UNP General Secretary does not have the authority to suspend membership – Samagi Jana Balavegaya

General Secretary of the Samagi Jana Balavegaya, former Member of Parliament Ranjith Maddumabandara said that the General Secretary of the United National Party does not have either the authority or the right to suspend party membership or remove persons from their posts.

This was said in response to a statement issued by the UNP regarding nullifying the party membership of 100 former parliamentarians who were in the UNP who handed over nominations for this time’s election through the Samagi Jana Balavegaya.

It was informed yesterday that steps were taken to annul the membership of 100 persons including former Deputy Leader of the UNP Sajith Premadasa and other members of the UNP and remove them from their posts in the Party with immediate effect.

The Legal Secretary of the UNP President’s Counsel Nissanka Nanayakkara told the Hiru News Team that leader of the Party Ranil Wickremesinghe had informed members of this decision in writing on 22 May.

Among the members whose membership has been suspended are former Parliamentarians, Ranjith Maddumabandara, Lakshman Kiriella, Mangala Samaraweera, Kabir Hasheem, Gayantha Karunatilleke, Chandrani Bandara, Thalatha Athukorale, P. Harrison, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, Mujubur Rahuman, Dr. Harsh De Silva, Ajith P. Perera, Sujeewa Senasinghe, Ravindra Samaraweera, Ajith Mannapperuma, Harshana Rajakaruna, Chaminda Wijesiri, Dilip Wedaarachchi, Buddhika Pathirana and Mayantha Dissanayake.

Also, among the group whose membership of the UNP has been suspended are former Parliamentarians Kavinda Jayawardena, Nalin Bandara, A. H. M. Haleem, Ranjith Aluvihare, Vasantha Aluvihare, Niroshan Perera, Ashok Abeysinghe and Hector Appuhamy as well as some former Provincial Council Members of the UNP who handed over nominations from the Samagi Jana Balavegaya for the upcoming Election.

In the letter sent to the relevant members by the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe it is mentioned that if they want to explain their actions to refer the information to the General Secretary of the Party within 07 days of receiving the letters.