Capitalist class loses faith in UNP - Dr. Senaratne

by Uditha KUMARASINGHE

The capitalist class has lost faith in the UNP. They are also working very closely with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Government. More entrepreneurs are keen to build the nation with their funds and are being attracted towards the President, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said.

"It is now too late and nothing can be done to salvage the party. The UNP is having a class crisis", the Minister told the Sunday Observer. With more development taking place in the country, the crisis in the UNP will become more intense in the future.

With so much development in the country, the UNP has no future and they won't have a slogan too, he said.

Dr. Senaratne said the UNP used the capitalist class. Today, the slogan of development has been taken over by President Rajapaksa.

As a result, the UNP has lost its slogan and main programs.

More UNP MPs will join the Government at the forthcoming Budget and the crisis will grow deeper, the Minister said.

The UNP will have to rethink its future. There is no solution to this crisis and it has become a never ending crisis. More people will leave their ranks soon and the party will be depleted. Asked whether a vibrant Opposition is essential for democracy, Dr. Senaratne said that he does not believe in this dictum.

Some Third World countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Korea had been developed when there were weak Opposition. A strong Opposition is a slogan in the developed West.

When a country is well developed and the people's thinking is advanced, the need for a strong Opposition is vital. However, that Opposition should not be a destructive Opposition like the Opposition in the Third World. In the developed world, especially the West, the Opposition is very constructive. They never obstruct the development of the country. In Sri Lanka, however, the Opposition opposes anything and everything. Having such an Opposition is not worthwhile as it is destructive. Therefore I feel a weak Opposition, is better he said.