The rogue clique sabotaged UNP plan :

Maithripala just a house rat compared to President- Minister Tissa Attanayake

By Manjula Fernando

Former UNP General Secretary and party stalwart Tissa Attanayake says an inner circle headed by Ravi Karunanayake, Mangala Samaraweera and Malik Samarawickrema, has overpowered the UNP's working committee to take secret decisions at the behest of former President Chandrika Kumaratunga to crown the New Democratic Front (DNF)Candidate.

“The election campaign is organised in such a manner that the UNP has no say over it. To say the least the whole campaign is masterminded and manipulated by the former President. What is happening today is a case of tail wagging the dog”

He said he decided to leave the coalition unable to witness the party being sapped to give life to a borrowed candidate from the SLFP who is doomed to lose the Presidential race.

Attanayake who had been Minister in charge of Higher Education in 1993 and the Minister for the development of central province later in 2001, was sworn in as the new Health Minister last Thursday.

Q: With the UNP you apparently had a promising future, what made you to cross over to the UPFA ?

A: I resigned from the UNP General Secretary post due to a number of issues and the decision was on a matter of principle.

I wrote a letter to the Party's National Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe on December 8 explaining my decision.

The most crucial point I have discussed in the letter is that the failure of Maithripala Sirisena to fulfill the three commitments that was made to the UNP to endorse his candidature at the forthcoming election.

Namely to get 20 - 25 Ministers and MPs from the Government side to cross over to UNP to strengthen the party before nomination day.

The second is to make a written pledge to hand over the Premiership to Ranil Wickremasinghe and transfer executive powers to the Prime Minister within 24 hours of Sirisena's election to office.

The abolition of the executive presidency and setting up of independent commissions came third.

The first pledge that endorsed his candidature by the Exectuive Committe, has already been broken. This is one reason for my departure.

If we look at the history of Sri Lanka, when a coalition is formed, the leader of the main political party was the leader of the coalition. Since 1970, this is how it has happened.

The UNP constitutes the large part of the Common Opposition. For instance over 80 percent of the opposition votes come from the UNP.

But the election campaign is organised in such a manner that the UNP has no say over it. To say the least the whole campaign is masterminded and manipulated by former President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

The UNP's role in the election campaign, has been defined by her and we have to heed her orders. What is happening today is a case of tail wagging the dog.

I clearly informed that I cannot agree with this set up that reduced the UNP to a minority in this common opposition.

Further, the common candidate is signing MoUs with various political parties. I saw the agreement with the JHU. At an event held at Viharamahadevi Park, recently, he signed agreements with the UNP and a number of other parties. I am informed that he has a similar agreement with the TNA.

These agreements are shrouded in secrecy. There is no transparency. If the Common opposition has come to a certain understanding with regard to eliciting their support, the voters should know the terms of the understanding.

Why would they try to keep the document with the TNA a secret? I am raising this question with concern. The TNA has a history of demanding and fighting for controversial things, like removing the military presence in the North.

Then they clamored for police and land powers in the Northern Province.

The people have a right to know what the NDF candidate has agreed, in return of their support.

The common candidate entered an agreement with the UNP. But the initial pledge that Ranil Wickremasinghe will be offered the Premiership if he gets elected was never repeated at any public event thereafter.

Q: Has anyone in the UNP seen the agreement with the NDF candidate?

A: As far as I know, only a few in the inner circle knows about it. Crucial decisions about the coalition are taken by Mangala, Ravi and Malik in the UNP and former President Chandrika Kumaratunga from the other side. This is not the usual protocol.

When key decisions about the party is taken the Working Committee must be informed.

Q: So these were the issues that drove you out of the Opposition?

A: In addition to that there were some internal issues as well. I had high hopes about the forthcoming presidential election. I was making a huge effort to revive the UNP campaign. I was planning to appoint 12,000 organisers covering all polling stations islandwide.

Steering committees were to be set up under these organisers with a strength of 34 members. If the plan took off, the UNP would have had a massive 420,000 strong green force to campaign for the UNP at the forthcoming election. We held a very successful national convention in HydePark.

The rogue clique that was operating inside sabotaged the entire plan.

I also identified that the biggest set back for the UNP is the division among its leaders.

The decision to bring Ranil and Sajith together has now boomeranged on me.

All of us agreed that Ranil is best suited to lead the country but somehow he is not that popular among the rural masses. Sajith is very strong in that quarter. It was a big advantage for the UNP.

But these two were taking separate paths. I intervened with the help of Ranjith Maddumabandara and Thalatha Athukorala to bring them together.

We saw the results at the Uva Provincial Council Election. Our vote base was raised to over 40% within a matter of 14 days.

That was the result of our hard work. I agree the campaign headed by Harin Fernando gave the Party an extra boost but that attraction was further strengthened by the fact Ranil and Sajith getting on the stage together campaigning for UNP's victory.

There was a group within the UNP who disliked this development. Ravi Karunanayake and Mangala Samaraweera were unhappy about it.

I witnessed them joining camp to expell Tissa Attanayake from the party.

They manipulated websites and media outlets to relentlessly sling mud at me. I was isolated within the party. I simply ignored their actions.

I wondered if certain people were allowed to act in this manner within the party, how are we going to win the next election.

I thought about the whole thing before finally reaching a decision.

I am still a UNP member. I did not leave the party but I cannot agree the way the common candidate was appointed, against the decision of the UNP Working Committee. I resigned from the General Secretary post to convey my protest and I did it with dignity. I did not sneak out from the back door.

I have worked with Ranil Wickremasinghe for over 30 years. He knows me in and out. My left the opposition because I realised that I cannot work within the party according to my conscience. I met Ranil Wickremasinghe before I walked out and informed him of my decision. I also informed the staff of the UNP Headquarters who worked with me for over eight years. They were in tears to see me leave.

Q: Although you say the party is divided in the support to Common Candidate, the onlookers see Ranil, Sajith and Karu, backing him in one stage?

A: I don't think that is the case at all. I know the thinking of the party and its leaders well. To tell the truth the Party's internal mechanism is not running at the moment.

Just because a ‘fine rally’ is held with people's presence, the UNP is not going to win the election. I have attended countless meetings like that but the result had been bitter.

The village level and grass-root level organisers of the UNP are discouraged by this whole arrangement. Maithripala Sirisena and Chandrika Kumaratunga are making public statements that they are going to make an SLFP government, that they are trying to revive the SLFP.

They are trying to use UNP votes as a vehicle to reach their target. I want to ask them, are they trying to sacrifice UNP members to form an SLFP government? Is that there motive ? Can the UNP agree to that ?

Q: Some people allege that you are a party to the downfall of the UNP?

A: The grassroot level members of the UNP know who should be responsible for the present sorry state of the party. Who pushed me into taking this decision? A certain group who has no knowledge of the party's history is behind it.

They don't even know who the party loyalists are and unfortunately the UNP is now being steered by this group. If they thought that I was responsible for the downfall in some way, I must question why they kept me as the General Secretary for this long.

When I handed over the letter of resignation to the Party's National Leader he wanted me to take it back. He said I have not lost trust in you and I can realise why you took this decision. He could have accepted my letter, without trying to stop me, if I have done wrong to the party.I had a good personal rapport with members from Pradeshiya Sabha to Provincial and Parliament level as well as the organisers of the UNP, and that is the reason why the party managed to retained at least the current vote base.

Q: What will be the future of the Common Opposition?

A: The Common Opposition has no future. To tell the truth, it will get weaker and weaker by the day and will have nothing left by January 8.

By today, some key members like Udaya Gammanpila who joined the Common Opposition has left their fold.

I would not be amazed if Maithripala Sirisena wanted to re-join the government and wanted the ministry of Health restored with him. If that happens I will convey the President that I am ready to give the Ministry back.

Q: There is a rumour doing the rounds that you were offered a thumping amount to cross over to the Government?

A: That is a common lie cooked up by the websites parented by Mangala Samaraweera. I know it for certain, that he is manipulating these websites to sling mud at people he disliked and wanted out of the picture.

The issue I had with the party was created and nurtured by those websites. The lies were given wings at his will.

There is only one way to answer that claim. I like to quote part of a speech President Rajapaksa made at the Anuradhapura rally.

He said ‘Tissa Attanayake joined me without any promise of perks. He did not ask for anything and he never expected any privilege. The only thing happened was him having coffee with me.’ That is the truth.

The President invited me to join the Government because I had no future in the UNP. Therefore the claims that I asked for perks and I was bought over, are just malicious propaganda created to console themselves.

Q: What is your future ambition? Did you plan to become the Health Minister in a UNP government?

A: Never. I have been in parliament since 1989. One of my contemporaries is Ranjith Maddumabandara. Most others in the party have joined after me.

In 1993 I was appointed Minister in charge of Higher Education. Subsequently to make way for Anura Bandaranaike who crossed over to the UNP, I resigned. This was done in response to a request by the then President D.B.Wijetunga. Later I was entrusted the subject of Universities.

I was appointed the Minister in charge of Central province in 2001. It was not what I deserved. The newcomers to the party were given more responsibilities and key positions in the Cabinet. I don't want to find fault, but that should not have been the way long standing party loyalists are treated. The UNP government of 2001, offered key portfolios to a selective group, but those who did the hard work for the party were neglected.

If Maithripala Sirisena wins this election, we could see a repeat of the same story. There is a circle of goons around him that need to be satisfied first and foremost. The UNPers will have to be observers in this whole drama.

My intention was to create a UNP government and work for the people. To do justice to them. I had no big dreams for myself. I will bow down to the people's wishes, they will decide if I should be a Minister, a Prime Minister or a President.

Even today I would like to be a leader to represent the UNP voters but I don't want to go behind some common candidate who wants to steal UNP votes.

Q: Some claim the government may have shown you a ‘'file''?

I am proud to say, they will have nothing against me to show in a file.

The national newspapers here have written nothing discriminatory of me except for a few selective websites whose job is to character assassinate people whom they want sidelined.

I have no charges of corruption, stealing public funds, or anything of the sort. If at all they will find only political stuff to tarnish my image.

Q: The forthcoming election will be UNP's second presidential eletion sans the party's elephant symbol and the name. What is the general feeling about this among the party members ?

A: The internal feeling about this is not very satisfactory. The decision to field former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka in 2010 could have been justified. At the time the country was just after a war victory, the fight was between the person who gave the leadership to the war and a military leader.

Even if one could have argued the candidates were of equal standing, the President's rival lost by 18 lakhs of votes.

I don't see, Maithripala Sirisena as a candidate who could pose a real challenge to President Mahinda Rajapaksa. He is just a house rat before the President. He is not a candidate who could overpower President Rajapaksa.

This is something our, party members, organisers and MPs have realised.