Tissa, Udaya, a major boost for President’s campaign

President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s campaign to win a record third term at the January 2015 Presidential election received a major boost last week with UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake and Jathika Hela Urumaya Deputy General Secretary Udaya Gammanpila extending unconditional support to the UPFA’s candidate.

UNP’s joy of securing SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena to contest the next Presidential election was short-lived after his vis-à-vis Attanayake joined the UPFA to extend his support to President Rajapaksa.

The other major turn of event in political circles last week saw a major split in the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) which is fast deviating from its original principles and joining hands with the so-called joint Opposition for which the Tiger proxy TNA is extending a silent support.

Utterly disgusted by unholy elements trying to rob Sri Lanka of its hard-earned peace, Gammanpila finally decided to quit the JHU and Tissa Attanayake had been a die-hard UNP supporter since his days in the university as an undergraduate and had a slow by steady progress towards the post of UNP General Secretary.

He even successfully organised the UNP convention the previous week’s Saturday and hardly anybody thought he would quit the party at this stage.

But Tissa was silently bearing his pains within the party and had never washed dirty linen in public unlike most other Opposition politicians. But those problems boiled to a point of no solution and Tissa ultimately decided to pack his baggage and leave Sirikotha.

Tissa’s surprise visit to Rani’s residence

The news of Tissa’s possible crossover came to Ranil only on Sunday night. Having failed in all his attempts to contact Tissa over the phone, Ranil called his deputy leader Sajith Premadasa to break the bad news. He instructed Sajith to do his level best to persuade Tissa to change his decision.

But Tissa gave an early morning telephone call to the UNP leader on Monday and stated that he needs to meet the leader urgently. Keeping his unual cool, Ranil asked Tissa to meet him at 9.30 in the morning at the Opposition leader’s office.

The very next minute, Ranil telephoned Sajith and his confidant Malik Samarawickrema and asked them to be present for an important meeting with Tissa.

Knowing how Ranil would handle pressure situations, Tissa telephoned the Opposition leader’s office to find out the names of others invited for the meeting with him. His guess was right as an official told Tissa that Malik and Sajith too have been invited.

Tissa then made a sudden change in his plans and paid a surprise visit to Ranil’s private residence at Fifth Lane, early in the morning on Monday. Ranil, who was taking a shave, was shocked when he saw Tissa at his doorstep.

“I thought we were to meet at 9.30 at the Opposition leader’s Office and it’s not even 7 o’clock now,” a visibly shaken Ranil told his General Secretary, smelling Tissa’s plans.

He then asked Tissa to be seated until he returns after a shower. When Ranil came to his office room after a few minutes, Tissa straightaway got into business.

“I came earlier than scheduled as this is an important decision that I took. I will tender my resignation from the post of General Secretary of the UNP. I took that painful decision with a lot of emotions but I was compelled to do that and I thought it is my duty to tell you before leaving,” Tissa said.

“What is your real problem Tissa? We could discuss and iron those out,” Rani said.

But Tissa was now willing to reverse his decision. “Sir, I have told about this problem many a times without any solution. Over the past period, I have brief you about all the conspiracies done by Mangala, Ravi and Malik to ruin the party. But you never listened to me, You could see what had happed to the party by now,” Tissa replied.

“Don’t panic and take sudden decisions, Tissa. We could discuss and settle all those problems,” said Ranil.

But Tissa vehemently rejected Ranil’s call to remain in the UNP, stating that it was too late and he has already taken that decision in disgust.

Ranil then got Sajith on line and insisted Tissa to speak to Sajith. “You played a key role to reunite me and the leader. But it not fair for you to leave like this, isolating me,” Sajitl pleaded Tissa. But by then, the UNP General Secretary had taken a firm decision.

“Now it is too late Sajith. I have several other engagements. Let’s meet sometime later,” said Tissa while politely evading Sajith’s request for a one-on-one meeting.

Who hijacked the UNP?

Tissa Attanayaka maintained that he was still a UNP member and had decided to support President Mahinda Rajapaksa to save the UNP from those who had hijacked the party.

He told a packed news conference at the ‘Apegama’ theme park in Battaramulla on Tuesday that the so-called common opposition had signed different MOUs with different political entities with the aim of winning the presidential election and forming a national government but no one knew the contents of those MoUs.

“None of our objectives existed at the beginning of this campaign have been met by the common opposition. I am totally against the opposition’s decision to field Maithripala Sirisena. The efforts to secure the crossover of 20 government members to the opposition had also failed.

"I have serious doubts about the MOUs signed with different extremist groups such as the TNA, JHU and the JVP. The common opposition will be obliged to satisfy the extremist Tamil groups and the Tamil Diaspora.

"These pledges are extremely dangerous for the national security and the sovereignty of the country. We do not know what the opposition has promised but we have a right to know,” Attanayake said.

“The opposition was a coalition of strange bedfellows who profess different extremist policies. I do not understand how the JHU, TNA and the JVP can campaign to achieve a common objective.” Attanayaka said he fought right throughout to protect the party and vehemently opposed the fielding of Maithripala with the backing of the UNP.

“I expressed my protest openly at the UNP Working Committee meetings in the presence of UNP National Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa.

I said the UNP must field a candidate under the elephant symbol and if Ranil was not willing to contest, then the deputy leader Sajith Premadasa must be fielded to contest President Rajapaksa. No one listened to me. I then decided to leave the UNP if I cannot protect the party,” he said.

“Why should we bring an outsider to the presidency on our shoulders? Why should UNPers vote for an outsider if he plans to form a new political party if elected to office as revealed in the media? The country will no doubt become insecure and unsettled if President Rajapaksa is defeated in the Presidential race and that is why I decided to support him.”

Attanayaka said he was kept in the dark about all the discussions and agreements entered into by the UNP.

Gammanpila quits JHU

Ven Athuraliye Ratna Thera has been pushing the JHU beyond its original goals and objective and as a result, most of the die-hard JHU supporters who rallied round to work towards the just society they projected after the death of Ven Gangodawila Soma thero is deserting the party.

Ven. Ratana Thera was seen shouting like an undisciplined hooligan, threatening that he would bring people in their numbers to street to wage a war against the Government. It was definitely not fitting for a Bhikkhu and a follower of Buddha and most JHU supporters were heart-broken after the Bhikkhu’s disgraceful behaviour.

JHU strongman and ex-Minister of the Western Provincial Council Udaya Gammanpila finally decided to quit the party and extend his support to President Rajapaksa.

“I am resigning from the JHU and will support President Rajapaksa as an independent member,” he said.

But the JHU said that Gammanpila had fully endorsed the MoU signed with common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena and the party was surprised at his sudden crossover. JHU Leader Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thera said on Friday that it was Gammanpila’s personal decision and that no other party official or member had left the party with him.

“There has been no division within the party after Gammanpila’s crossover. No other faction has emerged to criticise our policies. It is his personal decision, ” Ven. Sobitha Thera said.

“He is a clever politician. I wish him all the best. Let people decide what kind of a political leadership this country needs now,” former Minister patali Champika Ranawaka said.

Ex-Test captain Hashan supports President

Former Sri Lanka Test captain and former UNP Western Provincial Council member Hashan Tilakaratne pledged his support to President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the forthcoming presidential election.

Addressing a media briefing in Colombo on Thursday, Tilakaratne said that it was the people's duty to protect the leader who defeated terrorism and brought peace to the country after 30 years.

Hashan was disgusted with the UNP leadership which has given step motherly treatment to him. After making him the UNP’s chief organiser for Avissawella, the UNP leadership had put another person as a joint organiser to undermine Hashan’s contribution.

Hashan has been a loyal supporter of UNP leader Ranil but internal conflicts in the UNP has prevented him making a worthwhile contribution as an organiser. DNA MP Jayantha Ketagoda, who pledged his support to President Rajapaksa a few days ago, was also present at the conference.

Meanwhile, former Eastern Provincial Councillor Ameer Ali of the All Ceylon Muslim Congress (ACMC) was sworn in as a United Peoples Freedom Alliance national list MP. Ali was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of UPFA's former MP A. H. M. Azwer, who has now been appointed a senior advisor to the President.

'A cup of coffee could lure Ranil’

An unprecedented record crowd ever seen at a political rally in Sri Lanka shocked everybody when President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressed his maiden propaganda rally in Anuradhapura last week.

The President said that he needed only a cup of coffee to lure Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to the UPFA.

“It is not a big problem when one leaves the party to welcome another. Tissa Attanayake joined our party soon after having a cup of coffee with me. If they take someone from us we will retaliate by taking someone from them.

"We took the secretary and we can also take Ranil. Only one cup of coffee would be necessary for that. They attempted to give dollars and take our members. We won’t spend money in that manner,” the President said. He said Tissa Attanayake was not taken by giving money but he had only had a cup of coffee with him. “They were trying to create a big Ha Ho by saying that this one and that one is going. But be assured that no one will go.

This election will determine the future. People asked me in 2005 to finish terrorism, and I finished 30 years of terrorism in less than four years. Thereafter, I pledged to develop the country,” the President said.

The President said that his wish is to provide safe drinking water to every household in Anuradhapura.

“Not only that, the entire region will be free of kidney disease. We are providing financial assistance to the disabled. We have closely observed the feelings of the masses. For the first time this year’s budget was prepared outside air conditioned rooms, observing the hearts of the people,” he said.

The President said that certain ladies were spreading hate and slinging mud at him. He said his hands were not stained with blood. He also said the masses should not allow the country to be destabilised and turned into another Syria, Libya, Egypt or Iran. Tissa Attanayake speaking at the rally said that by that time Sirikotha had turned into a funeral house, and its employees were providing daily information to him.

President visits India

President Mahinda Rajapaksa left for India on a private tour on Tuesday afternoon. Indian media earlier reported that tight security arrangements were made in the temple city of Tirupati ahead of the visit of the President.

Eight activists of Thanthai Periyar Dravida Kazhagam (TPDK) in Coimbatore were arrested for burning the effigy of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in a protest against his visit to Tirupati. Tight security arrangements were made in Tirupati ahead of the President's visit.

President Rajapaksa, having visited the Lord Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, India returned to Colombo on the following day. The special SriLankan aircraft carrying the President and delegation landed at the Bandaranaike International Air Port at around 1.13 am on Wednesday.

President Rajapaksa and delegation including former UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake offered prayers at the Lord Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati.

BJP Tamil Nadu leader L. Ganesan on Thursday said the protests against President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s visit to Tirupati was unfair as it was not ethical to prevent somebody from pursuing one’s personal belief.

Ganesan condemned the attack on journalists from Tamil Nadu covering the Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa’s visit in Tirupati, The Hindu reported. He said the refusal to meet and talk to the Sri Lankan President and at the same time, demanding a resolution of the Tamils’ issue was similar to asking a doctor to cure sick persons without seeing them. Referring to media reports that Indian fishermen may abide by a seasonal moratorium on fishing across the International Maritime Boundary Line, Ganesan said the Central government would talk to the Sri Lankan government and evolve a permanent solution to the fishermen issue. Once the Centre evolved a permanent solution to the fishermen’s issue, the naysayers, who called the BJP’s efforts “mere drama”, would become silent, he said.

Siyambalapitiya blames social media

Telecommunication and Information Technology Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said last week that he had no intention of quitting the government accused the social media of spreading rumours that he would cross over to the opposition.

He told a media conference at the SLFP head office that he was with President Rajapaksa on Tuesday morning and with Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa in the afternoon.

“There is a saying that there is no smoke without a fire. But this is a fire bomb without a hint of any smoke. But the danger of this kind of wild lies is that they have the capacity to destabilise society and misguide the people. Therefore, it is extremely necessary to put a mechanism in place to end this social menace,” the minister said and added that the social media, an asset to society, should not be misused. Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara said some social media follow the Gobles theory and tell lies a hundred or more times to establish it as truth.

“The opposition has gone wild realising that President Rajapaksa’s victory is assured and is spreading fallacies to confuse the people.

The social media without accountability or responsibility use the cyberspace for personal agendas. It is extremely difficult for law enforcement authorities to locate the persons who operate or addresses of social media like print and electronic media institutions. Therefore, they use the social media at will. However, it is highly imperative that these antisocial operations must be stopped at any cost,” he said.

Malsa with President

Western Provincial Councillor Malsha Kumaranatunga asserted that she and her minister father have no intention of crossing over from the ruling UPFA government. Denying rumours that she would join the common opposition, daughter of Minister Jeewan Kumaratunga, said that President Rajapaksa deserved to serve a third term.

“I believe President Mahinda Rajapaksa deserves to serve third term and I pledge my fullest support to him,” she said. Malsha feels that crossovers were unconstitutional.