No more elephant symbol and no green colour:

Ranil's greatest betrayal - Minister Mahinda Yapa Abewardane

By Uditha Kumarasinghe

Agriculture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said the abolition of the Executive Presidency within 100 days as pledged by the Common Opposition Candidate Maithripala Sirisena is a fallacy and can never be done in 100 days.

The Minister in an interview with the Sunday Observer said that the Constitution cannot be amended in a haphazard manner. The Government has already appointed a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to look into it. But Opposition parties have not participated in the PSC.

The Minister said that at Maithripala Sirisena's inaugural press briefing, former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga had said that she tried to abolish the Executive Presidency, but the people who promised to do so did not allow her. Who is she accusing? She is accusing Ranil Wickremesinghe but does not want to mention his name and the party.

She brushed the issue aside because she has formed a new alliance with these people and is now depending on the UNP.

She didn't want to make that allegation in public. It is impossible to abolish the Executive Presidency within 100 days and they are only hoodwinking the people.

Minister Abeywardena said at present there is no elephant symbol or green colour to be seen in the UNP. This is the second national election without the elephant symbol and green colour.

Since the multi-party system has been operating in our country, the UNP's elephant symbol and green colour was there. Is this the sacrifice RAnil is talking about?

Even Maithripala Sirisena says this is a sacrifice. To whom has the UNP sacrificed? Is it the people who were beaten by Maithripala's people?. When the UNP came to power in 2002, Maithripala's people assaulted the UNPers.

This is a sacrifice and a betrayal of Ranil Wickremesinghe. The UNP will never come out of this crisis. The younger generation has not seen the elephant symbol or green colour in their election campaign. The UNP will never attract the youth in the future and will never raise its head.

This is a coup hatched by former President Kumaratunga. She wants to ruin the UNP because she has an idea to bring her son into politics. The first step is to ruin the UNP and get some part of the SLFP under her control and develop a new political party to introduce her son into politics

Q: What led the Government to call for a snap Presidential Election?

A: This is not a snap election. The last time also, President Mahinda Rajapaksa wanted to hold elections at the end of four years in 2010.

The President believes the Government has done its best to overcome the problems faced by the people. He is of the view that here is no need to wait until the last minute to call for an election?

The last time, the President as pledged to the people finished the war against terrorism and let them decide whether to elect him or not. This is not a snap election. According to the President's calendar, he has called for this election.

Q: The Common Opposition candidate and former Minister Maithripala Sirisena says on legal grounds that he is still the SLFP General Secretary while Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa has been appointed the new General Secretary. Can you clarify ?

A: Minister Anura Yapa's name was suggested as the new SLFP General Secretary by the SLFP Central Committee and ratified by the SLFP Executive Committee. Both requirements to appoint him as the General Secretary have been fulfilled.

Q: How effective is the abolition of the Executive Presidency within 100 days as pledged by the Common Opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena?

A: It is a fallacy and nothing can be done in 100 days. This is all rubbish. How can you do it within such a short duration? Imagine that Maithripala wins the January 8 polls, it will take another 10 or 15 days to finalise the oath taking and other ceremonies. Then only 85 days are left. How can he go for an election within 85 days to change the Constitution?

Will he get two thirds majority? If I am in Parliament, I will not vote for a hasty thing like that. You can't change the Constitution in a haphazard manner. The present Constitution has been amended 18 times. If you have a two thirds majority, you can amend the Constitution. If you don't have a two thirds majority, how are you going to amend it?

When something goes wrong in between, how are you going to settle it? Changing the Constitution is not an easy task. It takes a long time. The Government has already appointed a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to look into that.

Opposition parties have not participated in the PSC. Maithripala Sirisena says that he will abolish the Executive Presidency within 100 days.

Recalling Maithripala Sirisena's inaugural press briefing, former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga said that she tried to do that, but the people who promised did not allow her to do so. Who is she accusing? She is referring to Ranil Wickremesinghe. But she didn't want to come out with his name and party. She brushed it off , because she has formed an alliance with those people and they are depending on the UNP now.

She didn't want to make that allegation in public. It is impossible to do this and they are hoodwinking the people.

Q: Making Ranil Wickremesinghe Prime Minister as claimed by Maithripala Sirisena appears to be a master plan hatched by Government enemies. Hadn't political intelligence warned about it earlier?

A: Political intelligence works within Sri Lankan territory. It cannot cover what is happening in some other countries. Most of these conspiracies are not orchestrated in Sri Lanka. It is an international operation.

You have to wait and see the second part. Fielding the Common Opposition Candidate is the initial part. Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and Maithripala Sirisena were invited to a foreign country some time ago.

Wickremesinghe had to wait there for one month under the pretext of studying in that foreign university. Maithripala Sirisena was also invited to that same university and he said that he was honoured for his achievements. This was the beginning.

This took place more than six months ago. That was the starting point of the conspiracy. It has developed and now come to Sri Lanka. The second part will be enacted shortly. We will have to wait and see.

Q: There is no flow of crossovers, but they are leaving the governing party in single file. Does it mean the Opposition's master stroke is still at work?

A: No it is not. This Government has been in power for the last 20 years. There are some people who are disgruntled. Most of these politicians want to have their own benefits.

They want to get maximum out of public funds. Some of them may be happy and some of them may be not. Those who are not happy will go out and see whether they can get more benefits and perks from some other party. That is what they are trying to do right now.

None of them have crossed over for the love of their people or country. They are concerned about personnel benefits.

Q: Maithripala Sirisena says that Ranil Wickremesinghe made a huge sacrifice. Will this end the UNP's long- awaited death while the UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake has cold-shouldered Maithripala at Sirikotha. Have you got to say anything about this scenario?

A: The sacrifice in the sense that they have ruined the UNP. I am sorry to say this because I was also in the UNP for sometime. At present there is no elephant symbol or green colour to be seen within the UNP.

This is the second national election in the country without the elephant symbol and green colour. Since the multi-party system has been operating in our country, the UNP's elephant symbol and green colour had been there. Is this the sacrifice?

We should not forget that even Maithripala Sirisena himself says it is a sacrifice. Yes, it is a sacrifice. To whom have they sacrificed?

The people who were beaten by Maithripala's people. When the UNP Government came to power in 2002, Maithripala's people assaulted UNPers.

Don't you think this is not a betrayal. It is a sacrifice and a betrayal by Ranil Wickremesinghe. I agree with that. The UNP will never come out from this crisis.

The UNP's symbol has been forgotten for the last ten years. In another ten years, the younger generation will never identify the elephant symbol and the green colour.

They would have not seen the elephant symbol or green colour in their election campaign. The UNP as a result will never attract the youth in the future.

A new introduction has to be given to youth of 18 years who just got their voting rights as they have not seen the UNP, its elephant symbol or green colour at elections.

Will the next generation ever vote for the UNP? The UNP is finished and it will never raise its head.

This is a coup hatched by former President Kumaratunga. She wants to ruin the UNP because she has an idea to bring her son into politics. The first step is to ruin the UNP and get some part of the SLFP under her control and develop a new political party to introduce her son into politics. That is what she is trying to do. We have to wait and see.

Q: From the beginning, the SLFP's fate is to lose its General Secretaries, but the party continues to remain as a monolith. What is the secret?

A: The General Secretary is only another position in the party. It is not an issue if a person leaves the post.

If the people leave the party, then there is a problem. A vast majority of the people are with the SLFP. There is nothing to worry.

Q: Amidst crossovers, cut throats, conspiracies and mud slinging, Budget 2015 was passed with an unprecedented majority. Is this not proof of the Government's unsullied image?

A: This Budget is a historic Budget. Because this is the only Budget that has given so much of benefits to the people. No one could go against it. Some members who voted for it, left the party the following day.

UPFA MP Farook left the party having voted for the Budget. Because voting against the Budget is wrong for them.

There has not been a single budget such as this where so much of benefit has been given to the people.

Q: Is there a conspiracy by the West to stage a regime change as they don't tolerate any patriotic ruler emerging in third world countries? How safe is the Government against such moves?

A: That has been the history of this problem. At one stage, specially during the period of the war against terrorism, powerful Western Governments wanted to stop it. That was to keep Prabhakaran alive to challenge whatever Government that came into power and make its power balance.

President Rajapaksa didn't agree to that. He waged a war against terrorism and eradicated terrorism. The President ensured that terrorism will never raise its head again in this country.

If this Government's program continues, terrorism will never raise its head in this country. Because the country has rapidly developed and plenty of employment opportunities have been created. Nobody can find fault with the Government as far as development is concerned in those areas.

After a of three decades, the Yal Devi resumed operations to Jaffna. This is the biggest contribution the Government could do for the Northern people.

The train will also go to Kankesanthurai soon. The people will never forget the massive development done by the Government.

The masses know what they have gained from the Government. They appreciate it. It is the politicians who don't appreciate it. Because their ultimate aim is different.

Their goal is to get power for themselves and to make their families happy not the public.

They want to go on foreign trips and get all the other benefits, recognition and the maximum amount of public funds for their own benefit.

I don't see any difference on which side they are. They are not worried about the public. They are worried about themselves. But the public knows.

If the youth are assisted, they will appreciate it. The moment they are made aware they will appreciate whatever that has been done for them.

I am sure if you allow the Jaffna people to vote freely, an unprecedented number of votes will be caste in favour of the President. But we should not interfere they should be given the freedom to vote and the freedom of movement to make their decisions.

How safe is the Government against such moves is a serious question.

The Government and the nation will have to face it. It is the duty of the media to create awareness of the danger and threat we have in this country.

There are various ways of making the people aware of it. It is our duty to see that the people are aware of the danger that we have to face in the future.

Q: The JHU is sitting on the fence. Does this mean there is dissension in the party high command towards the hasty decision taken in the present context?

A: I don't know what is happening inside the JHU. The JHU is a party based on extremism.

They have taken the religion and the community to the extreme. With those extreme ideas, they can't survive anymore.

At one stage, the President was blamed for some of the things that were done by the JHU.

The other communities thought President Mahinda Rajapaksa was not taking action against what these extremist JHU people were doing. The President is also a strong Buddhist leader. But he is not an extremist. He does not promote communalism. But he had to carry on the Government with all these people.

Therefore certain things were tolerated. That is why the Government is being blamed at the moment.

As a member of the Cabinet, I know how much he tolerated the nonsense of MPs of the Government group. As a Leader he had to do it. Otherwise the Government would have collapsed.

Being a strong leader, he still has to bow down to certain things. Just imagine, if a weak leader comes what would happen. There won't be a Government. If the President takes action against these people, they will quit. He has to keep the unity within the Government. For the sake of unity, he has scarified many things.

The JHU must understand that the President has sacrificed a lot to keep the JHU in the Government.

Q: There is speculation that the Tamil vote will take a different direction as the TNA is out to extract its pound of flesh from the Government. How do you view this situation?

A: TNA leaders want their pound of flesh. That is for their own benefit. We should recall the speeches they made in Parliament and whether they have uttered a single word about the requirements of the Tamil people. They only talk about the devolution of power. That is their pound of flesh.

That is for their own benefit not for the benefit of the people. While they were here, their children were educated in England. They were getting the best of everything. But the poor children in the North couldn't go to schools and the schools were closed. They were under a bloodbath. While they were suffering in Jaffna, children of most of these Tamil leaders were having a gala time in London. Their families are all right. That is what they want to continue. They want their pound of flesh!

Q: Will the Pope's visit take place as scheduled despite the storms in the political tea cup?

A: I don't think the Pope has anything to do with the political situation in the country.

He is a religious leader. He will visit Sri Lanka as scheduled and offer his blessings and conduct religious services to his people. He is not concerned about politics.