I will not cross over to the government. I don’t know about any lists of members contemplating a crossover. I am definitely not in that list. I will not leave the United National Party (UNP). If I ever leave, it will be to go home, said Ratnapura District Parliamentarian Thalatha Athukorale.
In reply to a question by Dilka Samanmalee, the TV Derana talk show 360 hostess, Ms. Athukorale said that as MPs, they have to be responsible to their voters. They are the backbone. We cannot let them down at any cost. Hence, obtaining their votes and crossing over in parliament should never be done.
In lighter vein, the former UNP General Secretary Gamini Athukorale’s sister said that she came into politics almost by chance, due to the death of her brother. “I did not dream of coming into politics. However, since I am a UNP member, I will remain loyal to the party to the last,” she pledged.
“But don’t tell me that those who crossed over have said the same thing before crossing over. I am a different type of person. I think independently. If ever I leave, it will be to go home,” Ms. Athukorale said.
