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| Sunday, 2 May 2004 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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UPFA Govt. keeps its pledges Behind the curtain by Deepla The Freedom Alliance Government has already taken steps to keep its election pledges to set up a people friendly government. The latest achievement of the new government is to open up 27,000 employment opportunities for graduates. The Alliance Government Cabinet last week approved the plan for an employment program for graduates, under Treasury supervision. Political sources pointed out that it was a big achievement coming, even before the Government completed its first month. Finance Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama revealed that all these graduates will be trained in State sector institutes and this would not be a white-elephant as claimed and wished for by the UNP. The Minister also said that the Treasury has enough funds to meet the challenge. These days newspapers are full of photographs of courtesy call visits on the new ministers by diplomats, VIPs etc. But, what their leader President Chandrika Kumaratunga calls for is not publicity but for Ministers to get down to work. Political sources said the President is realistic about the human failing for publicity in the wake of the euphoria customary when attaining high office, but the country is in such a mess, that there is no time for partying. Sources also said the country can ill afford to have any ministerial laggards and any minister who betrays the trust reposed in him will be digging his own grave. This time round, the country is not going to tolerate any nonsense from their political leaders. The people will demand that they place the country before self. Enough is enough." They also urge the new ministers to follow their leader, the President who has been working on a number of fronts round the clock with undiminished courage and commitment to bring relief to the masses. The new government's request to the Norwegian Government to resume its facilitator role in the peace process that ended abruptly was fruitful and a delegation will be in Sri Lanka today Sunday to examine the possibility of putting the peace process on the right track. It was good news for all, but for the opportunistic green Elephants. It was the President who initiated the peace process which had been in limbo for almost one year due to Ranil Wickremesinghe's facile administration, however, she has now been given the opportunity to finish the task begun by her. Alliance government sources reiterated that as they pledged in their manifesto they would go for a negotiated settlement foregoing petty political gains with a good understanding of the core issues of the conflict. The results of the North Western Provincial Council election was a hard slap on the face of Ranil Wickremesinghe. Political circles around the country identified it as a protest vote over what the UNP did at the election of the Speaker two days before in Parliament. The same political circles said that it was also a show of trust and confidence in the Freedom Alliance Government. Thanks to the Proportional Representation (PR) system, the UNP which was capable of winning only one electorate got 19 candidates elected as Provincial Councillors in Wayamba. The majority of the people have given an overwhelming mandate already giving the new government to change the horrid electoral system. The UNP will realise the necessity of this. Political analysts say that otherwise, the UNP will be harshly punished by people for not respecting their expectations and aspirations. The UNP must accept the fact that they have no leg to stand on, given the enormity of their defeat. Their duty is to co-operate with the Government, without sulking like a spoilt child deprived of its favourite sweet. Legal experts said that the new system which is going to be introduced will be a fine mix of the First-Past-the Post System (FPPS) and the PR system. It was also likely that the German System would be akin to the new mould and designed to have necessary safeguards and provisions for adequate minority representation. The UNP which never learnt lessons from the past history has had some discussions towards nominating the Leader of the House from the UNP and the idea has been rejected by Parliament General Secretary Priyanee Wijesekara explaining that according to Standing Orders the post should be filled from the governing party. Political circles say that the UNP will have to suffer a lot because of their confrontational politics which makes a mockery of democracy. Compared to what the UNP did in 2000, when the PA Government brought Constitution Amendment Bill, where they threw missiles and burnet copies of the Bill, this is nothing political analysts asserted, the recent rumpus in Parliament over the sordid conspiracy behind the election of the Speaker was mild. The then Opposition Leader pretended to be asleep "see no evil-hear no evil" situation at the time played a sinister role in the fracas during the election of the Speaker. In last week's television programme where Hela Urumaya Propaganda Secretary Udaya Gammanpila was questioned by a viewer about the two JHU MPs decision to bring UNP nominee W. J. M. Lokubandara to the Speaker's post and with Gammanpila's reply let the cat out of the bag. The questioner insisted that Hela Urumaya had answered at a meeting prior to the Speaker's election, that it was supporting the UNP nominee Lokubandara. Gammanpila denied this, but was far from convincing. Political circles stressed that the JHU had a hidden political agenda. However, Alliance sources said that they are not against the JHU. But, the JHU MPs misled the government giving false promises to the President. The UNP leadership's decision to hand over the party re-organisation process to five youngsters including Matara district MP Sagala Ratnayake, Kurunegala District MP, Akila Kariyawasam, Wattala Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman, Muditha Pieris and two journalists of the Lankadeepa newspaper has been cause for much heart-burn among party seniors. Political sources rended that several former high rankers in the party have already decided to follow a "neutral" role in future activities. UNP leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe faced an unexpected bitter shot at the party's Parliamentary Group Meeting last Wednesday. Political sources say that the chief had gone in for bad recipes which resulted in the UNP broth being spoilt. Sources further added that the accusations among the party would do nothing but destroy the party. Kandy District MP, K. Rambukwella, Nuwara-Eliya MPs Naveen Dissanayake had shouted at Mr. Wickremesinghe for being unable to recognize the party loyals and being misled by several party officials MPs, Sajith Premadasa, Naveen Dissanayake and K. Rambukwella had been accused by Ravi Karunanayake as having voted for the government at the Speaker's election. Reliable sources confirmed that with two recent defeats the UNP leadership had been sent reeling and it would result in many changes in the party high-ranks. The usually sedate Sajith Premadasa was in an explosive mood at the UNP Parliamentary Group meeting and blasted the daylights out of the party's leadership for its inefficiency, ineptness and being so distant and away from reality, that it had no clue as to the pulse of the people. This had spelled disaster and had caused humiliating defeat at the hustings. Premadasa received wide support for an immediate re-organisation of the UNP. Members, particularly those from the provinces who had been deprived of funds to develop their electorates, by the Treasury run by Charitha Ratwatte, were in high dungeon and furious. They also made scathing attacks of the media heads, who they accused of counter productive mud slinging, a big reason for the general election and Wayamba debacles. But, the weak response of the leadership was to appoint Sudath Chandrasekera former chief bodyguard and later secretary to the UNP leaders Sudath Chandrasekera, green horn MP Sagala Ratnayake, Muditha Peiris, Akila Kariyawasam and two Lankadeepa journalists to re-organise the party. Sudath Chandrasekera is the young man who organised the infamous UNP fund raising party with strip-tease and all at a popular rugby club, which caused much controversy within the UNP itself, with party seniors being very unhappy about it. "Boys will be boys", quoth a senior. All said and done, the UNP is in a horrible mess with a growing number of its members demanding a complete overhaul of the uncle-nephew party. To add to the woes of the UNP, leadership is a king sized split in the UNP administration at the Colombo Municipal Council, with Azaath Sally going hammer and tongs at Mayor Prassana Gunawardene. |
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