UNP’s 55th Convention at Sirikotha:

Ranil folds his long sleeves to national anthem

Opposition political parties have pushed the panic button with the announcement of the Western and Southern Provincial Council elections. The worst hit is the United National Party (UNP) which is struggling to find its chief ministerial candidates.

Initially Colombo District MP Ravi Karunanayake declared that he would lead the UNP in the Western Province if Hambantota District MP Sajith Premadasa could take up the challenge by accepting the UNP’s chief ministerial candidature for the Southern Provincial Council elections.

Prior to that, UNP’s Matara District MP Mangala Samaraweera suggested that Sajith should be named as their chief ministerial candidate. But Sajith knew that it was a plot to dump him as the UNP’s defeat in the two Provincial Councils is imminent. The image Sajith has been attempting to project as a leader who could guide the UNP to victory would definitely be blown if he contests and lose the Southern Provincial Council. Hence, Sajith took no time in flatly rejecting the offer.

There were calls from the UNP’s Reformist group that Mangala should prove his ability by guiding the party to victory as its Chief Ministerial candidate for the Southern Province. He too rejected the offer like Sajith.

Initially, there were moves to elevate the UNP’s grooming leader Ruwan Wijewardene, the Gampaha District MP, as the party’s chief ministerial candidate for the Western Provincial Council elections. Knowing that it would be a calculated risk that would jeopardize his political career, Ruwan too has turned down the offer.

However, Ruwan’s loyalists Harin Fernando and Ajith Perera have now promoted the name of UNP’s national list MP Dr. Harsha de Silva. But the economist turned politician has declared that he would not undertake that task under any circumstances, even if he is asked to quit from his national list seat in the Parliament.

Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and the members of the UNP’s leadership council have spoken to Harsha from time to time during the past few days but all those have become futile exercises as Harsha is adamant that he would not contest the Provincial Council elections as the UNP’s chief ministerial candidate.

There were rumours that the motive behind promoting Harsha to become the Chief ministerial candidate is to grab his National List seat to get Ranil’s confidant and inner circle buddy Sagala Ratnayake, the former Matara District MP. On hearing the UNP leadership’s plans to field Harsha for the Western Provincial Council former UNP parliamentarians Vajira Abeywardena and Ananda Kularatne too have approached the UNP leadership to grab the national list slot.

Media reports said that Harsha has even gone to the extent writing a letter to Ranil, indicating that he is not willing to contest the WPC polls under any circumstances.

Ranil’s seasonal holiday abroad

Amidst all the developments and problems faced by the party, Ranil keeps his cool without deviating from his favourite lifestyles. Immediately after the UNP’s 55th Convention on December 21, he embarked on an overseas tour to spend his Christmas holidays in style.

Ranil is generally known to make costly blunders or ignorant statements at important public functions.

The latest of them was witnessed at the UNP Convention at Sirikotha last Saturday (21). When the organisers began to play the national anthem, Ranil intervened and ordered them to stop to cheer up the party supporters. After he had three cheers for the party, the national anthem was played.

When the national anthem was being played, Ranil appeared to be in his won world, folding the sleeves of his shirt.

Though the UNP Secretary General Tissa Attanayake and Leadership Council chairman Karu Jayasuriya looked embarrassed by the conduct of their leader, but they could not alert Ranil as they were in standing attention for the national anthem.

Then there was another inauspicious occurrence when the UNP leader was addressing his party’s annual Convention. A huge hoarding near the stage, welcoming the UNP leader for the event, collapsed when Ranil was addressing the gathering and he had to stop his speech for a few minutes until it was restored.

Though many thought that the newly appointed leadership council would play a big role at the UNP Convention, it was not to be. As usual, Ranil demonstrated his dictatorship qualities which were severely criticized by many UNP seniors, including Kabeer Hashim.

Ranil made sure that Sajith does not get a chance to address the UNP Convention but Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe was given an opportunity to speak.

However, it seems that Sajith has lost even the little support he had within the party. UNP’s bikkhu wing leader Ven. Girambe Ananda Thera has said that there is no point in going behind and extending repeated invitations if Sajith continues to reject the leadership council.

The monk was the greatest strength Sajith had after the Bikkhu wing proposed a leadership council. However, continues efforts by the UNP seniors, especially by the chairman of the leadership council Karu, have failed to change Sajith’s mind. This seems to have annoyed Ven. Ananda Thera who seems to be showing no mercy to Sajith anymore.

The United Bikkhu Front has nominated names of parliamentarians Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and D.M. Swaminathan as replacements for Sajith Premadasa and Thalatha Athukorale for the UNP leadership council. The UBF has made these nominations as Sajith and Thalatha have refused serving in the council, respite repeated appeals by the party.

Dissolution of Western and Southern PCs

The Western and Southern Provincial Councils are expected to be dissolved within the first two weeks of next month and the elections will take place before the end of March. Reports said that several leading astrologers have pointed out that March 28 as the most auspicious date to conduct elections.

Indications are that the elections could well be held either on March 28 or 29.

The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), an ally of the ruling UPFA, will go solo at western and southern provincial council’s election as they did at the previous elections.

The alliance partners of the ruling coalition are busy again with their politburo and central committee meetings to decide on the fielding of candidates under the betel symbol.

Meanwhile, UPFA’s Southern Provincial Council Member D.W. Prathapasinghe resigned from his post after making a special statement in the Council last week.

Prathapasinghe, a former Police DIG, was elected to the Council from the Matara District at the last Southern Provincial Council Election. Media reports said that a former legendary Sri Lanka cricketer is expected be the UPFA’s trump card at the Western Provincial Council elections. A few more popular figures will seek nominations from the UPFA, UNP and Democratic Party.

But UNP’s Western Provincial Council member and former Sri Lanka captain Hashan Tillakaratne will not seek re-election. Hashan, who is serving as a member of the national cricket selection committee and is in UAE following the national team’s performances against Pakistan, will not continue in active politics. Instead, Hashan has informed the party leader that he would concentrate on cricket.

Though popular actress Nadeesha Hemamalie has challenged fellow artists Geetha Kumarasinghe and Anarkali Akarsha in the upcoming race for the Southern Provincial Council, evergreen Geetha has proved her class with a stunning reply.

Welcoming Nadeesha’s entry to politics, veteran actress and SLFP’s Bentara-Elpitiya chief organiser Geetha Kumarasinghe has said Nadeesha is better than most of the useless characters in the UNP.

‘SLFP not a communal party’

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, addressing the SLFP All Island Working Committee at Temple Trees last week, said that the SLFP is not a communal party and this is the era of working as one nation and country. “We believe the people have a right to use their own language. Now the country is united and we must unite the people too. I urge the SLFP members to strive towards this objective”. He said while respecting the mandate of the people and dedicating their service to the people, it is also the duty of all people's representatives of the SLFP to take the party forward.

He said, in the meantime, certain elements were trying to weaken the SLFP saying that there are internal disputes.

The SLFP is today in the strongest position it had ever attained and no one can distance the party from the people, the President said.

The issues reported from local government institutions were not pertaining to party policy but issues relating to positions.President Rajapaksa said politicians cannot move forward without a party and those who tried to do so have faded into oblivion.

He said today everybody can talk of a golden era of the country because they wield power in Parliament, the Provincial Councils and the local bodies and it is their responsibility to consolidate this power and progress ahead.

The government will never privatise public resources. The country obtains loans for development and the betterment of the people and the country, the President noted.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa further said that the infrastructure facilities in the Northern Province from roads, railways, hospitals and ports were reconstructed at a cost of US $ 4 billion by the government to provide facilities to the people and not to take political advantage.

“We developed the North as a government and not as the political party, SLFP (Sri Lanka Freedom Party),” he said while continues to address the SLFP All Island working Committee in Colombo.

“Although some people asked me not to hold elections in the North, I decided to have early elections and for the first time in history, an SLFP member was elected,” President Rajapaksa said.

Ranil insists on fulltime politicians

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe said last week that politics could be undermined by the entry of half-hearted film stars and sport stars who are not committed to a full-time political career.

“Actors, actresses and cricketers should not join politics unless they are able to fully devote themselves to politics. Vijaya Kumaratunga did the right thing because he quit his film career when he decided to join politics,” he was quoted as saying.

Media reports claimed that Ranil has made these views during a conversation with Southern Province Chief Minister Shan Wijeyalal De Silva while attending the funeral of the late mother of Ratgama UNP Organiser and Southern Provincial Council Member Asoka Dhanawansa.

Opposition leader worried about Dobbs

Ranil Wickremesinghe has demanded that the government explain as to why world famous businessman and Chief Architect of the Annual Galle Literary Festival (GLF), British born naturalised Australian Geoffrey Dobbs, had not been allowed to visit Sri Lanka. Making a special statement he said that either the Prime Minister or a responsible minister of the government should tell the House the reasons for blocking the visit of Geoffrey Dobbs.

Dobbs is an investor in the Sri Lanka tourism sector and had been playing a leading role in bringing in about five billion US $ as donations to the country.

Wickremesinghe said his Secretary had inquired from the Controller of Immigration and Emigration as to why Dobbs had been barred from entering the country and received a response that Dobbs falls into the category of persons who could not be allowed to visit Sri Lanka owing to his dubious conduct and actions against the interests of Sri Lanka.

The Opposition Leader said that Dobbs owns properties in Sri Lanka and some of them were in the Galle Fort. Wickremesinghe said the government's decision of not permitting Dobbs to visit Sri Lanka, would have a bad impact on the country's tourism industry and the country's image.

GL says Lanka will face challenges

Minister of External Affairs Prof. G. L. Peiris, in an interview with Prensa Latina , has said that Sri Lanka is fully able to undertake the tasks set out by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission and to guarantee the rights of its citizens.

“We have the institutions, the resources and the will to take forward the rebuilding of our country, continue strengthening our economy, and ensuring a decent life for all, no matter their religion, ethnicity or political affiliation,” Peiris said.

“It has been a little more than four years since the war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and signs of progress are visible everywhere you go in our nation,” he added.

He said that amid the complex situation left by a conflict of almost 30 years, the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has had to establish priorities among the almost 300 tasks fixed by the Reconciliation Commission.

Mine clearing in the north of the country is complete and more than 11,000 former LTTE members have been rehabilitated and reinserted in society, with equal rights, Peiris said. By virtue of an intense investment program and the recovery of productive activities such as fishing and agriculture, the economy of the northern province (where the population is mostly Tamil) grew by 22 percent in recent years, compared to a national rate of 7 percent, he said.

Either side can sling mud, says Vasu

There have been mixed views of the new live telecast of the parliamentary proceedings. But National Language and Social Integration Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara said on Friday that if the Opposition is batting, let the government set up a good field, said He said this commenting on the fact that some government MPs have opposed the live telecast of Parliamentary proceedings ‘on account that Opposition MPs take advantage of the situation to sling mud at them.

Minister Nanayakkara said either side can sling mud. “If Opposition Mps continue to sling mud, the government MPs may set a good field by not allowing them to do so,” he explained.

“If that is the way that the Opposition continues to bat, the UPFA MPs can set up a good field to counter their attack,” he said.

“Let the public see who works in their interest and who slings mud. I fully endorse the live telecast of Parliamentary proceedings because the voters have the right to know what their members are doing and the masses get to know who is doing what with their votes,” said the minister.

“If slinging mud is what some MPs do in Parliament than representing the interests of the public who have elected them to serve them, let the people witness their actions through live telecast of Parliamentary proceeding,” Minister Nanayakkara said. Asked what if some MPs in Parliament started glorifying the LTTE or its LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in Parliament to promote a separatist agenda in the country making use of the live telecasting of Parliamentary proceedings, Minister Nanayakkara replied: “Let the public see for themselves whoever among the Members of Parliament, are advocating or glorifying LTTE terrorism or its leader Prabhakaran through the same live telecast.” On being reminded of the incident involving Tamil National Alliance MP Sritharan who was criticised in Parliament over a speech made by him stating that Prabhakaran needs to be commemorated as a freedom fighter,

Nanayakkara said: “Let the people get to know about them. The live telecasts definitely help. It also helps the people understand why Velupillai Prabhakaran is not a freedom fighter and why he is a terrorist through the speeches of other Members in the House.”

The people will be able to see who among the TNA are against LTTE terrorism and who do not promote separatism, he said.