Looking for unity within the SLFP

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

Minister Duminda Dissanayake

Amidst speculation that the Joint Opposition is to form a new political front to contest the upcoming Local Government polls, SLFP dissidents in the Joint Opposition maintain no decision has been taken to quit the party or create a split in the party.

SLFP dissidents and those who held portfolios at the recently-held SLFP Executive Committee meeting, emphasised the need for all SLFPers to strengthen the unity within the party and avert a split.

SLFP General Secretary and Minister of Agriculture, Duminda Dissanayake, said they were not officially informed about a split in the SLFP. The SLFP Executive Committee, which met recently was also represented by SLFP dissidents. None of them spoke of a split in the party.

Denying media reports about the split in the party, Minister Dissanayake said no committee led by Minister S.B. Dissanayake has been appointed by the SLFP to bring about reconciliation between the Rajapaksa camp and the Sirisena camp and added that as they were friends, there was no need to appoint such a committee. "No constituent partner of the SLFP- led UPFA coalition has said they would contest as a separate front at the upcoming Local Government (LG) polls.

"Certainly, two opinions had prevailed within the SLFP in January and August last year," he said.

The Minister said UPFA Parliamentarian Wimalaweera Dissanayake, who attended the SLFP Executive Committee meeting stressed the need to unite the SLFP. Former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa proposed to educate SLFP organisers in this connection. Both SLFP MPs, Wimalaweera Dissanayake and Chamal Rajapaksa urged SLFPers to help strengthen the party. "This is exactly what the SLFP members anticipated," he said.

Patron

MP Dinesh Gunawardena

"At present, President Maithripala Sirisena has laid the foundation in this regard. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been appointed as the patron of the party. It was Rajapaksa who offered the chairmanship of the party to President Maithripala Sirisena. There is no reason for any rift in the party, because the two former Presidents are patrons of the party. There is no other party as strong as the SLFP," he said.

Commenting on the remarks by some UPFA Local Government heads that they would not contest the elections, if former President Mahinda Rajapaksa did not lead the campaign, Minister Dissanayake said nominations would not be forced on any candidate.

"Any candidate could contest from any party and if he wants he could abstain," he said, adding a clear cut answer had been given at the August 17 General Election last year, to those who said they could win with former President Rajapaksa. "Rajapaksa has not said he would leave the SLFP or contest from a separate Front.

Then what is the rationale behind the argument by some of these SLFP dissidents?", he asked. Colombo District UPFA Parliamentarian, Bandula Gunawardena, said Mahinda Rajapaksa who contested the last Presidential Election from the SLFP, obtained 5.8 million votes. "He also led the SLFP election campaign at the 2015 General Election and secured 4.7 million votes for the party.

These voters were the anti-UNP and progressive people's force in the country," he pointed out.

While the SLFP has taken the lead in the UPFA rainbow coalition, it is also represented by anti-UNP parties such as the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, National Freedom Front, Pivithuru Hela Urumaya and Maha Jana Party. They will jointly contest the upcoming Local Government Election. "We should stand where the SLFP's 'Pancha Maha Balavegaya' is clearly reflected," he said.

Kandy District UPFA Parliamentarian, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, said the Joint Opposition had not yet decided to form a separate alliance. "We are trying to form an SLFP Government. What President Maithripala Sirisena should do at this juncture is to appoint an SLFP Prime Minister and form an SLFP Government. Else, it would be difficult to prevent a split in the SLFP. Proposals have also surfaced that the Joint Opposition should contest the upcoming Local Government polls separately, but we have not taken a final decision regarding this," he said.

Petition

UPFA Matara District MP, Dullas Alahapperuma, said there was no split in the SLFP and they were at present pressurising the government to hold the Local Government elections without any further delay. "As the Joint Opposition, we have filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a writ on the Government to hold the Local Government elections," Alahapperuma said.

He said the Joint Opposition held the view that Rajapaksa's support was essential for the SLFP to win in the upcoming Local Government polls.

"That is why we are calling on the party hierarchy to resolve the internal dispute in the party, without paving the way for the UNP to exploit that opportunity. The recently held SLFP Executive Committee was committed to strengthen the unity of the party," he said.

Reliable sources said a group of SLFP seniors holding portfolios had met President Sirisena to discuss the crisis triggered by some MPs to form a new party to contest the upcoming LG polls.

They drew the attention of the President that a split would only be advantageous to the UNP. Several SLFP stalwarts in President Sirisena's camp publicly accused several non-SLFP leaders of the Joint Opposition of trying to split the party.

However, Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) Leader and UPFA Colombo District Parliamentarian, Dinesh Gunawardena, said neither the government nor the Elections Commissioner had announced the dates for the Local Government elections. "We are making preparations to contest as an anti-UNP force at the forthcoming LG polls," he said.

When asked about the allegation by some SLFP members, that certain constituent parties in the UPFA coalition were creating divisions within the SLFP, MP Gunawardena said there was no truth in the allegation and that Joint Opposition had rallied round as the only political force, which was strong enough to defeat the UNP, and was also a force to reckon with.

"At the last General Election, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa took the lead in the UPFA's election campaign and secured 95 seats for the UPFA."

We feel the former President should take the lead in this instance too, as he is the most popular political leader who could contest the UNP," he said.