Sripathi bids farewell to nation

   
  Leader of the Jathika Sabha and the UNP, Ranil Wickremesinghe, vowed to take forward to victory, the struggle pioneered by the late Sripathi Sooriarachchi to uphold social justice, people’s supremacy and to eliminate corruption, terror and repression from the country.

Wickremesinghe was delivering an oration at the Borella Cemetery at the funeral of the Gampaha District MP, who was killed in a road accident on February 09th in Thambuttegama.

Addressing the admirers of Sooriarachchi for his political vision and personality, the UNP leader said that the late parliamentarian had used to spend his entire day to attend to the needs of his electorate.

He had sacrificed his position, power and privileges for the sake of his principles, but became a political celebrity despite all the problems he had encountered, Wickremesinghe noted.

Sooriarachchi had also stood firm for the values he had advocated, the UNP leader added.

Leader of the SLFP Mahajana Wing and Deputy Leader of the Jathika Sabha, Mangala Samaraweera delivered a speech at the funeral.

He said that Sooriarachchi had been a very prominent figure in local politics like ‘an oasis in a desert’ due to his honesty and forthrightness, at a time when opportunistic politics was the order of the day.

Politicians who could not tolerate criticism saw Sooriarachchi’s frankness as a challenge to them, Samaraweera observed.

Although he is no more, hundreds of thousands of people of this country are united today to realize his dream, the SLFP (M) leader said.

Delivering an oration, Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera, Chief Incumbent of Naga Vihara in Kotte, said that Sripathi Sooriarachchi had made himself a name in local politics in a very short period.

On the other hand, J.R. Jayewardene, Colvin R. de Silva and N.M. Perera took some time to win public acceptance, the Thera said.

“He came only a very short distance. The path was very long, and distant,” according to him.

President’s Counsel Wijayadasa Rajapaksha too, made a speech about his political and professional colleague.

Funeral orations were also delivered by SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena, JVP Politburo member Anura Kumara Dissanayake, SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem and TNA’s Suresh Premachandran.

Messages from President Mahinda Rajapaksa, former President Chandrika Kumaratunga, Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickremanayake and Western People’s Front Leader Mano Ganeshan were also read out on the occasion.

After religious observances at his Kandana residence, the remains of the late parliamentarian were brought in a motorcade to the Borella Cemetery, where the funeral took place.