{"id":17523,"date":"2013-03-02T21:18:39","date_gmt":"2013-03-03T02:18:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=17523"},"modified":"2013-03-02T22:15:18","modified_gmt":"2013-03-03T03:15:18","slug":"will-ranil-wickremesinghe-field-chandrika-kumaratunga-as-presidential-candidate-against-mahinda-rajapaksa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=17523","title":{"rendered":"Will Ranil Wickremesinghe Field Chandrika Kumaratunga as Presidential Candidate Against Mahinda Rajapaksa?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By
\nC.A.Chandraprema<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

L<\/strong>ast week, we saw the coming together of opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and former President Chandrika Kumaratunga at the launch of a book commemorating Vijaya Kumaratunga. CBK never commemorated Vijaya in this manner even when she was in power.<\/p>\n

Moreover, she has not been known to spend money without a good reason. The removal of the limit on the number of times one could hold the position of president through the 18th Amendment has laid open the tantalizing prospect for has-beens like CBK to make a political come back. Presenting the first copy of her book to RW was perhaps a way of sidling up to the UNP whose support she will need if she is to mount a challenge to President Rajapaksa. Ranil and CBK make strange bed-fellows. CBK was the most vicious and vindictive head of state or head of government in post independence history and RW was the most persecuted and hounded opposition leader in post independence history. Never has any opposition leader in this country been personally targeted and persecuted as RW was by CBK in 1994-2001.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Dr Sarath Amunugama once told the present writer that when JRJ was in power, Mrs B could always phone the president direct and get various favours done and even have police officers transferred out. This was despite the fact that JRJ had deprived Mrs B of her civic rights. But there was no such rapport between RW and CBK when CBK was in power. The fault lay completely with CBK. Persecuting the UNP was her full time occupation when in power. She is the only head of state or head of government in this country who hauled the opposition leader before a presidential commission of inquiry on criminal charges and even tried to imprison him on the eve of an election. In contrast to CBK, Ranil proved to the world that he was a gentleman by not doing to CBK, what CBK tried to do to him. There is no doubt about the fact that if it comes to a choice between CBK and RW, it\u2019s the latter the country should choose \u2013 whatever his shortcomings and weaknesses.<\/p>\n

So long as CBK and RW remained on the scene together, rivalry was intense as one could expect. The report on the Norwegian peace efforts in Sri Lanka had cited the rivalry between CBK and Ranil to be one reason why their peace mission failed. One would think that peace was one issue on which they should have cooperated especially because they had a similar approach to the problem. But at that time, personal rivalry was given pride of place and neither thought of compromising for a national cause. But now what we see is a growing rapprochement between CBK and the UNP that she mercilessly hounded not so long ago. She was prominently present at the launch of Tissa Attanayake\u2019s biography some time ago, and now RW is a key invitee at her book launch. The UNP for its part obviously is operating on the principle that the enemy of their enemy is their friend.<\/p>\n

Given CBK\u2019s capacity to hate and extract revenge, she is a vindictive enemy and therefore all the more valuable as an ally to let loose on the government. RW has also long had a predilection to set one person against the other and to enjoy the show as the adversaries fight like cats and dogs. Seeing Chandrika sitting on the sidelines literally crackling with hate and jealousy at what the Rajapaksa\u2019s have achieved, RW probably can\u2019t resist the temptation to set the virago on the government. There are also practical reasons to be considered.<\/p>\n

An issue that is clearly occupying RW mind these days, is the next presidential election, which is more than three years away, but which he is widely expected to lose. The reason why he is trying to dilute the position of deputy leader of the UNP by creating multiple deputy leader posts is obviously because he does not want anyone to be in a position to challenge him after the next presidential elections. RW is obviously digging in for the long haul and while diluting the position of deputy leader is an essential part of this endeavour, an equally important matter is finding a way to dodge the next presidential elections. There is probably no one in the UNP who believes that RW can defeat Mahinda at the next elections, and that belief itself is a debilitating factor that can become a self \u2013fulfilling prophesy.<\/p>\n

If they field CBK however, RW will be able to survive for another round. The advantage in fielding CBK will be that they can at least hold out the hope of being able to cause a split in the SLFP vote. The idea can be sold to both the general public and the UNP rank and file that with the votes of the UNP, the TNA, (possibly the SLMC and CWC) and by creating a split in the SLFP, they might be able to defeat Mahinda. The same logic was at play at the last presidential elections as well, with Sarath Fonseka being used to create a split in the patriotic camp. They didn\u2019t win, but they did put up a good fight.<\/p>\n

In many ways, the political infrastructure to bring CBK in as the next presidential candidate of the UNP led opposition grouping is already in place. Her sidekick, Mangala Samaraweera is already in the UNP and probably following his strategy, the UNP has joined with a whole lot of voteless parties to form a \u2018joint opposition\u2019. As of now, the \u2018joint opposition\u2019 is a joke. But it will cease to be a joke if CBK joins it even as an individual. This will of course be a marriage of convenience \u2013 RW will be trying to use CBK and CBK will be trying to use RW. But no matter, it will be a win-win situation either way. If CBK wins, both CBK and RW will be up on the deal. Even if CBK loses, both RW and CBK will still be up on the deal because RW will get to keep the party leadership for another term and CBK would have got enormous amounts of money from foreign governments for the election campaign. In a linkage between RW and CBK, there will be only gain and absolutely no losses to both parties whichever way the cookie crumbles. <\/p>\n

It is a commonly known fact that RW believes that his moment of destiny is as in the case of his uncle J.R.Jayewardene, after his sixties. If he is to stay on that long, he will have to find another sacrifice to pit against Mahinda and the only willing and available option is CBK. There certainly is some doubt as to how the ordinary UNPer will react to CBK as the UNP\u2019s presidential candidate. There is the strong feeling among sections of the party after the Sarath Fonseka misadventure that the party rank and file should never be encouraged to vote outside the party. But that can be easily remedied by making CBK a member of the UNP. The other problem is of course the fact that CBK is hated by many UNPers who have been victimised when she was in power. That may have to be overcome by selling the idea to them that the SLFP vote can be split by fielding CBK. Some may buy that, some may not \u2013 that\u2019s a risk that has to be taken. Certainly a CBK candidacy will enliven the presidential campaign and it\u2019ll be Christmas for the media!
\nCOURTESY:SUNDAY ISLAND<\/em><\/p>\n

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By C.A.Chandraprema Last week, we saw the coming together of opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and former President Chandrika Kumaratunga at the launch of a book commemorating Vijaya Kumaratunga. CBK never commemorated Vijaya in this manner even when she was in power. Moreover, she has not been known to spend money without a good reason. The …<\/p>\n

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