The UNP leadership is not yet decided on the possible candidate to fill up the vacant national list position, whilst the party members stay divided on the issue, party sources said.
Two potential candidates to fill this vacancy are Field
Marshal Sarath Fonseka and Rosy Senanayake, it is learnt.
Both were unsuccessful candidates at the last general
election where Fonseka’s entire party received only 28,626 votes from the total
country and 5238 votes from the Colombo district. Fonseka’s personal votes were
not counted as those were not deemed necessary by elections commissioner. In
contrast Rosy polled over 68000 votes from Colombo district becoming one after
the last selected candidate of the Colombo list.
Fonseka’s nomination for the vacant national list position
is being promoted by Ministers Malik Samawickrama, Chandrani Bandara, Champika
Ranawaka and Rajitha Senaratne while Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Ravi Karunanayaka,
Harin Fernando and few others are promoting Rosy Senanayake.
Two key arguments are being forwarded against Fonseka by his
opponents. One is the fact that he is a serving soldier drawing a monthly
salary from the army. The second argument is a judgement by Mark Fernando which
blocks a defeated candidate from one party being nominated through nationalist
of another party. Legal action is imminent if Fonseka is appointed, party
sources said.
At a meeting of UNP cabinet memebers last week,
interestingly Women’s Affairs Minister Chandrani Bandara had promoted Fonseka
on four consecutive occassions that prompted an uncomfortable response from the
leader. “Why is this Women Affairs Minister so interested in bringing that man
who is well known for violating the rights of his own wife,” one minister had
asked. It is clear jealousy against Rosy by one of her own colleagues, this
minister told Colombo Telegraph.
However, Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe has asked Wijeyadasa
Rajapakshe to get him further details of the Mark Fernando judgement.
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