Sri Lanka's prime minister and UNP leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday called for the SLFP and UNP to continue to work together as a unity government, arguing it was necessary for the country's development. 

His comments came as Sri Lankan papers were increasingly dubious over the longevity of the unity government. 

“Development projects such as this are not being implemented to get political advantage for the UNP or SLFP. It is a difficult task for two political parties to work together," Mr Wickremesinghe was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying. 

"It is the same when it comes to implementing a development project because you will not know where you end up if something goes wrong. However we need to work together for the sake of the country."

“We formed the national government under President Maithripala Sirisena as we saw the need for major development programmes such as this and to provide a better future especially for those in the working class. We could have refrained from doing so but the main parties decided to work together instead. Let us continue to work together and try to solve the problems faced by the country. Let’s work together so that people will praise both parties and then they will choose suitable candidates when we hold elections. The world community has kept a close watch on this alliance and we receive the support from all corners of the world and it has helped us to control the debt issue."