President should decide whether to step back or allow unrest to grow - Dayasiri Jayasekara

Basically, 41 of us function in Parliament independent of the government.  We are hopeful of an interim government.  That is to govern the country until fresh elections are conducted.  In this instance, political stability is of paramount importance.  

Today, we are grappling with political instability and an economic crisis.  We seek ways and means to find alternatives to resolve these two issues.  There is a public outcry calling for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down.  They want all the Rajapaksas to quit. Only Parliament can resolve this problem.  Parliament cannot be dissolved merely because of rigorous public protests. There is a legal procedure to be followed in this instance. 

The president should also act in terms of the law of the country. This is an issue to be resolved by Parliament only. Only Parliament can decide whether a government sans the Rajapaksas should be formed or not.  We now remain independent. We look forward to the formation of our own government. It is a government comprising representatives of all parties. Then only we can send a message to the people that we are ready to rebuild this country. This is a huge challenge.  We will come to a decisive conclusion within the next few days. It is not to secure Cabinet posts but to introduce a new programme instilling fresh hopes in the minds of people.  We are ready to compromise for it.