President holds strategy session to thwart moves to defeat Govt.

Backroom talks underway to get support of some SJB, SLFP members and ensure majority in Parliament

Beleaguered President Gotabaya Rajapaksa held a strategy session with ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna ( SLPP) parliamentarians yesterday to chart a course to counter opposition moves to thwart the Government's initiatives when

Parliament sessions begin on Tuesday.

The first was to quash efforts of the main opposition Samagi Jana Balavegaya ( SJB) to move a vote of censure against the President. A motion is already listed in the Order Book of Parliament and party leaders discussed taking up the matter on Tuesday with

Speaker Ma hinda Ya pa Abeywardena.

Since a debate on such a motion hinged on the suspension of Standing Orders, government MPs will seek to oppose such a move. Thus, they believe, they will be able to thwart a debate on the vote of censure prompting the

matter to be listed in the Order Book for another date. Though not binding, the adoption of a vote of censure would have meant that the Government did not have the numbers. The message arising from it would have been damaging both locally and internationally.

The other strategy is to shore up strong support for the newly appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wick re me sing he in Parliament. Though a full Cabinet of Ministers is yet to be sworn in, the finance portfolio has been assigned by President Rajapaksa to Mr Wickremesinghe at the latter’s request. He will thus be the new head of the negotiating team with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

For the twin strategies of President Rajapaksa, the most inevitable requirement would be a majority in Parliament. According to sources close to the presidency, the President was sure of 100 SLPP MPs extending support. That is both not to suspend Standing Orders and, should the necessity arise, in expressing a vote of confidence in the President.

The breakaway group of 42 SLPP alliance MPs has chosen not to support the government moves. In this backdrop, the SJB, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the National People’s Power and the Tamil National Alliance have declared publicly that they would also not extend support to the new Government.

However, backroom negotiations were under way on Friday night and yesterday to bag a few opposition MPs to bring the number to above 113. One SLFP parliamentarian from the Badulla district has already said he would support Premier Wickremesinghe. Among those who are being spoken to by SLPP leaders are those from the SJB and the SLFP.

“We are confident we can produce the numbers,” claimed an SLPP stalwart – a remark dismissed by an opposition group leader. Th e suspense will continue till Tuesday.