by

Anuradha Samuwel

Health Minister Tissa Attanayake says that the most dangerous thing in the UNP was the Party was under various cliques and decisions regarding the Presidential Election were not taken by the Party Working Committee or Advisory Committee of the G-20 group appointed to handle the Presidential election.

Excerpts:

Q:
Why did you quit the UNP and join the government?

A: I have rendered a yeoman service to the UNP as General Secretary. I remained in the party in the midst of defeats and safeguarded the party. But some incidents and the decisions of the UNP in the recent past did not satisfy me.

Q:
What are the decisions that you could not be satisfied about?

A: I don’t say that it is necessary only what I want must happen in the party. But I noticed that the steps which were necessary to be taken for the party victory were being delayed. The most dangerous thing was the party was under various cliques. The decisions regarding the Presidential Election were not taken by the Party Working Committee or Advisory Committee of the G-20 group appointed to handle the Presidential Election. This caused a number of serious crises in the party. I understood that the decisions taken since naming the Presidential candidate were disadvantageous to the UNP. I was considering if I could remain in the party in this context. I finally decided that the path of the Party was wrong and it has no chance of winning. That is why I decided to support President Mahinda Rajapaksha. But I have not quit the party.

Q:
Do you have trust President Mahinda Rajapaksha would win this time as well?

A: Clearly. According to my perception, he will be elected for the third time. UNP, JHU and other political organizations may appear swollen. But that is only in a few places. The elements in the villages have failed to raise their heads.

Q:
Some accuse that you have given up safeguarding the country and joined to protect a family.

A: I can answer that question like this. I took this decision first for the country. There is a serious issue regarding the agreements signed by common candidate Maithripala Sirisena with various parties. One day he signed a MoU with the UNP and other parties in public at Vihara Maha Devi Park. It was not revealed to the country, so far, and kept as a secret. We don’t know what was in it. TNA generally demands police and land powers, demilitarization of the North etc. If such an agreement was signed with the TNA, it could have been revealed to the country. Why is it hidden? Another agreement was signed with the JHU. This Alliance has become a jar of pickle with these diverse agreements. This puts the country in peril and I cannot be there in such circumstances.

Q:
Some UNP seniors argue that your departure is not a disadvantage.

A: It will be seen in the future. Such nonsense is talked by the ones who did not contribute to the party. But the UNP membership has been perplexed with my quitting. Look at the programme of the polling agents which was initiated by me. It is named as ‘We are the Pilots’. We appointed the leaders for 12,000 polling centres. We targeted six million votes at this Presidential Election. It was a national programme. They have failed to implement that programme now. Everybody saw the contribution I made to the Party. That is why I say clearly that the Presidential mechanism of the UNP has been switched off and I challenge the people who shout to put it on if possible.

Q:
Were you determined to quit the Party Secretary position and to join the government since a long time?

A: No. This was a decision taken suddenly. I have been trying since six or seven months to resolve the internal conflicts of the party and to make the party victorious. There was a massive conflict during the Uva Provincial Council election. But I was able to unite Ranil and Sajith, two weeks before the election through a lot of dedication. That transformation led to the increase of the UNP vote base up to 40%. Harin Fernando contesting as the Chief Minister candidate was also an advantage. But the most important factor was the party unity. I faced problems due to my attempts to unite the party. Several persons who disliked Party unity tried to chase me out. Some directly told me that Ranil Wickremesinghe should be removed from the leadership. When they knew that he could not be removed, they tried to sack me from the position of party Secretary.

Q:
What is the alleged gang that acts against the party?

A: The entire country knows it. They are Malik, Ravi, Mangala et al. They destroy the party. Look at their political history. Are they real UNPers?

Q:
Under what conditions did the UNP Working Committee grant the nomination for Maithripala Sirisena?

A: It is the most serious issue that compelled me for the last decision. The Working Committee agreed on three conditions. One condition was appointing Maithripala Sirisena as common candidate after he brings in 20 or 25 from the government. It did not happen until 8 December, the nomination day. He also promised to appoint Ranil Wickremesinghe the President in 24 hours and to grant him the powers. The third is abolishing the Executive Presidency in 100 days and establishing democracy. It is to be done after the victory and not relevant at the moment. But the first two pledges were not made. We waited until 8 December for the first pledge but it did not materialize.

Q:
Is there a different agreement between the UNP and Maithripala Sirisena?

A: I am not aware of any of such matters. The leader said that an internal agreement would be signed with Maithripala Sirisena. But I don’t know about such an agreement. That was another reason for my quitting. They were hidden from the Party’s General Secretary. But people like Malik, Ravi and Mangala know them. What is the prestige of the General Secretary position? I had fair and sentimental reasons to quit.

Q:
Who was behind the mission to make Maithripala Sirisena the common candidate?

A: Chandrika was directly behind. Mangala, Ravi and Malik et al were also there. I am sorry that the major party UNP has again failed to field a candidate from the party for the Presidential Election. Chandrika, Malik, Ravi and Mangala are in a conspiracy to liquidize the UNP.

Q:
Who promised to bring 20 from the government to become the common candidate? Is it Chandrika or Maithri?

A: I think Maithripala, Chandrika and Mangala promised.

Q:
On whose need Maithripala was made the common candidate in the context he failed to bring 20 from the government.

A: I am sorry about that also. Ranil Wickremesinghe personally told me that he had no other option as he was pushed to the wall. I understood his situation. The force was from the four persons I have mentioned.

Q:
When you said that Ranil would be given the Executive Prime Minister position within 24 hours, Mangala said that such Executive Prime Minister positions are nowhere in the world.

A: That is what he knows. Such Prime Minister positions are in the countries like Japan and Israel. In India also that system exists despite power being devolved to States. The Prime Minister has all powers to rule the country. I don’t know if Mangala Samaraweera held the Foreign Minister position without this knowledge. I have suspicions if he is trying to capture the Prime Minister position after Maithripala Sirisena becomes the President.

Q:
Do you say that you have not participated in any discussion regarding the common candidate?

A: No. I have never participated in those discussions. I was not made aware of them. They did not want to do so. Only Ranil Wickremesinghe knew about them.

Q:
What evidence do you have to prove that Chandrika and Mangala are implementing an operation which is not advantageous to the UNP?

A: The aim is clearly not building the UNP. They are trying to ride over the UNPers and destroy their party. Maithripala Sirisena said on the first day that he would make Ranil Wickremesinghe the Prime Minister. I thought he had understood the UNPers’ mentality. But he remained in that stance only for one day. Has he said that again after that? Another force came and said that it was not necessary. They said that after capturing power by riding on the UNP, they could appoint Chandrika as the Prime Minister. That is the plan. I don’t want to betray the UNPers for that plan. On the other hand, Maithripala Sirisena has never said that he would do justice to the UNP. He always says he will build the SLFP.

Q:
Who is the best candidate for the Presidential Electionas you think?

A: There must be a mix of goodness. Ranil Wickremesinghe is a good democratic leader. He has good international relations also. He has ability to face challenges. It is true that he is less popular among the lower level members. But it can be covered when Sajith Premadasa joins with him. That is why the Party came to the position that Ranil is President and Sajith is the Prime Minister. But it did not happen.

Q:
Has Sajith Premadasa endorsed the decision to support the common candidate?

A: I know him very well. But I don’t know if he likes this decision,

Q:
It is said that you don’t have a popular base like Maithripala Sirisena.

A: Both of us were elected to Parliament in 1989. I was the Minister of Higher Education in 1993. Maithripala Sirisena was in the Opposition then. I have won six elections since 1994. I polled about 100,000 preferential votes at the last election I contested. I was nominated through the national list in 2010 not because of my need. It was the party’s request. I did not contest because Rauf Hakeem and Mano Ganeshan wanted to contest from Kandy. UNPers know that I entered the national list not because I could not win.

Q:
Don’t you think that Maithripala Sirisena is more popular than Fonseka?

A: There is no such popularity. People were enthusiastic before Fonseka’s campaign. For Maithripala has no such enthusiasm. He is not a national leader.

Q:
Are there more in the UNP to join the government?

A: About 20 electoral organizers have discussed with me. They also wish to join. A number of Local Government level members have also spoken to me.

Q:
Tell me the truth. How many crores did you receive for changing the party?

A: The President replied to that question at the rally held in Anuradhapura. He said that I expressed support to him without expecting any privileges

Courtesy: Ceylon Today