“Ranil will be non-partisan candidate of a broad alliance”
Former Minister Ravi Karunanayake said that the United National Party (UNP) and its leader President Ranil Wickremesinghe will build a broad political alliance for the upcoming Presidential Election. Karunanayake revealed that Ranil Wickremesinghe will be contesting as an independent and non-partisan Presidential candidate and stated that a Presidential Election will be held by June 2024.
The former Finance Minister made this comment at a UNP meeting held on Saturday (29), at Modera Bonavista Stadium in Colombo.
He also had the following to say: “This is a difficult time for all of us. We should unite and find a solution to these problems together. Although the task of developing a country is unpleasant, if the truth is spoken, it will not take long to achieve a proper result. That is what happened to Ranil Wickremesinghe. This is a task that cannot be done alone. All of us should join together and unite the country and lay the right foundation. If the country does not embark on a new journey, it will soon fall down an economic precipice. That is why it is said that it will take many years to build the economy even though it has temporarily progressed. We need young people who can build a country.”
“In 1978, J.R. Jayewardene gave a new meaning to the country. Little Sri Lanka was added to the world. That is the journey we should continue. By 2022, Ranil Wickremesinghe ensured a revival of that fallen country. All these people are UNP leaders. But Ranil Wickremesinghe is the President today not because of the votes of the UNP.”
“That is why we should all come together and appoint Ranil Wickremesinghe as the President of this country in 2024. The UNP is a party that can develop the country. In 2015, the salaries of our Government employees were increased by Rs. 10,000. That Rs. 10,000 was added directly to the salary. We reduced the excessive prices of goods as much as we could. Although we increased wages, our voter base which was 60 percent decreased to four percent. The people have now realized the extent of the error committed by them. The problem is not that this country cannot be built, but whether there is a need to build it or not.”