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Sunday Politics by Nandana Vindana

All political parties are now focusing attention on the forthcoming local elections. President Mahinda Rajapakse last week called all candidates to the Auditorium of the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium to stress the need for the SLFP to win the elections. The President expressed keenness to strengthen the party at grassroots level and pointed out that it could only be done by ensuring a victory at the March election. He also told the candidates that they should work hard for the party and also try to climb the political ladder step by step. The SLFP looks fully geared to meet the challenges. Though the JVP contests separately, its Propaganda Secretary, Wimal Weerawansa stated that both the JVP and the SLFP stood together on all issues. "We will not allow any force to create a division in the UPFA", he told at a meeting at Piliyandala this week.

While President Rajapakse and his partners in the Alliance have already kicked off the campaign, the main opposition, UNP appears to concentrate more on internal battles. The setback received by the rejection of the Colombo Municipal Council nomination list yet haunts the UNP. The crisis is not over. It deepens day by day. Party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe seems to be under more pressure following the release of S. B. Dissanayake from jail. Dissanayake, deprived of his civic rights has started a campaign within the Party aspiring to be the deputy leader. The faction backing Dissanayake is to propose to Wickremesinghe shortly to create another post of Deputy Leader for SB while he (SB) continues to be National Organiser.

Last Tuesday, Wickremesinghe summoned all CMC candidates to 'Siri Kotha' for a meeting. At the head table were Wickremesinghe, Karu Jayasuriya, Sirisena Cooray, Weragoda and M. H. Mohammed. Wickremesinghe introduced Cooray as the Mayoral candidate and called upon all other candidates to support him. Saying this he passed on the microphone to Cooray to address the gathering. Cooray noted that the UNP in the past was a party of the people and for the people irrespective of the status quo of the person. "In the past due recognition was given for ability. But today some people who could throw money around have infiltrated the Party to destroy it", cautioned Cooray. His obvious reference was to Thilanga Sumathipala who earlier threw money at random in Anuradhapura during the Presidential Election campaign to corner Cooray. Sumathipala later teamed up with Mohammed to aspire for the Mayoralty in Colombo.

Both Mohammed and Sumathipala failed in that attempt as Ranil recognised Cooray.

Continuing Cooray said that if he was a cause for any disunity in the party he would withdraw from the contest. "Even if I withdraw I will never make statements to the media or any TV station as the UNP is my party and I am loyal to it", he observed. Wickremesinghe interjected at this point to tell the gathering that he would not hesitate to take action against the culprits responsible for tampering with nomination list of the CMC which was rejected. "I don't care for their status or position in the party. Once the report is sent to me, I will take stern action", Wickremesinghe reiterated. This was received with a round of applause from the candidates present at the meeting. Before he wound up, he said, "Have faith in me, I will punish the culprits, I don't care who they are".

A section of the UNP says that the two member committee that probed the CMC issue submitted its report to Wickremesinghe last week. Another group says the probe is still continuing. Be that as it may, parliamentarians Milinda Moragoda and Mohammed Maharoof's names have been mentioned in the report as persons who had backed the move to tipex T. M. Sanghadasa's name. Sanghadasa, a bitter critic of Maharoof was a nominee of Wickremesinghe.

There is also an involvement of Wickremesinghe's Secretary, Naufer Rahuman as he had collected the list from 'Siri Kotha' in the company of Collure, Moragoda's Secretary to be brought to Mohammed's residence at Borella. Collure and Rahuman had reportedly tipexed Sanghadasa's name at a temple in Narahenpita. The bottle of tipex had allegedly been supplied by a security officer on duty at Prof. G. L. Peiris's residence. It is said in the report that Collure and Rahuman who went to the professor's house in search of Weragoda had asked the security officer for a bottle of tipex.

While the duo had been engaged in tipexing the document placing it on the alter at the temple, some oil had smudge the list. Mohammed refused to touch it suspecting there was "malayali" charmed oil. But Azath Sally perused it. Sally later told a Sinhala daily that the names were in order upto that time.

The Moragoda-Maharoof combination allege that the list had been tipexed either at Mohammed's residence or on the way to the Kachcheri. Despite much pressure exerted on them and their aides for the reported involvement in the fiasco, this combination continues to deny the charges. The faction opposed to them have now labelled Moragoda and Maharoof as 'traitors' of the UNP. While these developments are on, Sirisena Cooray has called upon Sanghadasa to give up the battle against Maharoof over the tipexing issue. Sanghadasa, a confidante of Cooray is now backed by Ravi-Rajitha-SB trio. Therefore, Sanghadasa has reportedly refused to adhere to Cooray's request.

If the UNP fails in the court case, the party is dependent upon an independent list, presumably forwarded by the SLMC, campaigning to win over an independent list would be a hectic task. It will also be dangerous, party sources said it would be difficult to educate the voters on numbers and names in that list.

The 59 names in that list and the numbers are different to that in the rejected UNP list. Also only a section of those candidates have opted to resign in the case they win on the UNP vote. If the SLMC oriented independent list insists after the victory that they need the Mayoralty it will be suicidal for the UNP. Therefore, the UNP's future in the CMC administration hangs in the balance with dark clouds emerging over its moves day by day.

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