Colombo district leader of the United National Party (UNP) Ravi Karunanayake promises a major reawakening to create a bright and blooming party by taking political leaders like the late V.A. Sugathadasa as an example.
Also a former finance minister, Karunanayake was speaking at an event in Colombo to mark the 50th death anniversary of the late V.A. Sugathadasa.
He said the event gave precedence to religious activities to remember a veteran politician who had rendered a yeoman service to the country, UNP and the Colombo North electorate.
Recalling the past, he said that V.A. Sugathadasa had been entrusted with reviving the UNP and taking it forward at the Colombo municipal council after the party suffered a very bad defeat in 1956.
He had met with the then UNP leader Sir John Kotelawala and impressed upon him the need to strengthen and revive the party to face the impending municipal election.
Kotelawala’s reply to him was to give the job to someone else and look elsewhere as the UNP’s coffin had already been nailed.
However, V.A. Sugathadasa was not discouraged, he brought everyone together and reminded them that the UNP should be revived and the
country taken forward.
Many years later, the party is today faced with a similar situation. Like V.A. Sugathadasa did then, we should reawaken and create a bright party today, said Karunanayake.
He also said president Ranil Wickremesinghe is making a commendable effort to take the country forward. He got a bankrupt country back to on the right track, ended queues, and provided gas, fuel, medicines and fertilizer. Life is not easy, but the path has been created to go forward.
Therefore, just like V.A. Sugathadasa won the municipal election and became the Colombo mayor to start the forward journey of the UNP back in 1958, we too, should start on a new journey to create a reawakening to brighten up the party, he added.
Chairman of the National Movement for Social Justice Karu Jayasuriya too, addressed the event.
