Alliance Wing 40 - 47 sits separately next Tuesday

Alliance Wing 40 - 47 sits separately next Tuesday ...

Will they come up as a new Opposition?

Majority of two-thirds for National Government

Political sources reveal that after the parliament meet next Tuesday (22), it would be possible to correctly identify the Opposition of the new government. By now 6 from the JVP and 16 from the Tamil Alliance are functioning as 22 confirmed members of the Opposition and because a section of

the Alliance has acquired Minister Posts with the National Government a complicated situation had arisen about the total number coming over to the Opposition from the Alliance. By now it is estimated that the group concerned could be something between 40 - 47, as reported. Accordingly, the number of MPs of the Opposition of the new parliament would be 62 - 69. Though the maximum for the Opposition would be 69, the government Party could boast of 155 whereby it would be a majority of two-thirds.

The SLFP Members who who wish to function as an Opposition group managed to get a chance of a confrontation with President Maithripala Sirisena day-before-yesterday and all of them were 29 in number. 29 Members including Dallas Alahapperuma, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Prasanna Ranatunga, Bandula Gunawardena, Gamini Lokuge, Ranjith Soysa, Geetha Kumarasingha, Johnston Fernando and Kumara Welgama participated on this occasion while Mahinda Rajapaksa was absent. 

The President had informed that he had no objection against the group of MPs who wanted to sit in the Opposition and had also added that it is not necessary to change the leadership of the Opposition either. The President Maithripala Sirisena also mentioned that the position of organisers of  Electoral Seats would not be abolished. This decision is to be conveyed to the Speaker once parliament opens next 22nd and as such the Alliance inclusive of Mahinda would take their seats in the Opposition separately. 

As such, a debatable situation has emerged about the future of this group. The reason for this is that while they comport themselves in the Opposition in the parliament the representatives of the SLFP on a district and provincial council level are at a standpoint of supporting the government in a partial manner. Under these conditions the government would not be subjected to criticism at Alliance stages at future elections.

Some have thought of 'getting up with Mahinda' as a separate Party ,thinking that this group would be totally stranded. Whatever it is, what Vasudeva Nanayakkara said by making a statement yesterday was that he is against that idea because forming such separate Parties would give rise to a complicated atmosphere.