The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) is celebrating what it believes is a successful conclusion to its annual convention.
The party’s executive committee met the day following the convention. It has now been revealed that the SLPP will soon set up a politburo that will have wide-ranging powers to take decisions on behalf of the party.
Meanwhile, a group of SLPP state ministers and backbencher MPs this week met at SLPP Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa’s Malalasekera Mawatha, Colombo 7 residence, where talks centred on media reports that SLPP National List MP and business tycoon Dhammika Perera’s name was being tipped as the party’s next presidential candidate.
One MP asked Mr. Rajapaksa point-blank as to why Dhammika Perera’s name was being mentioned when he (Namal Rajapaksa) could contest the next presidential poll.
The younger Rajapaksa replied that his first objective was to reorganise the party. He noted that the SLPP already had four prospective presidential candidates. “If I and Basil Rajapaksa also put our hats into the ring, that would make it six candidates from the party,” he quipped.
Those present were of the view that such a healthy competition would be good for the party but agreed that the priority should be to conduct a publicity drive in January among the people to win back their lost support following the economic debacle last year that led to the country’s bankruptcy.
SL, Sri Lanka
