Columns

• Formal declaration soon; President will write to political parties seeking their backing for his “independent candidature” next month
• Dullas group will join SJB
• SLPP ex-co meets to discuss presidential poll; candidate will be required to assure they follow party policies

By Our Political Editor

President Ranil Wickremesinghe revealed his strongest indication so far that he would be a candidate at the upcoming presidential election during his address to the nation on Wednesday night.

“I pose a critical question—will you move forward with me, or will you align with those groping in the dark, still struggling to grasp the issues,” he asked. He then declared that he comprehended the economic and financial issues from the inception.

What remains now for him is only a formal declaration of his candidature. As reported earlier, he is due to write to all political parties seeking their support for his “independent candidature.” That will include his main backer, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). The key element in his address was that Sri Lanka had been able to defer loan instalment payments until 2028. In addition, he said, there would be the opportunity to make repayments on concessional terms, with an extended period until 2043.

Last Monday morning saw a poster campaign in the City of Colombo and suburbs. One in bold letters said Aranchiya Subhai or the news is a happy one. It became the talking point particularly in social media. Travellers in trains and buses asked each other what the good news was. By Wednesday morning, another poster with the same format came as a spoiler. The lettering congratulated the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) for having decided “to field its own presidential candidate.” An attempt had been made to project the first poster about ‘good news’ as one put out by the SLPP. On Wednesday night, after  President Wickremesinghe delivered his address, however, matters were set right. There were bursts of firecrackers in Colombo, Kandy and other main towns. On Thursday morning, there were more posters. They spoke of Ranil being the most suitable person at this moment.

In his address, President Wickremesinghe took swipes at two of his fellow would-be presidential candidates—Samagi Jana Balavegaya leader Sajith Premadasa and National People’s Power leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake. He said, “They traverse Sri Lanka seeking power; visiting schools and traversing the world in relentless pursuit of authority.” The presidential address will come up for debate on July 2 and 3 in Parliament after which a vote is to be taken. The idea seems to place on record those who were in favour of the debt restructuring deal and those who opposed it.

From left: President Wickremesinghe called on the Malwatte Chapter Mahanayake, the Ven. Thibbotuwawe Sri Siddhratha Sumangala Thera; the Asgiriya Chapter Mahanayake, the Ven, Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thera , in Kandy and he also met Amarapura Mahanayake, the Ven. Karagoda Uyangoda Maithri Murthi Thera at the Balangoda Sri Dharmananda Vidyayathana Pirivena on Thursday.

With the task of addressing the nation over, President Wickremesinghe was in Kandy. He called on the the Asgiriya Chapter Mahanayake, the Venerable Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thera, and the Malwatte Chapter Mahanayake, the Venerable Thibbotuwawe Sri Siddharatha Sumangala Thera. He later paid a visit to the Sri Bala Selva Vinayagar Temple in Katukele, Kandy and the Meera Macan Mosque. The rituals make clear, even before announcing his candidature, President Wickremesinghe has embarked on his campaign with the customary religious observances.

Dullas group to join hands with SJB

It came at a time when SLPP breakaway groups are busy concluding tie-ups with other major parties, a move that is necessary for their success at the parliamentary elections.

This time, the Freedom People’s Congress (FPC) led by Dullas Allahapperuma wants to join the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB). This is after its first attempt to join did not materialise, and the two sides took up strong positions. The Sunday Times learnt that FPC General Secretary Prof. Charitha Herath has had talks with SJB leader Sajith Premadasa. An announcement on the tie-up is to be made within the next two weeks, an FPC source said. If he joind the SJB, Premadasa is learnt to have offered him to contest the Katugampola electorate in the Kurunegala district. The FPC would have to decide whether it would join the SJB or enter an alliance with the SJB. There are six parliamentarians now in the FSP. They are Dullas Allahapperuma, Prof. Charitha Herath, Dr Gunapala Ratnasekera, Dr. Tilak Rajapaksa, Lalith Ellawala and Udeni Kirindiagoda. Once the decision is made, there will be another meeting with SJB leader Premadasa, the source added.  Most are in favour of joining the SJB and point out the history of the SLPP where political parties that went into alliance had peeled off.

In December last year, an FPC faction led by one-time Foreign Minister, G.L. Peiris, joined the SJB. This was after they expressed dissatisfaction over long delays in their party conducting talks with SJB leaders. FPC leaders during talks sought a change in SJB’s economic policies, an electoral arrangement, and a possible accommodation of their representative in the leadership structure. Issues came to the fore in December, last year, at a stormy FSC political bureau meeting chaired by the group’s leader Dulles Allahapperuma. All 13 parliamentarians, who walked away from the SLPP, are members of this bureau. The meeting began with an appeal by G.L. Peiris, a former Cabinet minister in successive governments, wanting to suspend all items for discussion and take up the subject of talks so far to join the SJB. He wanted Allahapperuma to first make a statement on talks held days earlier.

The President also paid a visit to the Sri Bala Selva Vinayagar Temple in Katukele, Kandy and the Meera Macan Mosque to receive blessings. Pix by Hirantha Withanage

The SJB team for the talks was led by its leader Sajith Premadasa, and included General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara. The FPC led by Allahapperuma had included G.L. Peiris and Channa Jayasumana. Jayasumana has since left. They met in the Parliament complex where the budget debate was then under way. Allahapperuma told the meeting that the talks were not productive and there was no successful outcome. He said the FPC would not go into alliance with any political party or group until there was a clear-cut arrangement. His views were then supported by parliamentarians Prof Charitha Herath and Gunapala Ratnasekera.

Four other members – G.L. Peiris, Channa Jayasumana (who has since left), Nalaka Godahewa and Dilan Perera – said they should join the SJB without any pre-conditions. They said they would consult their respective electorate leadership regarding their proposal. The meeting that began at 5 p.m. continued till 9 p.m. After the four-hour session had ended, the four MPs adjourned to the Narahenpita residence of Dr. Peiris to continue discussions. Two more FPC members joined in. They were K.P.S. Kumarasiri and Wasantha Yapa. Discussions about joining the SJB, even by forming another political group, were the subject.

Premadasa had to contend with pressure from his own SJB members when it came to heeding demands from those wanting to form alliances. The position he has taken is for those wanting to back the SJB to join it as members. “That helps him maintain a balance,” says the source.

Another development of significance is last Monday’s meeting of the All-Island Executive Committee of the SLPP. The  deliberations by their leadership related to the presidential election. Also adopted was a recommendation to forward to the party’s disciplinary committee a proposal to remove Colombo district parliamentarian Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe from membership. This is for obtaining membership in another political party and thus violating the SLPP Constitution. The move is to precede a formal inquiry.

A more important aspect discussed was the upcoming presidential election. During the meeting and talks by the party hierarchy at the highest levels, there have been discussions about urging the party’s presidential candidate to adhere to policies of the party. In addition, they also seek to obtain assurances that hardships are not heaped on the people in the form of taxes and levies. It is not immediately clear whether such a request will be sought in writing from their presidential candidate or obtained during a formal meeting.

It may be recalled that former President and SLPP leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, wrote to President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in May last year, calling upon him not to dispose of state-owned assets until the presidential election was over. Highlights of the letter he wrote:

“The government’s plans to sell off certain national assets and state-owned enterprises have given rise to discontent among trade unions, political parties and the general public. The present divestiture drive is ostensibly aimed at minimising govt. expenditure on loss-making state-owned enterprises and meeting certain IMF conditions in that regard. I ruled the country for more than nine years from November 2005 to January 2015 without ever selling a single state-owned enterprise. In fact, my government actually re-acquired some state-owned enterprises such as the Insurance Corporation, and Lanka Hospitals that had been sold off by previous governments and these enterprises continue to make profits for the state to date.

“My government had a pragmatic approach towards state owned assets and enterprises. If a state-owned enterprise was making profits and providing a good service to the public, we saw no reason to privatise it. At times, a government may take a strategic decision to manage the prices of certain goods or services produced by state owned enterprises for the overall benefit of the economy or to help low-income earners. The energy sector is a good example of this. There is no government in the world that does not subsidise certain earmarked economic activities.

“During my tenure as President, even if some state-owned enterprises made losses due to a government decision to manage prices, our management of the economy resulted in an unbroken nine year economic boom. We had no difficulty in paying off our debts or meeting the costs of the subsidies we maintained and nobody even spoke of privatization when I was President. Since the divestiture of certain sectors can have far reaching consequences for the country especially when foreign parties are involved, this is an issue that has to be approached with caution. As was resolved at the SLPP May Day rally, any restructuring of state-owned enterprises should take place with maximum transparency, according to a national plan, in a manner consistent with national security and in consultation with the employees.

“Having said that, I wish to stress that the trade union sector for its part, should take a more nuanced approach towards private sector participation in state owned enterprises. Going by the dictionary definition of privatisation, any involvement of the private sector in the ownership structure or the control of a state-owned asset or enterprise can be characterised as privatisation. However, trade unions should not oppose every attempt to obtain foreign or private sector investment in a government owned enterprise. A pragmatic and non-dogmatic approach to such matters is required.

“If there are unutilised government properties or underperforming government enterprises, it makes sense to obtain private sector participation to turn such enterprises around. If a profitable state-owned enterprise needs further investment to add a new feature which cannot be financed by the government, it makes sense to award a share of that enterprise to a private investor in exchange for the investment. If an investor is willing to build a new enterprise from scratch, it makes sense to award shares in that enterprise to the investor so that a new state asset comes into being……”

Udayanga’s claims

This time, however, those at the leadership levels have chosen to maintain stoic silence over the discussions at the meeting and the decisions they have taken. Not surprisingly, speaking on those matters have fallen on the shoulders of those who are not directly involved in the SLPP. One such case is that of Udayanga Weeratunga, a nephew of ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa. He was introduced in a video programme as the spokesperson for the Rajapaksa family. Whether all his assertions are accurate or what he says is part of a disinformation campaign remains an issue. Just months ago, he told an interviewer whose videos are posted on the YouTube that President Ranil Wickremesinghe would dissolve Parliament on June 14 and call a parliamentary election. That never happened and his claims were proved wrong. Even by the time he made those remarks. President Wickremesinghe had made clear there would be presidential elections first. This time too, parts of the video programme was loaded against President Wickremesinghe with Weeratunga making highly critical remarks against him.

Udayanga Weeratunga was introduced in the video programme, posted on the YouTube, as the spokesperson of the Rajapaksa family. Mahinda Aiya, Weeratunga said, had spoken to him after media reports appeared that two politicians, Nimal Lanza and Duminda Dissanayake, had appealed at a media planning event to leave the Rajapaksas out when Ranil Wickremesinghe contested the presidential election. It caused outrage in the SLPP with its founder, Basil Rajapaksa, raising objections with President Wickremesinghe. Mahinda Rajapaksa, Weeratunga said, had asked him to meet Wimal Weerawansa, leader of the Jathika Nidahas Peramuna. Though the meeting took place, Weeratunga said he would not disclose what transpired except to reveal that Weerawansa would be an SLPP candidate at the next parliamentary election. Weerawansa, however, did not respond to calls made to him.

Weeratunga blamed members of the Rajapaksa family (they were identified by name) for having looked after themselves in resolving court cases against them. However, Weeratunga lamented, “they did not even give me five cents worth of help in the cases against me.”  The main case against Weeratunga is over a string of allegations on the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) acquisition of MiG-27 fighter jets. He forecast that Namal Rajapaksa, MP would be the presidential candidature for SLPP and that his name has been endorsed even by party founder Basil Rajapaksa—a claim flatly denied by senior members of the SLPP. He boasted that Namal would quit the SLPP and form another party if he was not nominated. He also claimed that the SLPP presidential candidate’s name and party logo would appear on the ballot paper for the presidential election. He forecast that the SLPP Prime Ministerial candidate would be millionaire businessman and casino owner Dhammika Perera. There were some contradictions too. At one point, he named Perera as the SLPP presidential candidate. “Namal has been demanding from the SLPP leaders that they be told early who the presidential candidate would be,” Weeratunga claimed.

In a media release after a visit to Medawachchiya, Namal Rajapaksa, was quoted as saying that “Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed President by Parliament. We supported him. But we do not agree with him on some points in principle. Although we support certain legislation, there are issues that we do not agree with. It does not fit our principles.” The release added, “The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna responsibly says that it will take responsibility for the tomorrow of the children of this country. We are ready to face any upcoming election. We do not agree to postponing elections. The electoral map of this country will not be allowed to shrink.”

Weeratunga claimed that SLPP seniors referred to a few parliamentarians who backed President Wickremesinghe as “the President’s children.”  The group was made up of four SLPP ministers whom he claimed were supportive although the figure is said to be much higher. Weeratunga claimed that both Mahinda and Basil Rajapaksa were disillusioned with recent developments, again a claim flatly denied by senior members of the SLPP.

In another development, National People’s Power (NPP) leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has hit out at the SLPP for not making an “official statement” about its presidential candidate. Addressing a district teacher meeting in Batticaloa last Thursday he charged that former ministers who were found guilty of various offences were still holding sway. He named them and asked how they could seek votes from the public.

Teachers had called off their strike since the meeting was held. Anura Kumara Dissanayake said, “The teaching profession is not as popular as doing business, like going to a job at the port, customs, or the Central Bank. The teaching profession has become a profession with low facilities and low salaries. In our manifesto it is included that the teaching profession will be made one of the ten main professions in Sri Lanka. Why is that. The most important resource of our country is human resources. Our country has no future without developing this human resource. We are not a big, industrialised country. Our country is not a state with commercial resources like coal, gold, oil and gas. Therefore, we have to turn our resources into human resource. Therefore, we need to create an advanced dimension that the country and the world need. There the task of education is huge.”

This week’s events show that campaigns for the presidential election have now got under way. A formal announcement by the Election Commission next month of the presidential polls will further speed them up.