Wednesday, 19 May 2004 |
Politics |
News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries | Young UNPers make scathing attack on leadership The UNP leadership was hauled over the coals yesterday for not permitting the election of the party office bearers by secret vote. The young local leaders from Kolonnawa, Agalawatta, Homagama, Maharagama, Sitawaka in the Western Province, Chilaw in the North Western Province and Sabaragamuwa at a meeting presided over by the former Higher Education Minister Kabir Hassim registered their protest over the performance of the UNP Secretary General Tissa Kapukotuwa and scathing attacks on former Secretary to Finance Ministry Charitha Rathwatta and UNP Kalutara district MP and former Labour Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe and former Youth Affairs and Sports Minister and Kurunegala district MP johnston Fernando for failing to keep the promises they had made. Members also attacked the conduct of the Prime Minister's Media Unit and said that they were greatly responsible for the defeat of the party. Their wrong advice and strategy brought the downfall of the party at the last general election. They wanted the Party leadership to remove these "media pundits" to save the party. The members expressed their joy over the resignation of Tissa Kapukotuwa and called upon the leadership to follow the steps of Ranasinghe Premadasa if they were serious about the future of the party. When the members saw Kapukotuwa entering the meeting hall and leave, some members called upon him to stay and listen to what they have got to say. They were very critical of the UNP Secretary General and said that he was a man who never felt the pulse of the ordinary masses of this country and said that he did not have the decency to reply to letters sent from the grass-roots level membership or the party branches. Members also pointed out that it was pointless to have MPs like Milinda Moragoda who travels round the world and did nothing to the people he represented nor to the country at large. "We find that there is a place for those who have wealth. Those who are good looking and attractive. But there is no place for the people who work relentlessly for the party. This should change," they said. |
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