Chandrika dominates joint Opposition’s campaign
The so-called common Opposition’s election campaign was like an
opening of a soda bottle. They talked big and projected an impressive
picture that they would get more than 40 ministers and UPFA
parliamentarians to support Maithripala Sirisena.
But it ultimately turned a cropper as Maithripala’s greatest betrayal
could attract just five others. Despite repeated plea and lucrative cash
bonanza offered, the Maithripala camp could not woo support of any more
UPFA parliamentarians or ministers, except for Naveen Dissanayake.
Naveen’s crossover was nothing new as he was one of the 17 UNP
parliamentarians who joined the Government with his father-in-law Karu
Jayasuriya to topple the last UNP government of Prime Minister Ranil
Wickremesinghe. That was the greatest betrayal a UNP stalwart could ever
do and Karu did so in his greed for a ministerial portfolio.
But Karu later went back to the UNP without the 16 UNP seniors who
were not willing to leave President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Even his
son-in-law Naveen was not willing to listen to Karu at that time. Karu’s
betrayal made the two sons of the late Gamini Dissanayake – Naveen and
Mayantha join the UPFA.
However Mayantha later went back to the UNP and ever since, many
expected Naveen to follow his younger brother. Hence, Naveen’s return to
his old party is nothing to crow about and will have little or no impact
on the UPFA vote base in Nuwara Eliya.
However, Naveen’s arrival has disturbed the UNP leadership.
Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has been engaged in a long
battle for the party leadership with Sajith Premadasa, will have added
problems with Naveen’s arrival as he too could boast that his late
father had been a stalwart and a Presidential election candidate of the
party.
Ranil is not the only one who is disturbed by Naveen’s return. Among
the others who have got panicky is UNP deputy leader Sajith Premadasa.
Although Sajith has not openly shown his displeasure, Sirikotha sources
confirmed that a cold war has already begun.
But in order to send a different message to the public, Sajith was
seen extending an extraordinary warm welcome to Naveen.
Chandrika’s vicious and malicious look
Anybody who has even a simple knowledge in politics knows that it is
former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga who has been playing
the leading role in bringing Maithripala Senanayake as the common
Opposition candidate for next month’s Presidential election.
From the moment in obtaining satellite phones from a Western
diplomatic mission in Colombo, Chandrika has put a lot of efforts, not
because of she loves Maithripala but because she want to take revenge
from her successor.
Chandrika’s vicious and malicious look was evident from her face,
acts and statements. The manner in which rose both her hands gave fresh
memories of a false promise made by her in 1988.
She performed a similar ‘act’ before her slain husband Vijaya
Kumaratunga’s coffin when she and two other leftist leaders formed the
United Socialist Alliance in 1988, promising to take actor turned
politician Vijaya’s vision forward.
But she fled to London, leaving the Sri Lanka Mahajana Party (SLMP)
supporters. It is the same vicious lady that is now doing her rounds in
a desperate bid to capture power at the expense of poor Maithripala.
Perhaps, that may be the reason for President Mahinda Rajapaksa to
identify Chandrika and her team with Mangala as his main rival at the
next Presidential election when she is not even a candidate.
“My main challenger at the election would be Chandrika.
Chandrika-Mangala alliance is playing the cards. Maithripala is nowhere
in the picture and Ranil is just an onlooker. This is not the first time
that she is working to beat me. She first tried that in 2005 and then
even at the 2010 Presidential election, she worked against me,” the
President said during his monthly breakfast meeting with newspaper
editors and other media heads at Temple Trees on Friday.
“But Ranil is the best candidate out of the three because only he has
a party machinery. He many have lost so many elections but he is the
best person who could give me a good fight at present,” President
Rajapaksa added.
Maithripala’s pigeon falls on ground
The inaugural meeting of the common candidate Maithripala Sirisena
was held at his home town of Polonnaruwa last Sunday. But a very bad
omen was witnessed at the beginning of the meeting a white pigeon had
been released to the atmosphere by the common candidate Maithripala
Sirisena which had instead of flying away had fallen on to the ground.
Faces of all those who were on the stage had become gloomy had looked
at one another thinking it was a bad omen to the start of the
presidential elections campaign.
Maithripala is facing a tough time in organising rallies and
attracting crowds in an organised manner due to infighting in the UNP.
Maithripala’s second election rally at Matara last week was a big
failure due to Mangala’s attempts to settle score with his political
rivals.
UNP deputy leader Sajith Premadasa and Matara District UNP
parliamentarian Buddhika Pathirana were sidelined from Maithripala’s
Matara rally.
Mangala began a fresh battle with Sajith and Tissa after Maithripala
announced that Ranil would be appointed Prime Minister after 100 days if
he wins the election. But Attanayake contradicted it and said that
executive powers of the President would be transferred to Prime Minister
within 24 hours.
Mangala then rejected Attanayake’s statement by saying that the
Executive Presidency would though some powers would be transferred.
Maithripala’s ‘dream government’ confuses all
None in the so-called common Opposition seems to be aware who would
govern in case Maithripala wins the election – not even Maithripala
himself. What Maithripala had said when his name was announced as the
joint Opposition has been contradicted by many, including Mangala and
Tissa
Initially, Maithripala said that a new voting system will be
introduced alongside the abolition of the Executive Presidency within
100 days after coming to power. The new electoral system, according to
the MoU which was signed between the parties of the common opposition,
will provide for the just representation of all communities and
political opinions and will be a mix of the first-past-the-post system,
which ensures that every electorate has its own Member of Parliament,
and proportional representation.
Political observers said that Chandrika would undoubtedly take
control even if Maithripala wins and take Mangala’s team in the UNP,
kicking Ranil and Sajith out. It is still not clear as to how the SLFP
defectors are planning take control of the key decision making bodies of
the party.
Although they have boasted to attract over 40 government
parliamentarians, they have managed to get only Naveen Dissanayake since
Maithripala had left with five others including Rajitha Senaratne.
President’s breakfast meeting with media heads
President Rajapaksa had his monthly breakfast meeting with the
newspaper editors and media heads at the Temple Trees on Friday. He said
that former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was his key
opponent and not common candidate Maithripala Sirisena.
“Chandrika Kumaratiunga is the main contender in the race and she is
using Maithripala. The opposition leader is on another side,” the
President said.
Commenting on the conduct of the former President, the President said
Chandrika was acting with vengeance. “She has a valid reason to be like
that as I did many things she could not even imagine,’ the President
said adding that he does not even feel any 'election heat' at the
moment.
When asked about the SLFP defectors who push for the abolition of
Executive Presidency, President Rajapaksa said they did not utter a word
about the Executive Presidency when they were in the government, either
in the Cabinet, the parliamentary group meetings or at the SLFP
meetings.
“Only Wasantha Senanayake voiced his opinion on the matter and he was
talking about curtailing powers of the Executive Presidency,” the
President said.
“We never rake revenge from any person, like the United National
Party. Still, there are many people working at Temple Trees who were
hired during the tenure of President Kumaratunga. Even the one who
served tea for you had been employed during her time,” President
Rajapaksa said.
President explains what he meant by ‘files’
President also expressed his views on the controversial statement
over ‘files’, saying what he meant was totally different from what the
media had thought. “You people in media have misunderstood what I had
said.
What could I do if you had not picked what exactly I had meant?” he
asked.
The President said his remark was being misinterpreted in various
ways. “There are many kinds of files.
Even the Cabinet gets various types of files, ministers sent various
Cabinet papers in files. It was those files sent by the Ministers that I
was referring to,” the President said.
When asked whether he had any regrets over going for an early
election, the President scoffed at the question. “Not at all! Why should
I? I fact I am delishted to go before people once again,” he said,
adding that he has already 'sacrificed' one year in office.
The President said he was quote familiar with different types of
conspiracies more than anyone else as he grew up in ‘Shrawasti’. “Even
from my school days, I have seen those conspiracies,. I have seen MPs
and Ministers conspire from my childhood” he added referring to some
incidents that took place in 1964 when the late Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s
government was toppled by crossovers.
Commenting on y Maithripala’s remarks that he is still the legitimate
General Secretary of the SLFP, the President said that one could find
such people living in a world of theirs at Angoda too.
Anura Yapa got gastritis due to Chandrika
The new General Secretary of SLFP, Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa
told the President’s media heads’ meeting that he came down with
gastritis as former President had never been punctual.
He said that he had developed gastritis during the Chandrika’s tenure
as the President ad they had to skip meals or eat short eats while
waiting for her for hours.
“Food had to be given when we had to wait for more than three hours
because of her delay to attend meetings. I even got gastritis after
eating so much short eats while waiting for her,” the minister said.
When the President was having breakfast with the media heads and
ministers, an editor noticed Minister Nimal Siripala having hoppers.
“Another Minister is eating hoppers with the President,” one editor said
making an indirect reference to Maithripala eating hoppers for breakfast
on the day
before he betrayed the leader to become the common candidate.
“I have stopped eating hoppers since that incident. Even at home I
now avoid eating hoppers,” Minister Anura Yapa said.
Ranjan plays to the gallery
UNP parliamentarian Ranjan Ramanayake had been caught red-handed for
calling during a live political debate on television and talking under a
false name – Matara Sunil. Pretending to be an ordinary listener from
Matara, Ramanayake made use of the opportunity to sling mud at Sports
Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage who quickly spotted that it was a
bogus caller.
An irate minister walked off from the debate, alleging that the TV
station was biased and the moderator lavishly gave ample time to the
caller to character assassinate him.
The Sports Minister lodged a complaint with the police on the same
night against the caller who had made defamatory remarks against him.
The police later found that the mobile from the controversial call
had been initiated is registered under Ranjan Ramanayake’s name.
The minister had mentioned in his complaint that an investigation
should be carried out against the caller and that he was expecting to
file a defamatory case against the person, police said. Ramanayake had
told a weekend paper that it is common that people write to newspapers
under different pen names and that he too had to perform a similar act
as the TV channel would not have given him a chance had he identified
him.
But Ramanayake said that it was up to the CID to prove who the
controversial 'Matara Sunil' was him.
Investigation on Naveen’s statement
Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said last week
that the Criminal Investigation Department had launched an investigation
into the alleged statement by former minister Naveen Dissanayaka that he
was offered some Rs. 100 million to stay in the government.
“The statement made by Naveen Dissanayake was damaging to the
government, so the government has lodged a complaint with the CID asking
it to launch an investigation into the claim,” he said.
“I am not sure whether he has been offered that sum. That is why we
have asked for an investigation into the claims. Everything will be come
out after that,” he said. Meanwhile, former minister Rajitha Senaratne’s
residence at Hettimulla in Beruwala had been burgled last week and goods
worth more than Rs. 100,000 was stolen.
The security guard at the house lodged a complaint with the Beruwala
Police last week that some files, an iPod and a tablet PC were among the
stolen goods. Police said most of the time the house was left
unoccupied.
Chandrika, Ruwan battle for honours
It is an undisputed fact that the LTTE terrorism was defeated due to
the unmatched political sagacity of President Rajapaksa. Although the
Security Forces played the most crucial role with immense sacrifices,
they could not have accomplished that task if there had not been a
strong political leadership to protect them from international
conspiracies to halt the advancement of the forces.
But now, there seems to be many quarters attempting to grab that
honour. Former President Chandrika said last week that 75 percent of the
battle had been won during her time and that President Rajapaksa was
left with only 25 percent to end terrorism. But she did not utter a word
on many security forces camps that were overrun by the LTTE, including
Mullaitivu army camp where over 1,200 soldiers alone were killed.
UNP National Youth Front President and Parliamentarian Ruwan
Wijewardene too joined Chandrika in claming honours for the military
success. Ruwan said that all arms and ammunition to destroy the LTTE
were purchased during the previous UNP regime.
Speaking during the Western Province Convention of the UNP National
Youth Front in Colombo yesterday, Ruwan said this was the reality though
the UNP was accused of having a rapport with the LTTE.
He said the UNP did not have anything to do with the LTTE in the past
and will not have anything to do with them in the future as well.
US Embassy rejects bribe charges
The US Embassy in Colombo rejected the allegations by Minister
Gunaratne Weerakoon that he was offered a ‘bribe’ by outgoing US
Ambassador Michele Sison.
Commenting on the allegations, US Embassy said that the allegations
were baseless and they reflected a fundamental misunderstanding of their
engagement with senior government officials and their policy towards Sri
Lanka as well as the US political and economic system.
It also said the Ambassador Sison met with President Rajapaksa,
Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris and other senior government officials this
week, and they congratulated her on strengthening their bilateral
relationship.
Resettlement Minister Guneratne Weerakoon had told a political
meeting in Aranwela recently that he was offered a ‘bribe’ by outgoing
US Ambassador Sison and he had recordings of the discussion. |