MPs who never sighted UNP polls campaign in H’tota meet their waterloo

Hambantota District was virtually a no entry zone for most of the UNP parliamentarians as its former deputy leader and MP Sajith Premadasa only entertained his reformist group colleagues during the recent Southern Provincial Council campaign. None of the UNP seniors loyal to Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe were accommodated at any of the political rallies organized by the UNP’s Hambantota District leader Sajith Premadasa.

Even during the Southern Provincial Council election campaign, the UNP wrote to Sajith, calling upon him to accommodate the UNP leadership Council Chairman Karu Jayasuriya and UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake in some of his key meetings as guest speakers representing the party leader.

But Sajith strategically turned down that important request, stating that he has already finalised the list of speakers at his meetings in Hambantota.

However, Sajith had his own election campaign in Hambantota for the Southern Provincial Council elections using all rebel MPs and Provincial Council members in the reformist group, demanding a change in the UNP leadership. After Shiral Laktillake and Maithiri Gunaratne were refused the UNP ticket to contest the Western and Southern Provincial Council elections, Sajith used the duo in his campaign in Hambantota though senior most UNP leaders such as Karu, Tissa, Ravi Karunanayake, John Amaratunga and Gamini Jayawickrema Perera were never given a chance to address UNP rallies conducted by Sajith as the party’s district leader.

Sajith only threw his weight behind the Hambantota district and did not bother to address UNP rallies in the adjoining Matara and Galle districts which came under the Southern Provincial Council.

Though the UNP asked Sajith to address party meetings in other parts of the country, he politely refused, saying that he is only concentrating on the Hambantota district.

It was due to this that the UNP had to organise its own district level rallies in Galle, Matara and Hambantota districts under the patronage of Ranil.

But Sajith boycotted the UNP’s final Hambantota District rally held under the patronage of Ranil at Tissamaharama. Sajith does not see eye to eye with former parliamentarian and UNP organiser Ananda Kularatne and kept away from the UNP’s final rally in the Hambantota district.

It was in this backdrop that five UNP parliamentarians decided to make an inspection tour of the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in Mattala and Magampura International Harbour in Hambantota, the district where Sajith is the UNP’s district leader.

Interestingly, none of the five UNP MPs who came to Hambantota for the so-called fact-finding mission - Eran Wickramaratne, Ajith Manapperuma, Ajith P. Perera, Nalin Priyantha Bandara and R. Yogarajan had ever come to the area to support Sajith in his lone battle in the Provincial Council elections.

Hence, Sajith loyalists and UNP rebels did not like ‘outsiders’ entering their area without the blessings of the district leader.

On the other hand, the public in the area who were highly impressed with the development activities in the country, particularly in Hambantota with a new port and airport of international standards, were angered by the unwarranted act of the UNP parliamentarians with ulterior motives.

Hence, the controversial Hambantota tour of the five UNP parliamentarians at a time their party leader was out of the country and threatening the former deputy leader in his territory, ended in a commotion when a group of angry men confronted the MPs when they were coming out of the airport premises after the inspection tour.

The authorities at the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport and Ruhunu Magampura Harbour readily welcomed the five MPs when they indicated their desire to make an inspection tour as people’s representatives.

Nevertheless, the people in the area found something fishy in their move and opposed the visit of the UNP parliamentarians.

UNP MP Eran Wickramaratne said the crowd approached them as they were getting into the bus. The crowd shouted at the MPs accusing them of trying to block the country’s development.

They also accused the MPs of painting a gloomy picture about the airport and the port which have opened a new era of development in the South.

Another group of persons, appearing to be die-hard supporters of the UNP, were angry that the five MPs were visiting Hambantota at a 'useless time', without doing so during the Provincial Council elections to support Sajith’s lone efforts in Hambantota.

“Those who never sighted Hambantota to inspire UNP supporters and our leader Sajith are not needed here now,” an angry man shouted at the UNP MPs. Supporters of the Government as well as the Opposition were seen among the crowd which opposed the presence of the UNP MPs as the protest appeared to be a common one.

Kurunegala District MP Nalin Bandara Jayamaha then replied to the men that the MPs had never spoken ill of the airport.

He had also told them that the MPs had visited the airport following repeated requests made by the Government.

UNP MP Ajith P. Perera had claimed that an unruly crowd attacked them with rotten eggs and poles when they were coming out after visiting the port.

UNP MPs Eran Wickramaratne, Ajith Manapperuma, Ajith P. Perera, Nalin Priyantha Bandara and R. Yogarajan were among the MPs who were attacked.

Hambantota Mayor Eraj Fernando rushed to the scene to disperse the crowd and assure the safety of the visiting parliamentarians but it ultimately boomeranged on him as a couple of UNP parliamentarians accused the mayor.

“I went to the scene on receiving a call from UNP MP Nalin Jayamaha asking me to go there. It was I, who protected the UNP MPs from the angry crowd and helped them to leave unharmed,” Mayor Fernando was quoted as saying.

A police investigation will be launched to determine whether the security personnel accompanying UNP MPs visiting Hambantota had carried out their duties efficiently and the action taken by their bodyguards to assure the safety of the parliamentarians.

According to Fernando, another crowd had approached the bus in which the UNP MPs were travelling and had attacked the passengers.

“I then rushed in and dispersed the crowd. The allegation made by the UNP MPs is absurd. I even wanted to shake hands with UNP MP Ajith Perera, but he rudely push my hand away,” the Mayor said.

UNP evaluates chief organisers

UNP chairman Kabir Hashim had said that they focused on the number of votes the party received in each constituency. “The criteria for the evaluation would the number of votes obtained the party in each electorate at the recent provincial council elections, irrespective of whether the party had won or lost the electorate,” he said.

He said the party would have to replace the organisers of constituencies in which the party had performed badly.

However he said the UNP organisers who represented electorates which were considered ‘tough’ in terms of obtaining votes, might be exempted.

The party lost nearly 52 electorates in the Western and Southern provinces at the last provincial council elections.

Hashim rejected news reports that joint organisers would be appointed to constituencies where the party had fared badly during the last provincial council elections.

Karu bats for Dudley, not JR, Premadasa

Acting UNP leader Karu Jayasuriya said last week that if the late Dudley Senanayake held the executive presidency, the public would not demand to abolish the Executive Presidency, as Senanayake used the emergency law only once and that too to protect the people’s rights.

“The late Prime Minister used the emergency law to protect people’s right, but currently the emergency law is being used to suppress the people,” Karu told the 41st commemoration ceremony of the late Prime Minister at Borella.

He also said that the Late Prime Minister never wanted to have the Executive Presidential system in Sri Lanka.

But Karu did not utter a word on the late UNP Presidents J.R. Jayewardene and R. Premadasa who exploited the powers of the executive presidency to the maximum and abused them, ignoring the power of the people. Karu seems to have forgotten the fact that it was Jayewardene’s 1978 Constitution which introduced the executive presidency to Sri Lanka.

An onlooker said that it would have been more appropriate if Karu had also mentioned how the UNP cancelled the 1983 general election though a controversial referendum held under the 1978 Constitution.

UNP chiefs meet Mahanayaka Theras

UNP Leadership Council Chairman Karu Jayasuriya and UNP Chairman Kabir Hashim paid a courtesy call on the Mahanayaka Theras of the Malwatta and Asgiriya Chapters last week and discussed the current economic, political, social and cultural situation in the country.

They first called on the Malwatte Chapter Mahanayaka the Most Ven. Thibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera. “UNP is a party which builds national unity.

We are making arrangements to reform our party. We have set an example by appointing a Muslim leader like Kabir Hashim as UNP Chairman laid a foundation for national unity,” he said. Karu said that the Mahanayaka Theras advised them to maintain unity in the party.

He said the people were suffering without three meals for the day and were compelled to pawn their jewellery to make ends meet. “The culture and morals are at very low ebb. Crime is increasing. A UNP government will re-establish law and order. It is UNP leader D.S. Senanayake who strived to build unity among all communities. Before bringing a no-confidence motion against the government by the UNP, it is the people who showed their lack of confidence in government at the elections,” Karu said.

Hashim said the introduction of a price control on rice was to hoodwink the people. “Rice is being sold at Rs. 80.This mafia has been created by the merchants. As a result, the people and small businessmen are helpless.

The UNP politicians do not refrain from attending Parliament sessions for important discussions,” he said.

Perhaps, Hashim would have forgotten the fact that the UNP which demanded a debate on the Power & Energy Ministry was not properly represented in the Parliament on the day the House sat for the last time before the New Year. Hence, the speaker had to postpone the debate.

President celebrates New Year

President Mahinda Rajapaksa celebrated the Sinhala and Tamil New Year true to tradition and followed age-old customs while the leader of the Opposition continued his tour of the United States American style.

The President came to Tangalle two days before the New Year and mingled freely with villagers known to him from his childhood. A relaxed President was seen talking freely with friends and other visitors who came to greet him during the season.

President Rajapaksa, along with First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, their sons Namal, Yoshitha and Rohitha and other relatives observed the New Year traditions at their ancestral home, Carlton House in Tangalle.

All rituals such as lighting of the hearth, boiling of milk and preparing meals were conducted at the auspicious times by the President, the First Lady and other family members.

“We celebrate the New Year with pride in our efforts towards building a self-sufficient nation,” said President in his New Year message. “Only a great cultural heritage and righteous values could provide the world with people rich in human values.

The foundation for this is provided to us by great celebrations of national culture such as this festival. The continued sustenance of rich cultural traditions is symbolic of a nation progressing rapidly towards prosperity,” the President said in his message.

Missing macaws back at President’s House

President Rajapaksa went straight to President’s House on his return to Colombo after celebrating the New Year in Tangalle. Though he returned to President’s House in Fort after a few days, he straight-away went to see his pets and feed them, only to find that four of his favourite macaws were missing.

He immediately instructed his staff to trace the birds without exposing them to danger. Prompt action was taken by media, especially private media, which broke the story and sought public assistance to trace the missing macaws – three, yellow and red in colour and the other, yellow and blue.

With the help of the authorities at the Zoological Gardens in Dehiwela, the authorities launched a search operation to race the four macaws that had flown away from an aviary at the President’s House on Wednesday evening. One of them was first captured near the Defence School at Slave Island.

When it was observed that two of the remaining macaws were on a tree at Modera, the zoologists used a strategy to capture them by brining a caged female macaw from Dehiwela zoo. Upon see the female macaw, the two male macaws had come near the cage and the officials caught them in next to no time.

It took little longer to find the fourth and the remaining bird. The last of the four macaws was found by a resident of Kotahena and handed over to the President’s House through the Kotahena Police on Thursday. Thus, all four macaws returned to the President’s House to remain as the pets of the First Citizen.

Indian SC rejects plea seeking a SIT

The Indian Supreme Court on Thursday declined to entertain a plea seeking a Special Investigative Team (SIT) probe into the role of the Indian Army as a peacekeeping force in Sri Lanka during operations against the LTTE.

“There are issues which are absolutely beyond the domain of the court and this is one of them,” said the apex court bench of Justice RM Lodha and Justice Kurian Joseph as it dismissed the plea.

Asking petitioner advocate Ram Sankar to approach the competent authorities, the court asked him “not to bring the court in this arena”.

The Indian Supreme Court's verdict on the petition by the Centre challenging Tamil Nadu government's decision to release all seven life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case would be pronounced within a week, Chief Justice of India P. Sathasivam indicated in New Delhi on Friday.

The petition was pending before the court and arguments had been completed. Since he was demitting office as CJI on April 25, the verdict would be given before that, he told reporters here, to a specific question about the petition. He was here to attend a judges’ conference.

Meanwhile, Prof. Sudharshan Seneviratne has been named as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India. The present Sri Lanka High Commissioner in New Delhi Prasad Kariyawasam will take over as Sri Lanka’s new ambassador to the United States.

Former External Affairs Ministry Secretary Karunatilake Amunugama has been named as Sri Lanka ambassador designated to Germany replacing Sarath Kongahage.

Importance of keeping a vigilant eye

Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said though there was no more terrorism in Sri Lanka, the terrorists’ global network continued to function largely unhindered and that some nations seemed to have chosen to turn a blind eye to these front organisations.

“The network continues to sustain an international propaganda campaign against Sri Lanka through front organisations that have now put on a democratic face,” he said when speaking at the 14th Defence Services Asia Exhibition and Conference held in Puthrajaya.

“Some nations seem to have chosen to turn a blind eye to these front organisations and their activities because they claim to support political activism or humanitarian relief.

At the same time, the network’s operatives, most of whom are trained terrorists, remain involved in various illegal activities, and are constantly seeking ways to revive terrorist activities in Sri Lanka,” the Defence Secretary said.

Indicating the close relations that Sri Lanka has with Malaysia especially because of the joint efforts in curbing LTTE operatives residing there, the Secretary of Defence met Prime Minister Najib Razak on the sidelines of the defence conference.