{"id":46318,"date":"2016-04-23T18:15:47","date_gmt":"2016-04-23T22:15:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=46318"},"modified":"2016-04-23T18:15:47","modified_gmt":"2016-04-23T22:15:47","slug":"slfp-maithripala-faction-of-slfp-and-mahinda-loyalists-combat-each-other-over-may-day-rally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=46318","title":{"rendered":"SLFP Maithripala Faction of SLFP and Mahinda Loyalists Combat Each Other Over May Day Rally"},"content":{"rendered":"

By<\/p>\n

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

Never in living memory has a May Day rally assumed such importance. From the time things began limping back to normal after the extended New Year holidays, the topic of discussion even in the news bulletins has been the May Day rally organized by the Joint Opposition. <\/p>\n

Those who talk about May Day the most are not really members of the Joint Opposition but the Sirisena faction of the SLFP. It is to the latter that the planned Joint Opposition rally in Kirullapone has caused the most angst. <\/p>\n

However, given the experience of the recent past, perhaps the Sirisena faction should be happy that Mahinda loyalists will be holding a separate May Day because all of them will be in Kirullapone that day and there would be no one to create disturbances at the Sirisena rally.<\/p>\n

It was seen in the recent past that whenever the two factions came together at electoral balamandalaya meetings, there was hooting and unpleasantness.<\/p>\n

The general secretary of the UPFA Mahinda Amaraweera has been trying to stop the Joint Opposition from having a separate May Day diplomatically, while others like SLFP general secretary Duminda Dissanayake have been taking a tough approach threatening disciplinary action against members of the SLFP including Mahinda Rajapaksa who do not attend the Galle May Day rally of the SLFP. <\/p>\n

If the Joint Opposition cancels the Kirullapone meeting and decides to attend the Galle rally en masse, they will take over the meeting completely, hooting and jeering at all speakers of the Sirisena faction and cheering the speakers of the Mahinda faction.<\/p>\n

The Sirisena faction knows that there is a very real danger in this happening, yet they are still trying to get the Joint Opposition to attend the Galle rally.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

One reason of course is the anxiety that all groups making up the government have of a well defined opposition party taking shape. As of now, there is some lack of clarity as to the dividing line between the SLFP group in the Joint Opposition and those serving in the government. The local government elections have been postponed to delay the day of reckoning when the Joint Opposition will become a separate political party. The reason why the Sirisena faction is trying their best to prevent the Kirullapone rally from taking place is obviously because it is better to remain as one entity even at the risk of being hooted at rather than allowing an independent opposition to take shape.<\/p>\n

The Joint Opposition for its part is going ahead with their plans for a separate rally because of the need to bring about this polarization and to offer the people an alternative to this government. Going en masse to the Galle meeting and hooting at the Sirisena faction speakers may give many Joint Opposition members much personal satisfaction, but this will not provide the people with a clear cut alternative because those doing the booing and those booed at will still be members of the same political party.<\/p>\n

When the UNP and the Sirisena faction of the SLFP holds separate May Day rallies, that splits the government down the middle. Last year, the UNP was able to hold a good May Day rally because that was only a few months after their victory at the Presidential elections and members of the UNP were brimming with hope. Now however, it will be an uphill task for the UNP to encourage party members to participate.<\/p>\n


\nHarindra Dunuvila\u2019s defection<\/strong><\/p>\n

UNP rank and file members are just about the most disappointed politically active segment of the population today. The UNP was ruling the roost during the 100 day government until the parliamentary election last August. But after that they have been relegated to second place with members of the Sirisena faction holding plum ministries with the most number of jobs to offer and the capacity to give handouts. The UNP ministers have by and large got the leftovers and the UNP rank and file cannot get anything much done through their ministers. They have been cut off from access to government jobs and the ability to get even a transfer or other favour. Even the ministry that doles out welfare payments to the public is with S.B.Dissanayake who is in the Sirisena faction.<\/p>\n

The resignation of Harindra Dunuvilla the Pathadumbara organizer of the UNP last week is just the tip of the iceberg. Explaining why he resigned from his position as an electoral organizer of the UNP, he said that he was unable to get anything done for his constituents so there was no meaning in holding that position. The most oppressed section are the village level activists of the UNP who are under pressure to obtain jobs and favours from the MPs and ministers for their supporters which they are unable to do. The mere fact that the UNP has chosen to call this rally \u2018kepakarana janathawage mei reliya\u2019 (May Day rally of people who make sacrifices) reflects the mood of dissatisfaction within the UNP.<\/p>\n

When Kabir Hashim held a press conference about the UNP\u2019s May Day rally preparations, he uttered the word \u2018kepakireema\u2019 in every sentence he spoke, mentioning among other things that the party made a kepakireema in fielding a common candidate and more kepakireema by agreeing to have a national government instead of forming a government on its own after the parliamentary election last August and that even more kepakireem is on the cards. Anyone who listened to Hashim\u2019s speech will realise that there is a direct link between Hashim\u2019s choice of words and the decision of Harindra Dunuvilla to resign from his electoral organizer post. <\/p>\n

Duniwila\u2019s resignation seems to have sent shockwaves through the UNP with expectations of more defections by disgruntled organizers and people\u2019s representatives. Lanka e News reported that a sum of 100 million was being offered to UNP organizers who appear on the Joint Opposition platform on May Day. If the Joint Opposition can actually afford to pay bribes of 100 million for an electoral organizer, then this government might as well surrender right now and hand power over the Joint Opposition!<\/p>\n

The Galle town electorate, where the Sirisena Faction will be holding their rally has traditionally been a UNP constituency. But it is unlikely that the UNP will be able to give him any help to draw crowds to the SLFP rally because they will be too busy trying to collect crowds for their own rally. The UNP did not fare too well at the recent Hyde Park contest where the UNP and the Joint Opposition held rallies one after the other with the latter drawing the bigger crowd. So the UNP has a point to prove on May Day this year. However the UNP too has an interest in seeing that the Sirisena faction\u2019s May day rally succeeds. If the Sirisena faction\u2019s rally ends in a fiasco like the last May Day rally at Hyde Park, that will undermine the whole government.<\/p>\n

The Sirisena faction has been openly talking about seeking the participation of Tamils from the North and Muslims from the East at their May Day rally. Though this is mentioned as an attempt to broad base the appeal of the SLFP by roping in the minorities, it is due more to the need to fill the venue. The SLMC and the ACMC may not send people to the Galle rally as they have traditionally been allied with the UNP.<\/p>\n

Other minority leaders like Mano Ganesan and P.Digambaram have been even closer to the UNP and it is unlikely that they will send crowds to Galle at the expense of the UNP rally in Colombo. That may leave only the TNA in a position to send significant crowds to Galle. But now with the federal demand, the participation of pro-TNA Tamils from the North in Sirisena\u2019s rally, will be counterproductive.<\/p>\n

Even if the Sirisena faction manages to find the crowds to fill the venue, there is still no guarantee that there will not be any hooting and jeering at the rally. Hooting and jeering can catch on in a crowd especially if you have a sullen and resentful audience who is participating in the rally only to oblige someone and not out of any conviction. So the Sirisena faction is taking a big risk by having a rally of their own at all. Even if the Sirisena faction gets a record crowd to Galle, it will still be a pro-government rally. The one thing that neither the Sirisena faction nor the UNP can prevent the Joint Opposition from taking over completely is the space left for an opposition and that is the main strength that MR and his allies have. Minister Laksman Yapa Abeywardene had organized a New Year festival under the sponsorship of Nestomalt on 15 April in the Hakmana town. However it had to be cancelled because no one – absolutely no one – turned up for the festivities!<\/p>\n

The police as the monkey with a sword<\/strong><\/p>\n

The arrest of the former Narahenpita Crimes OIC on allegations of concealing information regarding the Thajudeen affair has raised many an eyebrow in Colombo. That it came just after Pujith Jayasundara\u2019s nomination as IGP has also set the rumour mill churning. Pujith Jayasundera held a press conference soon after he assumed duties as IGP and announced that this would be his first and last press conference and that the press would have to deal with the police spokesman hereafter. By saying that he would not be appearing at press conferences hereafter, Jayasundera certainly did himself a favour. He does not have the right attitude and composure to conduct press conferences. Even political parties have to be very careful about who they appoint to interact with the media and the public. One thing that Jayasundera made clear at his first press conference as IGP is that he does not have PR skills or even the composure that people expect from a high official of the state.<\/p>\n

Jayasundera\u2019s first press conference came as a surprise to everybody. Nobody has ever seen an official assuming the highest position in his service talking in that manner at a press conference. Perhaps he would have been elated at being made IGP instead of his more senior colleague DIG Wickremesinghe, or that may be his usual way of speaking. But that manner is certainly not suited to the position he holds. The last thing this government needs at this stage is an overenthusiastic and gung ho cop with a tendency to shoot his mouth off. But does this government realise it? Perhaps they do, because the UNP has selected Gayantha Karunatilleke as the government spokesman. Gayantha is a good choice for the job. He never gets emotional, never loses his composure and does not try to make aggressive statements or display a boorish or gung ho attitude.<\/p>\n

If the UNP has enough sense to realise that Gayantha is a better choice as spokesman than John Amaratunga or Ranajan Ramanayake, then they should realise that Pujith Jayasundera is not a man to be put in front of the cameras. If Gayantha had spoken in that manner at press conferences, he would have brought the government down on his own even without an economic crisis to help him along. Perhaps the government should consider banning the new IGP from not only addressing press conferences but even speaking at public functions without a written script which he should just read without even looking at the audience. The government should ensure that recently-promoted overenthusiastic cops don\u2019t bring down the government. The fiasco that took place with the arrest of Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka should be a warning for the government.<\/p>\n

Most people in the government were obviously not aware that the CID was going to arrest Ven Dhammaloka. On the day that Ven.Dhammaloka was arrested, Lakshman Kiriella looked genuinely contrite when he said in parliament that they too did not know about this arrest and that they will find out more details about it and keep the House informed. Ultimately the government had to get the magistrate who refused even to consider a bail application by Ven. Dhammaloka until the next date given for the case, to release him on bail the very next day. A team of lawyers were sent by the government to get Ven. Dhammaloka bail. On top of that the President himself had to order the police never to arrest any monk without asking him first. All that could have been avoided if the CID was not playing the role of the monkey with a sword keeping guard over its sleeping master.<\/p>\n


\nVAT deception<\/strong><\/p>\n

The President\u2019s sudden outburst against the impending increase in the VAT, was resolved in the way people have by now become accustomed to seeing such issues resolved. What the President said was that he will not allow any burdensome taxes to be imposed on the people and would rather sack the advisors making such suggestions. Following the broadside, Minister Lakshman Yapa held a press conference and said that VAT would not be charged on essential items like water, electricity, pharmaceuticals, rice and vegetables etc. But VAT was never charged on such items anyway and even the present government did not intend charging VAT on such items! By mentioning the items on which VAT was never charged, minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene gave people the impression that these items had been left out at the behest of the President. So all\u2019s well that ends well.<\/p>\n

The Economy Next website ran a biting article about the VAT increase which stated among other things, that with the VAT reforms Sri Lanka will join a club of states that charge value added tax from health and education – services which are almost universally exempted in \u2018free countries\u2019 where private citizens are not \u2018mistreated\u2019 by rulers, and that ironically the VAT on health and education comes as the country claims to create a \u2018knowledge economy\u2019 and is faced with an \u2018ageing population\u2019 and further that with these taxes Sri Lanka\u2019s rulers plan to tax the community\u2019s own efforts to educate or cure themselves! The article also stated that Bangladesh too had slapped value added tax on education in 2015 but had to withdraw it after protests.<\/p>\n


\nCourtesy:Sunday Island<\/em><\/p>\n

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By C.A.Chandreprema Never in living memory has a May Day rally assumed such importance. From the time things began limping back to normal after the extended New Year holidays, the topic of discussion even in the news bulletins has been the May Day rally organized by the Joint Opposition. Those who talk about May Day …<\/p>\n

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