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by Prasad Gunewardene

The much awaited probe report on the CMC nomination list fiasco reached the hands of UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe last night.

Follow up action on this report will be an 'acid test' for Wickremesinghe as certain recommendations would compel him to take disciplinary action or call for explanation from two of his confidantes, Milinda Moragoda and Mohamed Maharoof. He will also have to put his Secretary, Naufer Rahuman in the dock for allegedly fiddling with the nomination list despite being a public officer.

The steps that Ranil intends to take would test his strength and leadership virtues within the party as a full team opposed to Maharoof-Moragoda combination eagerly awaits Ranil's move.

Though Maharoof's Coordinating Secretary's name had been inserted in place of T. M. Sanghadasa none of his staff had been involved in the so-called 'operation' on the list that mounted a controversy. There is also no direct involvement of Moragoda. But his Private Secretary and Wickremesinghe's official Secretary Rahuman are the people mentioned in the report.

The two secretaries are the persons who have taken custody of the list from party headquarters on Nomination Day to be handed over to M. H. Mohamed at the latter's residence in Borella. The reported deletion of Sanghadasa's name and the alleged smudging of the list with 'Malayali oil' had taken place between the time the list was brought from Kotte to Borella. But, Sirisena Cooray loyalists alleged that it might have happened between Borella and Pettah as Mohamed took charge of the list. Sources close to Moragoda said that if the allegation against the MP's secretary was proved,there was no doubt that Moragoda would take action against him.

The faction opposed to Moragoda and Maharoof queried as to what action would Ranil take against his secretary in the event Ranil's secretary's involvement was proved as Sanghadasa's nomination was approved by Ranil himself. This faction did not rule out the possibility of an organised two-pronged conspiracy using secretaries with the Maharoof-Moragoda combination demanding the inclusion of Cooray as Mayoralty candidate and Wickremesinghe expressing reservations on the issue. Cooray's confidante Sanghadasa was left out from the list. The question is who actually backstabbed Sirisena Cooray.

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