Internecine Battles And Guerilla Tactics
Rasika Jayakody
Karu Jayasuriya, the newly appointed Chairman of the UNP Leadership Council assumed his spade-work last week when he chaired a meeting for party supporters of Gampaha ahead of a possible provincial council election that will, in all likelihood, take place early next year. The purpose of the meeting was to welcome the new Leadership Council of the United National Party and its members. Although the meeting took place amidst heavy rain, thunder and lightning, more than 3000 party supporters attended the meeting, making it the biggest gathering of UNP supporters to be held in the Gampaha District after November, 2005. The meeting was attended by Parliamentarians such as Ruwan Wijeyawardena, Lakshman Kiriella and some leading Buddhist monks affiliated with the UNP including Ven. Girambe Ananda and Meetiyagoda Gunarathne.
As the meeting started amidst heavy rain, a branch of a nearby mango tree fell off, startling everyone including the speakers. Although it did not harm anyone, some considered this as a bad omen for Jayasuriya as well as for the Leadership Council of the party which has just assumed work. Still, the organizers were determined to proceed with the meeting and the large majority of the crowd too supported the decision. Due to inclement weather, the loudspeakers too did not function properly, but the organizers managed to retain the crowd and the meeting went on without any change in the schedule. In the end, the meeting ended on a high note as the rain did not mar the spirit of the party supporters.
A few days after this meeting, the Leadership Council of the party, who met at the Parliamentary complex on November 26, made another radical decision to replace all the under-performing electorate organizers, regardless of their status or grandeur. This decision has now ruffled a lot of feathers among a sizable proportion of electorate organizers as some view this is an act of ‘scapegoating’ organizers for a series of shameful electoral defeats suffered by the party throughout the past several years. However, the Leadership Council of the party is adamant on the decision saying, “The change has to start somewhere.” It is interesting to see how the Leadership Council deals with certain electorate organizers who have been appointed by the party leader solely on his whims and fancies. It is also interesting to see how the Council deals with some of its own members who are also electorate organizers who have failed to produce desired results for the party. Read More