Sunday Obervations: The Political Column

The passage of Punchi Nilame

The faith and confidence reposed in the 'Mahinda Chinthanaya' of President Mahinda Rajapaksa seem to gather momentum as UNPers have begun to praise the policies and statements by the President. This week, we witnessed the cross over of Susantha Punchinilame, a stalwart from the UNP who hails from the gem city of Ratnapura. Punchinilame joined President Rajapaksa after careful thought as he saw no future for him in the UNP camp.

A number of patriotic UNPers is of the view that the stand taken by the President to protect the country was praiseworthy.Even UNP firebrand, Dr. Rajitha Senaratne was full of praise with regard to the interview given by the President to the Indian NDTV channel on the ethnic crisis.Senaratne, a bitter critic of the government on the ethnic issue suddenly seemed to realise the positive approach of the President on the crisis.

Senaratne described the President's interview as 'historic' which did not intend to push the LTTE to the wall. "This is the best statement made by President Rajapaksa on the ethnic crisis and we fully endorse that stand", opined this firebrand UNPer in parliament.This is an indication that UNP support to the President towards a durable solution is forthcoming despite the usual rhetoric and daily prayer of UNP Assistant General Secretary, Tissa Attanayake that if Rajapaksa grabs UNPers, support to the government will not emerge from his side. Attanayake had failed to realise the fact that UNPers who joined the government had done so on their own, displaying the fact that the Rajapaksa administration was best suited to the present climax.

Attanayake should read and understand Senaratne's speech during the emergency debate on Thursday carefully. Rajapaksa told the NDTV that both he and Prabakaran were Sri Lankans and could sit together to discuss a solution. Senaratne recalled that the late Vijaya Kumaratunga also held the same view while UNP leaders President Premadasa, Gamini Dissanayake and Lalith Athulathmudali sacrificed their lives to that view.

Senaratne's emotional speech to the House was a lesson to all politicians to put the nation before politics. It is time for Tissa Attanayake who appear to be maturing in politics to take a cue from his colleague's speech to educate himself to put the country before self.

The UNP is in disarray. There are factions and factions within the UNP. Tissa Attanayake knows this well. He should first try to unite his own party before throwing stones at the government. There was an inquiry into the episode of the Colombo Municipal Council. A two-member committee probed as to why the nomination list was rejected. At the Working Committee meeting on Tuesday, MPs, Milinda Moragoda and Mohamed Maharoof were exonerated from accusations or charges levelled at them on the issue.

It was Maharoof who included an under-aged youth into that list at the last moment when he was notified and told to fill the vacancy. Maharoof claimed the youth was 18 but the Returning Officer held otherwise. The committee that probed claimed it was a bonafide error. Be that as it may as UNP supporters may know the sincerity of the motive. Attanayake should inquire as to why Milinda Moragoda was linked to that issue of the inclusion of an under-aged youth.

Moragoda had nothing to do with that inclusion.Nor was he told to fill such a vacancy.Then why was Moragoda's name dragged into the scene? Has Mr.Attanayake investigated into that? Is it because he associated with Maharoof? Certainly, Attanayake knows that Moragoda is an intelligent politician who does not stoop to the low level of back-stabbing or duplicating issues be it personal or political. Therefore, after the report was tabled before the Working Committee, a section of the UNP question as to why Moragoda was linked to that issue. Well, the episode is not yet over. There is another feature that has been asked to be investigated by UNP leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe. That is the issue of having 'tippexed' the name of T. M. Sanghadasa, nominated by Wickremesinghe himself. Here begins the interesting side of the episode.

Names of three men have been mentioned on this charge.They are W. M. Tennekoon (Cooray loyalist), M. Collure (Moragoda's private secretary) and Naufer Rahuman(Opposition Leader's Secretary). This inquiry looks to be very sensitive for those probing the issue. There are vital questions that would arise from this issue. They are; was Ranil Wickremesinghe aware of the role played by his secretary Naufer Rahuman? Was Milinda Moragoda aware that his private secretary was involved? Sirisena Cooray who was at the Kachcheri had already declared that he never knew anything about 'tippexing' nor of the names that were in the list. His statement clears him from any knowledge about the 'tippexing'. According to sources close to Wickremesinghe and Moragoda, both of them have been kept in the dark about the move to 'tippex' Sanghadasa's name which was included by Wickremesinghe himself. The relations between Sanghadasa and Moragoda were cordial at that time. Hence, it is accepted that Moragoda had no intention to scrap Sanghadasa's name. Also, Sanghadasa was not listed to contest from any municipal ward in Colombo East represented by Moragoda.

Sanghadasa had always been a man from Colombo Central from the Premadasa days. The question that has been put before the investigators now is whether this trio (Collure, Rahuman and Tennekoon) were hired for the 'job' by an interested party who was against Sanghadasa. Moragoda has already stated that if his private secretary is found guilty, he would not hesitate to take action against him. Will Mr. Wickremesinghe follow suit is another question. Rahuman is a public officer. By law he is prohibited from indulging in politics or carrying election material while holding office. Therefore, the fate that would befall Rahuman would be interesting to witness. Tennekoon is a retired education officer and an ex-employee of Moragoda's political office.

He left Moragoda's office long before the local government election. He is a loyalist of Sirisena Cooray for many years. How he came into play a reported role in the 'tippexing' episode is another question.

Since Mr. Wickremesinghe has put this issue before a probe, his stalwarts want to know whose 'unseen hand' was responsible in this exciting 'tippexing' drama that plunged the party into a crisis.