Opposition political groupings backing Maithripala Sirisena as the presidential candidate against Mahinda Rajapaksa are still in search of an identity.Names of different political fronts and even going it alone as an independent candidate are not being ruled out as the squabble continues.
The hot favourite appears to be the Apey Jathika Peramuna (AJP) or Our National Front (ONF) with the telephone as its symbol. The search by opposition leaders in consultation with groups of lawyers has been a laborious process with careful scrutiny of the polls laws in force.
Since some were not in favour of the telephone symbol, suggestions were made that a new symbol be picked from an assortment of symbols Gazetted by the Commissioner of Elections and not yet picked on by political parties. The most favoured was the Dove but lawyers advised that they could not take a chance with just eight days to go for the nominations (on December 8). The result was a two member team of lawyers – Wijeyadasa Rajapaksha and Jayampathy Wickremeratne, a Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) member — meeting Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya.
The latter has referred to a ruling by the Attorney General that the change of symbols by a political party could be allowed only during a General Election. Moreover, in the case of an independent candidate, a symbol would be allotted only when nominations close. Here again, if such a symbol is sought by more than one party, a decision is made by the toss of a coin. In the event no other choice is possible, it is most likely that the telephone symbol would be retained. The much ado about a name, after all, will be of little consequence. Lawyers had also checked on legislative provisions with regard to what follows in the event of the death of an independent candidate. Opposition leaders have been told that there was provision under amended laws for a substitute. A ballot paper at the presidential election does not contain the party represented by the candidate.
Details related to the AJP were worked out by the UNP’s Communications Director, Mangala Samaraweera and former Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senaratne, who crossed over last week. It was Samaraweera who had registered the AJP years earlier.
Other issues also surfaced. The AJP whom some UNPers likened to India’s ruling BJP at least by name with a change of one letter, faced a question relating to the president of this party. The current incumbent Senaka de Silva (also of former General Sarath Fonseka’s Democratic Party) did not wish to resign. The Secretary, Ruwan Ferdinandes, however, had tendered his resignation to make way for another nominee. De Silva urged Wickremesinghe to allow him to remain as president.
However, he was later persuaded to give up the post in exchange for another position in the AJP. It is likely to be Assistant Secretary. It has been agreed that the president of the AJP would be named by Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, the former President. A Secretary would be named by Wickremesinghe. In fact Kumaratunga on Friday named Arjuna Ranatunga MP to become the president of the AJP, a move that met with fierce objections from former General Sarath Fonseka. They have both remained members of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) until Fonseka parted ways.
In a bid to diffuse the situation, the United National Party (UNP) National Leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, called upon Karu Jayasuriya, Chairman of the UNP Leadership Council, who is overseeing legal aspects also to go into the matter. This group comprised at least 14 lawyers. On Thursday night, they examined whether the grouping could be identified as the New Democratic Front (NDF) which has the Swan (Hansaya) symbol. Former General Sarath Fonseka contested the January 2010 presidential poll under this front and symbol but lost by 1.8 million votes. There were those who were not in favour. They said that the name and symbol have been tainted because of Fonseka’s defeat.
Following protests by the common Opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena that the founding Bandaranaikes had been banished from the ruling SLFP, pictures of the late Prime Ministers S.W.R.D and Sirimavo Bandaranaike appeared on the banner at a news conference at the Party headquarters this week. Pic by Nilan Maligaspe
As revealed last week, the NDF or the Nawa Prajathantrawadi Peramuna (New Democratic Front) was “in possession” of Colombo District parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake. Its Secretary is lawyer Sharmila Perera who was once in the law chambers of the late Lalith Athulathmudali.
On Friday night, Karu Jayasuriya chaired a meeting of lawyers at his residence at Amerasekera Mawatha near the BRC grounds. Among those taking part were Tilak Marapana PC, Wijeyadasa Rajapaksha, Upul Jayasuriya and Nissanka Nanayakkara. Besides the two political parties already named, they examined a third. It was the National People’s Front with the light bulb as its symbol. The party had been registered earlier by attorney Srinath Perera. The consensus among those gathered was that a decision from the three be made by the trio now at the apex of the presidential campaign — Kumaratunga, Wickremesinghe and presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena.
Finality on the name of the grouping as well as the symbol is expected to be reached today. This will enable parties in the new grouping to sign a document described as “common consensus” possibly at the auspicious hour of 10.10 a.m. tomorrow in Colombo. That will have a three-fold objective — to abolish the executive presidency, reinstatement of all independent commissions that were removed from the Constitution by the current regime and the change of the electoral system to one that is first-past-the-post.
In addition, another document giving the pledges a future Sirisena administration would implement, besides abolishing the executive presidency, will also be publicized during the Opposition campaign. The campaign team will comprise Mangala Samaraweera, Rajitha Senaratne, Duminda Dissanayake and Ven. Athureliye Rathana Thera after the JHU becomes a signatory. They will function under UNP national leader Wickremesinghe. The latter has resisted pressures from different sections not to have Samaraweera in the media team.
The main signatories will be the United National Party (UNP), Maithripala Sirisena, Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera of the National Movement for Justice and Equality. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader, Rajavarothayam Sampanthan, has had two rounds of talks with Chandrika Kumaratunga. “We are listening to different views. Thereafter, we will consult our people and take a final decision,” he told the Sunday Times. He said the TNA was not a party to the presidential polls but it was necessary that they be open to different views. Wickremesinghe is now in dialogue with the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) and a party source said finality remains to be reached on some critical areas. The JHU is also talking to Sirisena.
Courtesy:Sunday Times