Egins, Sirisena brings on to the fore
Eport handed over to President, speculation ainst Mahendran but questions over whether the report public before the polls After rice and fuel crises, fertilizer shortage becomes major issue in rural areas
efforts to unite the rival faction of the SLFP and seek their support. The compulsion for such unity is the estrangement with Sirisena’s main coalition partner, the UNP.
However, there are a handful of SLFP ministers who say that Sirisena may not go public with the report until the local polls are over. This is in keeping with the principle that it was the main partner in the Government that has fielded candidates under the United National Front (UNF) and this would hurt their campaign. Yet, one of them said there were nevertheless“overriding factors.” He pointed out that Sirisena had failed in his efforts to bring unity within the SLFP. His appeals to the rival factions met with a snub, politically isolating him. “Thus, everything counts when fielding candidates and steering a polls campaign. He has to come number one or at least two and that means a lot,” said the SLFP minister.
Sirisena is not hiding the fact that he is very livid about not being able to re-unite the SLFP. He told SLFP organisers at the Janadipathi Mandiriya meeting that the main cause was Basil Rajapaksa, to whom he even spoke on the telephone through a Buddhist monk, as a last ditch attempt. He charged that Basil Rajapaksa’s stubbornness led to the party remaining split. However, Sirisena declared Hebei, Mama Basil Rajapaksata hungak isthuthi wantha venawa or I am very thankful to Basil Rajapaksa. He said it was Basil who had, by his conduct, helped him to win the January 2015 presidential election.
Relations between the now chief strategist of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and President Sirisena had remained strained even when the duo were in Mahinda Rajapaksa’s cabinet, it now transpires. Basil Rajapaksa made this disclosure to a friend and declared that till he received the telephone call, they had not spoken to each other for over two years.
Evidently Basil Rajapaksa had become aware of Sirisena’s remarks. Speaking to SLPP supporters at a meeting in Battaramulla he declared, “There would have been no need for SLFP unity if Maithripala Sirisena did not divide the party. He did this before the presidential election of 2015 when he received the backing of the UNP.”
Sirisena did not stop at that. He made clear that disciplinary action would be taken against those from the SLFP, who support any other party in the local polls. The name of the first likely casualty came up at the meeting. He directed party officials to consult lawyers and initiate disciplinary inquiries against former Minister Johnston Fernando. He had accompanied SLPP candidates to the Kurunegala District Secretariat for handing over of nomination papers.
On Thursday, eight partners of the ‘Joint Opposition’ signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) incorporating the guidelines under which they are fielding candidates. They will all meet at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo on Tuesday. ‘JO’ leader Mahinda Rajapaksa and other ‘JO’ party leaders will address it.
It came as the ‘JO’ leader in Parliament, Dinesh Gunawardena wrote to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya urging that Parliament be summoned immediately. This is on the grounds that the country is facing a serious economic crisis and a debate on the matter was necessary. Parliament is only set to meet on January 23.
With the local polls just five weeks away, some of the critical issues the Sirisena– Wickremesinghe coalition has to face at the grassroots level appear to have been created by their own side. Much the same way as the countrywide shortage of fuel was caused due to lack of sufficient buffer stocks, now, the issue is over the non-availability of fertilizer. The farmer discontent over this is growing and is sure to have an impact on the elections.
The fuel shortage led Sirisena to speak on the telephone with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He appealed for supplies until the orders placed were received. This time, he had to appeal to Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. He spoke to him on the telephone on Friday and appealed for urgently needed supplies. Whilst ministers and bureaucrats responsible for such situations are not dealt with, it seems it is becoming customary for Sirisena to appeal to foreign leaders every time there is a shortage. Months ago, when there was a rice shortage, he telephoned Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha for supplies. He also then telephoned Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Abdul Razak on the same matter.
Agriculture Minister Duminda Dissanayake, in different memoranda he submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers, has conceded that there are shortages of fertilizer. In a December 12 memorandum, which deals with urgent needs for fertilizer for 2017/18 Maha season, (the current cultivation), he has highlighted the need for 36,000 metric tonnes of urea, 12,000 metric tonnes of TSP (Triple Super Phosphate) and 12,000 metric tonnes of MoP (Murate of Potash). He said tenders were called and seven companies made bids. Two of them were short listed, since others did not conform to tender conditions.
Agri Commodities and Finance FZE had offered to deliver at the rate of US$ 316.20 per metric tonne for urea within a payment period of 270 days. The same company had offered TSP at the rate of U $ 340.20 per metric tonne for a quantity of 12,000 metric tonnes. This was for payment within 180 days. No one had made bids for MoP, according to Minister Dissanayake.
Minister Dissanayake says that Agri Commodities and Finance FZE had agreed to deliver 36,000 metric tonnes of urea and 12,000 metric tonnes of TSP on or before January 15, 2018. He concedes that the requirements of urea for current paddy cultivation is immediate and needed within days. He also admits that the costs are high for urea and worse enough, it cannot be used for the current Maha season. Hence, larger quantity will be available for the next Yala season.
As a result of this development, Minister Dissanayake says, on December 11, just a day before the date of his cabinet memorandum, the Special Cabinet Committee on Tenders decided to go for two alternatives. The alternatives were (1) The Government to procure fertilizer from private sector companies which have imported stocks at the higher rate. To continue the process of obtaining stocks from private sector until other measures are taken.
(2) Follow decisions taken at a meeting chaired by President Sirisena on December 11 and import 72,000 metric tonnes of urea before December 28, 2017 at the rate of US$ 316.20 per metric tonne, through Agri Commodities and Finance FZE. The doubling of the quantity is in view of a ban on fertilizer exports by Pakistan where the private sector was to obtain 38,000 metric tonnes. According to Dissanayake, he and Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera met the Pakistan High Commissioner in Sri Lanka but their efforts were not successful.
In another Cabinet memorandum dated December 18, Agriculture Minister Dissanayake points out that he had obtained ministerial approval to procure 72,000 metric tonnes of urea. He has said that 60 percent of the expected fertilizer will be given to Lanka Fertilizer Ltd and the remaining 40 percent to Commerical Fertilizers Ltd. for distribution. Dissanayake has pointed out that the urea stocks to be imported cannot be sold in 50 kilogramme packs at the usual price of Rs 2,500, which is the Government approved price. He has sought approval for the Treasury to bear the loss caused by the higher price.
The irony in this saga is the fact that Duminda Dissanayake is not only the Minister of Agriculture. More importantly, he is the General Secretary of the SLFP. He is an MP from the Anuradhapura District, one of the main paddy producing districts. That his Ministry had failed to monitor the situation and take timely action, no doubt has cost the Government dearly. Other SLFPers now fear this would have an impact on votes for the UPFA, especially in the North Central Province. President Sirisena’s home turf of Polonnaruwa is also in the province.
It was only weeks earlier that urgent stocks of rice were ordered to meet demands. Now comes reports of an acute shortage of fertilizer that would affect farmers, who are voters at local polls. The campaign has been somewhat muted by the holiday season and is expected to gain strength by mid-January.
Yet, Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya is going ahead with official arrangements. This week, he resolved a knotty issue during a meeting with political party representatives -counting of votes in different polling booths. The Police have advised against this move saying they would find it difficult to protect all booths. Some participants complained that the Chairman was doing what the Police wanted. Deshapriya resolved the issue. All contesting parties will nominate two persons each per booth to assist the Police to provide security. Thus all polling booths will become counting centres after the polls close.
The count down for the test of strength of the coalition as well as opposition parties has begun.