{"id":42131,"date":"2015-07-12T18:44:03","date_gmt":"2015-07-12T22:44:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=42131"},"modified":"2015-07-12T23:02:22","modified_gmt":"2015-07-13T03:02:22","slug":"jan-8-rainbowcoalition-re-unites-as-unfgg-to-prevent-return-of-rajapaksa-to-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=42131","title":{"rendered":"Jan 8 \u201cRainbow\u201d Coalition Re-unites as UNFGG To Prevent Return of Rajapaksa to Power"},"content":{"rendered":"

By <\/p>\n

Dharisha Bastians<\/strong><\/p>\n

The threat of Mahinda Rajapaksa\u2019s political re-emergence has unified the fractured rainbow coalition that swept President Maithripala Sirisena to victory on 8 January, with several parties signing agreements yesterday to contest parliamentary elections under a single banner.
\nThe United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG) was inaugurated at Temple Trees yesterday, with several parties that backed the Sirisena \u2018common candidacy\u2019 in January regrouping to contest against the UPFA.<\/p>\n

Twenty-four hours ahead of the close of nominations for the 17 August poll, President Sirisena\u2019s bid to consolidate his position within the SLFP appeared to have failed and the defeated President Rajapaksa is likely to be the de facto leader and presumptive premier of the UPFA.
\nDuring their 160 days in Government, the election alliance showed signs of cracking with SLFP members and the JHU, which backed President Sirisena, strongly critical of the UNP.<\/p>\n

With the rainbow coalition rebanding, the 8 January battle lines have been drawn again, with Rajapaksa likely to canvass hard on a nationalist platform, while the alliance pledges good governance and reconciliation between communities in the island.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were to contest separately, but on the road to good governance, obstacles get in the way. Mahinda Rajapaksa and his forces of corruption and division are trying to stage a counter revolution,\u201d Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said after formal agreements were signed between the parties at his official residence yesterday.<\/p>\n

Wickremesinghe said to combat the threat from the former President and the regressive forces supporting his attempt to regain power, the political movement that defeated him in January had to regroup.<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether let us sweep the Rajapaksa regime into the dustbin of history,\u201d the Prime Minister charged.<\/p>\n

Since political parties could not be registered after the election is declared, the UNFGG will only be registered with a new symbol post-poll.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor now it will be a political movement, contesting under the elephant symbol,\u201d Wickremesinghe explained.<\/p>\n

The Premier assured however that parties would be able to assert their own identities even in the new Parliament that is elected on 17 August. \u201cThere will be a leadership council formed to take consensual decisions and to protect the individual identities of parties in this alliance,\u201d Wickremesinghe explained.<\/p>\n

JHU General Secretary and Minister of Power and Energy, Patali Champika Ranawaka, who addressed the gathering after the agreements were signed, said the Sri Lankan people were not willing to go backwards and into the dark ages that preceded the electoral revolution of 8 January.<\/p>\n

\u201cA huge investment is being made as we speak to push this country back into the darkness, to restore family rule and corrupt politics,\u201d Ranawaka said.<\/p>\n

Under the circumstances, the JHU strongman said it was no longer possible to remain in an alliance with the UPFA or contest under its banner. Ranawaka said the JHU hoped the new Parliament would ensure the abolishment of the preferential system, a new constitution and corruption-free politics.
\nSLFP dissident and Minister of Health, Rajitha Senaratne, hailed UNP Leader Wickremesinghe for committing himself so wholeheartedly to the election of the General Secretary of the SLFP as president of Sri Lanka. \u201cThese two parties have a historic rivalry and they have always been at loggerheads. But the UNP Leader made that sacrifice in January and decided to wage a battle of ideas instead of playing partisan politics,\u201d Senaratne said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe begged that corrupt individuals should not be included in the UPFA nominations list. But our appeals fell on deaf ears. How can we contest alongside them? How can we go before the people and ask them for a vote?\u201d Senaratne echoed the fears of SLFP members who must now contest with a majority of Rajapaksa loyalists on the ticket. <\/p>\n

\u2018Victory assured\u2019 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Minister Senaratne said that the 49 political and civil movements that had backed the January 8 movement for change were regrouping now, including Sobitha Thero\u2019s National Movement for a Just Society, trade union collectives and civil society organisations.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow our victory is assured,\u201d Senaratne said, confidently, \u201ceven the forces of nature are with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

SLMC Leader Rauff Hakeem said that the UNP had been a main force behind the 8 January victory and the movement was realigning itself behind the party once more. \u201cThe rainbow alliance comes back together today, united for good governance,\u201d Hakeem said.<\/p>\n

UNP Leader and Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe, SLFP dissidents and presidential loyalists, Rajitha Senaratne, Arjuna Ranatunga, M.K.D.S. Gunewardane and Earl Gunesekera signed a Memorandum of Understanding at Temple Trees yesterday to contest under the UNP\u2019s elephant symbol. JHU Chairman Athuraliye Rathana Thero also signed a similar MoU with the UNP to contest the polls under the same banner.<\/p>\n

Ranatunga will contest on the UNP ticket from the Gampaha District, while Senaratne will contest in the Kalutara District. Ranawaka will contest on the UNP list from Colombo.
\nThe Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, the All Ceylon Muslim Congress led by Rishad Bathiudeen and Mano Ganeshan\u2019s Tamil Progressive Alliance will also contest under the UNFGG at the poll.<\/p>\n

All the speakers at yesterday\u2019s signing ceremony stopped short of criticising President Sirisena who still functions as the chairman of the UPFA and the SLFP.<\/p>\n

UNP General Secretary Kabir Hashim told Daily FT that the UNP nominations list was delayed to accommodate the crossovers, after a series of agreements were signed between the party and the separate groups. Hashim said the UNP would send its lists to the district by Sunday night after they were finalised by evening. <\/p>\n

Courtesy:Daily FT<\/em><\/p>\n

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By Dharisha Bastians The threat of Mahinda Rajapaksa\u2019s political re-emergence has unified the fractured rainbow coalition that swept President Maithripala Sirisena to victory on 8 January, with several parties signing agreements yesterday to contest parliamentary elections under a single banner. The United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG) was inaugurated at Temple Trees yesterday, with …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘Jan 8 \u201cRainbow\u201d Coalition Re-unites as UNFGG To Prevent Return of Rajapaksa to Power’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42131"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42131"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42133,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42131\/revisions\/42133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}