SJB demand for All-Party meeting on  pandemic a political comedy – JVP

By Saman Indrajith

JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday dismissed the SJB’s call for an all party conference to discuss possible solutions to the prevailing pandemic situation.

Responding to media queries on his party’s position with regard to the proposal of setting up of an APRC, during a press conference held at the party headquarters in Pelawatte on Tuesday, Dissanayake said that all-party representative committee (APRC) meetings were mere political comedies. “There are around 40 parties and they have at least 80 representatives attending such meetings. Suppose the meeting starts at 10 am in the morning. Each representative would be given at least three minutes so by the time they finish their three-minute speeches it would be around noon. The meeting is adjourned thereafter so that those who attended the meeting could give voice cuts to TV cameras on their way out of the premises of the meeting. That is what APRCs are.

“Sajith Premadasa and his men have such a need to speak to TV and show their faces there so that they could show their faces on TV twice – at the APRC meeting and thereafter giving voice cuts to the media. All APRCs held in this country ended inconclusively. We have no intention of attending such a conference.  

Former Kalutara District MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa also addressed the press.