As SLFP crisis deepens, UNP comes to the President’s rescue

PM and his party leaders lead onslaught on ‘Joint Oppostion’ and its protests; Sirisena gives top priority for legal action against Rajapaksa family Compromise reached on controversial Port City Project; No compensation for Chinese company, but lots of ot

Even before the ‘Joint Opposition’ protest march from Kandy ended in Colombo, their actions appear to resonate in the higher echelons of the Government. At the weekly ministerial meeting last Tuesday, President Maithripala Sirisena reiterated that tough action would be taken against members of the Rajapaksa family for their alleged wrongdoings. The delays, he said, had been misconstrued. It was only for reasons of good governance since investigations had to be carried out according to proper procedures. That was by no means a weakness, he said.

The President was re-iterating the remarks he made at the previous week’s ministerial meeting (July 20). As exclusively revealed in these columns, Sirisena was bitterly critical of Rajapaksa who, he said, was trying to set the agenda for the Government. He was alluding to the protest march and declared then that action against Rajapaksa and members of the family would have to be expedited. The issue is still uppermost in his mind. At a ceremony held at the auditorium of the Mawanella Provincial Council on Friday to distribute computers, he said, “If the former leaders had performed their duties and governed properly, there would not be a need for them to undertake long marches for political purposes, hurting their feet.” He added, “Though some people greedy for power walk through roads aimlessly, the Government is committed to build the country by working with consciousness and discipline.”

It fell on the United National Party (UNP), one of the main partners in the Government, to counter if not stop the march altogether. That was as much for its sake as it was for its Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) partner. Not surprisingly, when this march was to cut through the political domains of two frontline UNP ministers -- General Secretary Kabir Hashim (Kegalle District) and House Leader Lakshman Kiriella (Kandy District). They came up with a legal strategy to stall this first major political ‘offensive’ by the ‘Joint Opposition’. The 116 kilometre (72 mile) march would have to pass through the areas of jurisdiction of five different magistrate’s courts – Kandy, Kegalle, Attanagalla, Mahara and Colombo.

The Kandy Magistrate noticed parliamentarians Dinouk Amunugama, Keheliya Rambukwella, Lohan Ratwatte and Mahindananda Aluthgamage. He ruled that the march could not start from the Kandy town limits and added that individually per- sons could, however, pay their respects at Sri Dalada Maligawa. The Police had said they feared a breach of the peace since the UNP was also launching a membership drive that day. In addition, they pointed out, the first cricket test between Sri Lanka and Australia was being played at Pallekele. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, known for his street fighting attributes, declared he would respect the court ruling but the march should start from outside the Kandy town limits. Thus, it had to begin from Getambe on the outskirts of the town, barely a kilometre from Peradeniya.

Unlike the SLFP protest march to Kataragama (179 miles or 288 kilometres) which Rajapaksa headed on March 16, 1992, the former President, who turns 72 this year was not his brisk self. He walked some distance and later boarded a Defender Jeep. He stood on the suspended door and waved to the public along the route. On Friday, Rajapaksa boarded a private helicopter from Mawanella to fly to Anuradhapura where he had lined up previous engagements. He was due to return and join the march yesterday.

Cashing in on growing public discontent over the rising cost of living and related issues is the main cause for the march according to the ‘Joint Opposition’. There were also fears within the pro-Sirisena SLFP that an attempt was being made by Rajapaksa and his allies to capture power in the party by mustering public support -- a message to pro-Sirisena loyalists in the SLFP that there was a wave in their opponent’s favour. Some 40 SLFP MPs backing Rajapaksa took part when the march began. The previous night they were entertained to a lavish dinner at the residence of former minister Keheliya Rambukwella. A band played whilst cocktails were served. ‘Joint Opposition’ leader Dinesh Gunawardena and former Western Province Chief Minister Prasanna Ranatunga gave those present a briefing on what they should do the next day. It transpired that during different days of the march, different groups from the districts were told to take part. Transport for them has been provided together with food. Accommodation was in different temples. On the first day supporters from the districts of Matale, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya took part. The second day saw those from Kurunegala and Kegalle. This is in addition to groups who chose to march throughout the route.

An application to the Mawanella Magistrate to seek a ban on the march was rejected. The Magistrate asked why he should stop a march when there had been no incidents the previous day. A similar application was also rejected by the Kegalle Magistrate. This enabled the march to proceed up to Nittambuwa by Friday night. This was after the night stops were changed. The Warakapola Magistrate on Friday refused to issue a restraining order to stop the march from travelling through the Warakapola town. The request for the order was made by the Warakapola Police.

Also on Friday, the Gampaha Magistrate ordered that the march should be restricted to the left side of the road from Kalagedihena to Kiriillawela. The Magistrate made the order after the Gampaha Police sought a restraining order saying the march could disrupt law and order in the area as the UNP‘s membership drive programme was also being held while a protest was being organised by the residents of Rathupaswela. Colombo’s Additional Magistrate on Friday refused to issue a restraining order to prevent the march from Kiribathgoda to Colombo. The request to issue the restraining order was made by the Peliyagoda Police.

The march moved from Nittambuwa to Kiribathgoda yesterday. The Pada Yatra participants are expected to march through tomorrow to Colombo. The ‘Joint Opposition’ planned to hold a rally at Hyde Park grounds. However, parliamentarian Vasudeva Nanayakkara, who booked the venue, was informed on Friday by the Kompannaveediya Police that the park would not be available since ground repair work was going on. The organisers are now on the lookout for another venue. Details of how the march wound its way so far appear elsewhere in today’s Sunday Times.

The march, without doubt, has placed the UNP on an unusually aggressive mood. Since assuming office in January, last year, party leaders have been maintaining a low-key approach on pro-Mahinda SLFPers. Their remarks on the allegations of bribery, corruption and misdeeds of the previous administration now under investigation were cursory and limited to a few of the frontliners. The march has changed it all. Minister Kiriella told the Sunday Times, “The so-called “protest march” by the ‘Joint Opposition’ is just a show by a bunch of crooks, rogues, murderers and corrupt politicians who are so desperate to come to power to rob the country once again. What they are trying to achieve from this kind of show is to pressurise the Government. They are trying to show that they are coming back to power and trying to intimidate the Government officers in various agencies investigating the corruption charges against them. We could have taken action directly for violating the court order. They started the protest at Getambe which is within the Kandy Municipal limits. Police were given full freedom to implement the law and order without causing any hindrance to the public.

“We are very much thankful to the Kandy magistrate for not allowing these crooks to start their protest at Dalada Maligawa or within the holy city premises. In the past they did not listen to the advice of Mahanayake Theras of Malwatta and Asgiriya chapters but brought alcohol, women and various illegal things to the holy city. We can’t call it a ‘Pada Yatra’ as the main person (Mahinda Rajapaksa) was travelling in a Jeep.”

On Friday, Sagala Ratnayake (UNP – Matara District), Minister of Law and Order and Southern Development, expressed similar sentiments. He was quoted in the media as saying that the protest march was a “political gimmick by crooks.” Comments from the Sirisena-led SLFP were more subdued. Senior SLFPer Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, told the Sunday Times, “This protest march was organised to meet the needs of a handful. Our party members will give them the correct response at the right time. How can they justify a protest in so short a time after the Government came to power? They should give more time to the Government. Their actions will have no impact on the SLFP.”

‘Joint Opposition’ leader Dinesh Gunawardena said, “The UNP is so worried about our protest march that it has become the judge and the jury. It has already passed judgement on who is a crook and who is not. It should look inside. If this is a democracy, as claimed, what is wrong in us having a peaceful protest?”

He told the Sunday Times the Government had through its attempts to stifle the march made clear that it was frightened. “Otherwise why dig the Hyde Park ground which has already been booked by one of our members? They tell the world that they have restored democracy and media freedom but do just the opposite. The Government’s conduct is shameful. This is by no means good governance.”

For President Sirisena and his ministers the protest march and the political issues arising from it were not the only challenge this week. There were more significant economic issues. One in particular is the resumption of the Port City Development Project. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had presented three different memoranda related to the project which the Government wants resumed from possibly October this year.

One relates to the withdrawal of compensation claims by the CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt.) Ltd., the project company. The company’s claims, which kept mounting, were because of what the project company calls the suspension of its project in March 2015. Among the reasons the company has given is staff retrenchment costs, termination costs of contractors, overhead costs, equipment idling costs, remobilisation costs, losses due to price fluctuation, financial charges by banks, losses from rupee depreciation, loss of material from the landfill and costs relating to resumption of work. Compensation claims made on