Behind Closed Doors

Tyrant de-listed while one-time 'Bring Backers' now back out!

by Rasputin

Alas, poor Tyran!

It is common knowledge that Ty Ran Alas, a close ally of the former big boss, is now in hot water due to investigations on the anti-corruption front. Despite ongoing investigations, he managed to find his way into the UPFA national list at last week’s elections due to his strong connections with the Family.

But all is not going sweetly for this ambitious entrepreneur known for his tyranny inside his companies. When the final UPFA national list was announced on Friday afternoon, Alas’ name had been axed. But, there were frantic attempts until the very last moment to keep his name in the UPFA national list.

According to whispers behind closed doors, even some close allies of the President were involved in the attempt to include Alas’s name in the national list. This last-ditch attempt to include his name demonstrated the manner in which Alas had placed his ‘moles’ in different camps, for his own benefit.

However, the party high command who handled national list appointments was un-bending. Poor Alas could not be accommodated, they pointed out to his emissaries, because his dealings with top echelons of the previous regime were “questionable”.

‘Patriots’ woo the federalists

Politics, in this part of the world, knows no shame and political parties are willing to stoop to any low to grab power. The pro-Rajapaksa group, throughout its election campaign, vehemently criticized the conduct of the TNA and their leanings towards federalism. In their bid to grab power, those wayward Blue leaders were not hesitant to pander to communal chauvinistic sentiments among the electorate as they thought that was a certain way of securing an overwhelming majority in the South.

The election results on Tuesday clearly demonstrated that their strategy had not produced the desired results as the UPFA failed to sure a resounding majority from the South.

However, the buzz in the corridors was that immediately after the election results were released, some strategists of the pro-Rajapaksa camp had made overtures to the TNA to know whether they were willing to enter into an agreement with the UPFA to form a government.

Startled and amused by the unashamed 180 degree turn by the Rajapaksa camp immediately after the election, intermediaries close to the TNA had informed the Abhayaramaya cabal that the party did not wish to do any 'deals' with the former President and his team.

With the TNA's outright rejection, the Abhayaramaya cabal had no choice but to accept the defeat.

'Bring Back' loyalists missing!

Two days after the election, former big boss Rajapaksa convened a meeting of all UPFA MPs at the Western Province Chief Minister Prasanna Ranatunga's house. Although the meeting was attended by minor party members of the UPFA, a sizable proportion of SLFP MPs was missing!

Even Susil Premajayantha, the General Secretary who was instrumental in securing nomination for the former President, was not present at the meeting.

Upon further inquiries, they found that the SLFP MPs, including Premajayantha, were holding a meeting with President Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat. The Abayaramaya cabal was livid at the fact that the SLFP MPs did not even have the courtesy to inform Rajapaksa about the meeting.

"They are the ones who sleep with Mahinda and wake up with Maithri" (Mung thamayi Mahinda ekka nidaagena Maithri ekka nagitinney), one angry Abhayarama member was heard muttering in a dejected voice.

"The 'Bring back' campaigners are backing out!" a veteran political watcher chuckled.

Great Power support

A high emissary of a Great Power who quietly landed here in the weekend, did so without much fanfare. The emissary represents a power that had raised 'rights concerns' in an earlier era when Colombo was looking East and blundering on regardless of other concerns.

Now that great power is conciliatory after Colombo began to revert to a more 'all-round' policy in foreign relations.

The UN meeting on 'rights' is due shortly and the support of this great power will be crucial, goes the whisper in the corridors.

Already, that great power is understood to have initiated moves to lighten the burden on the country in the face of the many war crimes accusations.