Rajapaksa’s new experiment

The former president’s efforts to politically consolidate himself amidst multiple criminal and fraud investigations against family members :

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

Will the once-mighty United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) finally fragment? Moves to form a new break-away political party are gathering momentum but the SLFP dissident MPs who make up the bulk of the UPFA rebel group say they are yet undecided.

The news media recently reported about the moves by the UPFA rebel MPs, who like to call themselves the ‘Joint Opposition’ in Parliament, to form a new political party to contest the upcoming local government elections. These reports indicated the proposed new party would have the lotus bud as its party symbol. However SLFP dissident MPs within the UPFA rebel group insist they have not yet taken any ‘final decision’ to form a separate political party.

Despite the denials many of the SLFP dissidents have already begun calling on former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to lead the proposed new political party. At the same time, a large number of SLFP politicians at local and provincial levels seem to favour contesting under a new party at the upcoming local government polls. Their intention seems to be to build a massive political movement to properly safeguard what they consider to be the true ideals of the SLFP.

No breakaway group from the SLFP has ever formed a separate political entity throughout that party’s entire history. There are instances where some of its senior members left the party and aligned with the UNP. If the present moves by certain SLFPers to form a separate party succeeds, it will be the first breakaway SLFPers’ political party. .

SLFP loyalist and Kalutara District UPFA MP Kumara Welgama dismisses the idea of a breakaway party.

He told the Sunday Observer they had not reached consensus to form a new political party and maintains it was too early to comment on it. “Since elections for two Pradeshiya Sabhas in the North and the East have not been held so far, no new political party could be registered, ” the SLFP senior said.

He said these are ‘mere speculations’ by certain constituent partners of the SLFP led UPFA coalition as well as the people. MP Welgama claimed there was ‘pressure’ from the general public and progressive political forces to form a new political party, but the SLFP group in the Joint Opposition has not yet discussed this issue. The government's deliberate attempts to suppress and take revenge on their political opponents by levelling various baseless allegations may perhaps prompt them to form a new political party, MP Welgama warned.

Conspiracies

Responding to the allegations by the SLFPers in President Maithripala Sirisena's camp that the rebel SLFPers were attempting to destroy the SLFP, MP Welgama said most of those who make a big hue and cry to safeguard the SLFP are the very same people who quit the party and hatched various conspiracies to destroy it.

“Most of those who are at the forefront today are not genuine SLFPers and they have either crossed over from the SLFP to the UNP or vice versa. They have no genuine interest whatsoever to safeguard the SLFP and they just want to retain their power and enjoy the perks. If they are so concerned about the party, they cannot leave the party and accept portfolios of the UNP led National Government,” he added.

Despite MP Welgama's claim of a continued lack of success in forming a political party, political sources confirm the emergence of a new political party. At the same time, the UPFA rebel group in Parliament demanding recognition of their ‘Joint Opposition’ status in Parliament claims unanimous agreement that the former President Rajapaksa should be the leader of the new party.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa himself has repeatedly hinted at several public functions that he stood for the “true SLFP people's representatives” and the party cadres who supported him. On such occasions, when queried by the media whether there was the need for a new political party, Rajapaksa has so far only said that there was “a discussion in the society” about it and adopted a ‘wait and see’ position.

However, another senior SLFP dissident MP told the Sunday Observer that the idea of a new political party been evolving and was mainly because of pressure from the people. This politician, who did not want to be named, argued that even former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had highlighted the lack of a vibrant opposition in Parliament today. “Even the SLFP, JVP and the TNA have technically become an integral part of the government and the Leader of the opposition never criticises the government on the issues of national importance and only talks about problems in the North. He also votes with the government. So we want to take the SLFP away from this grip,” he said.

Pivithuru Hela Urumaya Leader and UPFA Colombo District MP Udaya Gammanpila told the Sunday Observer the UPFA rebels were in the process of forming a new alliance while the SLFPers were trying to form a new party and would then join hands with the new alliance.

New alliance

“Our intention is to contest the forthcoming local government election under a new alliance. It is obvious the elections will not be held in the near future.

Therefore, instead of forming the alliance and a new party, at the moment our priority is to launch an agitation for the holding of the election. Winning the demand for the local government election is a pre-requisite for the forming of the new alliance,” he said.

Gammanpila has also said that nothing had been finalised so far regarding the name or symbol of the proposed new party and that “all these are mere speculations not coming from any reliable source”.

Refuting allegations by SLFPers in President Sirisena's camp that some UPFA allies were attempting to create a rift within the SLFP, MP Gammanpila said that if a few outsiders, as alleged, could destroy the biggest party in the country, this may be due to “weak leadership”.

Social Empowerment and Welfare Minister S.B. Dissanayake told the Sunday Observer that:

Divisions

“It is those who want to destroy the SLFP and the left progressive front, who are attempting to form a new party. Some constituent allies in the UPFA are trying to exploit former former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's popularity within the SLFP solely for their political survival. Those who love the party and the country would never attempt to create divisions within the SLFP. The SLFP led UPFA coalition was defeated at the Presidential Election held on January 08 last year. The former President who was the UPFA Presidential candidate should be held responsible for the defeat. Nearly 60 percent of state funds was under the sole control of former President Rajapaksa and his family while the entire Cabinet of Ministers enjoyed a mere 20 to 25 percent of it. The UPFA's minority vote base was destroyed by the Rajapaksa family members. President Maithripala Sirisena took over the party leadership following the request made by former President Chandrika Kumaratunga. As a result, President Sirisena rescued the party from the massive damage faced by it .

After the January 08 silent revolution, President Sirisena took over the SLFP and formed a National Government with the UNP restoring democracy and good governance in the country. If former President Rajapaksa really loves the country, he should give his blessings to the incumbent President to take forward the party. If former President Rajapaksa organises a new political party at the cost of the SLFP, it will be the biggest betrayal in the political annals of this country.”

Meanwhile, Special Assignments Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama has told news media that the coalition partners of the UPFA were well aware that if they don’t create a rift in the SLFP and give power to Mahinda Rajapaksa, their political future would be in the dark. Dr. Amunugama has said that as far as he knows not a single SLFP member has informed the party that he or she will resign to join a new political party. SLFP members who are not contesting the upcoming elections under President Sirisena's leadership should form a new political party to contest the upcoming elections. In addition, those who don't want to contest under the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) of which the present Leader is Sirisena, should obviously form a new political alliance.