs and stranded” to no longer face such predicaments.
“I have made more than enough of sacrifices for the party. I’m prepared to make those sacrifices at any given time,” he said, adding, that “it is not important who the Prime Minister is, we want a Sri Lanka Freedom Party government.
On the criticism directed at him as the Opposition Leader by certain group, the veteran politician said that: “the people can chase me away by defeating me at the next election, if they think I am not strong enough and then the party can appoint someone else.”
“However, I have no intention of continuing as the Opposition Leader for a long period. I want give the strength necessary to establish a SLFP government,” he said.
