Are foreign agents funding the UNP? - Minister W.D.J. Senewiratne

By Uditha Kumarasinghe

Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister W.D.J. Senewiratne said that the undertaking given by the Common Opposition Candidate Maithripala Sirisena that he will abolish the Executive Presidency in 100 days is mere hogwash just to impress the people who are demanding that the Executive Presidency be abolished.

The Minister in an interview with the Sunday Observer said whichever Government that wants to abolish the Executive , it should first and foremost have a two thirds majority in Parliament.

None of the Opposition parties have a two thirds majority in Parliament. The UNP has only one third the required number. The abolition of the Executive Presidency should be done only with the support of all political parties.

The Government as well as the Opposition should get together to fulfill this task. Perhaps that may be possible in the future.

However, it is also possible only if the incumbent Government wishes to do so and the Opposition parties can also support that endeavour.

The Minister said it is obvious that there is an unprecedented force with the circulation of foreign funds aiming at a regime change in the country.

There should be some source for this large sum of money. There is speculation as to where this money is coming from which the UNP cannot have.

There is a belief that certain foreign agents are funding the UNP and the Common Opposition Front because certain Government MPs who crossed over to the Opposition have been offered huge sums of money. We will have to identify this source, then we can nip it in the bud. Otherwise, the country's political structure will be in chaos and there could be a tendency for the people to take the law into their hands rather than resort to the democratic way of exercising the franchise.

Q: Do you think former UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake's defection to the Government seriously dented the UNP's vote base. Could you explain?

A: To some extent i is a blow for the UNP because the General Secretary is the key position in the party. Attanayake was a veteran in the UNP who was elected to Parliament in 1989.

He also held important portfolios such as Deputy Higher Education Minister and Central Region Development Minister and continuously represented his party in Parliament.

Then he was appointed General Secretary of the UNP because he was conversant with UNP matters and his seniority as a Parliamentarian. Now he has joined President Mahinda Rajapaksa's camp.

It is definitely a loss to the UNP. When we analyse the front rung of the UNP, Attanayake was a formidable figure. He went round the country and addressed meetings and projected the UNP's ideology. It is definitely a dent in the UNP.

Q: There is an allegation that certain foreign elements are active behind a regime- change campaign. How would you analyse this?

A: There is speculation that there is money in circulation which the UNP cannot otherwise have. There is a belief that certain foreign agents are funding the UNP and the Common Opposition Front because Government MPs who crossed over to the Opposition have been offered huge sums of money.

A Provincial Council member of the Ratnapura district rang me and said on Wednesday morning that he was offered Rs.20 million to cross over to the common opposition front within three days.

But that he had declined the offer and told them that he was a genuine SLFPer so he will never cross over and even Rs.200 million was insignificant compared to sticking with the party.

This shows there is an unprecedented force created with the circulation of foreign funds aiming at a regime change. There must be a funding source.

We will identify this source. By identifying it we will nip it in the bud. Otherwise, the country's political structure will be in chaos and there could be a tendency for the people to take the law into their hands without exercising their franchise in a democratic way.

Q: How would you identify the image of President Mahinda Rajapaksa as one who could stand against all reactionary forces and pilot the country along the right track?

A: President Rajapaksa has been a courageous and strong personality even outside Parliament.

As a parliamentarian, he has displayed courage and leadership. As President, he put an end to the three decade war against terrorism, where all former Presidents failed.

He has not only won the war but also eliminated the menace of terrorism because certain foreign forces tried to interfere and force him to bow down before them.

The President rejected them in no uncertain terms, withstood and won the war. If not for President Rajapaksa any other leader would have succumbed to the pressure brought about by foreign forces.

The President ignored that pressure and steered the machinery to win the terrorist war successfully.

Q: The change in the Constitution and doing away with the Executive Presidency is not as simple a task as anticipated by politicians. Is it possible for the Common Opposition Candidate to fulfill this pledge within the prescribed dates?

A: The abolition of the Executive Presidency has become a common slogan of all opposition parties. This slogan is used to win the hearts of the people. There is no doubt that people might think that the Executive Presidency can be easily abolished easily just the way they talk about it.

There are provisions that have to be followed in the Constitution.

Whichever Government that wants to abolish the Executive Presidency should first and foremost have a two thirds majority in Parliament. None of those Opposition parties have a two thirds majority in Parliament. At present, the UNP has only one third the required number. The abolition of the Executive Presidency should be done only with the support of all political parties. The Government as well as the Opposition should get together to fulfill this task. Perhaps that may be possible in the future. However, it is also possible only if the present Government wishes to do so and the Opposition parties can also support that endeavour.

This undertaking given by the Common Opposition Candidate Maithripala Sirisena that he will abolish the Executive Presidency within 100 days is a mere deception to impress the people who are demanding to abolish the Executive Presidency.

Q: The JVP's stand in the Presidential fray appears to be misleading when it says that they aim at a complete social transformation rather than supporting any Presidential candidate. Is this not political humbug rather than principled politics?

A: This is definitely political humbug. The JVP has continuously suffered defeats. They don't want to suffer anymore defeats.

They know they will suffer the same fate if they support Maithripala Sirisena. Therefore, they don't want to directly support him.

In fact, they say that they will ask the people not to vote for President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Then what do they want to do? If they don't want the people to vote for President Rajapaksa, then they should tell the people to vote for Maithripala Sirisena. But they don't want to directly say that. That is because they don't want to accept direct consequences. This is a cowardly role being played by a political party. If a political party wants recognition, it should contest elections and should not play hide and seek. This is hide and seek that the JVP is engaging in. They don't have the guts to support a candidate.

They say the candidates who are contesting are bad but they don't have an alternative. A political party should have the gumption to do that. If any of the candidates are not suitable in their opinion, then they should field their own candidate.

Winning or losing is of no consequence. Political parties must contest major elections held in the country.

Q: With crossovers to the Opposition, would you think the Government's vote bank remains solid? What are your views?

A: As far as Parliament is concerned, the Government's vote base remains solid. Because the Government has 161 members in Parliament. A few members have left the Government and joined the Opposition. If 10 members have left, still the Government has 151 members. We need only 113 to muster a majority in Parliament. Of 151, if we get even 113, that is sufficient to make a majority.

Q: Is there any truth in the allegation that crossovers from the Government had been engineered by "Dollar agents". Could you explain?

A: The talk in the country is that huge sums of money are offered to MPs to cross over. If this is true then there is a large amount of money circulating.

Q: There was controversy over the President's third term. When one considers the defeat of LTTE terrorism, restoration of communal harmony and the massive development drive, won't political change at this moment upset the apple cart?

A: As far as we believe, the President will win this election. Then he will have to wait for another one year to take oaths until the end of his five- year term.

If his administration continues for another one or two years it will be good. But the President decided to hold the Presidential Election before the end of that time frame to allow the people to exercise their franchise.

Q: In the recent past, patriotic leaders in developing countries faced the threat of interference, trade blockades and economic sanctions when they chose their own road to development. At the turn of events today should not Sri Lanka heed this alarm signal?

A: This is really alarming. We know what happened in Libya, Iraq and some other Middle East countries. Today, these countries are in turmoil because of the interference of the imperialists.

Such interference in our country will definitely result in chaos. It is high time that everybody takes note of this situation and takes preventive measures.

Otherwise to upset the political situation in the country, they will resort to various tactics where leaders will not run the country efficiently and there won't be law and order and peace in the country so that the economy of the country will collapse. Ultimately, the social set-up will degenerate. With all these possibilities, Sri Lanka should be careful and not to allow anybody to drag the country into such a chaotic situation.

Q: Do you think the Common Opposition Candidate Maithripala Sirisena would pose a challenge to the incumbent President at the upcoming Presidential Election?

A: This a dream and the Common Opposition Candidate will never be able to realise.

There doesn't seem to be huge support in favour of the Common Candidate particularly in the interior areas where the people are rock solid with the SLFP.

Q: Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga is believed to be the one who coordinates the different political forces to ensure the victory of the Common Opposition candidate. Will there be a split in the SLFP votes in favour of the Common Candidate?

A: It is very unlikely. Because I don't find any SLFP threat in favour of the Common Candidate. There might be one or two here and there particularly in the Colombo district. There is no such threat among the SLFPers. The SLFP is solid and is behind President Rajapaksa.