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| Tuesday, 6 April 2004 |
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Politics | |
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| 'We are in a grey area', says Ranil by Bharatha Malawaraarachchi Out going Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday that whoever formed the next Government will first have to show a majority in Parliament before moving into other crucial issues such as peace. "Everything else, whether it is the peace process or economy will be suspended if there is no stable Government. Today, there is no majority for any party. We are in a grey area at the moment having a Government without a majority in Parliament," Wickremesinghe told a media briefing at the Government Spokesman's Office yesterday noon.
He said any person who would be sworn in as the next Prime Minister will not have a majority in Parliament and it is certainly not good for the country. "Everything is in trouble if we don't have a Government with a majority," he said. Wickremesinghe said as far as he could see, the Alliance will not be able to get a majority. "No party has an absolute mandate. It will be an unstable Government," he said. When a foreign journalist pointed out that there has been minority Governments in countries like India, Wickremesinghe responded: "This is not India - this is Sri Lanka. Last time we had a Government like this was in 1960 and it lasted only for two months." "What you will be having now is a minority Government which cannot transact business in Parliament. It is not a question of what business you transact, it is a question of inability to transact business," he said. Responding to a question on the peace process, Wickremesinghe said in his view, the peace process had been accepted in the country. "As far as I am concerned, I think the peace process is in place, but you have to take it forward. If you move out from the Tokyo Declaration (which is the basis for discussion), there can be problems," he said. Wickremesinghe pledged that he will abide by the Tokyo Declaration. He noted that without a clear majority, any Government cannot continue the peace process. "You cannot continue with a minority Government. It cannot be. You have to move the peace process by April and May and there are so many other obligations the Government has to fulfil. All these will be issues. Before moving the peace process, the Government should prove its majority in Parliament," Wickremesinghe said. Responding to another question, he stressed that both Rauff Hakeem and Arumugam Thondaman were with the UNF. "I have been in touch with them and they are with the UNF," he added. Responding to a question about the defeat of the UNF, Wickremesinghe said he would analyze it and respond later. "Certainly we have to look into that. We are working on that and you will be informed," he said Wickremesinghe said: "There are so many things which may happen or may not. Beyond this is all your speculations." |
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