Imminent General Elections – Ranil Must Be Thrown Out From UNP
Amrit Muttukumaru
First things first. Congratulations and best wishes to the just elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the expectation that he will govern our country in the manner he has promised in the run-up to the election and reiterated in his address to the nation after taking office. This include (i) democratic governance (ii) respecting the pluralism and diversity of our people (iii) zero tolerance of corruption (iv) meritocracy.
Although it is axiomatic that General Elections are crucial for the democratic governance of any country, it has special meaning for Sri Lanka at the current juncture when the country is sharply polarized as never before as witnessed from the results of the hard fought presidential election. This does not portend well for the country. It is in this context in particular and the democratic governance of the country in general that the general elections due imminently is crucial. It is a matter of virtual life or death for the country that the majority of parliamentarians belong to parties different from the party to which the president belongs. This is to ensure the check and balance to presidential authority even though it has been somewhat diluted by the controversial 19th Amendment. Even the proposed constitutional reforms need a strong parliamentary opposition to offset it being monopolized by the party to which the executive president belongs.
Towards this end it is a sine qua non that the UNP must be up and running to present STRONG competition to the party to which President Gotabaya belongs – Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) of which the leader is his elder brother – former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.
PM Wickremesinghe
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has CLUNG on as UNP leader for the better part of 25 years virtually by force by the brute power given to the leader by the UNP constitution. Under him the UNP has lost a record number of nation-wide elections and also probably responsible for the party losing thousands of exasperated party faithful. He is still HELL- BENT on remaining as UNP leader. It is a no-brainer that Wickremesinghe who was COMPELLED albeit reluctantly at the last minute to propose Deputy UNP Leader Sajith Premadasa as presidential candidate must bear significant responsibility for Premadasa’s defeat. For several reasons it is widely perceived that Wickremesinghe’s ‘stock’ in the country and among a vast majority of the UNP faithful is at an all time low.
Reasons include:
i) Reneging on the promise of good governance for which PM Wickremesinghe is widely perceived to be mainly responsible. The egregious Treasury Bond Scam epitomizes the worst excesses of the yahapalana government’s alleged corruption and abuse of power.
(ii) Not holding those concerned under the Rajapaksa presidency accountable after alleging in the run-up to the 2015 national elections of terrible corruption, violence and abuse of power.
(iii) Perception that the Yahapalana government ALLOWED the Easter Sunday carnage to take place by ignoring several intelligence warnings due to gross incompetence.
(iv) Perception that Wickremesinghe would be more comfortable under a Gotabaya Rajapaksa presidency rather than one of Sajith Premadasa. This perception is supported by media reports (not denied) that Wickremesinghe who does not have even a ‘snowball’s chance in hell’ to defeat Rajapaksa was seriously considering being the UNP’s Presidential candidate.
(v) Hanging on as UNP leader for the better part of 25 years virtually by force by the brute power given to the leader by the UNP constitution.
(vi) Losing a record number of nation-wide elections and also probably losing thousands of exasperated party faithful.
It must nevertheless be stated that Premadasa himself – UNP deputy leader and senior minister was virtually a silent spectator in the face of yahapalana shenanigans these past four and a half years.
Conclusion
The MINDSET of PM Wickremesinghe, who is REFUSING to resign from being UNP leader whilst professing respect for democratic principles and the practice followed in mature democracies, could be gauged from the following:
