Daily News Editorial

Of leaders and pretenders

Friday 30th October 2015

 

UNP renegade Maithri Gunaratne has once again climbed his hobby horse and engaged in a bout of Ranil bashing. In an interview on a morning TV programme he let fly as usual and in the process contradicted himself. While claiming that he was expelled from the party due to differences of opinion over the Common Candidate ranged against Mahinda Rajapaksa the attorney at law in the same breath goes on to state that he pulled his full weight to ensure the victory of Maithripala Sirisena.

Not stopping at that he goes on to state that he also received an appointment as Chairman of a state institution from President Sirisena whom he once opposed. Going on to dwell on a catalogue of draw backs of Wickremesinghe that has had a negative impact on the party Gunaratne goes on to state that "the UNP was in crisis for want of a proper leadership", in the very words of yesterday's Island which carried the interview in full.

How the UNP is in crisis after having only won an election on its own steam barely two months ago only Gunaratne seems to know. True, the UNP won as the United National Front in collation with the breakaway group from the SLFP and JHU and some minority parties. But this was the same scenario even in 2001. He says that all the plum Ministries were taken over by the SLFP. Even in 2001 S.B. Dissanyake was the Minister of Agriculture. Mahinda Wijesekera Minister of Fisheries and Rauf Hakeem Minister of Ports. He says that messrs. Champika Ranawaka, Dr.Rajitha Senaratne and Arjuna Ranatunga were not UNPers although they contested the last election under the elephant symbol. But they were part and parcel of the grand coalition that with the predominant help of the UNP saw the back of Mahinda Rajapaksa in January 8. It was thus inevitable that this amalgam of forces would stay united at the General Election as well to consolidate the gains made in January 8.

It is an oft repeated claim by President Maithripala Sirisena that it was the UNP that paved the way for his victory. This has been endorsed by even newspaper columnists sympathetic to Rajapaksa ie. that the huge bulk of the vote for the Common Candidate came from the UNP. Gunaratne says that having failed to secure a simple majority in Parliament the UNP had no option but to reach an understanding with SLFP leader, President Sirisena. Even CBK, at the height of her popularity in 1994 when the UNP which had ruled the country for 17 long years were down in the dumps, managed to secure only 105 seats (this too with the help of the LSSP, CP and the Sri Lanka Mahajana Party). Also Ranil Wickremesinghe in 2001 fell short by four seats to enjoy a working majority. That Government was toppled only because there was a hostile President. On that occasion too the UNP contested as the UNF with the likes of S.B. Dissanayake, Mahinda Wijesekera, Nandimithra Ekanayake et al in its fold. This time the UNP led UNF managed to secure 106 seats one better than that obtained by CBK in 1994. Coalition politics is nothing strange to this country. Dudley Senanayake in 1965 could not muster a clear majority and governed in coalition with parties such as the MEP and the Jathika Vimukthi Peramuna. Did this make his victory any less important?

The UNP certainly did not have to depend on President Sirisena for its survival as contended by Gunaratne going by the above equations. Anyway, the President was not hostile towards the UNP led Government as was CBK in 2001. All it had to do was obtain a few members onto its side as CBK did in 1994. In 2001 too the UNP had SLFP ministers in the Government but at no time did it play second fiddle to that party.

Gunaratne, greatly admiring Mahinda Rajapaksa's leadership qualities and his close affinity with the ordinary man faults Ranil Wickremesinghe for being the opposite. One of the qualities of MR held in high esteem by Gunaratne is the former's visits to party men languishing in prisons. Even the harshest critic of Wickremesinghe, which even Gunaratne will concede, accepts that he was above board in all respects and no accusation of corruption, nepotism has been leveled against him during his long political career. Gunaratne as a UNP er may also be well aware that Wickremesinghe is not given to ostentation nor is one to play to the gallery by engaging in antics such as visiting prisons to console those held behind bars for murder.

He says that the UNP is in crisis for want of proper leadership. We are not aware what criteria is being used by Gunaratne to measure leadership. Ranil Wickremesinghe has brought back a UNP led Government into power after 15 years by a masterstroke of masterminding a revolt within the Government camp and getting the General Secretary of the SLFP to contest against his own leader. The Rajapaksa juggernaut deemed invincible was blown away and a UNP led Government enthroned, thanks to the leadership qualities of one man whom the likes of Gunaratne refuses to accept as a leader.