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Q: Is there any truth in the Government forming an alliance with other political parties? A: Yes, the President has always invited all the democratic forces to join with him to protect the motherland and also to develop Sri Lanka so that Sri Lanka would play a much more important role in the development process. This open invitation has been repeated by the Government to all democratic forces. Today, it is upto all democratic forces to join hands with the Government to defeat terrorism which is the biggest threat to democracy. More than forming an Alliance, it is to bring all different forces together to build our motherland. What is the major task of a politician or a political party? It is to protect and build the motherland. This is not also just forming an Alliance with extra few members or with extra few political parties. This has much broader meaning and this is an opportunity to put together all their efforts to develop the country. Do you think that JVP and SLMC will agree to join the Alliance without putting forward any demands? A: Our position is very clear on most of the issues. The SLMC did join the Government and left the Government. When there are major issues it is very difficult to fathom. The JVP was also a part of the Government and the main issues that they raised were to protect the country and to defeat terrorism. These two demands have been fulfilled. So, there does not seem to be major differences on those fronts. The Mahinda Chinthanaya was implemented to build a new Sri Lanka. That does not happen overnight and it happens after tireless efforts by the people. I only hope that these parties will understand the reality than stick to extreme positions. The government has made a very broader and open framework of a democratic and national development policy to meet the aspirations of all the citizens of this country. We are also inviting foreign investment and bringing in technology for development.These are the challenges faced not only by us, but also by the whole world, today. These are incorporated in our economic and political policies. The era of extreme theoretical positions contribute very little because they are far away from reality. Q: It is said that the Indian PM has asked the Government to have a dialogue with the TNA to finalise a political settlement to resolve the national problem. What is the Government's position? A: The TNA on its own kept away from discussing issues or having a dialogue with the political parties and with the Government. So, it's up to them to re-think and have a more pragmatic approach rather than condemning the Government at every moment. As I said before, the doors are open to any political party to have a dialogue or continue with a dialogue and try to work with the Government for the sake of the country. Q: What India has pointed out is that TNA represents majority of Tamils in the North and it is vital to have talks with the party to arrive at a solution. Will the Government agree on what India wanted? A: Sri Lanka Government has representatives of the Tamil people of the North and East. There are political leaders who have given up arms and joined the democratic mainstream and shown their keen interest to strengthen the Eastern Province. The other political organs are also welcome to have a dialogue with the Government. Q: Does this mean that the Government is ready to have talks with the TNA? A: Yes, the Government is always ready to have a dialogue not only with the TNA, but with any political party which wants to talk to us. But, I must say that this is not because someone is insisting of us to do so. The Government is always ready to have talks with any political party in the democratic process. If they on their own keep away from having a dialogue with the Government and later if they realise that they should talk to the Government, the platform for discussion is always open for them. Q: The Government was talking highly about a political package few months ago, but why is there a delay in finalising a political settlement to resolve the national problem? A: There is no delay in finding a solution. It depends on the priorities. The Government had to take a decision clearly after the talks with the LTTE. The LTTE did not want to continue talks with the Government as before. They ended the talks and as a result the Government had to take action in order to curtail terrorism. Terrorism is not only in our country but condemned world over. Even the SARRC Summit condemned terrorism. So, the Government's position has been vindicated. And the LTTE was defeated in the Eastern Province and democracy was rekindled in the East after the liberation. The entire Mannar District has been liberated by the Security Forces and they are now entering Kilinochchi. This means that one side of the thrust is to defeat terrorism, to protect the unitary state and to continue to move with a dialogue with political parties to find any acceptable solution. Those who are now interested in talking to the Government never wanted to talk with Government. That was the position. Q: Is this delay because the Government is anticipating a full scale military victory before arriving at a political package? A: Defeating terrorism is one prime objective to restore democracy. No one can say to have functional democracy while terrorism is active. This is a contradictory position but the Government is very clear that terrorism will not be tolerated and will not allow this menace to grow in this country. And we will restore democracy irrespective of the ethnicity; whether it is Sinhalese, Tamils or Muslims, everyone must enjoy democracy and democratic rights. And to achieve this, the Government wants to introduce changes in the administrative structure in the electoral structure and also give more benefits for rural masses despite their ethnicity. The Government is openly dedicated to bring changes in the political, social and economic structures for the benefit of all the people. Q: The UNP claims that the Government is preparing for a ceasefire due to Indian pressure. Is it true? A: The UNP has been telling so many things at different times but all what they tell are not true. So, this is another stance by the UNP. What the President has declared was that if the LTTE lay down arms and if they want to discuss with the Government, he is ready to discuss. This open invitation to the LTTE was rejected by the LTTE. Q: Do you see any need for a CFA at this moment when the Security Forces are advancing into Tiger strongholds defeating the LTTE? A: There is no ceasefire announced by the Government at the moment. What the Government announced was the opportunity for the LTTE to surrender. These are two different things. The LTTE is now losing the battle and the Government has asked them to surrender. If they surrender nothing will happen to them. Then, if the LTTE wants to talk, they can come for talks. There won't be any change in the conditions laid down for the LTTE to enter into a dialogue and the same set of conditions are valid today and tomorrow. Q: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has warned that they would take tough action against Sri Lanka if the Government would not take immediate measures to safeguard Tamils in the North. Do you think that the Indian government would listen to Karunanidhi? A: They have been saying this for the last several weeks and we know the results. We could accept more and more slogans of this nature as the Indian elections are round the corner. What has happened in Mumbai last week is a good example and the political leaders of India should say whether they stand for this type of terrorism or not. It is terrorism that is taking the big cities of India today. Are they going to cultivate and help and strengthen terrorist forces of this nature in future. But, I do not think that any of the Indian political leaders who are genuinely committed to democratic norms want to make such utterances as they are strongly opposed to terrorism. Q: The All Party delegation headed by Karunanidhi is scheduled to meet the Indian Premier Manmohan Singh asking for an intervention into the issues in the North. Is there any possibility of the Indian government changing its mind after meeting the Tamil Nadu leadership? A: So many delegations are meeting in Delhi which means that their coalition or alliance partners are meeting. In any issue, the political parties meet to discuss the matters. There would be more and more such meetings in the coming weeks because the Indian elections are round the corner. I hope that they will talk more on what happened in Mumbai. Can any one keep silent over what happened in Mumbai? One can't rule out that terrorist forces in South Asia are having a dialogue among themselves. Terrorist forces are spread by other international forces which would like to see South Asia or India destabilised. We should not forget that there are enough forces in the world wanting to see this happening. This region will be the major development areas along with China in the 21st century. 'I do not want to comment any thing about Mr. Karunanidhi. He is a senior Indian politician and I am sure all the leaders in India will not ignore terrorism which has come to their doorstep today. Q: Some say that the real picture of the battlefront is not conveyed to the people. Is there any unofficial censorship in force to cover up the realities of the battlefronts? A: How can it be so in this advanced state of media and information technology. If any one is saying that the Government is suppressing news, I do not say that is acceptable today. Misleading news is being deliberately planted in order to help the destabilising forces in this country. That is also a very sad tragedy because sometimes news with no basis is being published to demoralise the Government and the Security Forces. Why are we doing this to destroy our own country? This is the question that everyone should ask from those who engage in this nature of agendas. Q: The jumbo Cabinet is said to be one of the main paths created by this government for more corruption.Is there any idea to reduce the number of ministers soon? A: the Government having more ministers, perhaps is not some thing which is understood by many political groups. They want this government to collapse. What we ask the JVP is do they want this motherland over run by terrorism and separatism. If they say 'no', this government has to have a majority in the Parliament with the help of the broadest possible coalition. Those who have joined the Alliance from the Opposition have been accommodated as Cabinet Ministers. I say it is a contradictory position and the present election system does not give room for a comfortable majority for any political party during an election. That is why the Government wants to change the electoral system which the JVP and the UNP do not support. This claim means that they want an unstable Parliament which is difficult to be run by any administration. Minister Karu Jayasuriya and his team had extended their support and they also wanted to be a party in the decision making of the Government. This is a reality and is for the benefit of the country. What is the figure of the Cabinet that the JVP wants. They never mention about the number of Cabinet Ministers that they wish to see in a Cabinet. What is the right they have to say so and what is the vote percentage of the JVP in the country and the Parliament to say so. They supported President Rajapaksa and he demerged the North and East because it was a demand of the JVP. The President had brought terrorism to an end in the East and held elections installing a democratic administration there. Doesn't the JVP appreciate these actions by the Government? That is the big question and it is very difficult not all the time but sometimes to please the JVP. Q: Will 2009 be an election year? A: Yes, there will be provincial elections. But no possibility to go for a general election. The Government has a majority of 107 and it was clearly shown in the recent budget. With a comfortable majority there is no urgency that calls for a general election. There are rumours and when rumours about an election spreads there are lots of things that come to a standstill. These will cause to buckle the Government. Those who are spreading these rumours want to weaken the Government. Who is Dinesh Chandra Rupasinghe Gunawardena?
The young Dinesh intended to enter Law College, but before submitting the application he asked permission from his father. " There are enough lawyers in the country and why do you want to waste your time", was his father's strong reply. It was the same reply that his father - the famous politician Philip Gunawardena - received from his father when he wanted to enter an University in London to do Barristers. " Are you going to suck the blood of the poor by becoming a lawyer". Like Philip abandoning law, Dinesh too abandoned law. Philip received his degree in Agriculture in the US and Dinesh received his degree in Economics in the Netherlands. Today, belonging to a rare breed of politicians with 'clean hands' and following his fathers `noble' teachings - love your motherland - Minister Dinesh Gunawardena is to celebrate his 60th birthday very soon. No intention to climb up on the ladder of politics, but doing justice to whatever the responsibilities given to him, Minister Gunawardena, who is the Leader of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, says: "I am also turning 60 with my classmate of the Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. The late Anura Bandaranaike passed away when he was 59. So these tell us that youth must also have a chance", he giggles. Recalling the lesson learnt from his father - "love the country and people and stand up for the principles that one thinks are good for him irrespective of whoever threatens and insults you," he says that it gave him courage to stand firm against anything that came against him. The challenges faced by his father, who lost his civic rights and served prison terms and had several ups and downs in his life, made this experienced politician to have a rough skin in his political journey in serving the common man of Sri Lanka. His father - Philip - never asked his children to do politics, and today, Minister Gunawardena too doesn't want to influence his daughter and son to step into politics to carry forward the family tradition - producing politicos. "They are good social workers and they love to help people. They have freedom to decide their future", the father, who brought up and gave his children a sound education in the absence of their mother, reasons. This Chief Government Whip, who had a lonely struggle to bring up his two children amidst a tight schedule in politics for over 26 years, says that he is happy as they have given him happiness by been successful in education. His daughter is a lecturer and son a computer expert. And more importantly, Minster Gunawardena doesn't want his children to be MPs in the Parliament as Parliament is losing its clout today. " Decisions are made outside Parliament. So, perhaps the role of an economist or a professor in science is far more important than an MP today. There is a change and the civil society has a bigger role to play in economics, managements and development", he predicts. A man, who always seeks to explore different past times, Minister Gunawardena has now switched to yoga which he says gives him relaxation after a hectic day. "But I read a lot and listen to music and watch but very few TV programs. I do not go for programs based on politics all the time", says Minister Dinesh who enjoys sharing a cup of tea with a villager who comes to Boralugoda Walawwa. |
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No need to dip into a load of adjectives to tell who he is. The name
which people fondly called his father - 'Boralugoda Sinhaya' (Lion of
Boralugoda) will tell all. 
