Former President Maithripala Sirisena says that some members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) cannot remain without positions in the ruling party.

The SLFP chairman said the party has had to face problems continuously ever since its founder the late S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was assassinated.  

Speaking during a public meeting, he said: 

“We have suffered all the sufferings under the governments of J.R. and Premadasa for 17 years. I even went to jail. During the issue of revoking Mrs. Bandaranaike’s civic rights, I slept on the main road in Polonnaruwa along with two or three thousand people. They grabbed me by the ear, kicked me in the back, put me in a jeep and kept me in Anuradhapura jail for three months.” 

“I suffered for 17 years. None of us went to that government to ask for a minister post or to be the president of a corporation. We have ruled the country for more than 25 years since 1994 with the President of the country from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.” 

“So, because of that, some people in the Sri Lanka Freedom Party have a disease. They cannot be without positions while in government. It is a disease. 

We have fallen like this in the party in history. After falling, we have raised our heads. Therefore we have to be able to hold our head up.”