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Interview:
Writing on the wall for Sarath Fonseka -Minister Johnston Fernando
by Uditha KUMARASINGHE
* TNA join hands to betray country
* More UNPers on the way
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Land Development, Human Settlement and Ranaviru Welfare Minister
Johnston Fernando. |
Land Development, Human Settlement and Ranaviru Welfare Minister
Johnston Fernando said the key reason for the UNP’s decision to extend
its support to Opposition Candidate is the Opposition Leader Ranil
Wickremesinghe’s inability to contest a leader like Mahinda Rajapaksa,
facing another humiliating defeat.
The Minister in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Observer
expressed the key reasons which propelled him to quit the UNP and extend
his support to President Rajapaksa.
Q: You were of the firm view that you would never leave the UNP and
fight within the party to reform it. Today you are with the Government.
What led you to quit the party and join the Government?
A: History has proved that I am a person who firmly loved the UNP and
always acted to defend the Party Leader. But we cannot win any election
under the present UNP leadership. One and a half years earlier, I took a
decision that we should bring a new leader to the UNP owing to various
treacherous activities committed by the present party leadership to the
party.
He is not a marketable leader. If he expresses something the UNP will
lose 10,000 or 15,000 votes. The UNP leadership doesn’t have any human
feeling on behalf of his partymen or the country.
Therefore, we were of the view that the UNP leadership should be
subjected to a change. We openly expressed our view on this issue. He
has formulated a dictator type constitution within the UNP.
As a result, he does what he deserves to do. As I moved this motion
against him, he ordered me not to participate in any press conference,
TV interview or even speak in Parliament. Finally what we said was
turned into reality as Ranil Wickremesinghe decided that he is not in a
position to win the election.
Finally the UNP leadership brought an outsider as the Opposition
Candidate and ordered the UNPers to vote for him. He has never engaged
in any politics.
He is not in a position to give leadership to 1.2 million public
servants and the country’s people. The UNP MP Indika Bandaranayake,
myself and former UNP Deputy Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council
Asath Sally opposed this decision based on certain policies.
If Ranil Wickremesinghe felt that he couldn’t contest, he should have
resigned from the party leadership and brought a new leader to the UNP.
It lost his ‘elephant’ symbol after 62 years.
I had to take a decision on which candidate to be supported during
the forthcoming Presidential Election. I took a decision on behalf of
the country that President Mahinda Rajapaksa is the most suitable leader
to govern this country. Therefore, I decided to extend my support to the
President.
Q: At present a large number of UNP MPs have joined hands with the
Government including you. Do you think this would lead to the collapse
of the party and reduce its vote base?
A: At present nearly half of the Parliamentarians who contested from
the UNP and its National List MPs have joined the Government. All the
UNP MPs who have joined the President are the most dynamic UNP MPs in
their respective districts. Therefore, they joined the Government with a
large percentage of their own votes. As a result this would lead to a
reduction of the UNP vote base.
Q: How do you view the UNP’s decision to extend its support to the
Opposition candidate without fielding its own candidate?
A: The main reason for this was the great fear of the Opposition
Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to contest an experienced leader like
President Mahinda Rajapaksa. In addition Ranil Wickremesinghe also could
not succeed in the international conspiracy launched by him during the
past four years to stop the war betraying both the country and the war
heroes.
Wickremesinghe in association with the international community
selected a person who was in the battlefront as the Opposition Candidate
with the intention of attacking President Rajapaksa, to cater to the
needs of the international community. At present Wickremesinghe is
creating this environment needed for the international community in a
treacherous manner.
Their intention is to bring the President and the Armed Forces before
the International War Tribunal with the help of the Opposition
Candidate. Wickremesinghe doesn’t love the country, his party or his
partymen. He has hatched a conspiracy to betray the great victory
achieved by the nation and the Armed Forces.
Q: Didn’t the UNP have any Presidential Candidate to put forward?
A: There are so many leaders within the UNP. The majority of those
leaders have joined hands with the President today. But several leaders
remain including Sajith Premadasa, Karu Jayasuriya and Rukman Senanayake.
If any of these UNP politicians were forwarded as the UNP Presidential
Candidate, he would become the Party Leader.
It would lead to the loss of Wickremesinghe’s party leadership.
Wickremesinghe wants to protect his party leadership and contest the
next Parliamentary General Election and become the Opposition Leader,
getting all perks and benefits given to the Opposition Leader within the
next six years as well. His sole intention is to spend a luxurious life
by enjoying the facilities given to the Opposition Leader.
Therefore, he wanted to bring an outside person as the Opposition
Presidential Candidate without nominating a candidate from his own
party. This move taken by Wickremesinghe would enable him to protect his
party leadership and again become the Opposition Leader. It will also
create evidence through the Opposition Candidate to betray our country
to the international community.
Ranil Wickremesinghe will achieve two victories from this
Presidential Election. The defeat of Opposition Candidate Sarath Fonseka
is a great victory to be achieved by Wickremesinghe. In addition the
Opposition Candidate won’t be able to obtain even 4.7 million votes to
be obtained by Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The Opposition Leader’s target is to reduce the votes to be obtained
by Sarath Fonseka. Then he can continue his office as the Opposition
Leader and the party leader within the next six years as well.
Q: The UNP claims that a group of UNP MPs have crossed over to the
Government to gain perks and other benefits. Your comments?
A: It has been clearly proved to the country as to who gave bribes
and other benefits. The second operation launched by the Opposition to
offer a Rs. 30 million bribe to the NFF MP Muzzamil has already come to
light. But this is the same Opposition which always talks about good and
corruption free governance!
The politicians who love this country are joining hands with the
President without expecting any perks. All these UNP and other
Opposition MPs who have joined the Government are very efficient and
outstanding politicians. Therefore, there is nothing wrong in offering
them some ministerial portfolios as they are very capable leaders who
can work for the well-being of the country.
Even Ranil Wickremesinghe had offered them portfolios as they are
very talented politicians. If these politicians are keen on perks and
other benefits, they would have easily obtained them from Ranil
Wickremesinghe as well. All these talented politicians have joined hands
with a great leader like President Rajapaksa to safeguard the Motherland
and develop it.
Q: Do you think the UNP does not have the ability to successfully
face an election under the present leadership?
A: The present UNP Leader would go into history as the most suitable
leader for successive defeats at elections. He also accuses his partymen
who immensely love the party. Partymen attempt to take forward the party
by covering up all the shortcomings of their party leader.
But some of these partymen can’t understand this crime committed by
Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Since the inception of the party by late Prime Minister D. S.
Senanayake, no Leader has ever caused this kind of destruction to the
party. The LTTE should take the full responsibility in this regard. The
LTTE assassinated all the prominent UNP Leaders. As a result Ranil
Wickremesinghe became the leader of the UNP. He was never in the
limelight of the UNP to become its leader.
After late President J. R. Jayewardene, R. Premadasa, Lalith
Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake were the prominent leaders of the
UNP. If Gamini became the UNP Leader, he would have taken the party for
10 or 15 years ahead. Lalith would have done the same thing. Therefore,
Ranil Wickremesinghe would have never become the party leader.
Wickremesinghe could obtain the party leadership because all the
prominent UNP leaders were assassinated by the LTTE. Therefore, he is
indebted to the LTTE forever. That is why he always appears on behalf of
the LTTE even though he was defeated by the LTTE during the last
Presidential Election.
Q: How do you view the UNP and the JVP acting together on behalf of
the Opposition Candidate? They have completely different political
ideologies.
A: Considering the results of the recently concluded Provincial
Council Elections, the JVP has faced a severe setback. At present the
JVP vote base has been reduced to a mere 245,000 votes. If the JVP put
forward their own Presidential Candidate, he won’t obtain even 100,000
votes. The JVP is well aware that at the next Parliamentary Election, if
they contest on their own, they are not in a position to bring even two
MPs to Parliament.
The JVP has engaged in a conspiracy to be re-elected to Parliament
with the help of the UNP. Wickremesinghe knew if he contested, he would
have been defeated. Therefore, he ‘imported’ an outsider and put forward
him as the Opposition Candidate. It would help to safeguard his party
leadership.
Wickremesinghe has joined hands with JVP to protect his leadership
while the JVP has joined hands with UNP to safeguard their party. But
they would never be able to reach any consensus based on their policies.
It was the JVP which killed thousands of innocent UNP supporters
while the JVP Leader Rohana Wijeweera was killed and burnt at Borella
crematorium under the leadership of Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The JVP also levelled various accusations against Ranil
Wickremesinghe on Batalanda torture chamber. Then why does the present
JVP Leader Somawansa Amarasinghe put his arm around Ranil Wickremesinghe?
This is not because of any love. He does that to ‘stab’
Wickremesinghe, from behind! The Opposition Leader Wickremesinghe also
does the same thing to Somawansa. Both the UNP and the JVP deceive their
partymen through this move.
I request the UNPers to think deeply. If Wickremesinghe is a honest
person and committed to safeguard the democracy, he should resign the
party leadership and provide the opportunity to another UNPer to become
the UNP leader and take the party forward. But he didn’t do so. So the
UNP Leader is committing a treacherous act against his partymen.
According to an order given by Ranil Wickremesinghe, if the UNPers
vote for Sarath Fonseka, all those partymen will participate in this
treacherous act. If UNPers act in accordance with the order given by
their defeated leader, the UNP too will be defeated and forced to remain
in the Opposition again.
Only those who do not know how to extend their gratitude will vote
for the Opposition candidate. All the UNPers who know gratitude will
vote for President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Q: This time the JVP has also extended its support to the Candidate.
According to you, will this cause a serious impact on the President’s
vote base?
A: Not at all. All the prominent JVP MPs have joined the President.
In addition, all the talented UNP, CWC and SLMC MPs have also joined the
Government. Politicians like Douglas Devananda, Vinayagamoorthi
Muralitharan and Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan are with the President.
The JHU has also extended its fullest support to President. At
present the majority is with the President. The JVP vote base has been
drastically reduced from 700,000 votes to 245,000 votes. Even this
245,000 JVP votes have also been divided. Among these 245,000 JVP
voters, those who love this country will vote for President Rajapaksa.
They know the JVP leaders have joined hands with Wickremesinghe who
attempted to betray this country. For the luck of President, all
treacherous elements which launched various conspiracies against the
country and attempted to turn back the war have rallied round a single
front today.
The JVP also tried his level best to turn back the war by launching
various trade union actions when the military operations were going on.
All these treacherous elements didn’t think President Rajapaksa is so
capable as to end the war in this manner.
All people and politicians who love the country are with the
President. The JVP’s vote base will be further reduced by nearly 100,000
votes during this election. Therefore, the President will achieve a
landslide victory.
Q: Why did the TNA decide to extend its support to Candidate?
A: The TNA was brought in by Ranil Wickremesinghe, not by the JVP.
The TNA met the President and put forward a series of demands. The TNA
Leader had told the media that the President didn’t agree to their
conditions. If the TNA extended its support to any other candidate, that
indicates he has agreed to fulfil their conditions.
It’s very clear there should be an agreement reached upon by these
two parties. This agreement may contain key conditions such as release
of nearly 10,000 LTTE cadres in custody, re-merging the North and the
East and removing military camps.
The TNA is the political wing of the LTTE. If any TNA MP breaks away
from the TNA and join hands with the President, it means that the
particular TNA MP has given up his aspirations for a separate state.
The TNA support to the Candidate means they have joined hands with a
program to betray the country. The Opposition candidate attempts to get
the sympathy of the LTTE. The TNA has said that they had not reached any
agreement with the Candidate due to the threats made by the JVP.
“I would like to ask the TNA, if Sarath Fonseka also refused their
demands like President Rajapaksa, did why did they decide to extend
their support to him? Otherwise the TNA should make a statement that
Sarath Fonseka also rejected their demands, but the TNA decided to
extend its support to him, anyway. We say with responsibility, there is
an agreement reached between Sarath Fonseka and the TNA. That is the
agreement to betray this country which was safeguarded through a great
victory.”
Q: Are you confident of the President’s victory and how do you view
the support extended by the people to President?
A: I have organised political rallies for the UNP for the past 20
years. I contested the Local Government Elections in 1991 and was
elected to the Kurunegala Urban Council by obtaining the highest
percentage of votes from the entire country. In each Presidential
election, the UNP’s biggest rally was organised in Kurunegala. I am a
politician who has seen big crowds and felt the pulse of the common
people. I go as key speaker to political rallies attended by the
President.
A massive crowd attended the rally held at Kurunegala under the
patronage of President. During my lifetime, I have never seen that kind
of a mammoth crowd at a political rally held in Kurunegala. The
President’s rally held at the Home Town of the Opposition Candidate had
attracted a crowd more than five times the crowd that attended the
Opposition Candidate’s meeting.
The mammoth crowds attending the President’s political rallies
indicate the great affection and confidence they have placed in the
President. The people extend their gratitude to the decision taken by
the President to end three decades old war.
We have never heard any Presidential candidate in Sri Lanka using the
words used by the Opposition Candidate. I don’t think the UNPers will
vote for this kind of candidate. There is a percentage of the UNP voters
who have decided to vote for the President due to his attempts made to
safeguard the country.
There is a percentage of nearly 10 UNPers who don’t want to vote for
any candidate as they are fed up with the party leadership. This 10
percent is nearly 400,000 or 500,000 voters. When comparing the results
of the Provincial Council Elections, the President has obtained 2.6
million majority votes. The President has launched a massive development
drive within the country.
While former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe reduced the number
of State jobs from 120,000 to 800,000, the President has given 500,000
new jobs in the State sector. During the first years of the Presidency
salaries of public servants were increased by 40 percent. The Opposition
candidate has given promises which were given by a defeated candidate.
I think people will never admit this mud slinging campaign launched
by the Opposition to tarnish the image of President and his family. I
have never seen a country’s where people loving a political leader in
this manner. This kind of trend has never been seen during our recent
history. I am very confident the President would achieve a landslide
victory.
Q: Do you think more UNP MPs will join hands with the Government
after the Presidential Election?
A: I have close links with UNP MPs. Another 10 or 12 UNP MPs are
willing to join the Government. These MPs will receive nominations from
Ranil Wickremesinghe to contest the General Election from the UNP
ticket.
After they are elected, they will join the Government to strengthen
the hands of the President. I am confident after the next General
Election the President would be able to secure a two thirds majority
Parliament. After the next General Election, the UNP will be further
eroded.
Those who contested from the UNP will also join the President and
only a few close associates of Ranil Wickremesinghe will remain in the
UNP.
Q: But now most of the people are talking about a change. How do you
view this?
A: Who is going to effect this change? In America Obama was brought
in for a change. But Obama had never worked in the US Army or subjected
to any charges. But the Opposition Candidate has faced several
disciplinary actions while he was in the Army. As a result, he was not
able to get two key medals. The Opposition Candidate has also been
accused of giving tenders to his son-in-law when he was the Army
Commander.
Therefore, the Opposition candidate is not like Obama or any other
leaders elected for a change in their countries. I would like to ask the
people in Colombo have they ever seen a Presidential Candidate like
Sarath Fonseka who uses this kind of low level language in his addresses
to the people! Is this the person whom the intelligentsia of the country
is trying to bring in for a change?
The fear of death seriously affected the people in Colombo and
suburbs owing to terrorist activities. Those who love this country don’t
talk about any such change.
Most officers in the Sri Lanka Army very well know who Sarath Fonseka
is. His true picture came into light after the people could witness the
words he used in some political rallies.
Q: Various complaints are made against the jumbo Cabinet of the
Government. Don’t you think this Cabinet is too big for a small country
like ours?
A: If the number of ministers in the Cabinet is reduced, it’s a good
move. But the President can’t reduce it just now because of the military
victory achieved by him and the shortcomings in the Constitution
formulated by late President J.R.Jayewardene.
The President couldn’t form a stable Government with a majority. When
the President assumed office, there were only 87 MPs in the Government.
Even the Speaker couldn’t be elected from the Government ranks.
At that time the President had to give priority to end the war and
safeguard the motherland by increasing the number of Cabinet even to 225
if he wanted.
future the President will take measures to change the constitution
and reduce the Cabinet.What is the reality today? Only Rs. 2 billion is
spent on this Cabinet per year.
According to the pledge given by the Opposition Presidential
Candidate Sarath Fonseka, Rs. 144 billion has to be spent per year to
give Rs. 10,000 pay hike to the public servants. If the present Cabinet
is reduced by half, only Rs. 1 billion has to be spent on the Cabinet.
These are baseless allegations levelled by the Opposition to gain
their narrow political objectives.
If the Cabinet has 200 Ministers, it won’t be a burden to the country
if they fulfil their responsibilities properly. If the Ministers don’t
work, they will lose their popularity among the people.
As the President pledged, he put an end to the war. During his second
term, the President will also put an end to the corruption. The
President, as the people expect, will change the constitution and reduce
the powers of the Executive Presidency in a manner favourable to the
country.
This can only be done by President Rajapaksa because he is not in a
position to contest any other election in future. |
