‘Only retiring ministers’ offspring given nominations’

Sandasen MARASINGHE

The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has not given nominations to children of ministers to contest at the forthcoming Provincial Council election, SLFP General Secretary and Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena said.

He said nominations to children of several ministers were given as those ministers requested in writing to do so stating they hope not to contest in the next general election.

Sirisena made this observation in response to a question by a journalist at the UPFA press conference at the Mahaweli Centre.

He said Minister Jagath Balasooriya and Deputy Ministers M K D S Gunawardena and Lalith Dissanayake have made their request in writing stating they would not contest the next general election.

In their letter, they had requested to grant their children the chance to contest on this account. The minister said there are other contestants whose parents are ministers, deputy ministers or MPs who have been granted nomination as they had already contested at least once.