by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
“Sacrum Romanum Imperium” (Holy Roman Empire) was a misnomer according to some historians. Even at it’s zenith the so-called Holy Roman Empire was neither holy nor Roman. It was not even an empire.
Likewise the United National Party in Sri Lanka too has neither been United nor truly national in recent times. Given the internal turmoil and external unpopularity some feel it may soon cease to be even a party.
[Ranil Wickremesinghe-AP pic]
While the downslide of the UNP has been visible for quite sometime, two recent developments may be perceived as harbingers of a doomsday scenario that may envelope the grand old party very soon if remedial action is not taken quickly.
Firstly there was the recently concluded Western Provincial poll. The UNP was never tipped to win but it has fared even worse than expected.
[Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mano Ganeshan at 'Platform For Freedom'-pic: indi.ca]
W.P. C.POLL
The ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) got 64. 7 % of the vote and 68 of 104 seats in the Western Provincial council. The UNP got 29. 6 % of the vote and 30 seats.
Moreover the voting pattern indicated that the UPFA was riding the crest of a “Sinhala” wave. The pre- dominantly Sinhala electoral divisions voted overwhelmingly for the Govt.
The districts of Colombo (76%), Gampaha (91%) and Kalutara (87%) are preponderantly Sinhala.
The successful war against the LTTE yielded dividends for President Mahinda Rajapakse.This, more than province-related issues, dominated the election campaign.
It was only in Colombo city that the UNP scored. Here the combined strength of the minority communities exceeds that of the majority community. The population ratio for the Metropolis is Sinhala (41.4%) Tamil (29.8%), Muslims (25.6%) and Indian Tamil (2.2%).
Thus the UNP got fifteen of its thirty seats from Colombo district. Of these seven (4 Tamil and 3 Muslim) are from the minority communities.
A noteworthy feature of the WPC poll was the unusually low voter turn-out. Out of 3,829, 414 registered votes only 2,415,879 votes were polled. Of these 88,993 votes were rejected.
[Opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe, seated, looks on as leader of the minority Muslim party Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, Rauf Hakeem arrives for a press conference in Colombo-May 2008-AP pic]
FOUR LESSONS
On the basis of this low turn-out some UNP pundits are engaging in spin. They say that the bulk of voters who kept away and also spoiled their votes were protesting against the Govt.
Every dark cloud has a silver lining but the UNP spin doctors are going a bit too far in trying to make the lining cover the cloud.
There are four major lessons for the UNP from the poll verdict.
The first is that its Sinhala constituency is diminishing. Contrary to what the UNP spin doctors say it was a large number of traditional UNP Sinhala supporters who refrained from voting.
This may be due to die-hard UNP supporters being disappointed with their party’s conduct but reluctant to vote against it through loyalty.
The second is the eroding UNP vote bank among the Tamil and Muslim communities. It is certainly correct that the UNP harvested more of these votes than the UPFA but it was not up to what was expected.
Moreover it was more of a protest vote against the Govt rather than a vote for the UNP. The minorities are not happy with the UNP’s dithering policies on the ethnic front.
The third is UNP votes diminishing in the so-called “Catholic belt”. Of course there have been demographic changes in these constituencies. But the margin of defeat shows that the Catholic vote for UNP is on the wane.
The fourth is that the bulk of new or youth votes and the floating vote have also gone away from the UNP. These segments also reflected the overall trend of voting.
If the multi-ethnic, multi-religious Western province is a microcosm of the Country at large these four factors indicate that the UNP is in trouble. It may be argued that “war euphoria” was the cause. Even if so should the fall have been this hard?
MAY DAY 2009
The second important development was the UNP’s announcement not to stage a May Day rally this year. It cited security or the lack of it as the main cause. While this excuse does have some validity it cannot be denied that the decision is also symptomatic of the UNP’s growing weakness.
As far as May Day is concerned there is poetic justice. It was the UNP more than any political party in Sri Lanka that undermined, distorted and transformed the significance of May Day.
The UNP turned this day of the working class into a big “bajou” or tamasha. Artistes from India were imported and everything was like a carnival. Seas of red at may day gave way to oceans of green and blue. With that went workers rights.
It was also the UNP that introduced patronage politics into the trade union sphere. The Jathika Seva Sangamaya (JSS) network under Cyril Mathew and Gamini Dissanayake flourished as an appendage of the ruling regime.
This virtually emasculated the trade union movement.The coup de grace was delivered in 1980 when the T.U’s made their last stand through the July strike. The ruthless and cruel manner in which the strike was suppressed rang the death- knell for the “Kamkaru panthiya”.
So it is indeed ironic to see the UNP in a position where it cannot even hold a token May day rally or procession. But then this is not a matter to gloat about as the decline and fall of the UNP is not a good thing for the country.
[Opposition leader and leader of the United National Party Ranil Wickremasinghe, second from left, looks on as he enters the parliament complex with his party's general secretary Tissa Attanayake, right, in Colombo-May 2008-AP pic]
OPPOSITION PARTY
It is a basic tenet of democracy that its success depends very greatly on the multi-party system. Except for a few countries a viable two-party equation has evolved amidst multiple entities.
The general trend has been for two major parties or groupings to be elected alternately at elections. In Sri Lanka too the two-party system has evolved and grown.
By that criteria , the presence of a strong opposition party is essential for the future of democracy and good governance in Sri Lanka. Despite flaws, democracy remains the single best bet for governance and for this a vibrant opposition is a pre-requisite.
In such a situation the decline of the UNP is not a welcome prospect. Whether one likes it or not the UNP remains the single largest political party in the opposition. Its leader is the current leader of opposition .
A deteriorating UNP can cause a political vacuum. It can pave the way for a de-facto authoritarian one-party regime. President Rajapakse is an unabashed proponent of populism. If there is no effective deterrent the chances of a “Bonapartist” regime is very high.
Already this government is ushering in all the vestiges of a national security state. The war against the LTTE is used as a pretext and to obtain sanction for practicing repression and crushing of dissent.
Moreover there is naked nepotism and unapologetic family bandyism. Corruption and bad governance are the order of the day. Instances of power being abused and misused proliferate.The media is directly and indirectly controlled. The trappings of a “Gestapo” state are everywhere. Above all the rule of law is eroding.
Against this bleak backdrop, the presence of a strong opposition party becomes imperative. Only a strong opposition party can stand as a bulwark against this creeping dictatorship.
THE “TINA” FACTOR.
In such a situation one cannot be happy about UNP decline. With all its faults the UNP remains the only option at this juncture for the future of democracy in this country.
The UNP is no angel. We know all about its sordid past and sorry present. Still it is the only democratic political entity that can fulfil the role of an effective opposition under present circumstances.
The “national socialist” Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and neo-fascist Jathika Hela Urumaya cannot take on that role. Furthermore it would be a disaster for the Country if they do so. The left or whatever is left of the left-both old and new-cant do this. The minority community parties can play a supportive role but cannot and will not constitute a national opposition.
This leaves us the UNP alone. With all its faults the UNP is the best of choice available. In democracy one cannot always have the ideal choice. It can only ne the best of what is available. This can at times even be hobson’s choice.
There is something in politics called the “TINA” factor. TINA is an acronym for “There Is No Alternative”. Under present circumstances the UNP is necessary due to the TINA factor.
There is simply no viable alternative. It is in the best interests of the country that the UNP resists the falling of light and rises from the depths it has sunk into.
LEADERSHIP STYLE
What can be done is not to accept the UNP as it is today but press and compel a transformation. A change of policy and approach and of the leadership style.
This brings us to Ranil Wickremesinghe, the “Eksath Jathika Pakshaya Nayakathuma”. He is portrayed as the single cause for the continuous electoral debacles suffered by the party.
It is said that Ranil is a liability to the UNP and that the party can revive and renew itself only after he quits or is jettisoned. Sadly a substantial number subscribing to this view are within the UNP itself.
Now I do recognize and acknowledge that the leadership style of Ranil Wickremesinghe leaves much to be desired. There is a lot of room for improvement here.
But I do not accept the argument that Ranil is the sole reason for the UNP decline.
I think it is due to a combination of several factors chief among which is the UNP’s stance on the ethnic crisis.Also I don’t think he is the solitary “jonah” afflicting the party.The blame for the green pachyderm turning into a white elephant should be shared by many.
TARGET
There are however some points that I would like to emphasise briefly here.
There are sayings in English that nobody flogs a dead horse or kicks a dead dog!
If Ranil Wickremesinghe is indeed a failure without future then why is he the biggest target of numerous critics and opponents of the UNP?
Would it not be best for the Govt to let the UNP burdened by Ranil, languish in opposition backwaters instead of trying to make that party enter the portals of power by encouraging a Ranil exit?
But what do we see? A consistent pattern of venomous , low-down attacks aimed at Ranil personally. Avowed enemies of the UNP advise that party to get rid of Ranil if it ever wants to enjoy power!
Are we to believe that these worthies are proffering altruistic advice so that the UNP can taste power?
Rather these seem puerile attempts to compel Ranil to throw in the towel voluntarily or foment rebellion within UNP ranks. Unfortunately some greens have fallen victim to this.
The crux of the matter is that if Ranil is indeed the perennial loser then the ranks of government would cheer rather than jeer.
The fact that this man is the constant butt of vituperative attacks in spite of being ridiculed as a failure shows that there is more substance and potential in Wickremesinghe than what people give him credit for.
Let us remember that no one flogs a dead horse or kicks a dead dog.
If Wickremesinghe is constantly attacked and his party is urged to kick him out then that means his opponents are wary of him and feeling insecure.
Why is this? The only reason I can infer is that Ranil’s opponents fear that he has the potential to pose a serious political threat and if elected to office as President will perform well enough to get a second term.
TECHNOCRAT
Wickremesinghe is basically a technocrat and if elected to office will run a smooth and efficient administration. He has a firm grasp of economics and will be the best man to lead the Country on the road to economic emancipation.
Tragically for the UNP Wickremesinghe’s worth is not realized. Instead of seeing his positive side, bickering partymen opt to see the negative side alone. The glass is half-empty and not half-full for them.
Wickremesinghe is not a personality with an insincere ear to ear grin. He is not at ease in an unknown crowd. Ranil is more at home with a clique than the masses.He is generally reserved and aloof.
[Civil Monitoring Commission-First Public Meeting~pic:HA]
There was this meeting with relatives of missing and/or abducted persons in Colombo. The atmosphere was emotional and a lot of women and children were crying. But Ranil displayed no emotion and came off as someone coldly unresponsive.
POSTURING
Actually Ranil was being true to himself and not playing to the gallery. He comes from a background where one is taught to control one’s feelings and not display emotions publicly particularly in the midst of tragedy and sorrow. But then does this conduct pay off in politics where posturing rather than principle matters more?
If Ranil loses out politically by being honest to himself and not play to the gallery at emotional gatherings, he also loses out when trying to break out of that mould and indulge in political play-acting.
Take the disaster of the UNP campaign to visit the “irida polas” or Sunday fairs and have heart to heart discussions with the people over rising cost of living!
Ranil was seen gingerly navigating the mud and puddles and querying the common man and woman about prices of commodities. Wickremesinghe appeared like a camel in the Arctic or Polar bear in the Sahara. Totally out of place.
I do not think Wickremesinghe has ever gone to a rural market in his life. I do not think he has ever bought anything from a village pola personally. I don’t think he keeps tabs on the prices of things in order to balance the home budget. He would be more at home wheeling a pushcart through supermarket aisles, tossing things in from shelves and paying through plastic at the counter.
So when Ranil ventures into unfamiliar territory and does not possess the “chutzpah” to pull it off he sticks out like a sore thumb. Not possessing thespian skills (Ranil has played a general in any movie, has he?) Wickremesinghe simply cant and wont convince the rural masses he isn’t one of them. And the people know it too.
But his rival is a different kettle of fish altogether. If Mahinda was at the gathering of families of disappeared persons he would have presented a solemn face and in a voice choking with emotion promised to take action immediately. He may have hugged a kid or two and sympathized with the old women. The people would have been touched by the People’s president but the white vans would have continued as usual.
If Mahinda went to the pola he would have known what exactly to say and do. He would have rattled off prices then and now and apologized to the “mahajanaya” for the rise in price. But he would have rationalized it as the price one had to pay for the eradication of terrorism and appealed to their patriotism which by the way is the last refuge of scoundrels. Mahinda would have crunched a raw carrot and drank from an up-ended thambili and left.
INTER-PERSONAL
Apart from this inability to relate to the masses people say that he lacks inter-personal skills and is uneasy in environments not to his liking or with strangers. He is also like a fish out of water with certain types of people who unfortunately play prominent roles in politics.
The Ranil seen at a Royal-Thomian is quite different to the Ranil seen at some part meetings. There are people who have complained to me that he simply ignores and does not even inquire after them let alone chat. Others have told me the opposite and spoke of Ranil in glowing terms and how warm he was.
It appears that Ranil can be nice to some and ice to others.
In my case the only occasion I interacted with Wickremesinghe “socially” was in 1985 during the time of Margaret Thatcher’s visit to Sri Lanka. Former “Sunday Leader” editor Lasantha Wickrematunge and I were working at “The Island” at that time and were in Kandy to cover her visit.
Ranil wickremesinghe, Education and Youth Affairs minister at that time invited us for dinner. I found him to be a genial conversationalist and amiable personality. He was well-read and well-informed. We joked and laughed.
I remember that when the band came around, Ranil picked “Kandy Lamissi” by Mariazelle, to be played. He was a bachelor then and we teased him about who his “menike” was. He took it good-humouredly. It was a very pleasant evening.
PHILOSOPHICAL
Another charge is about Ranil not being assertive enough.He is seen as being indecisive. Ranil is depicted as a cross between a Shakespearean Hamlet pondering “to be or not to be” and a Dickensian Micawber “waiting for something to turn up”.
To me Ranil is more like Herman Hesse’s. “Siddhartha” than Hamlet or Micawber.Like the Brahmin Siddhartha on a journey of self-discovery Ranil too is a man who can “watch , wait and hope”. But can this philosophical attitude work in the Sri Lankan political landscape?
Ranil has often been compared (unfairly at times) to his uncle Junius Richard Jayewardena. There are two sports related comments made by JR that I remember vividly.He used to call politics a bloodsport.
One comment was about boxing. The man who was kayoed by Colvin R de Silva at school came back decades later to send the Samasamaajists down for the count politically. JR said in boxing I aim for the face and hit the stomach.
The other perplexing comment by JR was about cricket. He said once that unlike other fielders who run when the batsman lifts the ball to be under it and take a catch he (JR) never does so.
He would rather miss the catch and let the ball bump and come to his hand. Once the ball was in his hands he could do anything with it. “when I run for the ball it is my master but when it is in my hand I am its master” JR said leaving his listeners bewildered.
Upon reflection , it appears that Ranil has imbibed one part of his uncle’s “sporty” wisdom. He waits for the ball to come to him rather than run for the ball. This explains his political conduct. Ranil misses catches and has forgotten the elementary lesson driven home by numerous coaches that in cricket “cathes win matches”. As for the boxing lesson it’s nix!
PERCEPTIONS
Another aspect of what makes Ranil tick or not tick is that in politics everything came to him on a platter. As yankee dicky’s nephew and Esmond’s son he had it made. Enters parliament as a novice and is straight away a deputy-minister. Cabinet minster at the age of twenty-nine.
He gets elevated to higher status within the UNP due to his party loyalty. He sticks with Premadasa and then DB Wijetunga. Becomes Prime minister and then opposition leader. He never had to work himself up through knitty-gritty politics. That tells and how!
There is some form of detachment from power also. Look at the alacrity with which he vacated Temple Trees on both occasions. No dilly-dallying. Contrast this with the pique of some former occupants to vacate the Araliya abode and look at some people who want to be in both Temple Trees and President’s house at the same time.
There is also Ranil’s sqeaky clean image of being politically incorruptible. In another time and in another place this may have been the strongest factor in favour of a politician. But we live in a time and a place where the people who helped themselves to money meant for helping the Tsunami afflicted in Hambantota district are in high places and are hailed as hero instead of being heckled as “hora”.
Thus we find a negative image being projected about Ranil.I don’t think this public image is truly representative of the man but then perceptions are what matter in electoral politics.
“GOLAYAS”
What Wickremesinghe’s lieutenants should do is to support him whole-heartedly and cover up for the deficiencies in leadership style. This is what the UNPer’s of yore did for JR Jayewardena who also had a cold public image. This is what Federal Party stalwarts did for the sick and feeble SJV Chelvanayagam.
Instead of that what do we find? A bunch of disloyal, ambitious , petty “golayas” whose primary goal seems to be that of conspiring against the leadership and secondary goal that of one up-man ship over fellow party men.
Earlier political deputies would compete with each other to succeed the leader but would be loyal to him or her and work honestly for the party. Party leaders were not averse to fomenting intra-party rivalry to both prevent challenges to leadership and also stimulate subordinates into working diligently for the party.
But what we have in the UNP is a situation where leadership wannabes are impatient and want to topple the leader right away. In order to undermine the leadership they do not throw in their full weight behind the party and instead indulge in sabotage.
If one is to use a cricket metaphor the team spends more time trying to topple the skipper than play against the rival team, Batsmen don’t score runs, bowlers don’t take wickets and fielders miss catches . The idea is to lose the match so that the skipper can be replaced.
CONSPIRACIES
Thus the energies of Ranil Wickremesinghe are spent more in staving off internal conspiracies than taking on the chief opponent. Party stalwarts spend time either conspiring for or against Ranil than catering to their constituencies.
Even in this Wickremesinghe is not tough as he ought to be. Instead of taking stern action against his detractors and conspirators firmly and decisively Ranil opts to exercise a velvet hand in a silky glove. He opts for intra-party Machiavellian tactics and byzantine intrigues to untangle himself instead of cutting the Gordian knot.Ranil floats like a bee and stings like a butterfly.
This does not mean that Wickremesinghe has lost control of the party. Despite sections of the media giving wide publicity to the internal dissension and sensationalizing intra-UNP conspiracies the reality is that Ranil Wickremesinghe enjoys majority support among both the Parliamentary group and Working committee.
I must also point out that not all party stalwarts are conspiring or revolting. There are many who have steadfastly stood by and are standing by Wickremesinghe. But such conduct does not get much mention in the media. Only the anti-Ranil antics get prominence.
STALWARTS
The “TINA” factor applies to Ranil too. There may be some who want to remove Wickremesinghe from a leadership position but the multi-crore question is who will succeed him? There are many possibilities but there is no one broadly acceptable to all sections within the party.
There was a time when Karu Jayasuriya could have been a suitable replacement. But his image got tarnished after crossing over with 18 elephants and returning alone. Wickremesinghe has never deserted the party. Also Karu has a negative image among minority communities.
SB Dissanayake on the other hand has a positive image among minorities and enjoys much influence in the highlands. But it is doubtful whether he can aspire to national leadership right now. Rukman Senanayake may have the support of sections of the rural Sinhala nationalist base but will be unacceptable generally.
Ravi Karunanayake, Sajith Premadasa, Lakshman Seneivaratne, Lakshman Kiriella, Tissa Attanayake and some others may don the mantle of UNP leadership in the future. But as for now they have to play under Wickremesinghe and hope to reach the helm through service to party and Country.
In such a situation “There Is No Alternative” to Ranil at present. The sooner the UNP realizes it and backs Ranil fully and loyally the better it is. Headaches are not cured by changing pillows.
The UNP stalwarts rebelling against Ranil must do some soul-searching. Is the UNP predicament due to Ranil’s leadership alone? How many of these veterans have adequate personal political clout? Are not many of them totally disconnected with their supporters? How many keep in touch with the constituency at grassroots level?
A political party is like an old-fashioned train chugging along an up-country railway line. The leader is the engine that pulls it at the front. Senior deputies are the engine that pushes it from the back. The leader cannot deliver alone. On the contrary deputies must bolster up the party by complementing the leader’s lapses.
Make no mistake! The UNP’s ills will not be cured by changing the leader alone. The party attitude and approach must change. Otherwise the very same people who draw knives to stab Wickremesinghe will not hesitate to plunge the weapon into Ranil’s successor also.
PRESIDENCY
Let us also not forget that the Presidency was lost by Ranil twice due to the LTTE. In 1999 the abortive attack on Chandrika Kumaratunge helped her win by riding the sympathy wave. In 2005 the LTTE prevented Tamils from voting through an enforced boycott and reduced Wickremesinghe’s potential votes.What narrow margins of defeat.
This does not mean that Ranil’s stock remains as high in 1999 and 2005 now. The collapse of the peace process and the euphoric success of the Rajapakse’s war against the tigers has brought about a triumphalist mood amidst the majority community.
Furthermore the jackals who made a sordid , secret deal with the LTTE to scuttle Wickremesinghe have turned the tables on him by accusing the elephant of conspiring with the tiger.
The UNP has made things worse for itself by remaining aloof from the military effort. The Armed forces belong to the nation and not to the ruling party. But the UNP has allowed the Govt to appropriate the military effort by default.
The tendency by UNP leaders to belittle the gains of the army in order to score brownie points against the government has not gone down well either. The persistent refusal to condemn the LTTE harshly has also worked to the UNP’s disadvantage.
PEACE PROCESS
I do not think Ranil Wickremesinghe did anything wrong by promoting peace with the LTTE. I respect him for his courage in that though I had reservations about the way it was done. The intention however was good. Let us not forget that Wickremesinghe talked peace sincerely and genuinely. It was the LTTE that was faithless and ultimately betrayed the peace.
Whatever his opponents say no one who knows Ranil will honestly say that Wickremesinghe would sell out to the tigers. But that is the type of vilification that is going on. The actual traitors are those selling the Country out clandestinely while thumping their pseudo-patriotic chests. Corruption parades around as patriotism
It was because Ranil Wickremesinghe participated in the peace process genuinely and the LTTE was at fault that the International community is now standing behind Colombo in its effort to defeat the LTTE. It is also the peace process that created the environment for the Karuna revolt.
Instead of highlighting these points and taking the bull by its horns the UNP has been on the defensive as if searching for a negotiated peace was a cardinal sin or error. The UNP should keep on demanding that the Govt reveal details of its pre – presidential bargain with the LTTE instead of being on the backfoot about talking peace to the tigers.
In that context I am indeed glad that Ranil has shed his meek and mild approach and boldly challenged Mahendra Percival Rajapakse for a debate on the peace process and ceasefire. If Rajapakse is indeed a “jathika Veeraya” he should accept the challenge instead of setting his mongrels to snap at Wickremesinghe’s heels.
What the UNP should do is to come down hard on the LTTE but speak out for the rights of the Tamil and Muslim people. Instead the party sends contradictory signals on those matters while some party heavyweights play “footsie” witn Sinhala supremacism.
COMMUNAL CARD
One of the finest attributes of Ranil Wickremesinghe is his consistent refusal to play the communal card. It has been the bane of Sri Lankan politics that parties in opposition engage in communal politics to obstruct the government. Ranil changed this by not going down that path.
But in recent times the UNP is getting sucked into the chauvinist whirlpool again. Like the UNP of Sir John Kotelawela which shifted its stance on the language issue at the Kelaniya convention of 1955 the present UNP too has started backtracking. While professing to be in favour of devolution it is lukewarm in practice. The UNP conduct at the All Party Representative Conference is to my mind a great betrayal.
Likewise the UNP is conspicuously silent about the enormous amount of human rights violations taking place in the Country. Wickremesinghe must not forget that all minority community members allowed to vote stood by him in 2005. Even now the polls of Central and Western Provincial councils show that the Tamils and Muslims have voted courageously for the Elephant in the face of threats and intimidation.
But the way in which the UNP has treated these people is very, very shabby. It has not stood by them at all. It is time that the UNP becomes truly national and stops regarding the minorities as children of a lesser god. It must not take them for granted thinking they will support the UNP as the lesser of two evils.
MEDIA RIGHTS
The UNP must also take the lead in campaigning and protesting against the undermining of democratic values and suppression of dissent.The attack on the media is something that should be opposed firmly by the UNP.
Usually the media and opposition parties get along well. The honeymoon ends when the opposition becomes government. But for some strange reason Ranil Wickremesinghe and sections of the independent media have not got on well. It was only some months ago that he ridiculed three Sinhala newspaper editors as chanting “saranang Gachami” to Mahinda, Gota and Basil.
I really find this strange and cannot fathom the reason particularly because of Ranil’s family background. The media should actually be putty in his hands but instead it’s Mahinda who manipulates media easily. One explanation for this could be that Ranil rakes the moral high ground and expects the media to do the right thing.
In this case, Ranil may sincerely opine that the media must support the opposition in the face of an authoritarian regime under which editors are killed, assaulted, abducted in white vans, charged under the PTA,threatened by the defence secretary and assailed as traitors.
What is disappointing is how the UNP behaved in the case of Lasantha. Here was a man who functioned as a virtual one-man opposition and was mainly responsible for buoying up the UNP’s flagging fortunes. At Lassies funeral the UNP hijacks a solemn occasion and turns into a rowdy spectacle cracking coconuts, burning effigies and invoking curses. Blood-curdling speeches are made. Within one month Wickremetunge is forgotten and when a vigil is observed at the grave one month later not one UNP leader is present. Why?
POPULARITY
Given the triumphalism of majoritarian chauvinists and the perceived popularity of President Rajapakse it may seem virtually impossible that this regime could ever be defeated electorally. But then all things are impermanent and things do change.Popularity is ephemeral.
It must be remembered that Winston Churchill won the war but was booted out in 1945 by Clement Attlee. Indira Gandhi dismembered Pakistan in a military triumph in 1971 but was unceremoniously ejected in 1977 after the emergency.
George Bush Sr won the Gulf war but did not get a second term in 1992. George Bush Jnr conquered Kabul and Baghdad but went down at his tail end as the most unpopular US president in history.
The Rajapakse regime has contained or diverted resentment against it by using war as the opium of the masses. But the war is ending and it wont be able to justify its shortcomings perpetually through war-euphoria. The economy is in shambles. The nepotism, corruption, repression, authoritarianism , mis-governance and abuse/misuse of power of this regime is immense .
Once the euphoria subsides the Country will begin yearning for better economic prospects.
Man does not live by news of victory on the war front alone but also by bread and rice and dhal and sambol.
If this regime cannot deliver then people would welcome change.
It is here that Ranil Wickremesinghe could score provided of course that his party stands by him. He can be projected as the man who could perform an economic miracle. He can also be promoted as the man who could usher in true national unity and unify its people.
FAMILY-BANDYISM
The Achilles heel of the Rajapakse regime is its corrupt cronyism and blatant family-bandyism. Mervyn Perera is an abomination and Sachin Vaas Gunawardena an aberration. Then there is the reality of the extended family of Medamulana enjoying the perks and powers of office at various levels.
When Sirima Bandaranaike was premier from 1970 to 1977 she was accused of family bandyism. The UNP during the 1977 polls produced a booklet titled “family Tree” exposing the different family members and relatives holding high office. Dr. Wickrama Weerasuriya was the author. It was a smashing hit. By that yardstick the Rajapakse regime’s nepotism goes beyond a tree. It’s a grove. The UNP could have a field day . But the war must end.
PARTNERSHIP
Another suggestion would be for the UNP leadership to reconcile sincerely and forge a partnership. I think Wickremesinghe should delegate more powers and responsibilities to Karu Jayasuriya. While Ranil remains the de-jure leader there could be a de-facto joint leadership. I am thinking of the Dudley-JR equation in 1970-71 before conspirators succeeded in splitting and sending both off on a confrontational course.
There is this story about the blind and lame man. One could see the fruit on the tree but not able to reach it. The other could walk up to it but not see it. So the blind man put the lame man on his shoulders and guided by the seeing cripple walked under the tree. The lame man who could never have done it on his own sat on the other mans shoulders and plucked the fruit which they both shared.
Like them both ranil and Karu should get together firmly and resolutely.here are some shortcomings in Ranil’s persona that Karu could complement and supplement. Likewise there are fault lines in Jayasuriya that Wickremesinghe could rectify. Separately they may be lesser but together both can be greater.
UNITED NATION
Another idea would be to replace the current ineffective party spokespersons with a more attractive and articulate choice. I am thinking of Rosy Senanayake who has demonstrated her vote-winning prowess by topping the preference list in Colombo. She is no bimbo but a beauty with brains. The UNP image will receive a tremendous boost if she is made the “official” face. In any event I cant see her faring worse than kiriella or Attanayake.
However much the UNP deserves criticism the demise of that party at this time spells doom for democracy. If the UNP does not reform andre-vitalize itself the advent of a dictatorship cannot be prevented.
The UNP needs to re-invent itself and Wickremesinghe has to re-furbish his image. The party must be infused with a new dynamism and fighting spirit. If that is done reports of the grand old party’s demise would indeed be premature.
More importantly the UNP must return to its roots and original vision. The founding fathers had a dream for a United and National party.
The party must re-capture that vision. It has to strike out against chauvinism and articulate pluralist and egalitarian principles boldly.
The party that ushered in freedom from colonial bondage decades ago must once again take the lead in forging a United Nation and a “new” Lanka where all her children will live equally and peacefully in a just society.
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I can be reached on Email: dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com |
Dear Mr. Jeyaraj
Thank you very much for an analytical and vivid article. This is the most objective and brilliant dissection of the UNP that J have seen
I come from a family that has been ardent UNP supporters in Aluthkade from the time of Dr. TB Jayah and Dr. MCM Kaleel
I pray fervently that the grand old party goes from strength to strength.
I come from Kurunegala.My family UNP supporters for generations from days of Sir John Kotelawela.
Mr. Jeyaraj as a young boy I remember your grabdfather the late proctor Ramalingam Sabapathy who was a right hand man of Sir John in Kurunegala those days signing his nomination papers and all.
Your father, my good friend in Kurunegala ,Ernest Sabapathy the advocate was also close to the UNP and people like DB Welagedara and Ariya Rekawe.
Good to see you write so well about UNP. I hope the party will take your advice and revive itself. The country needs the UNP
Brilliant article. You are truly the best among journalists covering Sri Lanka.
I hope Ranil comes to power, sooner than later, since he will do a better job of ‘healing’ the country. However, it remains to be seen (as you have said) whether his own UNP colleagues will stand up for him, cover his lapses and propel this shy gentleman to power.
Extraordinary, I was in Sri Lanka in Jan/Feb and no local newspaper was capturing the zeitgeist in Sri Lanka the way your blog presently is. Some irony that the murky hidden world of Sri Lankan politics is revealed to usfrom a expat Tamil ex-LTTE supporter.
Ranil is a sycophant to the west. Countries like ours cannot be developed and led by people like him.
Regarding a debate: that is something the English would do…they have the time and the luxury to do that. In Sri Lanka, we just need to get on with things.
I think it is time that the tamils also learned to live amongst others just like the Sinhalese and muslims do. The more you fight and agitate, the less we are going to progress and develop. As consequence, everyone is going to have more grievances. We sinhalese have grievances too. That is why JVP rebelled twice. We are a poor country with lot of hangup from the colonial past.
Eelam will never come in the form that you want it. We have had enough of tamils all over the world castigating Sri Lanka for their dream never realized. Instead we all lived a nightmare.
Let us move on…live the life we can, continue the dialogue in civilized forums and make a new sri lanka our dream. Let us focus on individual rights of freedom and life and our collective rights will come automatically. Tamils are forgetting this easily. That is how the west has moved on, e.g look at Blacks in America.
remember RW would be president now if the tamils’ sun god had not sold the tamil votes for 180million rupees (this is the figure jeyaraj had mentioned in one of his articles), so that was what Rs 180 per tamil….is that how much the sun god values a tamil at?
so the sun god didn’t negotiate in good faith with RW..he didn’t want RW as president and the south didn’t want RW as president so RW is destined to be opposition leader for ever.
if MR gets rid of tamil terrorism from our country he will be president for a long time…maybe we should thank sun god for giving us president who knows how to deal with tamil terrorism.
its nice to see you blogging more frequently. keep it up. btw no one can help UNP while ranil is their leader. may god help em!
The search words “United Nationl Party” brings Sri Lanka’s UNP as the first result in Google search.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=united+national+party&aq=f&oq=
All important “United” and “National” are words a multi ethnic and pluralistic aspiring society would want to have in their prominent political party’s name.
Bur the country acted ‘seperated’ soon after birth, this party even before other language based parties were born, it is perfecectly alright to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of people based on ethnicity; hence starting the uprooting of Tamils under that first guise. I guess this could be called a ‘humanitarian’ exercise too.
If UNP – “United National” Party faces demise today, they infact laid the foundation 61 years ago.
DBS,
It is important that both parties involved in the struggle understand some stark realities and at least tacitly agree on them before we can move forward.
One, Sri Lankans will never allow establishment of Tamil Eelam except by use of military force such as seen during the Eelam Wars. There can never be a negotiated Eelam or division of the country. It is politcally and socially untenable. It is also the history of the world: land was never given away free. It was either conquered or “purchased.”
Second, the Eelam war as launched by the Tamils has ended in a military failure. That is the ground reality.
Third, the proxy organization that the tamils nurtured, supported, fostered and nominated to be their military and political front grew in to something beyond a mere liberation movement. Its modus operandi and methods of retaliations against civilian and political targets were completely out of proportion to any justification they had for their actions. As a result, the LTTE earned the label of “terrorists” all over the world.
Fourth, every phase of negotiation has been marked by deliberate duplicity on the part of tamil representation regardless of the intentions of the governing Sri Lankan politicians at the time. They negotiated to buy time to further the military struggle and never changed their ultimate goal of Tamil Eelam. This has to be distinguished them using the demand for Tamil Eelam as a bargaining chip.
Fifth, the armed struggle has increased the misery of tamils themselves.
Sixth, Tamil society also has to take an introspective look at itself. What about the stringent caste system that has subjugated their own people as second- or third-class citizens. That story is not told to the Western World.
Lastly, next phase has to be a non-armed political struggle. The Tamil Diaspora is a world-wide majority of over 60 – 70 million people as compared to some 12 million sinhalese and a few million muslims and others in Sri Lanka. They (the tamil diaspora) have demonstrated their world-wide power of persuasion and political clout during the current conflict. They should use it to bring about a settlement, a political change that guarantees freedoms to not only the tamils but every Sri Lankan as an individual. If tamils want autonomy in the regions where they are a majority, I do not think any Sri Lankan government or Sri Lankan people will deny that to them. However, such a settlement must also guarantee security to all Sri Lankans. The Right to Secede as propounded by Anton Balasingham et al cannot work. On the contrary, acceptance of an unified Sri Lanka should be the basis of settlement.
If we all can agree on these things, I do not foresee the people of Sri Lanka holding anything back from the Tamils because we all have woken up to hear your voice, as long it is not the sound of gunfire or exploding bombs.
Or else, we can fight for ever. You know as well I do, that war will never end.
A Dias Perera, MD
Memphis TN
USA
P.S. Pls publish my comments with change.
Please publish my comment if you have guts to do….
This reveals your (DBSJs) inherent aspiration as an ethnic Tamil to see the Sinlese are led by a evanjalic gay man who would lead the loss of the heritage on the land where Sinhalese could only came their mother land. As my emotions are high by seeing your so called moderation is being ruled out by the remarks you make at Sinhala masses by being sarcastic at President Rajapaksha….. As you tell take the bull by horn here are a few…
1) The political unprofessionalism and family bound politics is not due the President himself but has been the culture in South Asia… Ranil not having such a family is not a point to finger at Mahinda…. In what ever case people like the way he utized his family members to defeat the LTTE by using their specialities… I know thats the underlying reason for you to be that sarcastic…
2) You talk about the President sarcastically about white vans….. Ofcourse Ranil used death squads, under world and tyres….. But again I approve both of them doing it as the insurgents were too smart to be handled with the out dated laws…. In Mahinda’s case the enemy was every where, as journalists, as film corporation directorers, as ministry officials and as parlimentarians….so please dont be sarcastic only on your choice for obvious reasons…. We dont endorse both but situatinally there is no option and ofcourse to some extent pure innocence can be victimized as well. Before write on good governace could you tell me a socalled democratic giant who has not used covert operations and inelligence agencies for inhuman manouvers? LTTE is so deep rooted that covert operations is a must to save the thousands of victims.
3) You are so convinced by RWs personal qualities….Yes MR is more of to show himself than RW… But he is gnuine when he means something…. He was genuine on the LTTE and he went on the path he choosed….. The people of this country are not utter fools for just being carried away by gallery talks on war… People are behind him for his honesty…. If you remeber you your self wrote that MR will be the real Sinhala Buddhist leader and LTTE will face the real change this time…..
4) You mock at Mahinda’s family….. Ranil did not have one that’s true but he implanted his “blue eyed boys” every where… so the scenario is matched… We as citizens are only concerned on how it effects the country the way we percive it….. Both cases were not ideal and we prefer what we understand go along with our aspirations in the same manner you prefer and symphathatic on Ranil for the obvious reaosn of being ethnic Tamil who have the esteem of self rule….
5) Finally I am not a JVP or JHU follower….but I see the life practically and hate to see the so called intellectuals like you compare the practical realities with the ideal scenarios….I too love the society you love to live where we Sinhala and Tamils live with self respect and without being descriminated for being born as they are….. I hope in such a society I would buy a land in Jaffna and have my own business just liek Tamils do in Galle and Matara.. If you arogant chauvinists can take my wish… Then you are of value for what you preach…… I know the answer in your subconcious mind depite being the socalled professional…….and thats where Mahinda is important as he is practical though not an ideal or the best….
6) Also you are so worried about the 2nd level of UNP and their characteristics…. Just to remind you that you write on UNP like this simply becouse the LTTE kiled all its prominent leaders….
7) Your media hero Lasantha was not a Media Guru as many ordinary Sri Lankans feel… He was a mud slinger, black lister and secret agent type charater who was against the mind set of Sinhala Buddism (not their extremeist clan) with a evanjalic background…… His so called status was simply endorsed as he wrote in Englsih and was a frequent visitor of inner circ;es of many unseen decision makers of the society….
Finally your blood is thicker than the water and dont just be sarcastic on the President Rajapaksha for mistakes he posses common for many other politicians of all the communities ( you could wrtie next time about Thodaman). You cleverly hide your vested interest to see Mahinda’s deptaure from Sri Lanka politics (by ballet or bullet) under the mere disguise of your professionalism and fluency in English…..
DBSJ RESPONDS:
Hello Mr. Southern guy
The litmus test for my guts is not in carrying your post or not but in continuing to write under my own name despite the intimidation, vilification and violence. But do you have the guts to write under your own name with a genuine e – mail? If you cant do that you shouldn’t call yourself Southern guy. The Southern people are all brave and courageous no ?
About your vituperative venom about Ranil. You’ve proved my point again about his potential and how you people are shit scared of him? Why so much of hatred against Ranil if he is indeed a spent force?
By the way blood is thicker than water no? or is it thinner in your view?
As a veteran UNP supporter I endorse Mr. DBS Jeyaraj fully for the views expressed by him in this essay
I want to inform Southern guy that the cowards murdering Lasantha will be caught and punished one day
Those who accuse Ranil of taking Lanka to the western camp are the same people taking us to the Chinese, Iran and Libya camp.
They scold the west but lick western feet to get IMF loan
Amazing analysis and the response to Southern guy too. Certain points raised by Southern guy (he should have used the real name) too are valid.
I heard leaders are born not made. RW is a good example for tha premise; he has been made a leader firts by JR then by the LTTE by killing Premadasa, Lalith and Gamili. He does not have the charisma/command/leading from the front attitude though he may be the best to rule the country out of today’s lot.
I strongly advise the UNP to follow DBSJ’s reccomendation
Mr. Jayaraj,
I would like to tell the long story in short.
Ranil used the peace process as a tool to gain power; he thought that it would bring him lasting power with the LTTE support. He was foolish not to know who Prabakaran is. He is very opportunistic and stupid in his political statements.
We simply do not want to filter one or 2 good things that might have happened and pretend that this is him. In such case, anyone has good and bad qualities; and we have to judge whether that makes him/her a good leader. Simply speaking he has no vision, no emotions, no leadership skills, no brain and no family life. What else you should not have. However, the extensive use of thugs makes him qualified to be a politician. He should get out from the party and let other go.
In my view Ranil by ‘promoting peace with the LTTE’ really sold the Tamils to the LTTE. I do not think he did the correct thing by legitimising the LTTE’s violence.
In any event, he had his time and he could not do it. It is time get out of poltics and do something if he really could do anything worthy in life. Or like TNA MPs make politics as your life time past time be’cos these men do not know anything else in life to do.
I don’t like negative comments about anyone and I claim the right to speak for the silent majority
Can understand your frustration since tigers are loosing.
DBSJ RESPONDS: Thanks buddy for your compassionate understanding. Touches my heart
You shouldn’t waste time responding to jokers and idiots.
No doubt you would be happy if Ranil is in power.So you have a weak leader in South & VP in north running Eelam.
DBSJ RESPONDS:Flabbergasting. I bow to your superior understanding.You deserve the golden fleece
I am a megalomaniac. I am the almighty. I dont like negative comments about army here and I claim the right to speak for the president. Also, I am not a person who can take criticism.Therefore, I got lasantha killed, Keith assaulted, Tissa charged and Vidyadaran detained.. You need to write what I would like to see or else………….
DBS, Excellent article on UNP and RW put in the current context. However, you forgot one thing. Who was responsible for July 1983? Then ruling party, JRJ with Cyril Mathew were the lot who let the country down the drain in that fateful year and we (Sri Lankans) have been paying for that now almost 30 years later.
Your response to the Southern Guy is very correct and appropriate. Sri Lanka is full people like him. There is a Singhalese term for them “frogs in a well” – can not see beyond the lenght of their nose.
Keep up the good work sir.
ranil should have been kicked out long ago.karu should have been the leader with sajith his deputy. in a western country it would be inconceivable that a man could lead a party to defeat after defeat and still be the leader. there have been leaders who have gone and comeback and been sucessful. because they learn from their mistakes rebadge themselves and comeback. this man wont go in the first place. anybody with selfrespect would have offered their resignation long ago.
the quotes you gave about JR only confirms my longheld belief he was a nutcase who is the principal reason for the present crisis. contrary to popular belief that mental illness is depicted by a man walking the streets shouting or muttering, it is more widespread with the silent types being in the majority.
as for ranil, your own quote “cold and aloof” is in my opinion not fit for politics. you have to click with the people. what i mean by click is develop an emphathy and bond with them. for that you must be warm and gregarious.if you are you will be surprised how many faults and mistakes they will tolerate, because they dont expect to elect a saint. good example is bill clinton. if he had run a third term he would have been elected despite monica lewinsky.
Damn right, I am a megalomaniac. I am the almighty. I don’t like ——————-
Eksath Jathika Pakshayata Jayawewa!
I am also a megalomaniac. I too am the almighty.
I am a total dumbass to think that Gotabaya and Gotamalli are writing comments here.
Dear DBS,
Thank you for publishing my comments and showing guts… As you have questioned my guts to write with my genuine name and email here is my explanation…
1) You have guts to write as you wish since you have an established reputation amongst many fractions including moderate LTTEers from whom I am sure you recieve your so called uptodate information. Also if some thing happens to you there will be so called human rights and diplomatic clan to safe gaurd such profossionals.
2) Me as a ordinary citizen does not have a previllege like you for my freedom of expression since the LTTE is still deep rooted under disguise of various “civilians”. So for obvious reasons I don’t want to expose myself since I honestly don’t trsut you though I respect your professionalism and articulation.
3) I don’t want to waste your space on Ranil again but it’s not the fear of his potential that dives us nuts but the vacuum created by LTTE in the UNP by killing all prominant leaders whose existence whould have given an early retirement to Ranil. You want to see the same for the SLFP with the extiction of national fractions led by Mahinda and I am sure you are waiting to hear his departure by ballet or bullet… I don’t beleive that there are any moderators in this world and you can be no excepmtion…..
4) Finally you have again proved my entire argument on your vested interests by being sarcastic on me by saying “The Southern people are all brave and courageous no ?” … If a person like me tells that it is not an issue but it’s the exposure of your inherent subconcious mind which is covered my the professional jacket you are wearing….. Any way it has been proved that it is people from South that led the country when it was leaned to the wall at many times in the history…. The other feature of Souther is staright forward expression (without keeping anything in mind) which of course western oriented thinking can never find a place in their so called ethics and diplomcy…. It was educated and high class Jaffna Tamils who led the aspiration of seperation just like their counter parts of Sinhalese misled the Sinhala community ….. I don’t know you fufill all the qulifications but you are the smart new generation of those who use the professionalism
for the same cause under the disguise of mederation…
Any way I hope you let me continue respecting your professionalism by publishing this comment as well. I have no sarcastism like you… and thats the difference between deep North and deep South
DBSJ RESPONDS:
What I dont like about you is your ignorant assumption of who or what I am. Your presmtuous ideas of what you think my thoughts and aspirations are. Since you think I am being sarcastic I will stop here.
I mocked your southern “courage” because of all the pseudonyms you could have chosen you picked on “southern guy”. This shows your REGIONAL chauvinism. This “dakunu palatha” superiority complex has been on the rise since Mahinda came to power.Sri Lanka is for all her people from Point Pedro to Devinuwara. It is not for the “ruhunuputra” alone. The South does not have some special right to this country. What then about the people of other provinces? Bentara gangata egodaha witharada Lankava?
Anyway no hard feelings
I am a megalomaniac. I am the almighty.
Yet I know that I am a little man with exceptional ability to deceive the people.
Southern guy,
You are another half-baked Sinhala nationalist fool. I think you fail to grasp that irrespective of Ranil’s personal or political failings the wider importance of having a strong opposition in a vibrant democracy.
People like you do not understand the concept of freedom, that is: democracy, free speech and above all, rule of law. Instead true to the Maharajah worship mentality of South Asians you look to “strong man” leaders (dictators) that you would follow with blind adoration if they can deliver on a communal obsession, while rivers of corruption blood repression and debasement flow in their wake.
If RW is not in aposition to maintain the unity of his own party and lead them as a respected leader, how can anybody say that he can unite the entire country with so many diversed opinions? He is in the leadership of UNP thanks to the undemocratic constitution of the so called democratic party.
I have a feeling, how come Mr.Jeyaraj has all the abilities of reporting the war front details (just as it is) while liveing in Canada? Is he a kind of Superman or Batman? Even the Tiger man must be wondering!
DBSJ RESPONDS: Dont tell anyone. I have X,ray vision. You know what? I can see that you are a nitwit
GIBBERISH DELETED
I consider Ranil too gentle for Sri Lankan politics.
If you are not tough enough as VP, MR and JR, you can’t survive in Sri Lankan politics. These are the people showed to the world how to tackle your opponents.
It is unfortunate; People of Sri Lanka do not want to see a gentleman as their leader. It is curse on Sri Lanka; Sri Lanka is being ruled by thugs for the last 30 years. Ranil wanted to develop Sri Lanka and sincerely went to peace talk. What he got in return? LTTE called him as “Cunning Fox” and Sinhalese too considered him too soft with LTTE. It cost him dearly.
Sekaran,
I used to think that Tamils are smart people. After reading your posting, I came to my sense, There are many Mathanamutthas in our society.
Be careful, DBSJ has X-ray vision, he can see you even if you are in toilet.
There’s no going back: Lankan survivors
T S Sudhir, Saturday May 2, 2009, Kakinada
The Tamil civilians who are escaping the war in Sri Lanka have vowed never to return to the island nation. “We don’t want to go back to Sri Lanka” — that is the chorus of the Tamil refugees in the relief camps.
Eleven Tamilians who landed in Kakinada by mistake, starved and fought death, said they expected India to have brought peace.
Inder Meenon’s job with an IT company in Trincomalee is a thing of the past. The 23-year-old diploma holder in hardware engineering said that even though he earned Rs 13,000 every month, he does not want to go back to a life of fear and uncertainty in Sri Lanka.
“Even if we return to Sri Lanka, the Tamil-Sinhalese strife will persist. We will be suspected as LTTE cadre or informers. That problem will continue. Instead, if we work here, we will not have a problem,” he said.
The Tamil refugees, however, wished that India had a more affirmative reaction to the war in Sri Lanka.
“We expected India to bring about a ceasefire and help in the formation of a Tamil Eelam. But nothing of the sort happened, even though 10,000 people died,” said Inder Kumar, a refugee.
In the last three months, at least 50 boats with Tamil civilians have escaped from Mullaitivu for Rameshwaram. But no one knows how many survived the dangerous high seas.
Meanwhile, a police case has been slapped on these 11 refugees, accusing them of entering India without valid documents. But it is unlikely that it would be pursued seriously. Once they recover, they will be shifted to the relief camp in Rameshwaram.
sourc :ndtv
Dear Mr. Jeyaraj,
I am shocked at the gushing praise that you have heaped on Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka’s perpetual Opposition Leader. You have glossed over Wickremesinghe’s racism, his use of violence and his Christian complex. Have you forgotten the following?:
(1) According to Rajan Hoole’s book ‘The Arrogance of Power’, Wickremesinghe insisted on keeping the Welikade victims in the jail, after the first massacre on 25th July. This paved the way for the second massacre when many more including Kuttimani were killed.
(2) Wickremesinghe delivered a shocking speech after the 1983 riots, where he blamed the riots on the economic policies of the SLFP. Even his first cousin Rajiva Wijesinha has condemned his callousness.
(3)In 93-94, Wickremesinghe was the PM when Wijetunga was President. He was the chief chearleader for the racist Wijetunga, who called the minorities creapers and vines.
(4) In 95-00, he refused to commit to Kumaratunga’s devolution package, drafted by Neelan Tiruchelvam and GL Pieris. When the package was presented to parliament, he instructed his MPs to tear it up.
(5) As recently as October 2000, the UNP manifesto was for a unitary state.
(6) Wickremesinge refused to agree to secularism when Neelan Tiruchelvam suggested it in the devolution package. Possibly as the son of Christian, he could not support it.
I would be grateful if you publish this letter.
Rifat Halim
Bravo Southern guy!!
This article of DBSJ proved two important facts
1. DBSJ also wants to see Ranil becoming the President of SriLanka.
2. Love & hate relationship that DBSJ has with the LTTE
Which is quite common with lots of Tamils.
Assumption that DBSJ made about that economy would be in a stellar hands with Ranil is , based on the fact that Ranil would appease the LTTE to the level that western powers would be quite happy to pour their money into Sri Lanka as they did in 2001 – 2003. What would happen if Ranil becomes the President of Sri Lanka is corruption would be higher than what it is now due to more opportunities that would become available due to “percevied Peace ” that artificially created by appeasing the LTTE.
DBSJ is out to lunch when he mentioned that electoral defeat of the UNP would create a vacuum in the democratic process in SL when you look at ant-government demonstrations and other activities that taking place in SL. Even last parliamentary elections UNP won more seats than SLFP.
White van incidents is little better than Ranil’s torcher camp that he ran in Batalanda.
Ranil’s political activities were done by ” Gonavila Sunil” during the time when Ranil was senior cabinet minister.
In short if Ranil becomes the President of SL, corruptions would be exponentially higher and we would not have a unitary state called Sri Lanka.
dbs,
i have argued with you the LTTE will nevr be defeated
i have to admit i have been misled by my ‘north nationalistic” feelings
the LTTE is defeated but not the tamils
i think the TINA factor would work for the tamils and i ask them to rally behind Ranil
DBS you have prooved you are informative and reliable
i come from a jaffna tamil family.for the last 4 general elctions the people in my family have supported the unp and Ranil in particular.
but now adays i think tamils do not feel part of being a nation.they see the UNP as another less potent evil force.
it is obvious tamils in sri lanka specially the younger generation are being radicalized.
it will not be long before triumphanilist sinhala mood confronts the tamil resistance for identity.
in my opinion this willl be the hardest obstacle the island has to face.
Mahinda inspite of winning the war has lost the major point.
he has extremised both sections .
therefore Ranil can be the man who can heal the wounds before it is too late.
if it is too late another more vigorous insurgency will obviously be ignited.
the tamil people although scarred by war are united than ever before.
world is being sympathetic to the tamil cause.
therefore after the decimation of the LTTE the attemted decimation of the tamils will only result in dire consequences
the time as come for all tamils to unite forgetting our past
we should rally up to fight the intimidatory practices against us.
if we really have a homeland we will make sure it is ours.
tamileelam is illogical but not our rights.
we cannot be the slaves of sinhalese but their brothers in a nation.
if this is not given to us we will have to struggle for our freedom again learning from the past
I am truly thankful to DBS for writing this artcle because this is something that no body wants to speak in these days.May be due to fear or being so patriotic and supporting the war.By reading some comments I can understand how some people have got misleaded by the govt. propaganda. You have clearly idenfy the positive and negative points of UNP.I think it is SB who brought the idea of changing the leadership of UNP. May be SB think that what they have done in 1994 is appropriate to UNP at present as well or something.Without Ranil there is UNP now.It is important to keep in mind there is future for our country for long time if there is no such a leader! In this case it is different and not going to work as in 1994.It is much better to convince people about UNP and it is leader than conspiring the party.Other thing is any party who need to come to power must have strategy to win hearts of young people.(NEW VOTES) UNP will not be able to win hearts of those youths with poeple like AKILA and Dayasiri Jayasekere.It is time to plan a new strategy with young faces.Enough talking what people is action.
comment 33-maran
dont forget ranil got his chance when he became primeminister to show what he can do on the economic front, as traditionally this was the UNP strongpoint. what did he do? he went on a deflationary path. in a developing economy where jobs are everything and there is no dole or anything like western countries, that is a suicidal path to take. fiscal tightness must be accompanied by commonsense and compassion and you cant just turn away people saying what can we do, there are no jobs. you have to stimulate the economy by pumping in some money. also corruption was rife and he was not taking any action, but of course even now it is same.
Come on. Ranil is a faliure. He is depriving the country of electing an alternative. He unfortunately is out of touch with the majority sinhalese. For the sake of the country he should go.
Mr. Jeyaraj,
assuming that you are a LTTE sympathiser ? which I suspect you are ? I see this article as a subtle effort to boost UNP popularity, the only party given the chance, that could one day let LTTE achieve it?s goal.
Promoting a wasted UNP at this point in time is unfortunately too late. LTTE spoiled it?s last chance, at the elections in 2005 by preventing Tamils by voting. One more blunder among many done by them.
This country has no more place for Ranil Wickremesinghes any more. Ranil and his clan is no match for MR & Co. Please do not ask us why we people are ?shit scared of him?, we rather wonder why YOU are So-Much-In-Love with him.
I fully agree with Southern Guy on his comment # 10. and agree with him to a very large extent on his 2nd comment too
By the way, writing a comment under a Pseudonym is quite usual and not a reason to underestimate it. People do it a million times every day. It has nothing to do with ?guts? as you said. Or do you think if someone writes as Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Ausw䲴iges Amt, Werderscher Markt 1, 10117 Berlin, with a genuine email address such as, frank.steinmeyer@gmx.de carries more weight? FYI, my given email is my correct email address.
Mr Jeyaraj, no matter how hard you try, could it be that your slip ( your tiger tail) is after all showing?
DBSJ RESPONDS:
Oh brave one writing as Roaring Roy , why could you not write all this under your own true name? What’s stopping you after all you do say you roar do you not? Your bullshit about your assuming I am a tiger sympathiser and all that? Does it mean that you want me to assume you are a crypto – fascist?
Many Sri Lankans, and the armed forces (as you correctly have out it, they belong to the whole country, not to a party), will never forget how Ranil betrayed the armed forces. How he ridiculed them when they were dying for the country, on the command of the commander, that being the President of the Government of the day.
People can argue merits or otherwise of a war, but army serves the government of the day.
Can you imagine the outcry if an opposition leader of US, UK, Australia or many other countries ridiculed their armed forces in a similar manner to Ranil W. ?
He or she will not last even last a single day.
DBS Lets not beat about the bush here, the reasons for UNP’s down slide can all be traced back to the lack of leadership by its leader Ranil who unfortunately expected terrorists to treat him and the country with respect and the UNP (and some would say the nation) has paid a very dear price.
The chronology of the down fall is six fold.
1. Ranil tried to act rationally with a bunch of thugs and killers for the betterment of the nation.
2. He didnt play hard ball or use the leverage he clearly had as a president of sovereign state against internationally recognised terror group, and relied on the Tigers to also act in the best interest of the citizenry.
3. On numerous occasions the tigers gave him and his good intentions a blood nose, and showed definitely to the Sri Lanakan public that they were not genuine in peace and only looking to apeace certain parts of the IC (US, norway etc).
4. He slowly started loosing credibility, His constituency lost confidence in his leadership and many people became aware that this diplomat and statesman was not equal to bargain in the best interest of Sri Lanka against the tigers and their secret agenda.
5. Along came MR, with iron confidence and the will to deal with the tigers as the rest of Sri Lanka saw them ‘terrorists’, and unlike Ranil he wasnt compelled to
6. MR delivers, unlike Ranil who brought about nothing other than false promise while the tigers re stocked MR promised and has delivered on many things he promised.
I was in Sri Lanka two elections ago though can’t recall the exact year. This was the election when mass media was first used for paid campaign commercials and such.
In one of the commercial telecasted days before the vote-day, Ranil appeared alone in a setting of a large room surrounded by expensive colonial style furniture. There was no one around him. He was speaking to the nation and pleading for their support. But the eery setting unknowingly showed how lonely he is or will be in near future.
I think your article vouches that mysterious prediction.
Mr. Jeyraj, I have read your analysis with deep interest. Coming from the old generation, I regret to note that you fail to get your verbs to agree with the subject. However, ignoring English grammatical lacunae, you have once again proved that you are a good political analyst because a good political analyst is some one who provokes thought. But in the end, I think the analysis needs re-thinking on a number of issues.
(1)Leadership – Ranil had the opportunity of dealing with the LTTE but he, Chandrika and Premada all misjudged the LTTE. Ranil had the accumulated wisdom from the time of JR, Premadasa and Chandrika, to make the right decisions, but he did NOT do so. He failed to give that leadership
(2) Mahinda Rajapaksa captured the leadership, and orchestrated the collected wisdom to correctly judge Prabpakaran’s duplicity as well as the mood of the people.
(3)Ranil did not have the political sagacity that Mahinda has displayed in successfully splitting the UNP, the JVP, the Muslim groups and even the pro-LTTE groups. So, by comparison with Mahinda Rajapaksa, Ranil has failed as a leader. IIt will take another five years before Mahinda steps off from politcs. Until then, Ranil can be a lack-luster head of a lack-luster party which has five more years to come up with a leader. I think that will happen – but there is no
case for Ranil except for “there being no one else”. If he is a good “technocrat”, then he could be, say, minster of trade, not President or even prime minister.
You are absolutely right that a democracy needs a strong and vibrant opposition. However, the current UNP cannot provide it because Ranil cannot unify his party. His party has no clear VISION for Sri Lanka that stands successfully against the anti-separatist stand of Mahinda R. So I see the UNP becoming “Sinhala Chauvinist” and forming two UNPs. One UNP will contain the Colombo-oriented commercial set looking to the West, and the minorities will be in it by default. The “Sinhala-nationalist UNP” split from the UNP will position itself for challenging the Rajapaksa regime in 5-10 years. Until then, the Rajapaksas will run the show. Remember that in five years time, Basil or Gotabhaya, or even Sarath Fonseka may come forward into the political arena. Then, personal rivalry might make Fonseka or similar figure to move into the Sinhala-nationalist fraction of the UNP.
The Tamils can be successful ONLY If they follow the clever path already established by Thondaman Sr., who maintained good relationships with all Sinhala parties, and was in power all the time. Thondaman was an honest, yet cunning politician who even the crafty and unprincipled JR respected very much, because Thondaman stood by what he said. He was a Tamil but a “Ceylonese first”. In that sense he differed strongly from the Eelamists, the TULF and others who would denounce Sri Lanka when they were in Indian soil. Thondaman Sr. was the greatest and most successful Tamil leader of Independent Sri lanka. The Jews of USA have not agitated for language rights or political rights. Instead, they have worked assiduously and captured control of the financial sector. The Tamils had that position in the 1960s, but lost it all due to the stupid politics of SJV Chelva and others who launched civil-disobedience instead of cooperating with the Sinhalese. The Sinhala only was an “exuberant moment” which could have been corrected amicably, as SWRD was no racist. But we launched a foolish racist cry for “Liberating the Traditional Tamil Homelands”, already in 1949, when we had the whole of Sri lanka in our hands. The Jews of USA never called for rights for the Yiddish language. The Hispanics of the USA never called for Spanish language rights or exclusive rights to California,their “Traditional Homeland”. There is not even a strip in the US flag to “represent” these people. The excessive and misdirected politicization of the Tamils was our misfortune. Thiondaman avoided all that.
Your suggestion that Rossie would be a good spokesperson for the UNP betrays, in my view, a failure to appreciate that this would further identify the UNP with the scandalous, “Thuppahi” western mindset. She may have done well in Colombo, but she will turn off the majority of conservative Sinhala voters.
Regarding corruption and nepotism: When Kennedy came to power he appointed Robert Kennedy and a whole host of the clan to government. Same with Thatcher. This is standard politics, especially in South Asia. Actually SL politicans are clean compared to those in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The LTTE also has done the same thing. As for corruption, Switzerland is the most corrupt, by contriving the banking system, while Asian countries are naively corrupt. Dick Cheney and Bush gave all the contracts to Halburton.
However, thanks for a provocative piece. It only proves the lameness of Ranil as a leader. Such a piece should NOT have been necessary for a leader after so many years in office.
To DBSJ
You kept on your mocking on Southerners just for the simple fact that I used this nick….. Though I am proud of coming from their I simply dont have the regional chauvinism shown by high cast Jaffna Tamils who could not realize where they were standing just after the British left… …………..You forget South is one of the provinces deeply neglected by successive “Sinhala” governments………………. So you have not taken the bull by horns but became a bull itself with no control .
While mocking at my nick you have let certain “morons” to use the the names of MR, Gotabhaya and Sarath Fonseka as nicks
(EDITED)
To RS Wickramasinghe….
Just for your information….. I am not a guy living in a corner in the South dreaming of the mono ethnic Sinhala state under a dictatoship as you try to imply….. I have been employed in many diplomatic environements in many countries and have seen for my self the so called democrazy you preach is just a wrap of a universal dictatorship of few super powers heavily supported by intelligence and covert operations… and grievences of a certain community could be a cat’s paw for them resulting many DBSJs, Iqbals and Lasantha’s to carve their own portraits simply for the reason of writing in English
(UNEDITED)
DBS,
I am rather disappointed with your political broadcast for the UNP. Ranil is the wrong person to head the UNP for the very reasons that you defend him.
- He panders to the West without relating to the electorate. An inability to engage with the populous is a fundamental flaw in the current media driven reality. How important is it, ask Barak Obama.
- He is not in control of the party. The infighting is because Ranil is weak. Political parties are full of ambitious people, the trick is being strong enough that there is no possible way to displace you, clearly Ranil does not have the skills or ability to keep the rest of his party in check.
- He is not guiding it along the principals it should uphold. You mention many things that the UNP should do, who is ultimately responsible?
- You highlight the Rajapakse’s administrations nepotism and then say that Ramil is where he is due to nepotism as a justification for his ineptness.
- His personal ‘clean’ reputation may be deserved, but it was his administration that destroyed Sathosa during its short tenure.
I fully supported Ranil’s peace efforts because I wanted the war to end. We did not seem able to militarily defeat the LTTE, so lets try peace. However, I was appalled at Ranil’s ‘Peace at any Cost’ attitude. We gave the LTTE a chance and they blew it spectacularly in front of the whole world, for that I am grateful to Ranil.
I have unfortunately come to the understanding that corruption is a way of life in democratic governments. So if it can’t be avoided, what’s the next thing to look for? Growth and development even with corruption, does the country benefit in any way? In this the Rajapakse’s are delivering, the Hambantota project is well underway. We are defeating terrorism.
But DBS, you need to realise the Inconvenient Truth, Ranil is the root of the UNP’s decline. After all the party leader is the one who provides the direction and policies. The UNP have repeatedly shown that they are not in touch with the people and have no direction and the buck stops with Ranil.
Mr.DBS ,
This is an eye opening article for all the ardent UNP’ers & for those who wants to live like true Srilankans insted of dividing them as Sinhalese,Tamils,Muslims & Burghers.Let Dr.Jayalath,Johnston,Lakshman Seneviratne,Sajith,SB & other trouble makers in the party read this article & understand the mentality of true UNP’ers.
We do need an opposition.
It may have been the fate that SriLanka is blessed with a Leader who could unite the island.
It is impossible to please everybody and not everybody is capable to handle the truth.
The current leaders poisition is emboldened by the lack-luster leaders like Ranil is the timely gift to SrILanka.
Ranil does not have his ideas and policies to this country, rather it was influenced by his western friends.
We are more than happy to have Ranil as the leader of opposition for the next five years. That is the best gift you can give to this motherland by the UNP supporters.
By-the-way I do not have any party affiliations and do not care which party wins. My only wish is to see a united SriLanka and I am sure peace will dawn in this island in the very near future.
God Bless SriLanka!!!
Dear DBS,
I am sorry, this time you have written real stinking shit!
The praise you shower on Ranil will not make him good leader.
UNP has no future under him. This is time tested and proved.
My shock is a person of your caliber holding a brief for him.
After all, though you live in Canada you are still a Sri Lankan and no exception to SL brief holding culture..!!!
What a pity..?
I still cant believe the abyss that you have fallen into!
DBSJ RESPONDS: What is pathetic here is your inability or unwillingness to comprehend what I have written here. If its the former I have pity. If the latter contempt. By the way writing positively on a topic does not necessarily mean holding a brief. So you think only Sri Lankans hold “briefs” eh? You seem to having a very poor opinion of Lanka1 Why no
brief” Ah?
Again I am really amused by all this venom against Ranil. If he’s no good then why are all of you getting so hot and bothered?
About the abyss I have fallen into in your opinion. Hope you’ll remove your hand from your nose (because of stinking shit) and give me a hand to get up
Comment #47 Sebastian Rasalingam
My respect to you as you let us hear a suffuciently balanced view point as a Tamil brotheren specially coming from the older generation as you have mentioned…. But I regret of your certain interpretations like “captured control of the financial sector”….
Why you promote to “capture” certain sections as communities……? This is a different face lift for the same “mono ethnic self rule”…. Once this is done it will be supported by the outside elements of the same ethnicity messing up the country (eg Diasapora Tamils)…… Instead promote a society where the “able” and the “competent” on a certain field would “capture” that regardless of where he is coming from……..Untill we see Matara bakers back in Jaffna selling bread just like Tamils do jewellery business in Galle…. I hardly trust the Tamil majorities’ ability to be “Sri Lankan First” as Hon. Laxman Kadiragamar and Mr. Imitiyas Bakhir Marker did……
Being in harmony with a respect to the majorities’ realities is the only way a minority could avoid vicious births like LTTE……. In the gobal context Sinhalese are the minority and hence being challenged by any vested minority element withing Sri Lanka would lead Sinhalese to react insane and exactly that is what happend in 1949 as you also identified.
Ranil comes from a very decent family where as mahinda rajapaksha does not . That speaks for both behaviours.
Has Sri Lanka lost the confidence of even the moderate Tamils who support a pluralistic vision for this country? Are they too fleeing the country and/or into the arms of the LTTE or its replacement?
A nation will elect a leader it deserves.
Whoever travel with honesty towards goal will achive the goal little bit late but stay for ever. Without honesty you can reach the goal soon but difficult to make it permanant.
If you travel in between like UNP and its leader one might not reach the goal forever.
Regarding LTTE, they never sliped from the goal upto now(Here goal is Tamil’s rights-by achiving whatever- state, fedaral.., note that nothing is achived so far). So they are beyond criticism at the moment by means of philosophy.
Reminder : You can chose any mode to achive your goal as far as your goal is pure!!
Lasantha W too had his sources – ‘whistle blowers’ who gave information about corruption, nepotism,waste etc.
Therefore he was eliminated.
DBSJ will not reveal his sources of information.This is a right of journalists. It is obvious that he has informants among the armed forces, the government and the opposition.
Ranil should pass the baton to Rosy Senanayaka and bow our of Politics if not the UNP will disappear from the Sri Lankan political landscape.
Ranil should bow out of Politics if not the UNP will disappear .
Dear DBSJ
Thanks for doing good constructive criticism of UNP and leadership of RW.
I feel people write according to their attachment to various political ideologies and trends of current Sri Lankan context. I’m too small to do such criticism but found some points from the web.
History only judge our actions. Even Lincoln (1861-65), Roosevelt (1933-45)those who regards as icons of democracy,liberty and free world too use various tools, tactics and strategies to overcome enemy. So we can judge actions of MR, RW and VP, those who are (We accept or not) sons of SRI LANKA.
Please refer following URL of Violation of Civil Liberties in Wartime
http://www.joinercenter.umb.edu/Publications/Newsletters/Newsletter%20March%202002/Violations%20of%20Civil%20Liberties%20in%20Wartime.htm
Project EELAM has successfully concluded. New Master and the Slave is created. Ironically Slave is a creation of the slave (LTTE and asylum seeking Diaspora) himself and not the master”s. Now Tamils can struggle against the new Master for another hundred years until their extinction. There is no valid reason for Mahinda regime to exist now. Unfortunately master’s “Other” is not the slave. Good luck for Ranil, Colombo’s next agent of the capital (master’s “other”).
Yes I think it is the leadership to be changed to make things happen. Na matter whatsever the politician do to gain their political stand by critisism with present activities back fire against UNP. Instead doing things with the govertmet to get their popularity re established. Also Karu and others are not any better,however woman like Rosy Senanayaka with a new leader ship some one want to make things happen I would joinn her in politics. We like people who make things happen not the people depend on others to do things to happen.
comment 53-southern guy
i dont agree with your reason for birth of ltte. however you are entitled to your opinion as i am entitled to mine. ltte was born because of pre 1983 riots and JR’s march to kandy. the ltte grew because of the 1983 riots.
I am glad to see people reject Ranil as the leader of the Country.
Ranil will lead UNP to the death.
[Ranil comes from a very decent family where as mahinda rajapaksha does not . That speaks for both behaviours.]
Hmmmmm
Barak Oama must be the guy who is having most decent family in US politics
))
DBS,
UNP did not deliver anything special to that island. It was the work of the Indians, Gandhi, Nehru, Singh, e.t.c. that bore fruit as independence from British colonialism all over South asia and other lands.
Just because your father and grandpa were UNP stalwarts does not mean you need to rewrite history and glorify them especially seeing the failure that Ranil and his party has been in the last 15 years.
DBSJ RESPONDS:
Your haste to accuse me and hatred towards UNP is quite visible. But you shouldn’t comment like an ignoramus.
First my grandfather a personal friend of Sir John Kotelawela died in 1938. The UNP was formed 8 years later.
Second My father was a supporter of the LSSP from his teens till it joined up with Mrs. B in 1964. His affinity towards UNP stalwarts in Kurunegala was on a personal level. The only time he identified with the UNP was in 1988 and 1989 when the JVP threat was high and the UNP needed people with guts to be polling and counting agents.He was never even a member of the UNP let alone a stalwart as you put it.
Therefore I have no need to praise the UNP on account of a grandfather I never saw and my non – UNP father. In my 32 years of journalism how many times do you think I would have criticised the UNP? Then what are you blabbering about you numbskull? It was the UNP regime which arrested me in 1987 you blooming idiot!
About independence and all that.
Go read history!
Yes we got independence because Britain quit India and there was no reason to hang on to Ceylon. But The leaders who negotiated with British seeking gradual self – rule were the ones who formed the UNP. In 1947 we got only dominion status and UNP was elected to power. Then The left criticised the UNP saying this was not full independence. But in February 1948 we had full independence and it was the UNP that obtained it.
Moreover what I wrote was that the founding fathers of the UNP had a united and national vision for the country and urged the present UNP to recapture it. I said the UNP ushered in freedom from colonial bondage. Did I say it WON independence from British through a freedom struggle?
Fellows like you dont understand even basic English but rush like fools to criticise and condemn rashly. You are a damn fool. This is harsh and rude but I am not sorry to reiterate that you are a damn,damn fool
Next Presidential Election Slogan of Mahinda’s camp:)
To Elect Mahinda as the President for the second term,
Select Ranil as the UNP Presidential candidate!
Comment #52
Dear DBS,
For you, not my hand i’ll give my whole body if that can bring you up, because I always loved your witting(Except for the current one). But please don’t stoop to this level of twisting facts and unsubstantiated false praise. You are a journalist of a very high standard. That is why we read your articles!
I am hot and bothered because we want this guy out of our party so that we can save it and bring Rajapakse & Bros. down at the earliest!
I have exauseted my whole life to the UNP
NB
Sorry a part of this got posted accidentally earlier. Please disregard that part…!!!
Comment #52
Dear DBS,
For you, not my hand i’ll give my whole body if that can bring you up, because I always loved your witting(Except for the current one). But please don’t stoop to this level of twisting facts and unsubstantiated false praise. You are a journalist of a very high standard. That is why we read your articles!
I am hot and bothered because we want this guy out of our party so that we can save it and bring Rajapakse & Bros. down at the earliest! We are only destined to doom with RW.
My word against yours! I speak with true ground experience and first hand reality. (this is not to insult you)
Failures are the pillers of success
Taking this literary – this is the success of Our Opposition Leader Mr. Wickremasinghe. If this is not his success, then he is just a piller in the UNP. This is the piller that all his good supporters back him. I do not turst his Alsatian or the German sheppards’ reaction when the dog passes the piller in passing the water.
Pardon me for the expression:- when this animal raise a paw does not mean that the dog is ‘saluting’ his Boss! There’s a pair guards, right besides the gate at the main entrance of 5th Lane who’s loyalty to the Wickremasnghe Family is guranteed.
Once in a way the long awaiting Security Guard may be away for a moment. Yet the loyalty of the ‘four legged pair’ promtly warn who ever stands out side the gate. This gives ample time for all bside the gate; informing the entree – is ‘A friend or fore!
5th Lane is a quite safe and sound lane to walk with no disturbance including the (natural) dogs’ silence at all times unles otherwise of an intruder’s forceful attempt in passing through any of those gates. Behnd those gates the occupents are highly respectful members of ‘Kurunduwatte’ and the Chief Family is comprised of Dr. D.R. Wijewardena’s daughter and her beloved sons’: Wickremasinghe Brothers and their Families. In deed they are very nice and socializing people.
VERY GOOD ARTICLE!
DBS CAN YOU WRITE ABOUT SITUATION PLEASE
SORRY FOR PICKING THE WRONG BLOG TO POST MY REQUEST DBS
DBS, the article is well compiled, with excellent analysis.Congratulations! Wish Ranil gets an opportunity, which he richly deserves, to lead the country from this peril to prosperity!!
UNP think tanks should review the party strategy with the valuable facts discussed in this article. It is true,Karu made a blunder, yet, we must forgive and support him. He is a good man.
I really like the view expressed of the Party spokesman – who looks like a bass-unnaya ,with squeaky voice and mutters like an express train!! I think we need a change, a really good one, to build a good party image!
Rosy, excelled very well in some of the talk shows during the PC election, she was politically mature and intelligent!!
To Southern Guy,
Which diplomatic missions have been employed? China, Libya, Iran seem to be favourites of this present government. Let us put aside your paranoid schizophrenic conspiracy theories of international relations and look at life in democracies where I have lived….
They do not kill journalists for printing their views in Australia or New Zealand. There are no extrajudicial killings or disappearances in these nations. There are no paramilitaries that kidnap innocent people for ransom. These nations do not rank on analyses of failed states for corruption and violence against their own people. People of many nations have made their home there, with the recognition that cultural diversity enriches society, and not just materially.
They bend over backwards to recognise the racist wrongs done to their minorities in the past through a process of reconciliation that involves APOLOGY. and prioritising RESOURCES to correct imbalances in education and healthcare. I know this because I have worked in government policy before working in the field of health-care. Their customary rights over the LAND and LANGUAGE are guaranteed in LAW as equal.
If the West is in a position to persecute other nations as it is because of strength built on their internal stability.
Your persecutorial interpretation of other nations as imperialist is irrelevent. There is no argument over what the cornerstones of internal stability should constitute. You should have the sense to see that Sri Lanka is evolving into a tyrannical state under the justification of annihilating the LTTE, and moving further away from the example of other nations that have sucessfully created social harmony.
You cannot see for all the world that we are winning a battle but losing the war.
Your article is very analltycal. But I cant agree with you.How you can say he is not corrupt.Remember the tax amnesty.Surely benificiries are his friends.When he was prime minister his mother and uncles got best cocunuts lpantations.He blindly let his ministers to rob.So he is not aclen politicians.He is basicaly anti buddhists and anti sinhala.He invited Portugese prime minister to visit sri lanka to celebarate the 500 aniversary of arrival of portugesee.What about the patriots who sacrificed lives by fighting against poortugeseee.He did not to anything to protect when LTTe killed army intelligence perssonel.Except in Sri lanka in any other country he will be tried for treason.He tried to destroy buddism when he was in power and try to spread the evengalism.
SORRY FOR POSTING AGAIN AND AGAIN BUT YOUR ARTICLE REALLY TOUCHED ME DBS
Saravanan, can you give us an analysis of RW based on your experiences. As readers I am sure we would love to hear your inside experiences.
Good article from an UNP support point of view. But, one thing is missing in this article is the association of Rauf Hekeen with Ranil.
What is the political rationale behind this? What are the mutual benefits these two have?
I think you missed this point
DBS I have followed your articles a few times and I can rate this as one of the best interms of my interest in the UNP. I think the biggest blunder was made by Ranasinghe Premedasa by eleveting D.B to the primeminesterial post, he did this for his personal gain or for the good of the country is for you to judge. I’m sure he never thought that he will be a covert target of a terrorist. he could have offered the number 2 slot to amore prominent political personality who could have taken the party forward from his untimely death, the lackadaisical approach by the UNP since then has contributed to there downfall. I totally disagree that the majority of Singhalese have discarded Ranil, in the last presidential We all know how Mahinda walked away with the presidency the contributing factor was the Nothern tamil community did not franchise there vote. You cannot blame the majority here you need to blame the minority as well for the cuurent state of affairs in the UNP and the country.
UNP needs to restructure and get out from the current hole I’m not sure if that means to kick out Ranil or tell him to come out with a new look (I think he will look good in a National costume)
You really need to have a limit on the contents of these comments- they are verbose to the extent of being excruciating.
Few thoughts
Ranil needs to leave for a simple reason he lost consecutively. The buck stops with the leader, especially one who had carte blanche to direct the party as he wanted, devoid of any coalition pressure. Until he leaves, no leader will immerge and only though some chaos within will the party resurrect under a new figure. He also has a fundamentally flawed political persona introverted and with no connection with anything common, he is a dinosaur in third world politics today.
You cannot mock the defense services no politician in the world is that stupid, except the UNP hierarchy. Once recorded, words are indelible.
Mahinda has not done anything special except what any President of Sri Lanka should have done. He has systematically irradiated a terrorist force that a democratically elected government is honour-bound to do, using extensive resources at its disposal and with the backing of almost all of the international community.
The LTTE was an unnecessary and vicious scourge, created by the les a faire attitude of past leaders it needs to be eliminated, if not for anyone, for the real Tamils of Sri Lanka.
# 77 To RS Wickramasinghe(m?)
Well….. I was among your socalled diplomats for a longer time and can assure you that I have clearly seen how they preach and practice……
I don’t have to disagree with you on the living standards and political etiquettes of the West…. they work fine in their context. You are one of the few who look down upon your inception once adopted by foster parents.
Donot deviate from the discussion….. We were comparing MR vs RW… My pint was that there is no difference under both in dirlty politics where the incidents you highlighted take place willingly or un willingly…. Thats a different cancer to overcome despite the indivduals. Patriots here tried to counter DBSJs vested promotion of RW infront of MR’s firm stand against their self rule being tried to impose on the por nation with the unforeseen back up of west….So you and DBSJ mess the reader by incorporating ideal sitiations into practical reality of Sri Lankan politics….
We love MR cos he was exceptional among in the dirty politics by being honest to his mother land’s final call despite his life, his loved one’s life, international pressure and even at the risk of next presidential elections….
Where as RW was his opposite but never be the cleaner guy you try to fit to the “decent” West….. Apart from wearing the europian attire and a blue eyed boy of western embassy’s and chrisitan fundamentalists he was also sharing a major entitlement of Sri Lanka dirty politics…….
The list for him is longer than for MR ….. Batalanda toture chamber, Gonawala Sunil being given presidential parden after raping a professor’s daughter, Being a responsible cabinet minister when many journalists were killed, governemnt properties privatized, Media cencor’s were in place, 60,000 youths got killed…, Unethical religious conversions, Allowing forigners to buy many valuble assests including land………………..
So what we should do……we chosed the less harmful one who ofcourse face simular alligations……but there is a big difference…. MR is getting blamed for directing the scattered dirty politics towards the destrction of sepratists where as RW did the same for upbringing of sepretists….. The same apply with your beloved West and USA when it comes to their national security…. So Mr. Wickramasinghe…. better stay where you are forever since your remains should not be mixed with the soil of Mother Lanka…..where true Sri Lankans including Hon. Laxman Kadiragarmer is resting in peace.
Ranil is not only unlucky where ever he touches seems to end up in doom.
First even before entering politics he lost Lake House which was his ear marked destination..
.then he became the minister of education and had the longest period of school closures, university strikes and record number of deaths in schools and universities…
and his ministry of youth produced the youth unrests in south and north with endless deaths and destruction up to date
.As the minister of industry he oversaw the biggest no. of closures of state owned and operated factories and industries.
His tenure as the leader of the house saw the antics of impeachment motion .
His brief stints of primiership yielded into opposition in no time then to languish and suffer like the present times.
All the friends of his inter parliamentary union from Bush,Blair ,Howard to Thakshin had ignominious and early exits from their high offices.
Any one who tried to bolster his prospects like Gamini Athukorale, Sripathy or Lasantha had their fate sealed before they knew it.
No body has to elaborate on the current predicament of the opposition, and whole of The Sri Lanka who are laking any viable voice of dissent, to act as a bulwark, to give courage to the fourth state,and the judiciary to uphold their independence ,most of all to feel secure the country has a leader in waiting when and if called for.
Hard work and charisma are the whole marks of a good leader, which Ranil clearly finds of laking and Mrs Bandaranayake was marshaling her troops much better even in her feeble state as was seen by continued vigor and competitiveness of the SLFP in those years in opposition.
The manner in which Mr Thilanga or Mr Duminda Silva carried out their campaigns exemplifies the talent and resources drained out of UNP…..
We have to think 6 years from now…and build the party of strong men and women ,of varied talents and resources… those people like Wijedasa Rajapkshe whom we don’t take much notice of should be taken to front and given leadership roles . People like him have the necessary capacity intellect and common touch to transform this party. Till a viable leader is found we can allow a harmless elder like Karu to oversee matters, so we have a strong footing in the next stage, If Ranil continues he, with his nitty witty style of hating the under growth , will surely carry this party to its grave…may be carrying the country also with it.
After reading all the comments I just have a question to readers.
Those of us read DBSJ’s articles regularly know his stand on the LTTE, tamil nationalism and SRiLanka.
What are the chances of DBSJ being elected as the leader of UNP so we can have a credible voice in building this island.
I am sure he can bring his experience with intolerent LTTE and the suffering of the masses.
DBSJ RESPONDS: Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
DBS,
Your advise to the UNP & Ranil is well analysed and presented. I can just about swallow it with #68 Mahesan’s response and #77 R.S.Wickremasinghe’s to the Southern Guy who wants to shoe horn even #47 Sabastian Rasalingam into his line of thinking..
DBSJ RESPONDS: About swallowing…… drink some water too. But best is to chew well so the digestion can be good. Look after yourself will you?
Southern Guy (f?),
Don’t get carried away by your persecutorial delusions of poor poor Sri Lanka by those nasty neo-Imperialists who are greedily eyeing Sri Lanka’s tasty tea, rad rubber and now it seems, the souls of Sri Lanka’s buddhists.
I never endorsed Ranil, or protrayed him as the *answer* to Sri Lanka’s problems. Nor did I compare him to your beloved Mahinda whose ring you seem to have firmly entrenched your nose in.
My point was simple: Sri Lanka needs a strong opposition, flawed or otherwise. Otherwise it will become just another banana republic, or worse, looking at the killing fields that ”Buddhist” societies seem to convert to all across South East Asia. Or has that already happened?
The time may come when both communities look to reconciliation. A strong democracy will have to be the cornerstone of that reconciliation, and Sri Lanka should learn from the legal traditions of strong successful multiethnic democracies like South Africa, Ireland, Australia, NZ, Canada in reconciling their own ethnic problems. This is neither living standards or political etiquette.
That is if MR and his beloved coterie of pseudo-nationalist ruhunuputra sycophants like yourself, will leave any institution of democracy in SL.
If you are a true patriot you will value this country’s institutions more than its dirty personalities and dirty politics. This is why I am a patriot and you are not.
It is sad that people who profess to be educated and travelled and have such vast experience in government cannot see beyond picking the lesser of two evils, rather than looking to the greater good.
It is not for you to say which soil my body will mix in, it such arrogance from half-baked pseudo-nationalists to presume who this country belongs to that has led to this mess.
What can tamils who don’t agree with LTTE’s tactics and who want to live in a united sri lanka do? Is it too late to heal society?
Hi DBSJ;
can you write about Warsha and Dinuska killings?
who are behind these activities? It is a dangerous trend.
Thank you
DBS
I think there are some points you have missed here. In 1983 Ranil was ardent Nationalist supportive of Cyrill Mathew. Ranil wanted all the Tamil businesses destroyed and replaced by Sinhala Businesses. He accused Half Socialist Sirima government of destroying Sinhala Trading Class and Sinhala Capitalist. He was playing hard nationalist card and I regard him one of the vocal contributors to 1983 tamil Pogrom. For that matter DBS if I can correctly remember Mahinda R or SLFP was not that bad against Tamils. (I lived in Colombo and I saw how one UNP organizer running with UNP gundas attacking Tamil Shops. -Like Siva Traders in Malay Street Colombo 2- I lived nearby)
And you have not included Batalanda and how Ranil tacitly approved killing of Sinhala youth in 1988-1989.
That 2 episodes firmly in my mind and I cannot see how I can support Ranil?
comment88. RS Wickramasinghe
quote”,It is sad that people who profess to be educated and travelled and have such vast experience in government cannot see beyond picking the lesser of two evils, rather than looking to the greater good.”Unquote.
You are still in the belief that sinhalese are in the 19th century and can be bullied in to establishing an Eelam by the extremists. We may a bunch godayas but certailnly not second to any other in this world.
You may not like it but srilankans gave a chance to the the lesser of two evils. It only compounded to the problem.
Now is the chance to the other evil. Looks like tigers like neither.
We just met terror with terror.
We are a very flexible nation.
Diplomacy is only good when it is reciprocrated from both sides. Otherwise you will find yourself buring the candle from both ends.
By the way I like the name you picked.
Coalition politics tend to moderate the behaviour of the constitutent parties. In India the BJP coalition that ruled for several years included the RSS and VHP, two extreme fascist Hindu parties that were instrumental in the destruction of the Ayodya mosque in India.
Likewise, today, thanks to President Rajapakse, the former JVP elements, the JHU and Karuna, formerlty of the LTTE, now share the same table. Likewise race -based political parties like the TNA and TULF, and religious-based political parties like the SLMC should join hands with national parties like the SLFP and UNP. It will remove race and religion as a factor in politics in Sri Lanka.
A thoughtful article.
However I do not think that Ranil W. is any longer electable, not withstanding the sympathy vote to Chandrika & the de-franchising of the Tamil vote in the North & East in 2005. He should give way to a younger leader like Sajith Premadasa who has empathy with the people, has name recognition, has Sinhala Buddhist credentials (rightly or wrongly, one has to be identified with the majority voters in the country, if one hopes to be elected) & has done good work in the South.
Ranil can be some kind of elder statesman in the party & then be a Senior Minister (eg. Foreign Minister or Trade) if & when the UNP are elected again.
Corruption, waste, inefficiency, economic mismanagement & human rights violations have risen to unprecedented levels in the Country & should be a matter of grave concern to all.
i hate UNP
only good UNP is the dead UNP
Keri balla
keri aliya
mariyang tho
Dear DBS,
It was not me who writes hatred filled vitriolic but you:
DBSJ RESPONDS:
Your haste to accuse me and hatred towards UNP is quite visible. But you shouldn?t comment like an ignoramus.
First my grandfather a personal friend of Sir John Kotelawela died in 1938. The UNP was formed 8 years later.
Second My father was a supporter of the LSSP from his teens till it joined up with Mrs. B in 1964. His affinity towards UNP stalwarts in Kurunegala was on a personal level. The only time he identified with the UNP was in 1988 and 1989 when the JVP threat was high and the UNP needed people with guts to be polling and counting agents.He was never even a member of the UNP let alone a stalwart as you put it.
Therefore I have no need to praise the UNP on account of a grandfather I never saw and my non – UNP father. In my 32 years of journalism how many times do you think I would have criticised the UNP? Then what are you blabbering about you numbskull? It was the UNP regime which arrested me in 1987 you blooming idiot!
About independence and all that.
Go read history!
Yes we got independence because Britain quit India and there was no reason to hang on to Ceylon. But The leaders who negotiated with British seeking gradual self – rule were the ones who formed the UNP. In 1947 we got only dominion status and UNP was elected to power. Then The left criticised the UNP saying this was not full independence. But in February 1948 we had full independence and it was the UNP that obtained it.
Moreover what I wrote was that the founding fathers of the UNP had a united and national vision for the country and urged the present UNP to recapture it. I said the UNP ushered in freedom from colonial bondage. Did I say it WON independence from British through a freedom struggle?
Fellows like you dont understand even basic English but rush like fools to criticise and condemn rashly. You are a damn fool. This is harsh and rude but I am not sorry to reiterate that you are a damn,damn fool”
– I apologize if I touched a nerve by making incorrect assumptions on your ancestry. However, I note you do admit to associations your father and grandfather had with UNP including Sir John. I admit I did not know that the UNP jailed you. No need to insult me as no insult was intended from my part. I apologize for my wrong assumptions.
For your information, I do hate the UNP. I hate them because they are part of the duopoly of sinhalese majority parties who have perpetrated ethnic violence onto us Tamils and who mastered the art of using the majority’s ethnic and religious aspirations as political tools to acquire power.
You seem to think that a Ranil, just because he singed the CFA [whilst at the same time dismantling LTTE by entreaties towards that turncoat Karuna], really wants the Tamils in Sri lanka to prosper. You also conveniently forget that it is under Jayewardene’s UNP that the 1983 riots took place. Do I need to quote racist statements made by UNP politicians such as JRJ, dissanayake and athulathmudali? Do not forget that Ranil is related [nephew] to JRJ. O.K., one should not prejudice that kin will act as like but it is emotionally difficult to think this is not the case.
Us gullible Tamils have foolishly thouth in each election, that the opposition will do right by us. We have a 100% track record of being wrong on that. Even now, there are UNP politicians egging on the armed forces.
If a strong Sri lankan president solves the ethnic problem politically, then we all will be happy.
I ask you, is it your sincere belief that such an animal exists?
DBSJ RESPONDS: You are simply making incorrect assumptions. Please dont waste my time and your time
Frankly, Ranil has become a liability and the sooner he goes the better.
He would have become President had Prabakharian not blocked voting in LTTE held territories, but the main reason for that was that many did not trust Rajapakse, not that they were enamored of Ranil.
He has been responsible for the further descent into gangsterism of the UNP (admittedly a long process started by Jayawardene in 1956) by insisting that UNP candidates pay for their own campaigns.
As an orator lacklustre doesn’t come near to describing him. A friend of mine complained about how bad a speaker he was in Sinhala; “you want to hear him in English” I replied. “So all he can speak is Burgher” was the astonished reply, but the problem is not what languages he speaks, it is the total lack of passion or convincingness when he does.
In 2005 he was looked on as an alternative. This is no longer true; he is looked on now as a joke. And the party may yet go with him. Karu and crew blew it when they did their little cross-bench shuffle. It not only weakened their power base in the LTTE , it destroyed their credibility with the electorate. Sajith has the advantage of name recognition and the fact that nobody really knows what his policies are, if any, but the most important quality of any leader of the UNP now is that he is not Ranil.
There is still much opposition to the present government, and there will be more so with the coming economic downturn/collapse, but there is no political party to channel it. All, except the SLFP, have committed hari-kiri in full public view.
Mr. Jeyaraj tries to paint a picture of RW as a good politician for reasons known only to him.
Happy reading!
Dear DBS,
As a Sinhala I am generally a fan of your writing on the LTTE and Tamil dynamics. Along with the UTHR, your writings are far more credible than what I come across in the Sinhala and pro-LTTE media. Having said that, you don’t appear to have a strong grasp on Sinhala political dynamics and mentality (although you know more on that topic than what most Sinhalese know about Tamil issues).
Contrary to what you claim, the greatest hatred for Ranil comes not from the SLFP leadership but from ordinary Sinhalese who believe in a viable two-party/coalition system and especially in a credible opposition. Many of us are fed up with Rajapaksa nepotism and corruption. The country is going bankrupt. Yet with all that, we have no alternative because we could never stomach such an ineffective leader like Ranil. We know that Ranil lacks the ability to bring us out of this current mess, and therefore he is simply not worth supporting.
Things might have been different if Maj. Gen. Janaka Perera had ascended to the UNP leadership. Janaka had probably a better military record than Lt. Gen. Fonseka, but much unlike Fonseka he had a greater appreciation for the political nuances of this conflict and specifically the Tamils’ fears/concerns. Janaka’s greatest quality in our view was that the LTTE despised him. We would not fear Janaka selling out the country in coming to power. He represented a true opposition.
Perhaps that is why both Ranil and the Rajapaksas were immensely threatened by Janaka and most likely celebrated his death by LTTE suicide bomber.
The hardcore Rajapaksa supporters have absolutely no fear of Ranil. In public they heap scorn on Ranil primarily to demoralize the already-demoralized UNP and to appeal to our disdain of Ranil. In private the Rajapaksa supporters will tell you that they will never lose an election as long as Ranil leads the UNP. They don’t want anyone else in charge of the opposition.
You talk about the UNP’s discipline problems without acknowledging that no party can have internal discipline without internal democracy. Ranil, much like N. Korean leader Kim Jong Il is the “Supreme Leader” and by UNP constitution can never be removed. I have never heard of any other party like the UNP which had gone through such a losing streak and still retained the same leadership. Have you???
Finally, as a number of others here have pointed out, Ranil played an active role in the 1983 violence against the Tamils. Do you need a reminder of how badly the Tamils had been hit in Kelaniya???? It is a travesty that those Tamils who follow Ranil around like lackeys, namely Mano Ganesan, have “forgiven and forgotten” the UNP/Wijewardene clan’s disgusting racist history. What kind of message do you think these lackeys are giving to us Sinhalese???
Wise words, I think the death of Janaka along with so many others in Anuradapura has gone unacknowledged as the main reason why in recent months the UNP has gone down for the count and is now a totally demoralised party. At this time there is no-one in the opposition that projects strength to the Sinhala masses after perceiving that they have been taken from pillar to post by the Tigers for much of the last 25 years, it is symbols of militaristic strength that the masses in the South give unashamed validation to.
Your analysis of the ills of the UNP are spot on. A democracy needs an opposition and an effective opposition. At the very least, it must protect and prevent the destruction of the main Institutions of the country (by the rampant MR). The UNP and its present leader – who have been elected and are paid by the people of the country – have failed badly in their responsibilities in this respect.
Sorry dbsj, I cannot agree with you on ranil. i’ve met the man, he is an idiot. btw, i don’t think rajapakse wants ranil out. on the contrary I think he very much likes having ranil as UNP head. As long as he is, Mahinda is safe. Also, Ranil is not squeaky clean as you say. He was responsible for many extra judicial deaths during the suppression of the JVP insurrection in the late 80s.
President Rajapake has accomplished a most difficult task of defeating Terrorism albeit at a very high cost. It is this cost however makes Rajapakse’s role done. He probably did very well in what he was good at. But now it is over. President Rajapakse has not shown skills (or have the vision and attitude) required for gaining the rust of the tamil community, uniting the country and developing it economically. That is why now it should be UNPs era. That is where the Sri Lanka’s future .
From what I hear, Ranil is exactly as you say he is.
How I wish he was our president.
He has absolutely zero PR – but he can deliver.
What was the rate of inflation during his premiership? But did he manage to communicate it to the people? Ironically, under Ranil, the UNP did a lot for the poor by maintaining economic discipline.
48 southern guy:
“I have been employed in many diplomatic environements”
What on earth are you trying to say?
I sincerely hope you were not employed in a diplomatic mission- if that be the case, I would assume you got it through a political connection, given your ability – rather the lack of it – to use the language properly. Out of the many reasons that I admire Mr Kadiragama, he tried to make the diplomatic missions more professional. I doubt you would have made the cut. Sad.
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