UNP to boycott meeting with the Prime Minister

(Colombo) News 1st: The United National Party (UNP) will boycott Monday's (4th May) meeting with the Prime Minister, the party announced in a letter. "Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, in a politically motivated move, decided to host a meeting of the former 225 members of the 2015 Parliament on Monday," says the letter. It adds, "While this meeting was not accepted as an alternative to the official reconvening of Parliament, the UNP decided to attend the meeting, so as to once again, reiterate the party's official stance, that politics must be put aside in the face of the growing national crisis caused by Covid-19." The letter says the UNP has learnt, that the invitation to this meeting has been extended to all former MPs and other active political leaders, including those from previous parliaments, thereby expanding the invitation from the original 225 MPs. It says that the party is of the opinion that no meaningful dialogue can be held in this type of meeting. Instead, the Rajapaksa regime are focussed on playing party politics at a time when the nation needs unity in the leadership. The letter says that the UNP stands ready to assist the government in their efforts to eradicate the 'Covid-19 menace' that has seen our country come to a standstill. It concludes by saying, "in order to effectively do so, the government must ensure that all measures taken are those in line with the country's constitution" The Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) both announced that they would not attend the meeting with Prime Minister that has been scheduled for Monday (4)