{"id":61079,"date":"2018-11-03T01:11:57","date_gmt":"2018-11-03T05:11:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=61079"},"modified":"2018-11-03T02:30:05","modified_gmt":"2018-11-03T06:30:05","slug":"can-maithripala-sirisena-and-mahinda-rajapaksa-re-unite-politically","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=61079","title":{"rendered":"Can Maithripala Sirisena and Mahinda Rajapaksa Re-unite Politically?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By<br \/>\nD.B.S.Jeyaraj<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Ranil Wickremesinghe is Green!<br \/>\nMahinda Rajapaksa is Blue!<br \/>\nPresident Maithripala Sirisena,<br \/>\nWhich  Political  Colour Are You?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Former British prime minister and renowned statesman Sir Winston Churchill in a memorable radio speech over  the BBC in 1939 referred to Russia in this way &#8211; &#8220;It (Russia) is a riddle,wrapped in a mystery,inside an enigma&#8221;. Keen observers of the current political scene in Sri Lanka may very well be excused if they veer around to the viewpoint that the Island&#8217;s  current Executive President too fits Churchill&#8217;s description  of being a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/mr-ms-rw.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/mr-ms-rw-600x340.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"340\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-61082\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnigmatic Mysterious Riddle\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The main reason for President Sirisena being perceived as an \u201cenigmatic mysterious riddle\u201d is due to the unpredictable and somewhat unorthodox political conduct of  the \u201c Polonnaruwa Potentate\u201d.It was only last week that this column described this peculiar political tendency in these words  &#8211;  \u201cThe perplexing political conduct of  Sri Lankan President Pallewatte Gamaralalage Maithripala Yapa Sirisena has in recent  times defied many norms and values of conventional politics. The turns,twists and turnarounds of the President   are unfathomable to many. So uncertain  have Maithripala&#8217;s political moves and manoeuvres been that the only  certainty about Sirisena is his uncertainty. Many are  his topsy -turvy inconsistencies. He has been consistent in his inconsistency.\u201d<br \/>\n<!--more--><br \/>\nAlthough the above stated words were written in a different context pertaining to President Sirisena\u2019s performance (or non -performance) at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the words in essence are applicable to many other acts of omission and commission by  him in diverse  situations too. The latest being the initiative undertaken to mend fences with the Rajapaksa brothers in a bid to topple Ranil Wickremesinghe.<\/p>\n<p>Last week on October 3rd,  Maithripala Sirisena enacted an intriguing political drama that left political observers and onlookers baffled and perplexed. President Sirisena went alone to former cabinet minister S.B. Dissanayake\u2019s residence at Battaramulla where he met former President Mahinda  Rajapaksa along with his brothers Basil and Gotabhaya for a political tete \u2013 a -tete. The discussion was about the prospects of Sirisena re-aligning politically with the Rajapaksas,  removing of  Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister and the setting up of a new coalition Govt under a new premier. The conclave did not arrive at any definite conclusions but did end on an optimistic note for now.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Journeyed To Medamulana<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A meeting between the former and current presidents was not a rarity.  There have been many occasions in the  past where Both Mahinda and Maithripala have interacted with each other in public. On August 25th this year President Sirisena journeyed to Medamulana in Hambantota district to pay his respects at the funeral of the late Chandra Tudor Rajapaksa. Maithripala Sirisena was received by  the Rajapaksa brothers Chamal, Mahinda and Gotabhaya . Basil then in the USA was not present.Sirisena engaged in amiable conversation with Mahinda then. An amusing incident occurred when an aide brought a cup of coffee and tried to give it to Mahinda instead of giving it first to  the guest Maithripala as according to traditions of hospitality. An embarrassed Mahinda berated the helper and apologized to Maithri who smiled and said \u201cThat\u2019s all right\u201d. It transpired later that the aide had been instructed by the Kitchen staff  to serve the coffee to the \u201cJanadhipathithuma\u201d or president.  Since Mahinda is  fondly referred to by his supporters as President still, the aide too mistakenly thought the coffee was for Mahinda and not Maithripala.<\/p>\n<p>Even two days before the  dinner at the Dissanayake residence,  Maithripala and Mahinda had met in Colombo  at a wedding. President Maithripala Sirisena signed as witness for the groom Dilrukshan Jayasinghe and  Ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa signed on behalf of the bride Reshani Dangalla. The groom incidentally was the son of Anuradhapura District UNP Parliamentarian and minister of Women and Child affairs, Chandrani Bandara. Both Mahinda and Maithripala were seen  engaging in cordial conversation at the event where several ministers and MP\u2019s were present.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Face To Face Meeting<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A face to face meeting between Mahinda and Maithripala with the objective of ironing out differences and forging an alliance had been in the pipeline for quite a long time. It was President Sirisena rather than Mahinda Rajapaksa who  seemed more interested in  unifying the  various elements of the UPFA, SLFP, Joint Opposition and SLPP together. Efforts in this direction by Maithripala  Sirisena\u2019s confidantes intensified after the February 2018 Local authority elections where the  Mahinda led SLPP  scored a triumphant victory  while  the Maithri -led SLFP fared miserably. Overtures on  behalf of Maithripala were initially made by the influential Buddhist monk Ven. Medagoda Abhayatissa Thero. Subsequently the mantle fell upon  veteran politician and national list MP  Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Sumanaweera Banda Dissanayake  known as S. B. Dissanayake. After strenuous attempts SB succeeded in bringing about a preliminary meeting at his Battaramulla residence on October 3rd 2018.<\/p>\n<p>Even though overtures for a \u201cunity\u201dmeeting with Maithripala  were being made for a long time, Mahinda had been somewhat reluctant to move on the matter firmly. A chief reason for this being the differences of opinion among Rajapaksa family members in this regard. Indeed the main reason for relations between Mahinda and Maithripala souring had a \u201cRajapaksa family\u201d dimension to it. Maithripala Sirisena despite his affinity towards Chandrika Kumaratunga strongly backed Mahinda Rajapaksa for the Prime minister post in 2004 and as Presidential candidate in 2005. In doing so he incurred the displeasure of Chandrika. Sirisena who served as the general-secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party(SLFP) was a trusted deputy of Mahinda who made him acting minister of defence whenever the president had to leave the country. It may be recalled that President Sirisena  recently in New York made reference to the fact that  it was he  who was in charge as  the acting minister of defence during the final two weeks of war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) in May 2009.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Acting Defence Minister<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>During his stints as acting defence minister Maitripala Sirisena built up a healthy working relationship with the then defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. The rapport established then exists even today despite the  prevailing political differences. . On the other hand Maithri\u2019s inter-personal relationship with another Rajapaksa sibling Basil,  has had its stresses and strains. This began from the time both Basil and Maithripala worked together as office -bearers in the  All -Island SLFP Youth organization. Basil was General -Secretary and Maithripala the Treasurer. Later when Basil crossed over to the UNP at the time of the 1982 Presidential elections, Maithripala succeeded him as Gen-Secy.Sirisena\u2019s relationship with elder brother Chamal has been somewhat steady being neither too close nor too far apart.<\/p>\n<p>After the 2010 Presidential and Parliamentary polls , Maitripala Sirisena had  hoped to become Prime Minister under President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Basil Rajapaksa however staked his claim and it appeared that Mahinda was inclined to prefer Basil over Maithripala. It is believed that Maithripala appealed to Gota who put in a good word for Maithri and  objected  strongly to Basil being made Premier. Mahinda was in a dilemma. Finally he resolved it by choosing the veteran Kandy district MP  D.M. Jayaratne as Prime Minister  instead of  both Basil and Maithripala. Sirisena however smarted from the slight and apparently nursed a grudge silently against Mahinda and Basil. Biding his time with quiet desperation , Sirisena waited for a suitable opportunity.   It came years later in November 2014 when he was picked as the prospective common opposition candidate. Sirisena partook of an egg hopper dinner with Mahinda Rajapaksa and crossed over the following day. He challenged  Mahinda at the hustings on January 8th 2015 and emerged victorious. The rest is now history!<\/p>\n<p>So when  overtures were sent on behalf of Maithripala for rapprochement and possible political re-alignment,  the Rajapaksas  had mixed feelings. It is learnt that Mahinda played his cards close to his chest and solicited   the views of family members without revealing his line of thought on the matter.  Elder brother Chamal was somewhat indifferent. He did not object to some sort of reconciliation but was averse to  any form of a tie-up with Maithripala. Eldest son Namal who had earlier collaborated with Maithripala in the ill-fated exercise to defeat Prime Minister Wickremesinghe through a no confidence motion was supportive of a working relationship with Maithripala. According to some sources Shiranthi Rajapaksa too was amenable to  the suggestion. Gotabhaya  who  had continued to maintain  a line of communication with Maithripala welcomed a tactical alliance with Sirisena. It was opined that the President could be a useful ally in  dealing with the various investigations and legal action being mounted against the Rajapaksas. Basil Rajapaksa however was unwilling.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sri  Lanka Podujana Peramuna<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There was little love lost between Basil and Maithri even when they were together in the same political camp. Basil\u2019s antipathy towards Maithripala had exacerbated after  the latter\u2019s crossover which the former viewed as a treacherous betrayal. Basil\u2019s political stock however had risen considerably after the local authority polls victory. The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) with the Lotus bud symbol  was Basil\u2019s brainchild and baby. GL  Peiris was the de jure chairman but the de facto leader was Mahinda Rajapaksa. Likewise Sagara Kariyawasam the son of former Bentara -Elpitiya MP and deputy minister Albert Kariyawasam was the secretary but the de-facto controller of the SLPP was Basil Rajapaksa. Basil the shrewd  political tactician was the mastermind and architect of the \u201cPohottuwa\u201dparty victory at the local polls. Basil had turned the newly formed party into an election -winning juggernaut.This had enhanced his political clout and importance in recent times.<\/p>\n<p>Hence it was of the utmost importance that Mahinda had the concurrence of Basil in whatever major political endeavor he proposed to engage in. Both Basil and Gotabhaya had left for the USA for three -month stays in July. They were due to return in October this year but Gota cut short his stay and returned in August due to the demise of brother Tudor. Basil however stayed in the US as he was under medical treatment then. Though Basil was scheduled return only in October, Mahinda  got Basil down to Lanka  in late September. This was for the ostensible purpose of revamping the party in anticipation of an early poll. One move being contemplated is for Mahinda Rajapaksa to take over the SLPP leadership formally. Another  purpose was to explain  the ramifications of  a potential \u201cunderstanding\u201d with President Sirisena and to  explore  resultant political avenues. Basil after discussions ,  consented to preliminary meetings with Maithripala Sirisena but was adamant that there should be no political alliance with the presidcnt. It is presumed that while Basil and most of the SLPP stalwarts were opposed to any form of political union with Sirisena and the SLFP faction headed by him, many followers and fellow travellers of Gotabhaya were of the view that a tactical alliance with Maithripala should be formed. Chamal agreed with Basil but Namal was supportive of Gota\u2019s stance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wasantha and Dilan Perera<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It was against this backdrop that  the meeting between the Rajapaksas and Maithripala took place at Battaramulla.  Mahinda and Basil were the first to arrive at the Dissanayake residence. They were welcomed by SB and two other Parliamentarians. One was Matale district MP Wasantha Lakshman Perera and the other was national list MP Dilan Perera. President Sirisena arrived next. Gotabhaya was the last to arrive. When  talks between the Rajapaksas and Sirisena commenced , the two Pereras retired to another room and did not participate in the discussions. SB too left the Rajapaksas alone and spent time with Dilan and Wasantha Perera. However  he kept popping in at times to see whether his distinguished guests needed any further refreshments.<\/p>\n<p>Although SB had procured sumptuous food from a catering establishment, neither Sirisena nor the Rajapaksas sat together at the table and had dinner. It is reliably  learnt that Egg hoppers  was  not on the menu. Maithripala, Mahinda,Gotabhaya and Basil sat in the main drawing room and conversed while munching short &#8211; eats.  Again it is authoritatively learnt that Cashew nuts were not made available for crunching.When SB asked his \u201cguests\u201d  whether they would like \u201cCoffee\u201d, there was laughter all round as it revived memories of Maithri\u2019s \u201clast supper\u201d with Mahinda in Nov 2014. Basil said \u201cLet\u2019s drink green tea\u201d. It was accepted and so green tea was served. The discussion among the Rajapaksas and Sirisena went on for a little longer than an hour. Gota was the first to leave. He was followed a little later by Sirisena. Mahinda and Basil chatted for abut 15 minutes with SB, Dilan and Wasantha and left. Both brothers went to Mahinda\u2019s residence and had further discussions. Wasantha and Dilan Perera left after having dinner with SB Dissanayake.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Litany of Woes Against Ranil<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Since the meeting had been convened in deference to Maithripala\u2019s request, the President  initiated the serious discussion after  pleasantries were exchanged politely. President Sirisena started the ball rolling by reciting a litany of woes against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and a few of his ministers including Finance minister Mangal Samaraweera. Seemingly forgetting the fact  that it was Ranil Wickremesinghe and the UNP which ensured his win in the  electoral tussle with Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2015, Maithripala Sirisena  faulted Ranil and the UNP ministers for everything going wrong with the Govt. In typical Maithripala lingo, the President said Ranil was working hard to undermine him despite his (Sirisena) adherence to the basic principles of a coalition Govt. Though he was the head of state and head of Govt, the non -SLFP ministers paid little heed to him complained Sirisena. Mangala Samaraweera had flagrantly flouted many of his requests and instructions. He said that the bureaucracy was not cooperating with him.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/MR.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/MR-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-61086\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/MS.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/MS-600x528.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"528\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-61087\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/RW.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/RW-600x431.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"431\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-61088\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Speaking further President Sirisena said that the country was being mortgaged to international capitalists and imperialists. The problems of the common man in Lanka were not being addressed by the economic policies of Ranil,Mangala and Malik. Instead of providing relief to the ordinary people they were being hard -pressed. The rupee was sinking while cost of living was rising. Something had to be done urgently to salvage the country and save the nation. President Sirisena said he was unable to exert his authority and remedy the situation because he did not command a majority within Govt ranks. It was time for all political strands with SLFP roots to sink differences and join forces in the interests of the people and country stated Sirisena. Even while making this entreaty, President  Sirisena carefully avoided mentioning two things explicitly. He did not call for an overthrow of Ranil Wickremesinghe.He did not espouse the need for a united  interim Govt with Mahinda or his nominee as Premier. However Sirisena did appeal in a vague manner  for cooperation.<\/p>\n<p>Mahinda Rajapaksa responded to Maithripala by relating his own list of complaints against Ranil and the  coalition Govt conveniently glossing over the fact that Maithripala was the head of Govt.  Mahinda pointed out that there was practically no governance in the country and that everything was going from bad to worse. He  outlined a number of investigations and  cases being conducted against members of the Rajapaksa family. Mahinda said this was being done so as to prevent the Rajapaksas from spearheading a popular political renaissance against the Govt. However the people saw through all these antics. If elections are held the people would show what they think of the Govt through ballot boxes reiterated Mahinda.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mahinda Pre-empted Maithripala<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Speaking further Mahinda Rajapaksa  broached the subject of cooperation. Anticipating  what Sirisena may have proposed next, the Medamulana Machiavelli ,pre-empted Maithripala by touching on the topic  of cooperation himself. Mahinda said that several SLFP\u2019ers in the Govt had lamented  about the Govt performance and had suggested a closing of ranks between both factions of the UPFA and SLFP to counter the UNP and Ranil. This however was not possible at this juncture said Mahinda. \u201cWe cannot support or cooperate with the SLFP led by you (Sirisena) as long as the party is part of a UNP led Government\u201d stressed Mahinda Rajapaksa. He also said that a decision of this type cannot be taken without consulting the party.<\/p>\n<p>Taking his cue from Mahinda\u2019s reference to consulting the party, Basil Rajapaksa chipped in. The dynamo behind the \u201cpohottuwa\u201d  told Maithripala Sirisena that the SLPP has demonstrated that it was more popular among the people than the UNP or SLFP through the recent local authority elections. Such a victory was possible only because of Party members and support from the people at large. As such any major  decision cannot be taken without consulting the rank and file of the party. Speaking further Basil said that he believed in  defeating or transforming the Govt through the verdict of the people only. He preferred to defeat Ranil and the UNP electorally instead of relying on a political horse deal in Parliament  to replace them. Basil also emphasized to Maithripala that they had agreed to meet with the President  as a matter  of courtesy only because they respected him and not because they wanted to engage in a political conspiracy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mahinda Flings Down  Gauntlet<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Continuing from where Basil left off, Mahinda told Maithripala  that no decision could be made by them without consulting party members and key supporters. The ex-president told President Sirisena bluntly that his (Mahindas)loyalists needed to be assured of  Maithripala\u2019s serious intentions in this regard before plunging into any action of their own. Elaborating further Mahinda said that Sirisena and the SLFP led by him must demonstrate genuinely that they were opposed to Ranil and the UNP before enlisting the support of the SLPP and joint opposition. It was not possible to align with the SLFP as long as that party was part and parcel of the present Govt. Mahinda then  told Maithripala \u201c The UPFA and SLFP which are  under your formal leadership  must first pull out of the present UNP-SLFP Govt. If that is done , then our people will be convinced that you really mean business this time and I will find it easier to get their full cooperation and support.\u201d. Having said this clearly and unambiguously, Mahinda flung the gauntlet down at Maithripala \u201c Prove your determination in this matter by urgently summoning a meeting of the UPFA and SLFP and officially  deciding to pull out of the Govt\u201d. Maithri was left speechless.<\/p>\n<p>Apart from this key issue some other topics  were also discussed at the meeting. Chief among them was an issue raised by Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. The Ex-  Defence secretary reminded Maithripala that he had informed the President of a conspiracy to assassinate  Sirisena and himself almost two months ago but no constructive action was taken. The alleged conspiracy however received a blaze of publicity after the person known as \u201cNamal Kumara\u201d had publicized it in the newspapers. Gotabhaya said that a plot to assassinate the president was a very serious thing and it was unpardonable that a responsible Govt did nothing. Mahinda and Basil too endorsed Gotabhaya\u2019s viewpoint and told Sirisena \u201cWe may have our political differences but we treat any threat to your life as something despicable. Proper investigations must be done and action taken\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Sirisena responded by  telling Gotabaya that he had informed the Defence secretary Kapila Waidyaratne immediately after the ex-def &#8211; secy had informed him but very  little follow up action was done. The president hinted that a new Defence secretary would have to be appointed soon. He also condemned the IGP Pujitha  Jayasundara as a \u201cJoker\u201d and blamed much of the  all,eged lethargy displayed by the police to the IGP. Sirisena said the IGP was being protected by the Prime Minister. However President Sirisena said a new IGP would be appointed very soon. There was also discussion about the Chief justice position, the Supreme Court, the Attorney -Generals Dept and the Constitutional Commission.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Basil Rajapaksa in Charge<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As stated earlier, Mahinda and Basil Rajapaksa had a separate discussion among themselves after the Maithripala meeting was over. In that fraternal dialogue Basil once again emphasized that they need not try to topple the govt through a re-alignment of political forces in Parliament and that it would be better to have the sanction of the people through  elections. Mahinda agreed but said they could try and force the pace of polls if possible through a show of strength within Parliament. However both agreed that given the No Confidence motion fiasco the move may prove counter productive if it failed . Both Mahinda and Basil were firmly of the opinion that any forward movement in this matter should be predicated on Maithripala Sirisena pulling out the SLFP led by him out of the Govt headed  by him. It was also decided that Basil Rajapaksa would be in charge of any future negotiations with President Sirisena or other SLFP stalwarts in this exercise.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile news of the Maithripala -Mahinda meeting began appearing in different forms in different sections of the media. Speculation about a Mahinda &#8211; Maithripala  partnership  and setting up of an \u201cinterim\u201d or \u201ccaretaker\u201d Govt caused convulsions in the Mahinda, Maithripala and Ranil camps. The reaction in the Mahinda camp was extremely hostile towards the notion of  a re-alignment with Sirisena. To the average  Rajapaksa loyalist, Maithripala is a traitor who backstabbed Mahinda and joined forces with the UNP to bring about a defeat of the SLFP. No re-union was possible with Sirisena. Besides Mahinda should not accept Maithripala\u2019s leadership in any form. Mahinda Rajapaksa allayed these  concerns at the meeting of 41 SLFP Parliamentarians and said nothing has been decided upon and that no decision will be taken without the consent of the party. It was resolved that Mahinda would  be  the sole authority  to finalise any decision on this issue.<\/p>\n<p>There was much consternation and indignation within UNP folds too. As in the case of Mahinda loyalists who perceive Maithripala as a treacherous backstabber, there are many in the Ranil- UNP camp who view Sirisena as an ungrateful upstart who has kicked the ladder on which he climbed to the top. Several UNP\u2019ers began blasting Sirisena. In a bid to assuage hard feelings, Sajith Premadasa issued a statement expressing the hope that President Sirisena would not betray the Mandate he received  from the people in January 2015. Premadasa in recent times has reportedly grown closer to Sirisena. Some UNP bigwigs however were not prepared to let Sirisena off the hook so easily. They  have reportedly resorted to \u201cclandestine\u201d negotiations with some MP\u2019s in the Sirisena camp. It is being speculated that about 6 to 10 SLFP Parliamentarians would remain with the Govt if and when Sirisena decides  to pull out the party from the coalition Govt.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ranil Wickremesinghe \u201cCapt Cool\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Even though the UNP in Sri Lanka was perturbed over these developments its leader and prime minister tRanil Wickremesinghe  kept his cool and was seemingly unfazed.  Ranil had departed from Sri Lankan shores on the morning of October 3rd on a visit to  Norway and Britain. Sirisena\u2019s meeting with the Rajapaksas was on the  same day evening. When an excited senior UNP minister telephoned Ranil to break the news about Sirisena\u2019s meeting with Mahinda, Ranil seemed disinterested and replied nonchalantly \u201cWena Monawada?(What Else). When the minister told Ranil  that according to reports,  Maithripala  had said he would set up an interim Govt without Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister, the  UNP leader\u2019s response in \u201ccaptain Cool\u201dstyle was \u201cEyaa Kiyanna Ewwa Koranna Nahe Ne? (He  does not do whatever he says no?)<\/p>\n<p>All this makes the \u201cSpotlight\u201d beam on Maithripala Sirisena. The onus is on him to demonstrate that he is genuinely determined to remove Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime minister and set up a  re-configured  Govt under the premiership of Mahinda  Rajapaksa or his nominee. The Rajapaksas are subjecting their  one-time \u201cnemesis\u201d to a trial  by fire. Maithripala Sirisena  must prove his bona fides to the Rajapaksas by formally pulling out the SLFP from the Govt.  The bottom line in this sordid exercise is that Mahinda does not trust Maithripala and vice versa. D-day will be October 16th when the SLFP parliamentarians and key office  bearers are scheduled to meet. What will the SLFP decide and what will Maithripala Sirisena do thereafter? Above all how will the Western  nations and India countenance this envisaged Mahinda -Maithripala re-alignment? Que Sera Sera!<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>DBS Jeyaraj can be reached at <a href=\"mailto:dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com\"><font color=\"\">dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com<\/font> <\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>This article was written for the \u201cDBS Jeyaraj Column\u201d appearing in the \u201cDaily Mirror\u201d of October 13th, 2018. It can be reached via this link:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymirror.lk\/article\/Can-Maithripala-Sirisena-and-Mahinda-Rajapaksa-Re-unite-Politically--156835.html\">http:\/\/www.dailymirror.lk\/article\/Can-Maithripala-Sirisena-and-Mahinda-Rajapaksa-Re-unite-Politically&#8211;156835.html<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"tweetbutton61079\" class=\"tw_button\" style=\"float:right;margin-left:10px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdbsjeyaraj.com%2Fdbsj%2F%3Fp%3D61079&amp;text=Can%20Maithripala%20Sirisena%20and%20Mahinda%20Rajapaksa%20Re-unite%20Politically%3F&amp;related=&amp;lang=en&amp;count=horizontal\" class=\"twitter-share-button\"  style=\"width:55px;height:22px;background:transparent url('https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-tweet-button\/tweetn.png') no-repeat  0 0;text-align:left;text-indent:-9999px;display:block;\">Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Ranil Wickremesinghe is Green! Mahinda Rajapaksa is Blue! President Maithripala Sirisena, Which Political Colour Are You? Former British prime minister and renowned statesman Sir Winston Churchill in a memorable radio speech over the BBC in 1939 referred to Russia in this way &#8211; &#8220;It (Russia) is a riddle,wrapped in a mystery,inside an enigma&#8221;. &#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=61079\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading &lsquo;Can Maithripala Sirisena and Mahinda Rajapaksa Re-unite Politically?&rsquo; &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[27],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61079"}],"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=61079"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61079\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61100,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61079\/revisions\/61100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=61079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=61079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=61079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}