Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) General Secretary and Government MP, Attorney Sagara Kariyawasam said that there are several politicians including the Party’s National Organiser, Basil Rajapaksa, who can be fielded as the SLPP’s candidate for the upcoming Presidential Election, instead of SLPP backed incumbent President and United National Party Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.
During a media briefing held yesterday (11) the media queried Kariyawasam as to whether there is any other politician in the SLPP who can be fielded for the Presidential Election instead of Wickremesinghe who is not part of the SLPP, to which he said: “There are definitely. We will announce it at the right time.”
The media then pointed out the impossibility of fielding former President and incumbent Government MP Mahinda Rajapaksa as per the relevant Constitutional provisions, and queried as to whether Basil Rajapaksa would be a suitable politician to be nominated as the Presidential candidate. Responding to the query, Kariyawasam said: “We have several leaders in the SLPP. As you ask about Basil Rajapaksa, I will tell. He is a very suitable person to lead the country. We know that he has demonstrated his talents. He dealt with the international community during the civil war very well and got the international support needed for the war. After the war, he uplifted the poor people and worked as the Minister of Economic Development to make Sri Lanka a country that had one of the fastest growing economies in the world. He is a very suitable leader for this country as someone who recognised the heartbeat of the innocent, poor people and took many steps to build their economy.” Speaking further, he said that there were many allegations against Basil Rajapaksa in the past over acts of corruption such as demanding commissions, but all those allegations have since proven to be false. “There were many allegations against him. Even a committee which included persons such as the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and National People’s Power Leader and Opposition MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake was appointed to look into those allegations, and cases were filed. Basil Rajapaksa faced all those trials fearlessly and he was acquitted. We have such leaders,” he added.
Announcing his decision to resign from the SLPP National List Parliamentary seat, Basil Rajapaksa, who was also the former Finance Minister, said in June, last year (2022), that he took no responsibility for the present economic crisis, but placed the blame squarely on all, including the media and the people who voted the then Government into power. After his resignation as a MP, he left for the United States and returned to Sri Lanka on 20 November, 2022.