Former Minister of Wildlife Resource Conservation Vijayamuni Soyza yesterday said that they decided to support the incumbent President as the people ‘disqualified’ Mahinda Rajapaksa and opted for a change under President Maithripala Sirisena.

Participating in the ‘Satana’ political talk show at Sirasa TV yesterday the former Minister said ‘it is true we followed Mahinda Rajapaksa’s set of principles, but the people voted against those set of principles’. Soyza added that himself and the central committee of the SLFP decided to support the ‘people’s decision’.

“We loved Mahinda Rajapaksa and we respected him as well, but when people decided to appoint Maithripala Sirisena as the next President of the country, we decided to extend our support to him.That is, after all, democracy”, Soyza said.

Meanwhile, speaking to media earlier, Chief Minister of North Eastern Province Dayasiri Jayasekara said that the Central Committee of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) made a unanimous decision to support the new government.

However, he added that he has not joined the United National Party, but he maintained that he will have no issue with working in collaboration with the UNP in the future.

“As a former UNPer I have worked with them in the past, even though there are certain policy differences between us, I am willing to work with the new government in the name of democracy”, Jayasekara said. 

(Hasitha Ayeshmantha)