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Divided House unites for common good, at least for 100 days
When Parliament adjourned on December 12 last year, after fixing January 20, 2015, as the next sitting day, other than a murmur about the impeding presidential election, no one was expecting that, within the course of five weeks, the political fortunes of the UNP which had endured nearly 20 years in the Opposition, would rise so unexpectedly, while a formidable alliance led by political strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa would fall.
So, when Parliament met on Tuesday, except for Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa who continued to occupy his seat at the helm of the House, Ranil Wickremesinghe who had served as Leader of the Opposition since April 2004, took the chair of Prime Minister (PM), while former Leader of the House, Nimal Siripala De Silva took the seat on the opposite side of the House as the new Leader of the Opposition.
In a change of Government control brought about sans a Parliamentary election, places changed but faces remained the same. Nevertheless, even with the same faces, the mood seemed upbeat, among most party leaders who spoke, that the country was headed in a new political direction, away from the divisive Party politics the country had endured for decades.
The historic nature of Tuesday’s Parliament session was something that PM Wickremesinghe underscored when he spoke, saying it was a day that would herald a new political culture in the country, and be the start of a journey which was being “undertaken, not by an individual, but all together for the benefit of the country.”
With President Maithripala Sirisena seated on his right, the PM spoke of the need to strengthen Parliament, the powers of which had been eroded over the years, to improve the image of politicians in the eyes of the public, and to cast aside political differences to take the country forward. Similar sentiments were expressed by the newly appointed Leader of the House, Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva, who, speaking on behalf of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), said that his Party would extend its fullest support to the ‘100-Day Programme’ undertaken by the Wickremesinghe Government. “As representatives of the people, we should work for the welfare of the people, and not towards fulfilling our personal agendas,” he said.
Both, Tamil National Alliance Leader (TNA) MP R. Sampanthan and JVP Leader MP Anura Dissanayake spoke of the need to move steadily to resolve numerous issues affecting the people of the country. However, not all Party Leaders were in a conciliatory mood, with former Chief Government Whip MP Dinesh Gunawardena whose Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) is a member of the United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA), faulted at the manner in which the former President and other members of his family were being hounded by the new Government.
He cautioned the new PM that he was partner in a rather peculiar marriage, the success of which would depend largely on him. “You are the architect of the Maithripala Sirisena victory, This is the truth,” he said. JHU MP Aturaliye Ratana Thera who had played a major role in forging a common alliance to take on the former president, said that, Constitutional reforms and the creation of a new government would herald a new era in the political history of the country. “The conventional lines that existed between Government and Opposition have been blurred by the setting up of this new government. All parties including the TNA have come together today for the common good of the people of this country,” he said.
Former minister Wimal Weerawansa was among those who made an impassioned plea for the new government to ensure that the freedom from terrorism, secured under the leadership of the former president, should not be compromised. Ironically, he also lamented the alleged lack of media freedom under the new regime.
Going by the support, as well as the voices of dissent, that arose within Parliament on the first day, the new Government was being put to the test, the minority Government that PM Wickremesinghe will have to anchor for the next three months is likely to run into some turbulence in the days ahead.