Yahapalana reforms continue - Sirisena throws the gauntlet at his detractors
Oct 19, 2017
Inside Politics with Chanakya
“A ruler’s duty in the internal administration of the country is three fold: raksha or protection of the state from external aggression, palana or maintenance of law and order within the state and yogakshshema or safeguarding the welfare of the people.” – Kautilya - The Arthashastra
The role played by President Maithripala Sirisena in these interesting times is not unenviable given the complexities and unique nature of the current political scenario. Apart from balancing a coalition government formed with his party, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s (SLFP) rival, the United National Party (UNP), Sirisena has to also maintain his legitimacy as leader of the SLFP while challenging detractors who were former heavyweights of the party.
The growing external pressures on the country on the whole, especially in the economic sphere, cannot be ignored as well. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Annual Report of 2016 has indicated that the total general government external debt has grown by 10 percent in 2016 to US$ 27.2 billion.
Sri Lanka definitely is facing interesting times.
As pointed out by SLFP General Secretary and Agriculture Minister, Duminda Dissanayake during a chat with media personnel, the yahapalana government formed in 2015 is in fact a government focused on reforms.
He explained that a closer look at the actions of the government at present would clearly show the reforms undertaken by the government in every sector.
Politically, the unity government led by Sirisena and UNP Leader, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is trying to work out a new political culture where usually opposing factions are trying to operate a working administration while maintaining checks and balances on each other.
Also, the draconian piece of legislation in the form of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution introduced by the former Mahinda Rajapaksa regime during its march towards a total dictatorship, was repealed by the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.
Democratically, the government has made sincere efforts in establishing civil liberties that were nonexistent during the Rajapaksa regime. Legislation required ensuring these civil liberties like the Right to Information Bill, the establishment of the Office of Missing Persons, etc., among others were enacted.
On the economic front, it is no secret that the unity government inherited what Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera has termed as “a monster” from the last administration. External debt taken by the Rajapaksas at commercial interest rates matured and became ready for repayment under the unity government.
The Sirisena-Wickremesinghe duo has had to become innovative when handling non-performing assets that have huge debts to be settled like the Mattala Airport and the Hambantota Port. Despite criticism over the government’s move to look for public private partnerships of joint ventures to operate these assets, the search for alternative options have also drawn a zero given the lean state coffers.
Be that as it may, as stated by Dissanayake, the unity government is set with a reforms agenda trying to set the country back on the right path while mending relations with the international community that were beyond strained during the decade prior to 2015.
LG polls drama
Another key challenge faced by the government is the holding of elections to local government bodies that is now overdue.
Elections Commission officials stated that electing members to 335 local councils – 271 Pradeshiya Sabhas, 41 Urban Councils and 23 Municipal Councils is to take place on January 20. However, the delay in gazetting the Local Government Elections Amendments Act by the Local Government and Provincial Councils Minister Faizer Mustapha might result in pushing the holding of LG polls further from January.
The Elections Commission is unable to announce the polls date and other related dates until the gazette is published.
An increase in the number of local government bodies in the Nuwara Eliya District and the government’s move to introduce another amendment to the LG polls legislation on two bodies in the Northern Province – Puthukuduirippu and Maritime Pattu, which have not faced polls since 2010 – have caused a delay in issuing the gazette notification.
Nevertheless, the growing concerns over the delay in holding local government elections have compelled Mustapha to personally push for the holding of polls. Last week during a discussion of SLFP organizers led by the President, Mustapha had pointed out that there was growing dissention among many over the delay in holding local government elections and any further delay would not bode well for the government.
It is learnt that the President has now intervened and requested the authorities to resolve the issues that are delaying the publishing of the gazette.
Party reforms
Nevertheless, 2018 will be a year of elections. The government will have no option but to hold the local government and provincial council polls next year.
The biggest challenge in facing polls is before the SLFP.
Sirisena’s detractors while riling the SLFP membership against the party leadership and pushing them to call for a united SLFP are on the other hand carrying out promotional work of the G.L. Peiris led, Basil Rajapaksa operated Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna.
A group of SLFP seniors who have continuously pledged to align with the SLFP in the event the party contested separately at elections are now faced with a dilemma.
Sirisena has thrown the ball to their court by stating that the SLFP will contest separately at elections under the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA).
Interestingly, former President, MP Mahinda Rajapaksa, who claims of being a true SLFPer, is in fact the key promoting force of brother Basil’s latest political project, the Podujana Permauna. Not only promotional material, but even the membership cards of the new political party are printed with the party symbol and Mahinda Rajapaksa’s picture.
The impression given to the masses is that the Podujana Permauna is led by Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The SLFP constitution clearly states that a party member cannot be a member of another political party and work for its promotion.
A group of SLFPers calling themselves members of the joint opposition and working for the promotion of the Podujana Peramuna have therefore acted in violation of the SLFP constitution.
This fact was clearly stated by former President, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumartunge, who has re-entered active politics by taking up the post of SLFP organizer for the Attanagalla electorate. It was formerly held by former Minister Sarana Gunawardena, who is currently in remand custody.
After being appointed as SLFP organizer, Kumaratunge expressing her sentiments on the removal of several senior SLFP organizers said those who have been replaced are ones who have already left the party and promoting another political force.
“When these members are invited for party meetings even the central committee meeting they don’t show up. They are running behind some other party. It is they who have left the party. So now we have appointed new party organizers to work for the SLFP in the electorates,” she said.
Referring to the objections expressed by Minister Susil Premajayantha and John Seneviratne over the removal of some senior SLFP organizers, Kuamartunge responded by saying “why were they silent when these members did the wrong this and went to promote another political party against the SLFP.”
“Rajapaksas are trying to divide the party and defeat it. We will not allow it to happen,” the former President charged.
However, as a last ditch effort at unifying the party, the SLFP leadership has sent out a letter to all detractors calling them for a discussion on the party’s future. The letter was prepared last Friday but a date is yet to be set for the meeting.
Be that as it may, Sirisena has now thrown the proverbial gauntlet at his detractors. Given Sirisena’s actions, Rajapaksas stand to be exposed as a group pushing for a division of the SLFP due to personal animosity and agendas.
SLFP gets tough
The fact that ultimately the remote control of power is with him is not lost on the SLFP leadership.
The removal of Kumara Welgama, who is considered a long standing Kalutara District SLFPer who had been affiliated to the party since the time of the late Sirimavo Bandaranaike was an eye opener to many SLFPers standing by Rajapaksa’s Podujana Peramuna.
Welgama was replaced by Samitha Priyangani Abeydheera.
Former Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage was also removed as organises for Nawalapitiya in the major party restructuring operation. He was replaced by H.A. Ranasinghe, who had backed the UNP at the last parliamentary elections.
Interestingly, both Welgama and Aluthgamage face court cases over allegations of financial irregularities.
A recent report noted that there were several other changes to be moved by the SLFP that will be formalized in the near future. Among them is the appointment of Udith Anuradha for Matale. He had commenced his political work with the late Vijaya Kumaratunga and then worked with the SLFP before joining the UNP to contest the last parliamentary elections. He contested under the UNP after resigning from the SLFP over the removal of former Minister Janka Bandara Tennakoon as the Dambulla SLFP organizer. However, he is tipped to replace former Minister Rohana Dissanayake.
UPFA National List MP Malith Jayatillake, a staunch Sirisena loyalist, has already replaced Nimal Chandraratna as the SLFP’s Bandaragama organizer.
Chinthana Ekanayake, son of former Minister Nandamithra Ekanayake, has been appointed as the Rattota organiser.
Southern Provincial Councilor Manoj Sirisena, son of Minister H.G. Sirisena, is to be appointed organiser for Akuressa. It was a just a few weeks back when Rajapaksa had visited the Sirisena’s Akuressa home to meet the ailing senior.
Ananda Sarath Kumara, the North Western Provincial Councilor who once ordered a teacher to kneel before him as punishment, has been named the Anamaduwa organizer replacing former Minister Priyankara Jayaratne.
UNP setting battle lines
The UNP meanwhile is strategizing to gain maximum mileage from the division of the SLFP at next year’s polls.
One of the Prime Minister’s immediate tasks after returning to the country after his European tour was to focus on the pending local government polls. Wickremesinghe summoned a meeting of the Working Committee. The Committee is to meet today (19). The meeting is expected to focus on making preparations for the local government elections where the party is fielding candidates to almost all 335 local councils.
The UNP seniors are planning for an elaborate polls campaign.
The party leadership is likely to put forward the proposal to the Working Committee to contest under the United National Front (UNF) banner with the smaller parties supporting them.
The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) has already decided to contest the next elections under the UNF along with the rest of the parties that contested under the alliance, which fielded candidates at the last general election.
TNA looks for options
Meanwhile, the growing conflict between the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran has resulted in the TNA inviting former Chief Justice K. Sripavan to contest at the next Northern Provincial Council elections, it is learnt.
A group of senior TNA members have extended the invitation during a meeting they held with Sripavan recently.
However, it is learnt that Sripavan is yet to decide on the invitation.
