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Deal reached on UNP crisis
Milinda Moragoda stakes claim for joint deputy leader’s post
By Santhush Fernando
The UNP dissident faction has consented, during Christmas Day discussions held in Bangkok, to Ranil Wickremesinghe’s continuation as Opposition Leader.
Dissident faction leaders Dr. Rajitha Senaratne and Ravi Karunanayake agreed to Mr. Wickremesinghe’s continuation as the Opposition Leader during the discussions where it was also settled that Karu Jayasuriya would lead the campaign in the forthcoming local government elections and any general election held in future, The Sunday Times learns.

Dr. Senaratne confirmed to The Sunday Times about the agreement with Mr. Wickremesinghe in Bangkok. Mr. Wickremesinghe is to give the green light to drastic changes in the party structure before the Party Convention scheduled to be held in February, following the approval of the Working Committee.

It was also agreed that Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya be appointed as Party Leader while the present leader would be appointed to the newly created ‘Senior Leader’, a post similar to the one held by former Singaporean Premier Lee Kwan Yew.

In a bid to salvage his party Mr. Wickremesinghe has also agreed to additional proposals including the election of party officials in each electorate by its membership in place of appointment to such by the party leadership.
Office-bearers such as chairman and general secretary presently held by non-politicians will also be appointed from among MPs or those active in politics and the UNP Working Committee will also be restricted to active politicians, these sources said.

Earlier, Mr. Wickremesinghe had reportedly pledged that the Party Constitution will be amended to accommodate the reforms proposed by him and others, which would reflect a democratisation of the party leadership.

Party Assistant General Secretary Tissa Attanayake told The Sunday Times that subsequent to the Working Committee approving the reforms, they would be adopted at the Party Convention postponed to February due to the Presidential election and internal rifts which rocked the party following the defeat of its Presidential candidate.

Meanwhile, Colombo Distrct UNP MP Milinda Moragoda is reported to have sent a proposal to the 'reformist' group of the UNP suggesting that he be made a deputy leader along with incumbent Karu Jayasuriya as sweeping changes are likely to come into effect in the new year.Mr. Moragoda, who was severely criticised by party members, especially those from the Tamil community for wrecking Mr. Wickremesinghe's chances at the Presidential election by publicly stating that the UNP should be credited for creating the LTTE's break-away Karuna faction, has now made a move to ask the 'reformists' to make him a deputy leader of the party.

In an MoU he has reportedly submitted to the 'reformist' group, Mr. Moragoda has said he will support Mr. Karu Jayasuriya (against Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe ) to be made the Opposition Leader in return for Mr. Jayasuriya's support to make him (Mr. Moragoda) a deputy leader. The Moragoda MoU calls for changes in the party's constitution to make for two deputy leaders. He has also endorsed a Leadership Council which the 'reformists' are pushing for which will oversee party appointments and policy. Mr. Moragoda has nominated himself into this Leadership Council as well in addition to Messrs Wickremesinghe, Jayasuriya, Rukman Senanayake, S.B. Dissanayake, Joseph Michael Perera and Gamini Lokuge. He has nominated Messrs. Wijeyapala Mendis, M.H. Mohamed, Alick Aluvihare and Dharmadasa Banda as patrons of the party and Mr. Rukman Senanayake as Chairman of the party with Imtiaz Bakeer Marker as Secretary, S.B. Dissanayake as National Organiser, Joseph Michael Perera as Chief Whip and Mr. Gamini Lokuge as Treasurer.

The Moragoda MoU also recommends as Presidents of the affiliated wings Sajith Premadasa (Youth), Ms. Thalatha Athukorale (Womens), Dr. Rajitha Senaratne (Trade Unions) and Naveen Dissanayake ( Plantation Unions).
Mr. Moragoda was not available for comment as he is presently in The Hague after spending his Christmas holidays with his American family members. Soon after the Presidential elections he had left the country, and returned for a few days to draft the MoU and left against the US.

However, aides close to Mr. Moragoda said that he had not given such a MoU, but had discussed some of these reforms with Mr. Wickremesinghe.
The 'reformist' group which comprises Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, Gamini Lokuge, Rukman Senanayake, Prof. G.L. Peiris, Ranjit Madduma Bandara and M.H. Mohamed have called for a different set of office-bearers with Mr. Wickremesinghe retaining his post as Opposition Leader but given a new post as Senior Leader of the party and Karu Jayasuriya made the party leader, both of them however coming under the control of an apex-body called the Supreme Council.

The group has almost finalised a list of office-bearers which reads as Karu Jayasuriya (Party Leader), Ranil Wickremesinghe (Opposition Leader), M.H. Mohamed, Alick Aluvihare and Dharmadasa Banda as patrons, Wijeyapala Mendis (Chairman), S.B. Dissanayake and Rukman Senanayake (Vice Chairmen), Imtiaz Bakeer Marker (General Secretary), M. Swaminathan (Treasurer), Dr. Rajitha Senaratne (National Organizer), Gamini Lokuge (Trade Unions), Sajith Premadasa (Youth) and Ms. Thalatha Athukorale (Lak Vanitha - Women’s wing).

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