Can Ranil do a 'I did it my way' like JRJ?

Sunday Observations: The Political Column

Former UNP strongman, Sirisena Cooray's hard work to make his dream of becoming the city Mayor, was shattered last week. Hitherto, unknown men on an independent list were showered with the fortune of occupying the office of Mayor and the Deputy Mayor.

Former Deputy, Azath Sally who polled 1300 votes less than Cooray on a number of an independent candidate is a dejected man. Party stalwarts want their leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe to answer the following questions.

Who tampered with the nomination list approved by him? Who 'tippexed' the name of T. M. Sanghadasa? Why did Colombo Central MP, Mohamed Maharoof include an underaged youth in the nomination list? What action has been taken against Maharoof in that regard? Why can't Ranil table the two-member committee report that probed the ugly nomination episode of the CMC? Is it because his official secretary, Naufer Rahuman's name had been mentioned along with his confidante Milinda Moragoda's private secretary, Collure's name over the 'tippexing' issue?

While the party seniors pose these questions for Wickremesinghe to reply, another drama took place in Colombo on Tuesday. The Independent Group (3) members that won the CMC elections with the backing of the UNP went missing. Its leader Rajendran reportedly made a statement from a 'hideout' that they were in 'hiding' due to threats.

Some quarters said that the Tamil members elected were under LTTE threat. However, there was no confirmation to that effect. While some of these men were in 'hiding', a former Maharoof confidante handed over two names for the Mayoralty and its Deputy to the Returning Officer at the Election Secretariat under the signature of Rajendran.

On being told about this development, Rajendran surfaced from the 'hideout' to reach the Returning Officer with a second list claiming the first list was incorrect. By this time the location of the 'hideout' reached the ears of the faction opposed to the Moragoda-Maharoof combine in the UNP. The location of the 'hideout' was a five star hotel in the city.

The bills had been paid by a parliamentarian in the city who claims to finance the UNP. After intense deliberations with this Colombo Central man, Rajendran handed over a fresh list as Mayor and Deputy to the Returning Officer on Thursday after withdrawing the first two lists.

The names recommended are reported to be confidantes of Maharoof. Following the victory by the Independent Group in Colombo last week at the local government polls, UNP Assistant General Secretary, Tissa Attanayake challenged the government and the President to hold a fresh election to the Colombo Municipal Council.

The question arises for what and why should the government go for a fresh poll. The UNP has not been able to put its house in order for a long time. The government had not interfered with the internal activities of the UNP. It had no hand in the preparation of any UNP list for the local polls.

The President did not prevent the UNP from handing in nomination papers nor his government had a hand in getting the UNP list disqualified. Then Mr. Attanayake must ask his party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as to who was responsible for the calamity over the CMC issue.

Mr. Attanayake must also ask his leader about the fate of the report of the two-member committee that probed the CMC nomination issue. Has that report been swept under carpet on the assumption that Sirisena Cooray won is another question for Mr. Attanayake to ask his leader.

The Independent Group has finally won. Many of them have indicated that they would not resign.UNP Deputy Leader, Karu Jayasuriya says that the President and the government should respect the wish of the voters and allow the UNP to take control of the Council.

The Independent Group has been democratically elected. The President has no right to ask them to resign to make way for anybody. The fact remains that voters have voted the group to power and cast preferences to the numbers allocated to them. How could Mr. Sirisena Cooray claim that those voters cast their votes for him? Nowhere in the ballot did Mr. Cooray's number nor his name appear.

If one assumes that the claim by Cooray is correct, the purported number on the list had just over 31,000 preferences. Cooray had been a former Mayor who held office for an uninterrupted period of ten years. Thereafter, he was a senior cabinet minister for six years.

He represented Colombo Central, an electorate won by his predecessor, R. Premadasa by a clear majority of 97,000 votes at the 1977 general election with another UNPer, Jabir A. Cader in second place in this multi member constituency. Cader, though second in list with Halim Isak in third place was well behind Premadasa mustering nearly fifty thousand votes. The voting population of Colombo Central is much more after 19 years.

Cooray claimed he had done much to the city of Colombo as a former Mayor. At the 1989 general election, Cooray who represented Colombo Central obtained over 80,000 preferences. He was known as the 'strongman' of the UNP under Premadasa. If Cooray's claim that he obtained 31,000 preferences on that so called number in the Independent list is true, his performance seem miserable. The city of Colombo is not only confined to Colombo Central.

It includes Colombo East, North and West. It means that Cooray had not only failed in his former electorate but the City of Colombo as a whole. That would mean that he had failed to muster even one-third of the clear majority his predecessor, Premadasa had in 1977.

If Cooray stands by that the 31,000 votes were cast for him, his performance looks more miserable as Azath Sally, a newcomer to politics claim that the number he represented indirectly on that independent list had 30,000 votes cast for him. If both these claims are accepted for argument sake, then Sally has done better than Cooray.

Though belated, Tissa Attanayake and his Leader Wickremesinghe should peruse the two member report (now in the possession of the UNP leader) to find out where the UNP went wrong. There was a double cause to the debacle.

One was that Parliamentarian Mohamed Maharoof included an underaged youth into the list that resulted it being rejected. The other is the episode of 'tippexing' T. M. Sanghadasa'a name. Fingers are pointed at Maharoof and Milinda Moragoda over these issues that led to the setback in the CMC which was controlled by the UNP for five decades.

UNPers themselves accept the fact that there is no discipline in the party. The rank and file openly ridicules and pose challenges to the leadership. While Maharoof at a recent meeting reportedly claimed responsibility for 'tippexing' Sanghadasa's name, he had challenged the party leadership to try and throw him out. He had claimed to be the leading financier of the party.

Yes... Maharoof is today a multi-millionaire after Premadasa helped him on the Mahaweli Marine deal. Maharoof started from humble beginnings at Grandpass where he lived in a house by the famous 'Mango Tree' on that road. This house is now his political office after he bought a multi-million spacious house at Kynsey Road for occupation.

Wickremesinghe should take a cue from his uncle J. R. Jayewardene on how to maintain discipline in the party. When former Plantation Minister, M. D. H. Jayewardene, a childhood friend of JRJ criticised the budget, President Jayewardene expelled him from the cabinet.

Similarly, when another childhood friend of JRJ, former Industries Minister, Cyril Mathew opposed the then government's policy on devolution of power, JRJ sacked Mathew from the cabinet. He did not stop at that. But, indicted Mathew on charges corruption and malpractices over the Hydro-Cracker deal. When former Agriculture Minister, Gamani Jayasuriya wanted to resign over his opposition towards Provincial Councils, JRJ did not mix friendship with politics. He accepted Jayasuriya's resignation.

There were times where JRJ even warned his Prime Minister R. Premadasa of impending removal when the latter constantly clashed with Anura Bandaranaike in parliament. JRJ routed the Senanayakas' from Dedigama by removing Rukman and proved that no man was indispensable in the party by getting Dr. Nissanka Wijeratne to contest and win Dedigama.

Therefore, it looks more appropriate for Tissa Attanayake request his leader to punish those responsible for the CMC setback rather than throwing challenges at the President and the government. The suspects behind the CMC episode of the UNP look to be at large while the report on them yet positioned under the carpet. The majority in the UNP wants this report out.

Maharoof claims that he is chief financier of the party. Moragoda is known to be a confidante of Wickremesinghe. The question is whether Ranil is trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea. Tissa Attanayake must tell his leader that the party is important than friendship. Can Ranil do a -"I did it my way" like JRJ is the question.