"President has an equal share of the blame" - Kabir Hashim

COLOMBO (News 1st): UNP's Kabir Hashim said that President Maithripala Sirisena has attempted to justify the "illegal" removal of PM Ranil Wickremesinghe at

the meeting with foreign correspondents.

Hashim issued a press release, saying the government which operated during the time period was in no way a "Ranil Wickremesinghe Government". He said that it was President who headed the National Unity Government and that all decisions were made by a cabinet which was chaired by President. Kabir Hashim added that if there was corruption in the past 3 1/2 years, the President has an equal share of the blame. He also added that he welcomed the appointment of a presidential commission to look into this period and insisted that President Sirisena would not be made immune to these investigations himself. He also responded to the President's statement on not re-appointing Ranil Wickremesinghe as PM, saying it is "yet another blatant violation of the fundamentals of parliamentary democracy." Kabir Hashim pointed out that the President has no choice but to act within the framework of the Constitutional provisions and that the Constitution does not make provisions for personal vendettas. He concluded his press release by reminding President Sirisena that he has not been elected for a lifetime and that his term as President comes to an end in less than 12 months.