UNP quandary: to go the whole hog and join the government, or to work together?

LTTE attacks, thinking it cannot go to talks from position of weakness....

Sunday Observations: The Political Column

Though the news of the UNP SLFP agreement -- dubbed historic - dominated the news this week, the more interesting news developments at week's end seemed to be elsewhere. Apparently, the LTTE, after it got a drubbing and asked for talks, thought that it's infra their dignity to arrive at the negotiating table from a position of weakness!

Therefore the LTTE began attacking in the Eastern province. Our defense correspondent deals with these developments elsewhere, but what's important is that the government replied to the LTTE in the same coin, because the armed forces are aware that they are in a position of strength - - which is why the LTTE got down to talking anyway.

Hansen Bauer the Norwegian special envoy therefore, who met the President last week - - also seemed to take events in his stride. Apparently, it occurred to him that there are major political developments in the country, which are almost overshadowing his peace effort.

After Hansen Bauer met the President, a JVP delegation trooped in to see the President.

The end result of that pow-wow was that the JVP promised to support the President even though not within any alliance. The JVP's rejection of the alliance was on the grounds that the SLFP was unwilling to accommodate its key points on issues such as getting Norway out of the peace process.

But the JVP, before it came for talks had almost secretly organized a mass protest opposite the Norwegian embassy the next day - - which seemed to mean only one thing which is that before the talks, the JVP seemed to know that it was not going to agree to any alliance with the SLFP.

That seemed to be a settled position before the JVP's Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Lalkantha and Tilvin Silva walked for talks which included Maithripala Sirisena, Mangala Samaraweera and Anura Priyadharshana Yapa from the other side. The governnet JVP talks have officially ended, with the JVP saying there should be no talks in the future as it will support the government not from within but from the outside.

Then onto the news of the week:

The UNP and the SLFP issued a press release after joint session of talks in the parliament building, and the words were to the effect that the two parties will work together.

But the broader contours of this working-together arrangement was being hammered out within the UNP. The bottom line is that a great deal of the UNPers are for joining the government (in a physical sense as it were...!) to form a national government.

But others, the so called 'meda mawatha' - middle of the road -- MPs were more in favour of a working arrangement in which the UNP would support the government on National Issues of importance.

However, speculation was rife that there were some such as Rajitha Senratne and others such as GL Peiris who were to join the government as Ministers.

We learn that there have been many who have approached the government with various strategies in which they would have a quid pro quo. A quid pro quo (for bringing in the MPs) would be to enjoy high ranking cabinet status within the government. The Ministries to be given were also to be assigned according to the old State council system of governance by committee.

But Ranil Wickremesighe the UNP leader decided to put the essence of the understanding reached with the government to the party Working Committee this week - after which he will have talks with the President in the direction of the new understanding between the two parties.