Discipline, a must for all political parties - Minister Johnston Fernando

By Uditha Kumarasinghe

Robust and forthright in debate, he would not easily give in to his rival. He galvanised the Consumer Affairs Authority into ction in the interest of the consumer. Co-operatives and Internal Trade Minister Johnston Fernando keeps a vigilant eye on unscrupulous elements who try to exploit the consumer. The Minister in an interview with the Sunday Observer said that it is not factually correct that the UNP has suffered the present setbacks due to the lack of a strong leadership on the part of Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The ground reality is that no new leader could defeat President Mahinda Rajapaksa, or his government due to his dynamic leadership. On the other hand Ranil Wickremesinghe is also a seasoned politician. When most UNPers had challenged his leadership, any other leader would have lost his hold on the party. If either Sajith Premadasa or Tissa Attanayake takes over the UNP leadership tomorrow, they will be looked upon as incompetent compared to a remarkable leader such as President Rajapaksa. Most of the Opposition MPs cross over to the Government due to President Rajapaksa's dynamic leadership.

Minister Fernando said if the UNP, JVP and TNA were sincere, they should participate in the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) and help reach a common consensus on the problems of the Tamils. He also called upon the Tamil community to stand up against those who attempt to exploit their grievances to gain petty political mileage. It was President Rajapaksa who protected the Tamil people from LTTE terrorism. It is the responsibility of all political parties to participate in the PSC deliberations to find a solution to this issue. If no solution could be found, the UNP, JVP, TNA and the pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora which had victimised the Tamils should be held responsible.

Q: What are the socio-economic benefits accruing to Sri Lanka as the host country of the CHOGM?

A: Hosting CHOGM would be a significant opportunity to promote Sri Lanka's image globally. That is why the main Opposition UNP tried to thwart it. We saw how the Opposition tried to scuttle this event while the pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora had been engaged in a ‘do or die’ campaign to prevent world leaders from attending the CHOGM. Despite this sort of conspiracies hatched by some local and international forces, Sri Lanka won the rare opportunity of hosting the CHOGM. When peace has been restored after a 30 year brutal terrorist war, we could use CHOGM to deliver a message to the world on the current situation in Sri Lanka. In a situation where some political parties and other interest groups are attempting to portray a distorted picture of Sri Lanka to the international community’ CHOGM could be a forum to debunk these misconceptions. It would also pave the way to strengthen our economy and bring in many investment opportunities to Sri Lanka.

Q: Various incidents of violating the election law have been reported in the current Provincial Council Election campaign. Don’t you think the present preferential system of votes has become one of the key contributory factors for election violence?

A: I fully admit the fact that discipline should be strictly maintained within a political party. President Rajapaksa is also very keen in this regard. Disciplinary action should be taken against any candidate who has violated the election law. Clashes have erupted among the candidates of the ruling UPFA too. I could see the lack of a vibrant Opposition as the key reason for such incidents. In such a situation, the competition is among the UPFA candidates themselves. At present the Opposition has suffered a severe setback as its vote base has been reduced to a deplorable level. According to the present preferential system, it is difficult to control these incidents. However, intelligent voters make the right decision. The majority of the UPFA candidates have fully adhered to the need to maintain discipline within the party. At present a larger number of UPFA candidates are engaged in the election campaign in a more peaceful manner. I don’t believe any change in the present electoral system other than rectifying shortcomings could remedy this situation. The present electoral system is good as it provides the opportunity to the people to select the best candidates.

Q: You have been accused of resorting to election violence in your son's election campaign in Wayamba. Is there any truth in these allegations?

A: I categorically reject these allegations. I had never been involved in clashes with any SLFP Pradeshiya Sabha members as alleged by certain people. This is a baseless allegation levelled against my son's election campaign. Voters in the Kurunegala district know as to who are engaged in violent incidents. It is only under President Rajapaksa that elections were held in a more democratic manner. This Government will not permit violence in Wayamba as it happened during the regime of former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. As stated by certain people, voters cannot be bought over. As a politician I always help people but it is not an attempt at all to woo their votes. This was a tradition maintained by my parents as well.

Q: Political cross-overs from the main Opposition UNP to the Government have become a common phenomenon today. According to you, are such cross-overs based on policy or personal agendas?

A: When the entire Opposition joined hands to field a common candidate against President Rajapaksa, I took a policy decision to extend my support to him. I cannot comment on the cross-overs of other opposition politicians as I do not know the exact reason as to why they did so. However, the politicians have to take various decisions during their political career. I can’t say whether those who crossed over are right or wrong. At a particular point of time I also had to take a political decision. The people fully endorsed the decision taken by me to cross over to the UPFA Government. My voters made me the first in the UPFA list at the 2010 General Election.

Q: According to you is there any conspiracy behind the Weliveriya incident to embarrass the Government and drive the country into a difficult situation?

A: Definitely. In fact this conspiracy had not been hatched recently. Earlier too a youth died during a demonstration held at Katunayake Free Trade Zone. It was proved that some outside force was behind that incident. The Weliveriya incident has confirmed

that certain unscrupalous elements attempted to create a similar incident. People always respect the Army. Since our childhood we knew, if the Police was not able to control a tense situation, the Army had to be deployed. We have seen people at times arguing with the Police during certain incidents. People won't clash or argue with the Army. It was only the JVP and the LTTE which challenged the Army. The JVP even killed the family members of the Security Forces during the 1988-1989 insurrection. According to the information received, the protesters had fired at and attacked the war heroes who had eradicated terrorism from the country after 30 years.

If the Security Forces were attacked or fired at when they were deployed to control the tense situation, it is quite evident that there was a certain group instigating the protesters to resort to violence. The army had to act in self-defence and bring the situation under control. Those who instigated the people against the Army wanted to create an incident to embarrass the Government. An extremist force attempted to capitalise on the Weliveriya incident to project a wrong image of the country to the world. Certain elements may perhaps attempt to instigate people to create similar incidents in future as well. Therefore, the Government has to be more vigilant.

This is a democratic government. Therefore, we call upon those instigators not to create such incidents with the intention of toppling this Government and derive sadistic pleasure by victimising the people.

Q: The Government has appointed a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to study the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. How do you view the UNP’s intransigent behaviour in not participating in the PSC?

A: This is not a new phenomenon. The UNP wants to boycott the PSC and thereby complicate the issue. After the war against terrorism ended, it was the UNP, JVP and TNA which pressurized the Government to seek a political solution to the issue. They also demanded to devolve power. The Pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora too maintains the same stance. If these political parties are sincere and love their country, they should participate in the PSC so as to help reach a common consensus. The Tamil community should stand up against those who attempt to exploit their grievances to gain petty political mileage. It was President Rajapaksa who rescued Tamil people from the clutches of the LTTE terrorism. It is the responsibility of all political parties representing Parliament to participate in the PSC and help find a solution to this issue. If a solution cannot be found, the UNP, JVP, TNA and pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora which victimized the Tamil people should be held responsible.

Q: As a former UNPer how do you look at the new draft constitution introduced by the UNP leadership incorporating ground-breaking changes to the legislature, executive and judiciary?

A: Whenever UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe suffers an electoral defeat, he will draft some sort of document like this. Sometimes he introduces changes to the party constitution or bring in reforms. He would do away with the Deputy Leader or other trade union leaders. This is just another attempt by Wickremesinghe to retain his leadership. Ranil Wickremesinghe’s uncle, the late President J.R. Jayewardene was the architect of the 1978 Constitution. If Wickremesinghe had a genuine desire, he could have changed the Constitution when he came to power in 2001. After a lapse of 12 years, now he wants to change the Constitution. All these attempts are meant to cover up the severe setback suffered by the UNP.

Q: UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe talks of an election in 2014 and the media had also reported that a high-powered committee had been appointed to advise UNP leadership and the Working Committee on how to win the election. What is UNP’s prospects of winning an election in 2014 when dissension and in-fighting are still simmering under the present leadership?

A: Since 1999, Wickremesinghe is making such absurd statements. When challenges are thrown against his leadership, the UNP Leader adopts various tactics to boost the morale of his partymen. He says that he will topple this government in 2014. This is just another absurd talk by a leader like Wickremesinghe who cannot even win a Pradeshiya Sabha or Provincial Council or even retain his own parliamentarians within the party. No second rung leadership will emerge within the UNP in the near future. At present only a few incompetent leaders remain with the UNP. So how can the UNP win an election in 2014? The UNP would face a humiliating defeat at that election as well.

Wickremesinghe would certainly introduce another draft constitution and expel a few more party seniors from their positions.

Q: Is the Government confident of winning at the Wayamba, Central and Northern Provincial Council elections?

A: The Government would achieve a landslide victory at these Provincial Council elections. The UNP's vote base would drop down to an abysmal level. It is not factually correct that the UNP has suffered the present setback due to lack of a strong leadership on the part of Ranil Wcikremesinghe. The ground reality is that no new leader could defeat President Rajapaksa or his government on account of his charismatic leadership. Ranil Wickremesinghe is also a seasoned politician.

When most UNPers had challenged his leadership, any other leader would have lost his hold on the party. He is a competent and powerful person and yet an incompetent leader compared to the charismatic leadership of President Rajapaksa. Sajith Premadasa and Tissa Attanayake are no exception.

The President has launched a mega development drive throughout the country as had been pledged in ‘Mahinda Chintana'. A vast majority of the people had rallied round the President due to defeating the three decades old terrorism. The infrastructure development has reached an unprecedented level. The Government has earmarked certain targets to be achieved such as providing electricity to all households very soon. The construction of mega irrigation schemes has commenced while the road network has undergone a complete transformation.

The construction work on the Colombo-Katunayake Express Way will be completed in a few weeks’ time. The Government had increased the salaries and other benefits to public servants in successive budgets. People have been economically strengthened today.

That is why the Opposition has begun to erode rapidly. Even if Sajith Premadasa becomes the UNP leader tomorrow, the destiny of the UNP will be same. President Mahinda Rajapaksa loves his motherland most and this is the ground reality and as such Opposition MPs have joined hands with him. Most of the Opposition MPs cross over to the Government due to the dynamic leadership of the President.

Q: What led former UNP MP Dayasiri Jayasekara who was one time a vociferous critic of the Government to resign from his parliamentary seat and joined the UPFA?

A: He didn't have any alternative. He must have thought that he would have to be in the Opposition until he retires from politics. That is why he quit the UNP and joined the Government. When he was in the UNP, he criticised the Government and the President on certain issues. He realised that there was no future for him within the UNP under the incumbent leadership. Even if Ranil Wickremesinghe is defeated at the next election and a new leadership is formed, Dayasiri Jayasekera and the other UNP members know very well that the UNP will not win in any future election. Dayasiri also played a leading role in the UNP. He took people to the streets and leds demonstrations against the increase of electricity tariff. Finally he realised the UNP will never come to power. He had to decide whether he should continue to remain in a bankrupt Opposition such as the UNP or join hands with a powerful leader like President Rajapaksa.

Q: What is the progress of the investigations on the recent fire at the CWE headquarters, Colombo?

A: At present the CID is conducting investigations on this incident. Anyway, the Fire Brigade had effectively controlled the fire. The CWE Chairman's office and the Ministry Media Unit have been destroyed. Still we don't know the actual cause for the fire. We are refurbishing the building complex. A Ministerial committee has been appointed to inquire into this incident. Still the investigations are going on.

Q: What action has been taken by your Ministry on the controversial milk powder issue?

A: Under the Food Act, the Health Ministry is the sole authority to take action on this issue. If any milk product is sold in the market after it has been banned by the Health Ministry, the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) will conduct raids and seize these products. The Health Ministry has already banned the sale of certain milk powder products. The Ministry will take legal action against any trader who sells such products. According to the Food Act, all decisions with regard to food items should be taken by the Health Ministry. The Health Ministry has already informed milk powder companies to take off some of their milk powder products from the market. If they don't heel these instructions, we would discuss the matter with the Health Ministry and conduct raids against shops selling such milk powder products in the market.