MS SOFTENS HIS STAND, UNP ALIENATES
UNP adamant on stance on dissolution of Parliament
Afew weeks back, President Maitripala Sirisena announced to the leaders of the political parties aligned with the United People’s FreedomAlliance (UPFA) that he would not nominate former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Ministerial candidate. But, the President appeared to have softened his position now as he gave the green light on Tuesday for further engagement with Mr. Rajapaksa to bring about unity in Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), as proposed by party seniors.
Acommittee comprising the seniors of the SLFP, the main and foremost ally of the UPFA, was appointed to lay the ground for resumption of talks with Mr. Rajapaksa.
The softening of the President is interpreted in several ways. One school of thought is that the mass support for Mr. Rajapaksa at the grassroot level has prevailed upon the President to be flexible. Another is that the President is keen to preserve the unity of the UPFAat this juncture to ensure the passage of the 20thAmendment of the Constitution which, if enacted, would provide for electoral reforms in the country.
All in all, it is imperative to get a feel of what transpired at the special meeting called by the President for the MPs, the Provincial Councillors and the electoral organizers of SLFP headed by him as its chairman.
The meeting progressed at noon on Tuesday for about one hour at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute. SLFP General SecretaryAnura Priyadarshana Yapa made the welcome speech to be followed by the President’s address. In his address to the audience, he spoke extensively of the importance of preserving the unity of the party ahead of the general election.
In fact, he said the splits within the party at all times made way for the United National Party (UNP) to gain the upper hand in politics. In a nutshell, the President’s message was ‘united we stand, divided we fall’. “Every time, we had splits, the UNP had its way,” he said.
WELGAMA FLASHES FOCAL POINT
No sooner had he finished his address MPKumara Welgama, a key loyalist of Mr. Rajapaksa, got on his feet. Mr. Welgama found fault with the party hierarchy for not allowing follow-up action on the three no confidence motions against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Public Order and Christian Religious Affairs Minister John Amaratunga and Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake. He charged that all these motions had been swept under the carpet.
Instead of beating around the bush, he said, the key topic should be taken up for discussion at the meeting. That is the nomination of Mr. Rajapaksa as the prime ministerial candidate. Asserting that it should be done, he said Mr. Rajapaksa would contest from a different alliance in case the party denied him nomination.
“There is nothing to hide in this respect. The former President is having meetings at temples. These are meetings with a political complexion. All must unite. There should be cordiality,” he said.
Next, it was Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Mayor Danasiri Amaratunga who was on his feet. Emphasizing that he was someone quite new to the SLFP, he said he had no intention to join the UNP.
Having said all that, he said the former President had a crucial role to play in the campaign.
LAKSHAMAN SENEVIRATNE PROVOKES RAJAPAKSA LOYALISTS
In the meantime, Badulla district MP Lakshman Seneviratne, a crossover from the UNPto SLFP, had different viewpoints. Instead, he spoke of the need to prioritize the enactment of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. In his short address, he opined that the no confidence motion was an impediment to this exercise.
The comment against the no confidence motion incensed the Rajapaksa loyalists who chorused against him, and shouted him down. During the commotion, Mr. Seneviratne, one time UNPstalwart from the Badulla district, had a dust up with MP Bandula Gunawardane.
He made a side shot at Mr. Gunawardane over his controversial statement that Rs. 2,500 sufficed for a month to make ends meet. But the Rajapaksa loyalists threw their weight behind Mr. Gunawardane and took on Mr. Seneviratne
Alongside, Kotikawatte-Mulleriyawa Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Prasanna Solangarachchi, who supported President Sirisena at the Presidential Election, started making critical remarks at the former President. “Had the former President appointed Mr. Sirisena as the Prime Minister at that time, the party would not have faced this predicament,” he said.
But, his remarks were cited as ‘unnecessary and unwarranted’ at this time by others.
Badulla District MPDilan Perera also stressed the need to unite the two leaders. He noted that Mr. Rajapaksa enjoyed the mass support at grassroots level whereas President Sirisena could attract minority and urban middle class voters. President Sirisena, who observed the proceedings, agreed to take action in this direction for fostering unity.Accordingly, a committee was appointed to lay the groundwork for talks. “Ok, let’s do something!” he said
The timing of the meeting was crucial. On the one hand, there is a strong chorus of demand from various parties to dissolve Parliament. On the other hand, the similar pressure is being exerted by another section of the government to enact electoral reforms as the 20thAmendment to the Constitution. It is an arduous task for the President to strike a balance in this case.
Actually, the UNP, the dominant party of the government, is building pressure on the President to dissolve Parliament immediately. It is the main party that backed Mr. Sirisena at the election. So, one can argue that the President has a certain obligation to listen to the UNP. In fact, the President has been accused of hobnobbing with the UNP at the compromise of political interests of his own SLFP.
Likewise, Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), another fundamental political party that played a pivotal role in ensuring the victory of President Sirisena, is voicing strongly to enact the 20thAmendment rather than dissolving Parliament.
Now, the President is in a precarious position. The interest of his SLFP is also in favour of the incorporation of electoral reforms. Now, it looks like a herculean task for the President to choose between the two options – to dissolve Parliament or to ensure the passage of 20th Amendment.
For the time being, it is apparent that the President has not given into the UNP pressure for the dissolution of Parliament. He seems to be pushing for some action on the proposed electoral reforms now announced in the gazette notification.
UNP HELL - BENT ON DISSOLUTION OF PARLIAMENT
The dissolution of Parliament is the demand of the UNP, because any delay in it is detreimental to the party which is so eager to secure a parliamentary majority after being in the Opposition for such a long time since 1994. In case, the 20th Amendment is signed into law providing for a new electoral system, the demarcation of the boundaries of electorates is needed. It is a time consuming exercise.
The dissolution of Parliament has to be held back in such an eventuality for a few more months at least. And, it will be a politically challenging period for the UNP in Parliament, which faces three no confidence motion mooted against its members including the leader.
Given such political connotations, it is apparent that the UNP will leave no stone unturned in its agitation to get a general election as early as possible. Already, the party has written to the President requesting him to dissolve Parliament. In addition, the party seniors were planning to make representations to the President for a request.
MS ALIENATES HIMSELF FROM UNP
The President, it seems, tries to alienate himself from the UNP these days. The rank and file of SLFP is of the view that the President, elected with the majority votes of the UNP, is dillydallying with the UNP regardless of his party’s electoral interests. Now, the general elections are to be declared, and the UNP has decided to go solo.
The President is left to his own political journey. Therefore, he seems to be appealing to the SLFP voters. As if to allay fears that he works according to the UNP interests, he has mentioned at a political meeting in Kurunegala that there was no written pact between him and the UNP.
When reading between the lines, the message is that he represents a distinct political group not subservient to the UNP politically.
Interestingly, the UNP has also started attacking the President though in a small way on some of his political decisions.
The appointment of former Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne, accused of aiding and abetting drug smuggling, as the senior presidential advisor has irritated the UNP. Deputy Foreign Affairs Ajith P. Perera took a swipe at the President’s decision during a TV debate recently.