JO members consoling themselves with ‘shadow minister’ posts - UNP

The members of the so called “Joint Opposition” are mostly former Ministers who are unable to survive without a ministerial portfolio and therefore they at least want to console themselves by becoming ‘shadow ministers,’ the UNP said today.

“Because they don’t have ministerial portfolios, they want to at least be shadow ministers. Or else they can’t survive,” UNP MP Ajith Mannapperuma told reporters in Colombo.

He claimed that the majority of the ‘Joint Opposition’ members had engaged in large scale corruption while they served as ministers in the former government and now that they are no longer ministers they are trying to console themselves by creating a shadow cabinet. 

The duty of the opposition is to point out the government’s mistakes and explain shortcoming, not to put on “cockfights,” Mannapperuma said.

He charged that what the ‘Joint Opposition’ is trying to do is destroy the country and that they constantly “pull the leg” when the government is preparing to do something good.