{"id":42630,"date":"2015-08-14T01:02:39","date_gmt":"2015-08-14T05:02:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=42630"},"modified":"2015-08-14T01:05:33","modified_gmt":"2015-08-14T05:05:33","slug":"president-maithripala-knocks-out-ex-president-mahinda-politically-with-a-powerful-five-page-letter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=42630","title":{"rendered":"President Maithripala Politically Clobbers Ex-President Mahinda with a Powerful Five Page Letter."},"content":{"rendered":"

By <\/p>\n

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

President Maithripala Sirisena has struck a second, more devastating blow to his predecessor\u2019s prime ministerial hopes 48 hours before campaigning ends for Monday\u2019s Parliamentary poll, in a fiery missive denouncing Mahinda Rajapaksa for his power-hunger and inclination to play communal politics.<\/p>\n

The \u2018Dear John\u2019 type epistle flays his party\u2019s Kurunegala District Candidate and former President Rajapaksa for his many sins, and accuses him of being a \u2018prisoner\u2019 of smaller constituent parties within the UPFA, effectively destroying the SLFP.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou must take the responsibility for making the glorious SLFP, a party with a 64-year history, hostage to the petty agendas of small parties and groups,\u201d President Sirisena charged in his five-page letter.<\/p>\n

The letter made it clear to the former President that under no post-election scenario could he hope to be appointed Prime Minister, even if the UPFA wins an outright majority. <\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that if the UPFA obtains the 113 required to form a Government, the premiership will go to a SLFP senior leader. If the UPFA comes close to 113 and needs more seats to form a Government, as Executive President, I can intervene to secure that majority. Even in that scenario, it is not you who should be prime minister, but another senior party leader,\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

President Sirisena charged that Rajapaksa had deprived SLFP seniors of a political future when he passed the draconian 18th Amendment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you had retired gracefully like other presidents before you after two terms in office, there would have been a chance for a senior member in our party to contest the presidency and also become prime minister. Now it looks as if you are intent to steal their opportunities again at the end of this election. Even now should they not be given their due?\u201d the letter asks.
\nHe called on Rajapaksa to provide his blessing to grant another senior member of the SLFP the premiership, if the UPFA wins the election on Monday. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn the name of the people of this country and the SLFP, I request you to express your willingness, your support, your generosity and your blessing, for Nimal Siripala De Silva, John Seneviratne, Chamal Rajapaksa, Athauda Seneviratne, A.H.M. Fowzie, Susil Premajayantha or Anura Priyadarshana Yapa to be appointed premier after the Parliamentary election,\u201d the President appealed. <\/p>\n

President Sirisena also urged Rajapaksa to act with his head instead of his emotions until polling day, and refrain from making remarks that could spread communal tensions in the country.
\n\u201cDespite your frequent visits to temples, I have my doubts that your spirituality has increased at all. In your private meetings, it is reported that your words are filled with hatred, bitterness and anger,\u201d the President\u2019s scathing letter continued.<\/p>\n

He accused Mahinda Rajapaksa of turning the SLFP into a party that represented only the majority community in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince you took over the leadership of the SLFP nine years ago, this party has turned it back on social realities and pluralism,\u201d Sirisena charged.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you not see how these communal flames you yourself had set alight worked against you and precipitated your defeat on 8 January?<\/p>\n

Rajapaksa\u2019s brand of extremism was not suited to a great party like the SLFP, the President\u2019s letter said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe challenge is before me now to transform the SLFP and rebuild the party so that it will represent the interest of all Sri Lankans, instead of a single race or religion. Today all those around you are inflaming communal tensions to win preferential votes,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

The tell-all letter reveals intrigue and bickering during the UPFA\u2019s nominations campaign, and President Sirisena\u2019s deep disillusionment at the behaviour of his predecessor, who he said was willing to split the SLFP and contest separately, at the \u2018drop of a hat\u2019. <\/p>\n

Sirisena claims he tactically withdrew from battles over the UPFA nominations, to prevent the SLFP from splitting ahead of the elections.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the Gampaha District nomination list was being prepared, I was hoping that the Western Province Chief Minister would step aside, since it was not practical for three members of the Ranatunga family to contest in the same district,\u201d his letter said.<\/p>\n

President Sirisena said that Rajapaksa took the position that if the Chief Minister did not get a nomination, he would contest separately. \u201cSo once again I was silent and I let you win, even when your position resulted in one member of the Ranatunga family leaving the SLFP to join the UNP. The risk of a 64-year-old party splitting in two over the nomination of a single individual was averted only because I tactically withdrew at that point,\u201d he charged in the letter.<\/p>\n

President Sirisena said that if he had been given an opportunity to spearhead the SLFP election campaign, the party could have attracted Tamil and Muslim voters and the younger generation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Tamil and Muslim communities have immense faith in me,\u201d he said in a clear broadside at Rajapaksa, who has failed to muster votes from minority communities in recent elections. <\/p>\n

President Sirisena also accused Rajapaksa of failing to stand up for him when his brother Basil Rajapaksa was trying to destroy his political career.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe political friendship we had built from being members of the SLFP was ruined because of Basil Rajapaksa\u2019s conduct, as you well know. His attempt to end my political career and portray me as an unsuccessful politician ended up boomeranging on you all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you would have the humility to stand up for me when Basil Rajapaksa was obstructing me. But all the time up to 21 November when I stepped out to be the common candidate, you failed to do so,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

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

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

By Dharisha Bastians President Maithripala Sirisena has struck a second, more devastating blow to his predecessor\u2019s prime ministerial hopes 48 hours before campaigning ends for Monday\u2019s Parliamentary poll, in a fiery missive denouncing Mahinda Rajapaksa for his power-hunger and inclination to play communal politics. The \u2018Dear John\u2019 type epistle flays his party\u2019s Kurunegala District Candidate …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘President Maithripala Politically Clobbers Ex-President Mahinda with a Powerful Five Page Letter.’ »<\/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\/42630"}],"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=42630"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42630\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42633,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42630\/revisions\/42633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}