(Full Text of an Interview by the UNP Mayor of Colombo AJM Muzammil appearing in the “Ceylon Today”)

Q: Why do you think the UNP denied nominations to your wife, Feroza?

A: I’m really surprised as to why the UNP rejected her nomination. The National Nomination Committee and the Party National Leader should have had a proper assessment of the situation, when they were selecting candidates. Therefore, I feel that the Party, at a time when there are Provincial Council Elections, has to enhance its vote base, without leaving out candidates, who can bring in more votes for the Party.

Q: Did you feel that she was capable of winning elections, if nomination was given?

A: It is not a question of winning elections. She could have performed better for the Party. She could have definitely brought in votes, which would have brought in one or two additional members to the Council. Our Party has always failed to understand the Proportional Representative System, when selecting candidates for nominations. They made the same mistakes in the Kandy, Kurunegala and Puttalam Districts during the last Provincial Council elections. They should have a proper assessment of the electoral system.

Q: We understand that Ravi Karunanayake influenced the Party to deny nomination to your wife, despite being so close to your family?

A: It is very clear to me that Ravi Karunanayake and two Colombo Central Muslim organizers, Mujibur Rahman and Mohammed Fairoze, held the Party to ransom. I was not Ravi Karunanayake’s choice for Mayor. He was trying to interfere in my Council administration, which I did not permit. My prime intention was to ensure protection of the UNP Council elected by the people. I was not going to make the same mistake, our leader made when the people gave us a parliamentary mandate and we formed a partial government. I had learnt from the mistakes. If I had danced according to the tune of Ravi Karunanayake, today, the Municipal Council would not be in existence. Therefore, he was trying to dominate over me in the Municipal Council, which he had usually practised in the Kotte Municipal Council before. He destroyed the Kotte Municipal Council, and the Mayor had to flee the country. He destroyed the Kotte electorate and now has moved on to Colombo North.

Q: Didn’t the Party take any action over Ravi Karunanayake’s move?

A: The senior hierarchy in the Party feels that Ravi Karunanayake has taken the Party leadership under his custody. If you talk to the top rank of the UNP, they will secretly tell you that our National Leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, is scared of Ravi Karunanayake.

Q: Why is Ranil Wickremesinghe scared of Ravi Karunanayake?

A: That I don’t know. You should ask that from Ranil Wickremesinghe. Not me! I have spoken about it enough and that has cost my wife’s nomination. I was not shaken even for a moment.

Q: Have you resigned from the UNP Working Committee?

A: Not yet! I’m looking for options. I’m considering whether I should resign. I’m considering the pros and cons. My 60 per cent thinking is to resign from the Working Committee. The Working Committee has failed to take proper decisions. The members in the Committee are just puppets. Our suggestions were not recommended. During the last year’s Working Committee meeting, the Party brought in a policy to appoint a District Chairman. I vehemently opposed it. I said don’t make this mistake as we had district leaders, which was a failure. We abolished it. Under the Proportional Representation System every district leader was dominating. When they proposed this, the Leader and the General Secretary said it was only to supervise the district committee meetings and that it will be rotated every year. When this was brought up with the names of the same people, I raised questions again.

I told them that they said it was only for a year and that the opportunity would be given to others as well, but the same names were being nominated again. What is the meaning of this? They think the Working Committee members are jokers! We just have to endorse and raise our hands even if it is detrimental to the Party. All these district chairmen advertise and mislead the public saying that they are leaders of the district. I raised another issue, that the Party has national leaders for the Leadership Council. Why should they appoint district leaders again? Why should they come down to the district level? Ravi Karunanayake is the Colombo District Leader while representing the National Council, Lakshman Kiriella is the Kandy District Leader and a member of the Leadership Council, Kabir Hashim is the Chairman of the Party and the Kegalle District Leader and Mangala Samaraweera is a member in the Leadership Council and the District Leader of Matara. When some people are elevated to the national leadership level, they must hand over the district leadership to another. I’m very seriously contemplating, whether I should continue to serve in a committee of this nature, which has not helped the Party. Our recommendations are never considered.

Q: What are the recent issues raised by you at the Working Committee level?

A: I have raised various issues in the working committee. When the nominations were called for Central and Wayamba Provinces, I specifically mentioned that the Party must have a standard policy adopted at the Working Committee as to a framework under which the nominations must be given. All organizers, who are not Members of Parliament, must contest. Parliamentarians representing each district should be given a chance to nominate a prominent candidate. We should decide along the ethnic proportion on how many members to include. These proper guidelines should not have been set aside.

Today, our leader is asking parliamentarians to resign and contest the Provincial Council. He says we have to strengthen the Party and that people must understand they must make sacrifices. You must be aware of it as he made the statement in public. However, none of them opted to do so. How can he call upon the parliamentarians to resign and contest when the Party doesn’t have the strength or the backbone to request the electoral organizers to contest? Electoral organizers should have been asked to contest. If they don’t do so, they should resign from their position. But, here, the electoral organizers do not contest and they demanded that their nominees must be given a chance. So, what is the sacrifice this Party is making?

Q: Knowing all these problems, why do you think the leader remains silent?

A: It is a question of what they do, what they think. All these are pre-planned exercises, not in the interest of the Party. It covers the interest of individuals. They say that I’m working with the government and getting their support to develop the city. They say I’m a Gota’s man. I’m not anybody’s man, I’m a UNP man. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, being the Defence Secretary and the Secretary of the Urban Development Authority, has helped a UNP Council to develop the city. The government is helping us. Even for my budget, the entire government voted with me. These are my strengths and how I worked for the betterment of the city. In spite of all these, I didn’t object to my wife seeking nominations for elections. This is ample evidence, how deeply we are committed to the interests of the Party.

Q: You said there are pre-planned exercises and that individuals are involved. Who are these individuals? Are they senior members of the Party?

A: What I meant by pre-planned exercises, is that the Party is not coming up with proper nomination criteria. The Party Leader knew some of these district leaders and organizers were not going to contest elections. They are diverting the attention elsewhere by acting in a calculated manner and not taking firm decisions.

Q: There are allegations that you are close to Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and also there are rumours that soon you would join the government. Do you think this is the reason for the UNP to deny nominations to your wife?

A: I see no reason, in my political ideology, why I should align with or join the government. I don’t have to think about it at all! Rumours can go on. The rumours were such that when my wife did not get nominations, Economic Development Minister, Basil Rajapaksa, called me and congratulated me saying ‘Mama oyata suba pathanawa.’ I told him that I was in a really disturbed mood at that time and asked why he was congratulating me? Then Minister Rajapaksa said, ‘Ne ne… oyage nonata nominations hambawela thibunanang, Ravi Karunanayake aanduwata enawa. Apita thawath karadarayak.’

There were more rumours that John Amaratunga and Ravi Karunanayake were going to cross over. So, I cannot give answers to the rumours. Resigning from the Working Committee is in protest. It has nothing to do with crossing over. There is no purpose in remaining to serve in the Working Committee and being part of all these disasters.

Q: Are you giving excuses to justify your motive?

A: Well, you can take it anyway you like. I’m not giving any excuses.

Q: President Mahinda Rajapaksa always selects winning candidates for any elections. Likewise, when there are chances for your wife, why do you think your Leader couldn’t take a bold decision to select her?

A: That is why we are in this situation today. These decisions taken by the Leadership Council or what the leader takes is detrimental to the Party. Our poor Party people are suffering. This is very unfair.

Q: Who actually takes decisions in the UNP? Is it the Leader or the people around him?

A: I don’t know! Decisions are taken not for the benefit of the Party. People are in fear. They don’t have the strength and stamina to stand and fight for the Party. The electoral organizers can’t hold the Party to ransom. They have been given an opportunity to prove their mettle in this election. The Party should have told them very clearly that they are running an advantage over than the candidates from outside, because they are the organizers of the electorates.

They all have a secured base. Even within the secured base, if they fail to prove their mettle, they don’t deserve to be organizers. This is a testing ground on whether they have done their home work properly or not. This is an opportunity, based on which proper assessments should be made. Organizers should not be given protections but challenges.

Q: Do you think since Ranil Wickremesinghe cannot take bold decisions, it has led to the downfall of the UNP?

A: When the ship is sinking, the captain also has to take the responsibility. He has to take precautions.

Q: Why do you think he’s not taking precautions?

A: I don’t know! Please ask him.

Q: Now Maithri Gunaratne and Shiral Lakthilaka have been excluded from the nominations lists like your wife. What is your comment?

A: No comment! I don’t want to speak about others. That is a totally different subject.

Q: Another Presidential and a General Election are scheduled to be held by the end of this year or beginning of next year. Do you think the UNP presidential candidate has a chance to win, given the present crisis in the Party?

A: We’ll have to wait and see! Our foundations have not been properly made.

COURTESY:Ceylon Today