{"id":36139,"date":"2014-12-14T01:01:42","date_gmt":"2014-12-14T06:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=36139"},"modified":"2014-12-14T02:09:11","modified_gmt":"2014-12-14T07:09:11","slug":"if-sirisena-was-made-prime-minister-and-ministry-of-power-and-energy-not-taken-away-from-ranawaka-both-would-not-have-defected-from-upfa-govt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=36139","title":{"rendered":"If Sirisena was made Prime Minister and Ministry of Power and Energy not Taken Away from Ranawaka both would not have Defected from UPFA Govt."},"content":{"rendered":"

By<\/p>\n

C.A.Chandraprema<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the events that enlivened the political scene last week was the split in the JHU with Udaya Gammanpila breaking ranks with his party and going back into the government. This sudden development which obviously has come as a surprise to the JHU shows the ferment within that party over the decision to break away from the UPFA. There is no doubt at all that the party that is closest to the ideology that the JHU represents is the UPFA.<\/p>\n

The reasons that caused the JHU to break away from the UPFA are basically the same as the cause for Maithripala Sirisena to break away from the SLFP. Had Sirisena been given the premiership, he would not have broken away. Likewise, if Champika Ranawaka had not been removed from the power and energy ministry, he too would not have broken away from the UPFA. <\/p>\n

In both these instances, the reasons for breaking away were really personal and had nothing to do with matters of policy or ideology. This is of course not to say that everything was just hunky dory within the UPFA coalition. Some ministers have hardly any power or responsibilities. At times the heads of the institutions under them have been appointed not by them but by \u2018higher authorities\u2019.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

So there is very real resentment among some ministers. This resentment is reminiscent of the resentment that built up during the Premadasa years which finally led to the attempt at impeaching him. At that time the talk was that Premadasa was running a one man show with ministers not having any real power, and the president more or less interfering in everything and running almost all ministries through the ministry secretaries whom he appointed. That was resented by the UNP ministers who had got used to a different style of management under J.R.Jayewardene who more or less left everything to his ministers and remained in grand isolation in the presidential throne.<\/p>\n

It was JRJ\u2019s expansive style that enabled Premadasa, Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayke to flourish. Under Premadasa there was no question of anybody flourishing except himself. The only person who had complete freedom of action under Premadasa was Ranjan Wijeratne and that too he maintained through the force of his personality. So long as he was alive, as the UNP general secretary, Ranjan was able to mitigate the worst effects of Premadasa\u2019s distressing one man show and the UNP remained intact so long as he was alive but that unity did not last for six months after Ranjan\u2019s assassination. Be that as it may, today we hear talk not of a one man show but a one family show.<\/p>\n

The fact however is that the talent, management skills and political decision making abilities that were displayed collectively by J.R.Jayewardene, R.Premadasa, Lalith Athulathmudali, Gamini Dissanayake and Ranjan Wijeratne in the old UNP are all concentrated in one family and a small coterie of non-related ministers and officials in the present government. President Mahinda Rajapaksa does not run a one man show. On the contrary, he works much like JRJ, allowing others a free hand in their own spheres and the system works as well if not better than what JRJ had going. <\/p>\n

The stark reality is that if not for that nucleus which is made up of three brothers of the same family, this government would not have a leg to stand on. That is the reality that one has to accept before complaining. The reason why even disgruntled SLFP types are not taking things any further than is strictly necessary is obviously because they realize this fact. Even under JRJ, all ministers didn\u2019t have the same power or the same influence or the same say.<\/p>\n

One problem that this government is confronted with after 2010 is the sheer number of parliamentarians and ministers \u2013 there simply isn\u2019t enough to go around and keep everyone beaming with happiness. Just look at the numbers – In 1977, the UNP won 140 seats in a 168 member parliament and everybody thought that was a lot of MPs. But after 2010, the present government had at its height no less than 163 MPs in parliament. That is just five short of the entire parliament that JRJ had to deal with!<\/p>\n

In such circumstances, it is inevitable that quite a few MPs and ministers would be feeling that they have not got enough powers. There isn\u2019t enough to go around. For the present government\u2019s number of MPs to go down to JRJ\u2019s level, there will have to be at least ten more defections.<\/p>\n

Add to this the complications arising from the government being made up of several parties with their own party hierarchies, their own leaders, and office bearers who will take it as an insult even to be shifted from one ministry to another. There is a significant difference between an MP of one of the major parties and an MP of a small party that has joined a larger coalition.<\/p>\n

The MP of a large party would be in it for the long haul and if he is shifted from one ministry to another, he may grin and bear it and hope he will get a better deal next time. But for the leader of a small party that is in alliance with a large party, there is no next time, and he has to get whatever he thinks is his due right now. And if for some reason he thinks he has not got what he deserves, there\u2019ll be war as he loses face among his party and those dependent on him.<\/p>\n

Any government\u2019s priority areas tend to be all handled by the core group running the government. Even under JRJ, all the top priority areas were handled by Premadasa, Gamini and Lalith. The other ministers were content to play a subsidiary role. Why that kind of harmony is not present in this government could of course be due to many reasons. <\/p>\n

One reason of course that unlike JRJ\u2019s single party government, the present government is made up of so many different political parties, each feeling that they deserve better. Then there is the lack of goodies to go around. Even so, the priority areas cannot be farmed out as that would derail the programme of the government. Ultimately every government survives on what it delivers to the people.<\/p>\n

Thirdly, there is an additional factor that is operational in this government but was never experienced by either JRJ or Premadasa \u2013 which is the presence of significant numbers of \u2018outsiders\u2019 who have come into the government and are seen holding good ministries while some veterans of the SLFP are seen to be holding second rate positions. Chagrin, envy and much chewing of one\u2019s own backside in shame is inevitable in such circumstances.<\/p>\n

Coupled to all this is also the factor that come election time, many who believe they have no chance of re-election may try to gain whatever advantage they can by crossing over or threatening to do so. In the middle of all this are the agents provocateurs pouring fuel on the fire and foreign money sloshing around.<\/p>\n

Courtesy:The Island<\/em><\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By C.A.Chandraprema One of the events that enlivened the political scene last week was the split in the JHU with Udaya Gammanpila breaking ranks with his party and going back into the government. This sudden development which obviously has come as a surprise to the JHU shows the ferment within that party over the decision …<\/p>\n

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