Bond scam, assassination plot led to the rift: Sirisena

President says Wickremesinghe’s dismissal is constitutional

Shooting spot: Supporters of Mahinda Rajapaksa standing outside the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation office following Sunday’s shooting incident.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena claimed that there is no constitutional violation in his recent appointment of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in place of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. “I categorically state that the appointments were made totally in accordance with the Constitution and the on advice of legal experts,” he said, two days after his drastic move that set off a political storm in Sri Lanka.

In a televised address to the nation on Sunday, his first since the crisis began, Mr. Sirisena sought to justify his decision — to abruptly induct Mr. Rajapaksa as PM and then prorogue Parliament until November 16. He cited sharp “political” and “cultural” differences with Mr. Wickremesinghe, with whom he formed Sri Lanka’s first national unity government in January 2015, among the factors. “Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe’s political conduct was unbecoming of civilised politics and belittled the victory achieved risking my life in 2015,” he said. In his view Mr. Wickremesinghe had “stubbornly avoided collective decisions” and “grossly violated” the principles of “good governance” that they had pledged to uphold.

‘A lame attempt’

Responding to Mr. Sirisena’s speech, UNP Minister Mangala Samaraweera tweeted: “President @MaithripalaS in a lame attempt to justify his illegal action of appointing a #FakePM addressed the nation with a list of distorted facts, lies & more lies. Shame on you Sirisena #illegalgovernment #coupsl #lka.”

Mr. Sirisena tied two main reasons to his falling out with Mr. Wickremesinghe — corruption related to the bond scam at the Central Bank and the alleged assassination plot targeting him. “There is also an involvement of a Cabinet Minister in this plot to assassinate me,” he said, in addition to accusing the Inspector General of Police and some other officials of “evading investigation duties”.

Sri Lanka police functions under the Law and Order Ministry, helmed by a Minister from Mr. Wickremesinghe’s United National Party. The manner in which authorities probed the “assassination plot”, he said, was the “most proximate and powerful reason” for appointing Mr. Rajapaksa.

“Under these political problems, economic troubles and the strong plot to assassinate me, the only alternative open to me was to invite former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and appoint him as prime Minister to form a new government,” he said, minutes after he referred to “risking his life” when he defected from Mr. Rajapaksa’s government ahead of the 2015 polls.

Meanwhile, Mr. Rajapaksa said that he accepted the invitation to assume charge as PM as he was aware that “the people expected our leadership and protection” at this moment of “national peril”. The primary objective now was to ensure an early holding of provincial and parliamentary elections, he said in a statement that he signed off as the ‘Prime Minister of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka’.