General Secretary of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and Minister Susil Premajayantha today said that the UPFA Executive Committee has endorsed the decision taken by the SLFP Central Committee field Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Presidential Candidate of the ruling alliance.

The Minister made these comments while addressing a press conference at the UPFA Headquarters in Colombo a short while ago.

The Central Committee of SLFP on Wednesday (19) unanimously decided to nominate the party leader, President Rajapaksa, as its candidate for the Presidential Election to be held in January 2015.

Rajapaksa yesterday (20) signed the proclamation declaring his intention to hold a Presidential Election seeking another term.

In a possible reference to speculation regarding a split within the ruling party that would see a senior member resign from the government and contest as the Common Candidate, Premajayantha said: “We are used to this now.”

He stated that they are unwavered in their policies and that, however, “various politicians” have with “various policies” have followed various directions. Some of them have now disappeared, he said.

He stated that policies are what is important to the party and that the ruling party possesses hundreds of thousands of such individuals.

The Minister of Environment and Renewable Energy said that certain forces with vested interests are attempting to destabilize the country. They are attempting to do the same thing tried to do in 1959.

“What they couldn’t achieve with the bullet, they’re trying to achieve with policies,” he said.   

Speculation has been rife that SLFP General Secretary and Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena, one of the most senior members of the SLFP, is likely to leave the ruling party and contest as the Common Opposition Candidate at the next Presidential Election.

Asked about these rumours, Premajayantha stated that Sirisena served as the SLFP General Secretary until yesterday, participating in all central committee and executive meetings of the party.

“However, I cannot speak about what happens today,” he said.

Leader of the National Freedom Front (NFF) and Minister Wimal Weerawansa, who also addressed the UPFA press briefing, stated that no matter who commits the betrayal, which is historically nothing new to Sri Lanka, the UPFA will march towards victory at the Presidential poll to give Mahinda Rajapaksa a third term.

He stated that betrayals are not a new thing and that even the Ehelapola Nilame committed betrayal during King Rajasinghe’s era. Later the Ehelapola Nilame had to eat prison food in the end, he said pointing to the fate suffered by such betrayers.

The Minister of Construction, Engineering Services, Housing & Common Ammeneties charged that UNP Leader Ranil Wickramasinghe is keen to safeguard his Opposition Leader post and will look for another sacrificial lamb similar to what he did with Sarath Fonseka in 2010.

The conspiracy which they couldn’t achieve in 2010 they are attempting to implement at least now, he claimed.

Weerawansa alleged that there is nobody in the current opposition who is ready to sacrifice themselves and that therefore they will attempt to trap someone, even possible form the government.

He charged that these plans to topple the government have been hatched inside embassy offices and that they also urged the JHU to withstand these attempts to destabilize the country.

“We will not allow the country to be taken back even by an inch.”