Oldest party stalwart Gamini Jayawickrama Perera on the UNP at 70 years:

'Uniting all communities is our strength'

Sustainable Development and Wildlife Minister Gamini Jayawickrama Perera Pic: Shan Rupassara

Sustainable Development and Wildlife Minister Gamini Jayawickrama Perera said, outstanding qualities such as competence, patience, honesty and determination of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have paved the way for him to be the leader of the UNP and bring back the party to power after a long lapse.

In an interview with the Sunday Observer, the UNP veteran said, Ranil Wickremesinghe is the ideal successor to President J.R. Jayewardene, the farsighted statesman. At present, he is transforming the party and the country to suit the present day needs of a changing world.

The second level leadership within the party has to come up, but it must be sincere and hard working to work closely with the people in the larger interest of the country, he said.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q: Can you tell us briefly about the origin of the UNP?

A: It was a historic moment, when the country was in a crisis situation, when the UNP was formed by the great leader D.S.Senanayake who had a farsighted vision on the country's future. Under the Donoughmore Constitution, he was the Minister of Agriculture and Lands. He had a perfect understanding of the centuries old foreign rule in the country.

A pioneer of peasant colonization schemes, he took measures to restore vast irrigation schemes in the Dry Zone, such as, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Galoya and Minneriya. However, leftist politicians, such as, N. M. Perera and Pieter Keuneman criticized D S Senanayake's colonization schemes in the North Central Province where the people suffered from the malaria epidemic. These leftist leaders advocated that, as in the upcountry, we should get South Indian labour to work in the paddy fields.

As a true visionary leader, D.S. Senanayake rehabilitated the irrigation network and settled the people in such areas. We have to remember his vision when we gained independence. He could foresee the ill-effects of the British system of divide and rule, in Sri Lanka, and some other countries, to consolidate their power. India gained independence after a long struggle led by Mahathma Gandhi's non-violence campaign.

Like in India, the British also tried to apply the divide and rule system to divide the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims in Sri Lanka. D.S. Senanayake brought all three communities and their political leaders together and created the United National Party (UNP). His mission was to keep Sri Lanka as a united country when the Donoughmore Commission was set up to ascertain whether the Sri Lankan people were literate enough to enjoy national freedom.

Q: How has the UNP transformed the country since 1948?

A: The UNP had a vision. It was the UNP which started the Senanayake Samudra and the allied settlements. At that time, we were comparatively rich and had the biggest resources in the Asian region. We had about 800 million pounds in UK banks. We were well established due to the farsighted vision of D.S. Senanayake. His sudden demise was not only an irreparable loss to the UNP but also to the entire country. Thereafter, Dudley Senanayake was appointed as Leader of the UNP, but S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike decided to quit the UNP and form the SLFP. Some politicians were instrumental in engineering internal fights within the UNP.

This created some problems paving the way for S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike to form the SLFP. Later on, the MEP was formed giving pride of place to the Five Forces- Sanga, Weda, Guru, Govi and Kamkaru, and captured power in 1956.

Q: Now the UNP is 70, and how will it face the future ?

A: I am the most senior UNP organiser. I was appointed by the late Dudley Senanayake in the 1970s. It was the present UNP Leader and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who recently reminded me that I am senior to him as an organizer. J.R. Jayewardene was another statesman who visualized the future.

He introduced upcoming leaders, such as, Gamini Dissanayake and Lalith Athulathmudali to active politics. Lalith Athulathmudali pioneered the Mahapola Scholarship scheme while Gamini Dissanayake was the architect of the Mahaweli scheme. Meanwhile, I saw an emerging young Deputy Minister that was Ranil Wickremesinghe. J.R.Jayewardene appointed Ranil Wickremesinghe as Education Minister to streamline the education sector. The new Minister Wickremesinghe, changed the policy of political appointments, giving appointments strictly on merit. However, the party members were against the new system and criticism was levelled against him at every group meeting.

Ultimately, at one group meeting the late President Jayawardene asked " Ranil why don't you relax a little?". Pat came the answer, "Sir, then I will resign". He was in his 30s at that time. He stood by his policy which showed his commitment to the job, firmness and vision as a leader, to govern the country. As a result, he could change the entire education system.

As Youth Affairs Minister, he set up the National Youth Services Council. After the late President Jayewardene, the other leader with a farsighted vision is Ranil Wickremesinghe. Now, we are working together in the Maithri-Ranil Government. When this Government completes its tenure of five years, the country will be a paradise in the Indian Ocean. We are committed to consolidate our party. We will educate the youth about our future vision.

We will get rid of corruption and ensure participatory development which the former Government failed to implement. In a country, the people are the engine of growth.

Q: The UNP has had several giant leaders in the likes of, D.S. Senanayake, J.R. Jayewardene and Ranasinghe Premadasa. Can you tell us what was special about these leaders?

A: D.S. Senanayake was a leader of great calibre and Dudley Senanayake is a political model who developed agriculture, who never acted against his conscience. Today, the country needs politicians of such calibre. President Jayewardene completely changed the country.

All mega projects, such as, Victoria and Randenigala were launched during his tenure. When President Jayewardene came to power, people were living in relative poverty. He wanted to complete the Mahaweli project within eight years, and appointed young Gamini Dissanayake to fulfil the task. President Jayewardene heralded a new era. The late President Ranasinghe Premadasa had housing development, village development and poverty alleviation as his topmost agenda.

Q: It was the UNP that suffered most during the LTTE and JVP conflicts, losing leaders such as, Gamini, Lalith and Premadasa. What were its effects on the party and the country?

A: It was a massive blow to the whole country. We also lost leaders like Ranjan Wijeratne, which was a great setback to the party. It took some time for the party to settle back till we gained power in 2001. When Ranil Wickremesinghe took over the party leadership, he had to face many challenges. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa pinched 50 to 60 UNP MPs by offering them various perks. As a result, the party was destroyed. When our leader Ranil Wickremesinghe contested the 2005 Presidential Election, he called upon the people to vote for him so that he will bring all the parties under one umbrella and form a National Government to solve the LTTE problem. We know very well that Rs.800 million was given to the LTTE to block the UNP's Tamil vote in the North.

Otherwise, the Tamils in the North would have supported us. Prabhakaran knew that if Ranil Wickremesinghe came to power, he would have somehow wiped out the LTTE.

So, the LTTE blocked the Tamil vote. When the UNP signed an MoU with the SLFP to form a National Government for two years, President Mahinda Rajapaksa ignored it and took the UNP MPs into his fold. In 2010 after the election, President Rajapaksa said, he would abolish the Executive Presidency, but he did not do so. However, Ranil Wickremesinghe stood firmly and brought unity to the party.

Q: For the first time, the UNP has entered into a five-year MoU with the SLFP to form a National Unity Government. What is the significance of this event?

A: It is big step. When President Maithripala Sirisena visited New York to attend the United Nations sessions, US President Barak Obama and leaders of other countries met him at the UN headquarters and had a friendly chat with him.

They were surprised to see that the two most powerful parties- the SLFP and the UNP are working together for the good of the country. Today, both parties have got together so that development will take place and corruption wiped out. President Maithripala Sirisena is an honest leader and we have great confidence in him. The MoU between the UNP and the SLFP has since been extended up to five years. We will develop the country as a model in the Asian region.

Q: Present UNP Leader and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who faced many challenges to oust him from the party has now emerged stronger and is hailed as a visionary leader. What are your thoughts about him?

A: Patience, honesty and determination are outstanding qualities of any leader. This paved the way for Ranil Wickremesinghe to be the leader and bring back the UNP to power after a long interval.

Q: As the Prime Minister has stated, what is the importance of creating a second-level leadership in the UNP to take the party forward?

A: Second level leadership within the party has to come up. But, such leadership must be sincere, honest and hard working to promote party strength and work closely with the people.

Q: Do you envision that the UNP will be able to form a Government of its own after 2020, or should the present arrangement continue?

A: We can also continue like this. We don't wish to destroy the SLFP, as former President Rajapaksa did the UNP, and finally, he had to suffer the consequences. The former President did a wrong thing by taking UNPers to his fold by bribing them.

At the next election, we are sure of victory. Sometimes, we may jointly run the Government for the sake of the country. We should develop the country and generate income. The youth should be given every opportunity for skills development.