Sri Lanka opposition party leaders meet to discuss party's future

Sri Lanka's crisis-ridden main opposition United National Party (UNP) leaders are to meet on Tuesday (14) to discuss the party's future and the strategy for the upcoming Local Government elections.
 UNP Gampaha District Parliamentarian Joseph Michael Perera told the local media that Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya, General Secretary Tissa Attanayake, and himself, among others are scheduled to meet the Opposition and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe at party headquarters Sirikotha to discuss the Local Government polls scheduled to. be held under the first-past-the-post system.
Meanwhile, several UNP MPs have given an ultimatum to the UNP leadership to resolve the party crisis this week or else they would be forced to sit as independent MPs in parliament next week.
UNP Spokesperson and parliamentarian Gayantha Karunatileka, who is also among the MPs threatening to sit independently, told the local media that they expect a meeting with Wickremasinghe this week to seek a solution to the party crisis.
Following the cross-over of six of the party's parliamentarians recently to the government side and the threat by another 25 MPs to sit independently, Wickremasinghe's leadership has come under heavy fire again.
Meanwhile, UNP Hambanthota district parliamentarian Sajith Premadasa has emerged as the main contender to lead the weakened party.
In an interview to Sunday Island, Premadasa, son of former President R. Premadasa, has said that he appreciated various actions taken by MPs to push the leadership to take corrective measures and the party needs a total facelift, not just a cosmetic change, to. attract the voters.
Ratnapura district UNP parliamentarian Thalatha Athukorale, who has decided to sit independently in the parliament, has said that the party leadership is damaging the credibility of the party by delaying reforms.
Athukorale has said that the senior party leaders cannot allow the leadership crisis to continue and delay the party reforms which will eventually damage the party and the fate of millions of UNP supporters in the country.