Countdown

Just another gimmick of the PA?

by H. Chanda Dhamma

Hectic preparations in the government camp for the general elections slowed to a snail's pace last week with the sudden demise of Tourism Minister Dharmasiri Senanayake who was also the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

The affable bachelor minister, who in the run-up to the 1994 elections was mentioned along with Ratnasiri Wikremanayake as a contender for the Prime Minister's post played only a minor role in the latter day SLFP and was disappointed with the portfolios assigned to him.

This was especially so when his media portfolio was re-assigned to Mangala Samaraweera in a cabinet reshuffle that saw very few other changes. Even so, the death of Dharmasiri Senanayake is indeed a loss for the People's Alliance for he was a popular man in the Kegalle district who also had a strong vote base in the former United National Party bastion of Dedigama.

But, even in the aftermath of Minister Senanayake's death there were those who saw some black humour in the event: condolence messages were pouring in for the popular politician from Monday but there was none until Thursday from President Kumaratunga who was overseas. Ms. Kumaratunga as usual was late, they said.

But what of the UNP? They issued no condolence message at all! The moral of the story- The PA is insensitive and inefficient but the UNP is worse. But the heat is now being felt not only in the PA and the UNP but in other smaller political parties as well. The latest to fall victim to 'election fever' is the UNP Vikalapa Kandaayma of Wijeyapala Mendis and Sarath Amunugama who are apparently battling with each other for 'leadership' and wrangling over clauses in the party constitution.

Minister Amunugama apparently wanted to contest as a separate entity but most others warned him that could be disastrous- as the party would not obtain either PA or UNP votes. Sanity has prevailed and hence the Vikalpa Kandaayma has come to an electoral agreement with the PA. But, tempers are frayed these days at the Baudhhaloka Mawatha temple of Ven. Elle Gunawansa which has become a virtual political office for the Kandayama, insiders say.

Nevertheless, the focus of attention now shifts to the political process itself with the so-called 'historic consensus' between the UNP and the PA at breaking point. The UNP is saying it will never agree to the proposed constitutional reforms if the Presidency is retained and elections are held under the first-past-the-post system and the PA is adamant that it will present the reforms to Parliament before it is dissolved.

With co-operation from the UNP waning and the minority parties never being in favour of most of the reforms, the prospects for enacting the proposals are remote-unless President Kumaratunga resorts to a political coup of sorts and woos quite a handful of UNP MPs to her side- perhaps with promises of portfolios and other privileges.

President Kumaratunga is now no amateur at the political game and being fully aware of this reality the lady is said to be burning the midnight oil in her first floor quarters at Temple Trees, pondering whom she should invite to the PA from the UNP.

But at the same time the President is also ready to go before the people with the complaint that the UNP- and more specifically Ranil Wickremesinghe- scuttled the PA- UNP consensus for ulterior motives. And the first indications of that came when the state media screamed that Mr. Wickremesinghe allegedly held discussions with a man with connections to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

It was following this media blitz that the Opposition Leader kept away from the PA- UNP talks but the events related to this incident are interesting indeed.

Apparently someone tipped off the government about Mr. Wickremesinghe's visit to Singapore and he had in fact been 'tailed' from the Airport.

As a result of this 'tail', the higher echelons of the government accidentally discovered information about their own ranks too. A minister in the 'inner circle' who was only recently the subject of much controversy had informed the President he would be in Anuradhapura and instead went to Singapore and got 'caught' to President Kumaratunga because of this 'tail'!

Who Mr. Wickreme-singhe in fact met at Singapore was Charles Gnanakone, the brother of Jayantha Gnanakone, known as a sympathiser of the LTTE cause who operates from Los Angeles. The latter is anti-Sinhalese though being married to one, those who have known him say.

The Opposition Leader may be justified in proclaiming his innocence. He had after all only met a businessman who regularly visits this country. This is all government propaganda, Mr. Wickremesinghe claims and indeed all that may be true.

But the fact is this is election time and a man is judged by the company he keeps, especially on an issue such as the LTTE which is very sensitive with the Sinhala electorate. Mr. Wickremesinghe should know that because during the last presidential campaign he jokingly quipped 'I will hand over Chandrika to Prabhakaran' and had to pay for it dearly in terms of votes.

UNPers are concerned about this turn of events. The fact that he has even been in touch with a Gnanakone does not bode him well, they feel.

The Gnanakone family after all, may have a link with the LTTE. Its history in Sri Lanka is clouded by the fact that some members of the family have been jailed for possession of drugs.

Against such a backdrop, the Gnanakones are not a family Mr. Wickremesinghe ought to keep company with if he wishes to maintain the image of a clean politician. Already his Mr. Clean image is getting dented by associating with a few questionable characters in his own party whom he is grooming- or is manipulated into grooming- but at least they have no LTTE links, hopefully.

Of course, some political analysts, especially those in the government ranks claim that Mr. Wickremesinghe may be having an understanding where the LTTE backs several independent candidates at the forthcoming elections. In their scheme of things the smaller Tamil parties which presently support the PA will then get wiped out electorally, leaving the 'independents' to do business with the UNP.

This is indeed a strategy the LTTE might tempt the UNP with, but if the UNP leadership falls for it, that will most definitely be playing with fire. Given the LTTE's track record- killing Rajiv Gandhi who released Prabhakaran after he was detained, and murdering R. Premadasa who housed them and fed them at the Hilton- the UNP might run the risk of becoming a cat's paw of the LTTE and dreadful are such thoughts indeed.

Of course, the UNP leadership will undoubtedly argue that this is not the case and that this is only a figment of the government's creative imagination.

But then, Mr. Wickremesinghe should not complicate matters by meeting people with family links to the LTTE!

But this will be one trump card the PA will raise as a campaign issue and unless proper 'damage control' is initiated this will undoubtedly cost the UNP valuable votes as the campaign gathers momentum, while the utterly inefficient PA gets away with almost murder.

But for those in the political arena, the countdown has really begun not only in terms of days for the election but also in their scramble for seats and party leaders and general secretaries will have a tough time 'short listing' candidates- especially for the National List which was meant to bring in techno - crats but have brought in only rats. to Parliament. But that is a separate story and will have to be told on another day!