"Prepare to face election instead of losing identity"- Peiris

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 November 2003, 23:21 GMT]
"The United National Front government is willing to meet a snap general election instead of losing its identity in the proposed national reconciliation government," said Sri Lanka's Constitutional Affairs Minister, Professor G.L.Peiris, addressing a UNF party meeting held Saturday evening at Borella in Colombo, media sources said.

Mr. Peiris made this announcement when analyzing the current political crisis in the background of a set of proposals submitted by the President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, for cohabitation with the ruling UNF government that has a majority in the current parliament, sources said.

Meanwhile, the 2004 Budget of the UNF government was passed in parliament after first reading Friday with a majority of 38 votes. Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians voted with the UNF government. Parliamentarians of the main opposition Peoples Alliance and Sinhala nationalist cum Marxist JVP voted against the budget. EPDP parliamentarians and the PA rebel MP, Mr.V.Puthirasikamany, did not attend parliament at the voting time, parliamentary sources said.

Mr.Peiris further said the proposal by the President to form a government national reconciliation would do harm to the national interest. The UNF government is very keen in taking forward the current peace efforts. The proposed national reconciliation government would not contribute to the peace efforts as expected. Instead, the ruling UNF would lose its identity if it supported the national government concept, Mr.Peiris said.

"If the proposed national government for reconciliation is established, defeating the peace efforts, our government is prepared to face a general election without losing its identity," said Mr.Peiris.