Differences of opinion common in any democratic party:

UNP on gradual forward march - Daya Gamage

By Jaliya Wijekoon

The Provincial Council system which was introduced under J.R. Jayewardene's presidency in 1987 has taken firm root in the country although there were objections at the beginning from some major political parties. Provincial Council (PC) elections are held every four years.

As elections for the Western and Southern Provinces are scheduled to be held by the end of March 2014, all major political parties are now busy choosing formidable candidates to field for both councils from their parties.

The main Opposition, the United National Party, which had suffered continuous defeats at the last few elections, has got a new lease of life with the formation of its Leadership Council and is engaged in an aggressive campaign to regain its lost glory at the forthcoming PC elections. The Sunday Observer had an exclusive interview with UNP National Organiser Daya Gamage to ascertain the party's present position, preparations for the PC elections and its future course of action with regard to the present political situation in the country.

Excerpts of the interview are as follows:

Q: The UNP had rendered invaluable service to the nation in the past under a number of great leaders. However, since 2004, it had not emerged victorious at any election under the present leadership of Ranil Wickremesinghe. What is the reason for this gradual deterioration of the party?

A: Yes, the United National Party had done a tremendous service to the nation since its inception in 1946 by its founder leader D.S. Senanayake and then by Dudley, Sir John, J.R., Premadasa, Wijethunga and Ranil Wickremesinghe. All our leaders have rendered a great service to the nation in all spheres.

They worked for the economic, agricultural, scientific, cultural and social development of the country through their multi-faceted projects while taking positive steps to establish inter-communal harmony. The UNP is the only party which had managed to maintain inter-communal harmony from the time we won Independence in 1948. Even our party name amply demonstrates my claim.

Yes, it is true that we have been undergoing a lean period over the last few years, but it is not due to any shortcoming of Ranil Wickremesinghe or any other member of the party. It is wrong to point an accusing finger at an individual for the party's debacle.

We have carried out a comprehensive study of our recent defeats and we have identified our lapses.

There has been a well organised and sinister media campaign against our party, launched by unscrupulous political elements, to convince the masses that our party is sympathetic to the LTTE. Even after terrorism was ended by the Government, these elements still try to link us with the LTTE at every election, making derogatory statements. Unfortunately, we, as a party, had not taken proper steps during the recent elections to counter those allegations and educate the masses on these sinister campaigns. We shall not allow these groups to repeat these cheap political stunts at future elections.

Internal unity

Q: But the general belief is that there is no internal unity in your party and that was the main reason for you to remain in the Opposition for so long.

A: It is wrong to say that there is no unity in the party. Of course, there were differences of opinion on certain matters which is quite democratic.

Q: Your party formed a Leadership Council with the intervention of the Maha Sangha recently to steer the party to victory at a future election. How is the progress being made with this council?

A: Well, it is a positive step taken by the party. As a person who took part in the initial discussions, I am surprised to see the stance taken by Ranil Wickremesinghe who was considered a 'very arrogant and rigid political leader'. He amply demonstrated his flexibility and listened attentively to the Maha Sangha as a true Buddhist and humbly agreed to part with about 95 percent of the powers vested on him as the leader. Now, it is left to the Leadership Council to prove its mettle in the forward march of the party.

Key persons

Q: However, two key persons who were nominated to the Leadership Council, Sajith Premadasa and Thalatha Athukorala, have still not agreed to make their contributions, claiming that certain conditions were not met. What is the reason for this situation?

A: I am quite positive that Sajith Premadasa and Thalatha Athukorala will join the Leadership Council soon and make their contribution. As I told you earlier, some unscrupulous media institutions are still engaged in a malicious campaign against our party and try to make a mountain out of a molehill.

Now that our party has got a new lease of life and is gradually marching forward, those who resent it try to make a big hue and cry with Sajith and Thalatha.

I am sorry to say that some of the media institutions blatantly violate media ethics and are reduced to the level of prostituting the trade to attack their personal enemies.

Q: Elections for the Western and Southern Provincial Councils are round the corner and some media reports say that you would be contesting the Western Province as the Chief Ministerial candidate. Is there any truth in this?

A: I have not been officially informed about this by the party hierarchy. I too read some news reports to that effect. However, if the party requests me to come forward, and if I feel it's the need of the hour, I shall gladly accept the challenge and steer the party to victory at the election.

I was born, bred and educated in Colombo and my business head office is also in Colombo. It is not difficult for me to garner the support of a majority of voters in the Colombo district as I have an innumerable number of sincere friends in addition to the party supporters from all electorates in the Colombo district who are prepared to help me.

Q: You are already a prominent politician in the Eastern Province. Don't you think that you would be neglecting your duty to the voters there if you come to Colombo?

A: I shall never neglect my duty to the Eastern Province, especially the Ampara electorate, even if I happened to come to Colombo. I can make a suitable replacement to represent me in the Ampara district.

As I told you earlier, if the party needs my services in Colombo, I shall not hesitate to take up any challenge and prove my mettle.

Downfall

Q: As the National Organiser of the United National Party, what do you think are the reasons for the downfall of the party, in addition to the malicious campaign conducted by unscrupulous elements?

A: Yes, there are quite a few reasons in addition to the main allegation against our party.

Most of our electoral organisers have distanced themselves from the grassroots level membership. Some have not carried out the instructions given by the party headquarters on propaganda activities. When we lost a few elections in 2005, some of our electoral organisers started pointing an accusing finger at the leadership without attending to the party propaganda activities with the grassroots level membership.

Members of Parliament cannot remain in power unless they are in constant touch with the masses, whether you are in the Opposition or in the ruling party.

That is what happened to some of our members at the last general election. Our party propaganda activities were also not affective enough to counter the allegations made.

Now we have taken concrete measures to avert such situations and I am quite confident that we are in a position to face any future election with a winning mindset.

Q: How can you be so confident of a future victory when the Government is going ahead with many development plans?

A: The Government is going ahead with development projects, with loans drawn on unprecedented interest rates, which will boomerang on the country's economy very badly in the near future.

See what happened to some of the countries in this region in the recent past. Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia suffered badly due to the economic meltdown. We are also heading towards such a situation.

People are undergoing immense hardships due to the high cost of living. Not only the poor, but even the upper middle class find it difficult to balance their monthly budgets. There are problems in the health, education and agriculture sectors which affect the ordinary people in the country. There are also problems related to law and order.

In this backdrop, it is not difficult for the United National Party to mobilise the masses at a future election, also presenting an alternative program of work and win the hearts of the people and form a UNP government.