SLFPers will support President Rajapaksa:

Chandrika's re-entry into politics is no challenge- WPC Chief Minister

By Ranil Wijayapala

WPC Chief Minister Prasanna Ranathunga

Prasanna Ranathunga, the Chief Minister of the Western Provincial Council representing the Gampaha district in an interview with the Sunday Observer says that the re-entry of Chandrika Kumaratunga to politics is no challenge for them in the Gampaha district as SPFPers at grassroots level will back President Rajapaksa at the forthcoming election. He also says that opposition is losing all their election slogans and they are in an utter chaos due to split opinion within it. Therefore, he is sure that President Mahinda Rajapaksa will win the election this time too with a majority over two million votes.

Q: The declaration of the Presidential election has created a culture of crossover politics. The General Secretary of the SLFP has come forward to challenge President Mahinda Rajapaksa. How do you see this situation in Sri Lankan politics?

A: After 1977 a new way of politics developed in the country where politicians kept their personal agendas and opinion before the policies of their political parties and the country. They used to change their political parties when they feel that their expectations are not fulfilled. They make use of this situation at budget votes and elections and change their parties for personal gains. At this election we saw the General Secretaries of the two main parties changing their political parties. When SLFP General Secretary was joining the Opposition the Government got the support of the UNP General Secretary, Democratic Party General Secretary and the Vice President of the JHU. Now people get used to this situation and change their parties during elections and budget votes over personal and political gains.

Q: Do you think that Maithripala Sirisena divided the SLFP with his decision to quit the party and join New Democratic Front (NDF) to contest the Presidential election as the opposition candidate?

A: No division has been created in the SLFP due to his decision. It was only a group supporting Chandrika Kumaratunga that had quit the party but there is no support from the grass roots level SLFP members for them.

This is not the first time Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga betrayed the party. She had done this earlier too to join Sri Lanka Mahajana Party. She is trying to divide the party as she is jealous of what President Mahinda Rajapaksa achieved during his tenure as the President as she could not achieve anything after ruling the country for 10 years. She could not end the war, could not develop the country and could not give any relief to people. On the contrary, President Mahinda Rajapaksa achieved everything. He was able to end the war, develop the country, gave relief to the people and strengthen the economy. He fulfilled the hopes and aspirations of the people. Therefore, Chandrika Kumaratunga acts with hatred towards President Rajapaksa. The genuine SLFPers know who had done a service to the country and they will not leave the party with the people who are betraying the party.

Q: Do you think there would be an impact on the UPFA vote base in the Gampaha district with the return of Chandrika Kumaratunga into politics?

A: There is no impact on the vote base of the UPFA in the Gampaha district due to Chandrika Kumaratunga's returning to politics. She cannot make any change in the Gampaha district SLFP vote base.

How can she get the support of Gampaha district people after failing to even construct Veyangoda bridge during her tenure? People can remember the situation of the district during her tenure and can see how it has been developed.

It is after Mahinda Rajapaksa came to power that the district was developed into the present situation. Minister Basil Rajapaksa gave leadership to develop the district. With the message of Chandrika Kumaratunga's returning to politics there is greater enthusiasm among SLFPers in the district to ensure the defeat of the opposition candidate.

Q: With these political changes there were rumours that NDF will take over certain Provincial Councils. Is there any challenge for the UPFA to maintain its majority in the Western Provincial Council with these political changes?

A: They first said they will defeat the budget vote in the Parliament. Chandrika Kumaratunga challenge that she won't be a daughter of Bandaranaike if she failed to topple the Government at the budget vote.

But people know what happened to the budget vote. By saying so she even insulted her parents. When they failed to do it in the parliament they said that they will defeat the budgets of Provincial Councils. In the Western Provincial Council we had 56 seats and had the support of four other Members. With the JHU abstaining from voting there is a difference of 13 votes between ruling party and the Opposition. But we won the budget with a majority of 15 votes and three heads with a majority of 25. If they really want to topple the Provincial Councils there is no need to have budget votes. They can take over the power of the Council after submitting affidavits. Earlier, UNP and the JVP together removed former Chief Minister Reginald Cooray from his post. Likewise if they really wanted to topple the Provincial Council they can do it by submitting affidavits. But nothing has happened to that effect because they cannot do so. That is why I challenged them at the Council meeting that I will quit from my Chief Ministerial post if they can topple the Council. But there was no one to take up that challenge. They only talk but no action.

Q: Hirunika Premachandra who represented the UPFA also joined the NDF to support Maithripala Sirisena. Do you think that there are fair reasons to justify her crossover?

A: If Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra was alive he would not allow her to take this decision.

We know how badly he was treated during Chandrika Kumaratunga's time. I don't know how she had decided to join such a group after knowing all these facts. Prasanna Solangarachchi was the person who called and brought Bharatha Lakshman to the scene of his death.

Now Hirunika has joined them. These are not political decisions. They have taken these decisions out of hatred. She got highest preferential votes in the Colombo district as a Member of the UPFA but not as an individual. SLFPers voted her due to their respect to her father. Voters will ignore them when they are taking decisions out of hatred.

Q: How do you see the decision Western Provincial Council former Minister Udaya Gammanpila's decision to back President Rajapaksa against his party decision?

A: I don't agree that he has come back to support the President because he is a misfit for the present Opposition. He always stood in favour of his motherland and never raised his voice against the government. He never stood with the Tamil National Alliance. He is a well-respected person. Compared to Hirunika Premachandra, Udaya Gammanpila is thousands times better.

Hirunika is now doing politics with the same group who slung mud at her at the last Provincial Council election. Now she is good for them. A person such as Udaya Gammanpila is not like that. He has good personality and his decision to stay with us is a great strength to the UPFA.

Q: The main theme of the NDF is to abolish the Executive Presidency and make changes to the Executive Presidency. Do you think it is possible?

A: The NDF is now in utter chaos. They first said that they would abolish the Executive presidency within 100 days. Later they said that Ranil Wickremesinghe will be made the executive Prime Minister. Maithripala Sirisena won't be able to abolish the executive presidency.

That is what happens after elections. For example, the Independent Group which contested for the Colombo Municipal Council election with the backing of Sirisena Cooray of the UNP, did not resign from their posts.

Later they ran the CMC. Within this alliance different people are telling different things. Ven. Rathana Thera is saying one thing and Ven. Maduluvawe Sobhitha Thera is saying one thing and Ranil Wickremesinghe is telling completely a different thing. There is an utter chaos about their policies. They all got together and formed an alliance to abolish executive presidency. But they all have forgotten their aim. Therefore, we have to ask them what is their aim? Now what can we say is that they can rejoin us as they have no aim in their agenda.

Q: Your elder brother Arjuna Ranatunga has also joined them. What do you have to tell about his political decision?

A: I always respect him as my brother. But I have my criticism over his political stance. He always had a greater concern about his country and talked about his country at every fora. At the previous Presidential election he closely worked with Sarath Fonseka to make him the Executive President of the country.

Today I am not in a position to understand how he can work with the groups rallying round Maithripala Sirisena. When we look at our family history we had to face problems at the hands of our political opponents.

I think he can still remember how our father was stabbed and our family was harassed by the UNPers. I think, he also can remember how Chandrika Kumaratunga also harassed our father.

In 1994 she tried her best to stop my father contesting the general election and how she prevented us getting into the SLFP stages when our brother was contesting Cricket Board election. What I can say is Arjuna did not do politics in the Gampaha district and he has no SLFP identity or family identity.

It was me and Ruwan who followed our father's steps when he did politics in the Gampaha district. Therefore, his entry to politics from the Opposition will never affect us.

Q: The Provincial Council system came into effect when the Executive Presidency system is in effect in the country. So how do you think this combination of Executive Presidency and the Provincial Council system exist?

A: When Chandrika Kumaratunga was the President, Ranil Wickremesinghe became the Prime Minister and signed an agreement with the LTTE.

But she could not even abolish that agreement as the executive President of this country. Likewise, the Executive President can effectively execute his powers when he or she has the backing of the parliament.

This is applicable to the Provincial Councils also. We know what difficult situations we had to face when we formed a Provincial Council in the Western Province under a UNP regime.

In 2002 and 2003 also then UNF government did not allocate funds for the Provincial Council. Today, we are getting enough funds to do development projects.

If they really want to devolve power there should be a different program to bring amendments to the system and change it. But for us in the Western Provincial Council we need the support of the Government and the President to continue our activities for the next four years. Therefore, we need Mahinda Rajapaksa as our President for the next term too. That is why we all Provincial Councillors are working for his victory at the election.

Q: The development projects implemented by the Government, come under severe criticism of the NDF. How do you see this situation?

A: Today what has happened is that the opposition has no proper slogan for their campaign. They started with Executive Presidency. Then they started attacking the Rajapaksa family. When we explained how Rajapaksa family made their contribution to Sri Lankan politics under Sirimavo Bandaranaike and how Rajapaksa family is making their contribution for the betterment of the country now they stopped talking about it. When we talked about the things that Maithripala Sirisena's family did in Polonnaruwa they have stopped talking about Rajapaksa family. Now the newest slogan is corruption charges against the government. Maithripala Sirisena was a Minister in the 1994 government too.

If any corruption took place he also responsible for that situation, because, he was the then Mahaweli Minister. I don't agree with their criticisms because there is a process of implementing development projects in the country and there is a way of doing the estimates for them. The engineers and technical officers are doing those estimates but not the Rajapaksa family. Then there is a tender procedure. Under this process there is no way for corruption and fraud. If they say so, Maithripala Sirisena had the best opportunity for fraud and corruption as the Mahaweli Minister. Therefore, those who are living in glass houses should not throw stones.

Q: There is criticism about the way the President is getting support from the people. How do you see these criticisms?

A: What I have to say is that only facebook and the media is working for Maithripala Sirisena's campaign. The grass roots level public support is always with President Mahinda Rajapaksa. When JVP was backing Sarath Fonseka at the last election there was an opinion that Sarath Fonseka would win the election. But that opinion itself helped the President win the election by 1.8 million majority votes. Maithripala cannot get the support of the people. There are no supporters at his meetings. President Rajapaksa do not need to address political meetings now because people know what he has done to the country and who he is. There is no need of new introduction to the people about him. Therefore, I am sure that Mahinda Rajapaksa will win this election with more than two million majority votes.

Q: Gampaha district is the district with highest number of votes in the country this year. Are you satisfied with the election campaign of the UPFA there in the district?

A: We have almost finished our campaign in the district. We have done all grassroots level campaign in the district after having election committees and pocket meetings. We have also completed the house to house campaign also. We have done our campaign in our best way compared to previous elections.

Q: What would be the fate of the politicians who crossed over to the NDF?

A: There won't be a party for them to contest the election at a general election. Maithripala Sirisena will have to join the UNP to contest the election. Duminda Dissanayake will have to join the UNP to contest the election. Otherwise they have no future.

Chandrika Kumaratunga is pushing them towards that situation.

Q: Do you think that re-entry of Chandrika Kumaratunga into politics is a challenge for you?

A: Not at all. I only sympathise with her. She only had the dignity of being the former President but nothing else. She is now doing hate politics and she has no base for that in Gampaha district. They all have left the SLFP based on personal reasons and Chandrika Kumaratunga is backing them but not the SLFPers.