Former Minister Kumara Welgama’s loss is felt at a time when his political experiences would have made a valuable contribution to the country, National Peoples’ Power Executive Council member Wasantha Samarasinghe said.
Samarasinghe made these comments after paying his last respects to the late parliamentarian.
Speaking to the media after attending the funeral, Samarasinghe said that Welgama can be described as a good human being who never changed, having known late Welgama for nearly 20 years.
“Even though we represented different political parties we had the opportunity to work together. We were able to work under a common consensus during critical moments. He always tried to engage and introduce new initiatives to politics,” Samarasinghe said.
Welgama was known to take a strong stance during crucial political moments, he added.
“He was a senior member of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party when Gotabaya Rajapaksa was nominated as the Presidential candidate, and he opposed the decision. During his political career, he was an impactful and strong politician inside and outside Parliament,” Samarasinghe said.
He also pointed out that the late Welgama had also been part of the JVP-alliance government in 2004 and had since been involved in political activities with the JVP/NPP.
The NPP member added that as a great politician, his support would have been a major contribution under the current political circumstances.
Former Minister Kumara Welgama passed away on Saturday at the age of 74, while receiving treatment at a private hospital. (Newswire)