Point-counterpoint:

People want a new political party - Kumara Welgama

By Suril Kaviratne

With a new political party in the making and the country heading for Local Government elections, Sunday Observer sat face to face with the Minister of Social Empowerment and Welfare S.B. Dissanayake and former Minister Kumar Welgama to talk about the future of SLFP and the government and the upcoming elections, in the light of the new political party that will be initiated by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Q: What impact do you think, the Mahinda Rajapaksa breakaway faction would have at the upcoming Local Government elections?

KW: Well, it is a premature question because the new party has not been formed yet. This question needs to be asked once that has happened. All I can say is that people like the idea of establishing a new party and they support it. What happens in the Local Government elections is yet to be seen, or even predict.

Q: Does this break-away mean the end of SLFP, or its downhill slide? How would this affect the party?

KW: The people in the country who support leftist politics demand a new political party because they do not fit in the current political system. So, if a new party is set up, the SLFP will face a severe crisis as many of its supporters will desert the party, to join the new leftist party. People of Sri Lanka still support Mahinda Rajapaksa. That is the truth.

Q: Newspapers have quoted Basil as saying that the emergence of a new party is inevitable. What is your opinion to that comment?

KW: I am sorry but I do not have a comment on that. Basil must have reasons to make such a statement. All I can say is that there is a demand for a new political party, headed by the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. May be it is inevitable like Basil Rajapaksa says but if that happens, it is going to change the SLFP.

Q: Minister Faizer Musthapha said there is a large number of petitions against the recommendations of the delimitation committee report. How does the government try to balance the committee recommendations and the public opinions?

KW: It is clear to me that this is a farce Faizer Musthapha is pulling to postpone the Local Government elections. We used to be in the same team, when he was on former president's side, so we know what kind of person he is. It is with experience I'm saying that this matter of petitions is a false excuse made by Faizer Musthapha to postpone the elections.

Q: Do you think by April, when the gazette is supposed to be issued on the LG elections, these complaints would be dealt with, by the government?

KW: As I said, it is my belief that this matter of complaints regarding the delimitation committee report is an excuse the government has come up with to postpone the elections. So, what I can say is that I do not know about these complaints they mention but what we demand is, for the government to hold the elections before March 31.

Q: The mixed electoral system for LG elections can be challenging and confusing. How would this be mitigated?

KW: Challenging and confusing or not, we are beyond the mitigation process. The Parliament has already decided in favour of a method to hold the elections, be it mixed or any other. If it is a big concern, this matter should have been paid attention to when this mixed system was approved in the parliament. Now it has been made an excuse to postpone the elections. What the country needs at the moment is to have the Local Government elections held soon as possible. That's what we demand.

Q: How long do you think it will take to educate the people on a mixed system of first past the post and PR

KW: People should be educated on this matter because it is about their electoral divisions. It can be part of the election process. But what I keep emphasizing is that, what the country needs at the moment is to hold the local government elections. That's what the people want.

Q: Should the SLFP faction in the government, or the government, be worried about the new party set up by the former President?

KW: That's something we can not predict. But it seems like there won't be any direct major impact on the government since they have the power of the Executive. But even then, no one can deny the power of people. What the government should understand is that there are many who demand the elections and are behind the new party that will be initiated by the former president .