Ranil tolerated dissent and the opposition
On 1.7.2021 a former Parliamentarian wrote in your newspaper about Ranil Wickremasinghe and his ability to think fast in crisis situations. I have known him as a Parliamentarian since I joined the Parliamentary staff in 1991.
I joined at a very interesting time when the impeachment against President Premadasa was in progress. Many expected Ranil to give his support for the impeachment proposal. However Ranil stood firmly behind his leader and was a tower of strength to him.
In 2003 when President Kumaratunga was head of state and Ranil was the Prime Minister from the UNP the President included three ministers to the cabinet without consulting
Ranil; who was overseas at that time.the UNP members of the govt saw this as an act of hostility and feared that the President might dissolve Parliament. In order to prevent a dissolution they prepared a motion of impeachment against the President. when the Speaker sought the advice of Ranil who was abroad at that time he was against the move and on his return tried hard to work in co-operation with the President and the newly appointed ministers. this was futile and within a few months the President dissolved Parliament.
This sense of tolerance in Ranil has often been interpreted as timidity and many were the times people blamed him for not seizing opportunities to trample his opponents.
In 2018 when President Sirisena decided to violate the Constitution in the most outrageous manner by appointing Hon Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister while Ranil was still occupying the position Ranil stood firm and refused to succumb. He insisted all along that the Prime minister should be one who enjoys majority support in Parliament and urged that the issue be voted on in the House.the President had by then prorogued Parliament. Upon the Parliament being resummoned the Hon Speaker was handed a motion of no confidence against the newly appointed Prime Minister which was taken up and voted upon.the President however refused to accept the result of the vote.subsequently the the Supreme Court declared the President ‘s act to be in violation of the Constitution and this helped Ranil be restored to the position of Prime Minister.
In 2004 when Ranil contested the Presidential election the LTTE leader terrorised the people in the northern province to refrain from voting; thus depriving Ranil of a certain victory.thus a whole province was prevented from voting, but the Commissioner of Elections did not think it fit to annul the election on the ground of mass voter intimidation.the result of that election was unfortunately not challenge before the Courts.
Ranil had a master ‘s command of the practice and procedure in Parliament. On many occasions I had disagreed with him on matters of procedure, but he believed in settling matters by argument. He never insulted or attributed motives to me unlike so many other MPS, some of whom would even shake their fists in my face. Ranil’s services to the nation are too numerous to be mentioned here.they are largely unacknowledged. During his tenure as Prime Minister not one reporter or journalist was killed Abducted or tortured.this despite the media attacking him in the most vicious manner Ranil tolerated dissent and the opposition. He tolerated dissent even within his own party. Dissent is a legitimate feature in a democracy and this should not be interpreted as a weakness.a country which fails to elect a worthy leader is doomed to suffer under the yoke of a worthless one.
Priyanee Wijesekera Retired Secretary General of Parliament Former Ambassador to Austria.