Political Column - President faces crisis of credibility

* Kebethigollawa massacre forces govt. to look at tough decisions
* In hour of crisis, JVP threatens break over CEB bill
* CBK intensifies links with SLFP MPs as crisis deepens

Ending his routine morning exercises, President Mahinda Rajapaksa was in a jovial mood as he sat down with close aides at Temple Trees on Thursday morning. His telephone rang. It was his brother, Defence Secretary Gothabaya. He said "Mahinda Aiya, a large number of civilians have been killed at Kebethigollawa."

His mood changed. He turned angry as he broke the news. Then he declared "I must go and see what has happened. I cannot bear to be here when innocent people are being butchered for no reason." Many objected and pointed out it would be a serious risk. They were right. The President was high on the list of targets of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Senior officers of the Presidential Security Division (PSD) tried to persuade him not to go. He did not budge. He phoned Gothabaya and wanted him to make the arrangements.

Announcing that President Rajapaksa would arrive at the scene of the brutal Kebethigollawa massacre that left 63 men, women and children dead would pose serious problems. Hence, the Defence Secretary told Army Chief of Staff Nanda Mallawaratchchi and Police Chief Chandra Fernando that some VIPs were going to the area and to make the necessary arrangements. He also decided to join the President.

After the Sri Lanka Air Force Bell 414 VIP helicopter took off from the Army Grounds, Russian built Mi-24 helicopter gunships escorted it. After arriving at Kebethigollowa, the President wanted to go straight to the scene of the massacre. He was deeply moved after seeing the gory picture of blood stained bodies of men, women and children lined up on the ground. Some survivors, elderly men and women, clutched his hand and wept. "We voted for you. Please make sure we are safe," bemoaned a grandmother. Others shouted in a chorus. Some were beating their chests whilst hurling charges at the ruthlessness of the Tiger guerrillas. Rajapaksa assured that everything would be done to protect the villagers and appealed to them not to abandon their areas. This is what the perpetrators of the attack wanted them to do, he said.

President Rajapaksa was being driven past the Kebethigollawa town towards the hospital. He noticed a pile of tyres and wanted to get down from his vehicle. Near the area, he spotted only a lonely policeman. Security officers did not want him to alight. He asked a policeman who was responsible for the pyre of tyres. It was some JVP men, he replied. Ending his visit there after talking to the injured at the Kebethigollawa hospital, he flew to Anuradhapura. There, Maj. Gen. Nanda Mallawaratchchi persuaded him to visit the base hospital. He readily agreed.

At the hospital Rajapaksa met JVP's Lal Kantha and Ranaweera Pathirana. The first question he posed them was why the JVP had lit a pile of tyres at the Kebethigollawa junction. They denied. "We had nothing to do with it. We also know about this. It was done by a group of drunken youth," he said. Getting angry over the issue, Lal Kantha asked "why do you think we will do that. It is a lie." President Rajapaksa was angry. He admonished Police Chief Chandra Fernando. Firstly there had been only one policeman at the spot. Secondly, the lone one on the spot was unable to stop a pile of tyres being burnt. He wanted him to find out how wrong information was fed to him. Mr. Fernando in turn got the Superintendent of Police in charge of the area to give him a piece of his mind.

Returning to Colombo after the scene of the massacre, President Rajapaksa went into a meeting of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) parliamentarians, the last batch he was consulting. The aim was to ascertain whether he should dissolve Parliament and go for a snap poll. Previous sessions brought in a mixed response. Parliamentarians Sripathi Sooriyaratchci and Mahindananda Aluthgamage had pressed for snap polls, with or without the JVP. Thursday evening's meeting was no different. This time the sentiments were echoed by Ministers John Seneviratne and Nimal Siripala de Silva among others. But the loquacious Mervyn Silva was to hold a different view. He said, "We have to break the United National Party by winning over its members. That is the best way to consolidate power." There were others who felt going to polls at this juncture was not conducive. Besides mounting costs of consumer goods placing hardships on the people, the prospect of a war breaking out was also adduced as a reason. President Rajapaksa does not appear to have made up his mind. An aide said snap polls and a cabinet reshuffle ahead of it were no longer high priorities.

Talking of war, a warning sounded by Chairman of the Foundation for Co-existence and Head of the Anti War Front, Dr. Kumar Rupasinghe, during a speech at a symposium on tsunami and its aftermath organized by the Muslim Council drew the attention of the highest levels of the Government. He was reported to have said that the tsunami, a natural disaster, had taken a large number of lives. Man made disasters like the war had taken a toll of 65,000. He had said organizations should be prepared to do humanitarian work since the outbreak of a war was imminent.

The Criminal Investigation Department received instructions to summon Dr. Rupasinghe and record a statement. On Thursday he turned up at the CID offices. "The CID wanted to know from where I got the information and I most willingly and gladly agreed to give information as they were all public sources," he said later.

He added "the fact that I was singled out is an obvious attempt to try and get the sources of my information but they are very public sources."

Dr. Rupasinghe said he had referred to a statement by Sea Tiger leader Soosai that was reported in the Daily News, another by the Tamil Resurgence Force and a Tamil web site. They had also spoken about a spiral in violence. He had also referred to statements made by LTTE Political Wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan.

Dr. Rupasinghe was angry at being summoned to the CID. Upon finishing his statement, he telephoned Police Chief Fernando to protest. He said he would sue him and his officers for violation of fundamental rights.

IGP Fernando had explained that Dr. Rupasinghe, according to reports he received, had spoken about a war being imminent. Since he (Rupasinghe) was conversant with Non Governmental Organisations which were working in the North and East, the Police Chief had said, he thought it necessary to seek more information from him. This was to ensure national security interests. However, he said, if Dr. Rupasinghe wanted to pursue legal action, he was free to do so.

President Rajapaksa felt that there was a need to send a delegation of all political parties for the funerals of Kebethigollawa victims. He telephoned UNP Deputy Leader, Karu Jayasuriya to nominate a representative of the United National Party. Their leader and the Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe was away in India. But there was no response from Jayasuriya. Later, Government leaders were able to persuade UNP's Navin Dissanayake to be a member of the All Party team for the funerals. Others included Wimal Weerawansa (JVP) and Githanjana Gunawardena (MEP), Ven. Athurueliya Rathana Thera (JHU). Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva and Rohitha Bogollagama represented the Government. President Rajapaksa's message of condolence was read out by de Silva.

If the Government and the JVP could work together on key issues like counter-terrorism, one major issue is threatening to tear them apart. This was a Cabinet decision last Wednesday to restructure the Ceylon Electricity Board. When the proposal was made by Power and Energy Minister John Seneviratne, President Rajapaksa wanted to know whether the matter was discussed with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. He replied that he had talked to JVP's Lal Kantha but the discussions were inconclusive. Seneviratne said if a decision was not taken, the CEB could not be run for over a month. Even Treasury Secretary P.B. Jayasundera has provided a document to confirm this. It was only after the CEB restructuring that Asian Development Bank funding was also expected.

The cabinet then decided to present the Bill in Parliament on June 24. However, the JVP has made clear it would oppose it tooth and nail in Parliament. That is not all. They have also made clear that it would be the turning point in their relationship with the Rajapaksa Government. They will not extend further support.

Two of the contentious issues which the JVP raised when it was in coalition with the Government of then President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga were the subjects of CEB restructuring and the question of portfolios for Ministers. JVP leaders say the move to rush the CEB restructuring bill was to create a rift between President Rajapaksa and their party.

All in all, President Rajapaksa faces a formidable task in the coming weeks and months. A rising cost of living, with fuel and power prices rising, has cast a heavy burden on the common man. Corruption is reaching unprecedented levels with no punitive action against wrongdoers. Peace talks have floundered with the LTTE threatening war. There are already rumblings amongst Government MPs over these developments, particularly on the scourge of corruption and Government's inability or unwillingness to deal with it. Leave alone taking those corrupt to task, they now say, they were going scot-free or receiving elevated positions.

Calls to former President Kumaratunga, who is still in London, from Government parliamentarians are on the rise. She has refused to concede the Sri Lanka Freedom Party leadership to Rajapaksa and is waiting on the sidelines. The crisis for the seven-month old Rajapaksa Government is one of inaction.