The Political Column

1st November 1998

GL, Choksy for bi-partisan formula

By our Political Correspondent

While business leaders are calling for a political ceasefire as a prelude to all-party talks on the ethnic conflict, the two major parties, much in contrast are hammering each other harder than ever before.

There seems to be little or no consensus between the two major parties on any matter, let alone the ethnic conflict.

President Kumaratunga appears to be bitter over the UNP's attitude towards the peace deal and on many occasions has accused the UNP of delaying or sabotaging the process. 

Opposition UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on the other hand looks at this problem quite differently. He accuses the government of blaming everything on the UNP and denies charges that the party is adopting an obstructionist course. 

Mr. Wickremesinghe also made similar remarks at a meeting with US Ambassador Shaun Donnelly, saying it would be unfair to view the UNP as obstructionist.

This discussion took place at a lunch hosted by the American Ambassador to assess Mr. Wickremesinghe's recent visit to the US.

During the visit Mr. Wickremesinghe met State Department Official Carl Inderfurth who referred to the ''obstructionist attitude'' of the UNP towards the peace proposals drawn up by the government.

UNP sources feel Mr. Inderfurth was not quite in line with ground realities here or he had been misinformed. 

Mr. Wickremesinghe did not take too kindly to Mr. Inderfurth's remarks and told the American Ambassador, ''don't view the UNP as obstructionists''.

The UNP leader also gave a lengthy explanation to business leaders who he met on Monday to discuss an action plan to tackle the ethnic crisis and other issues.

"The UNP under my leadership has taken a constructive and responsible approach to the resolution of the ethnic problem,'' Mr. Wickremesinghe told the business leaders.

He said the government had failed many times politically and militarily in handling the conflict. When the talks with the LTTE broke down in April 1995, the government did not alert the military and as a result heavy losses were suffered.

"We could have taken to the streets but we acted with restraint,'' Mr. Wickremesinghe said.

He said UNP had agreed to participate in the Select Committee proceedings on Constitutional Reforms despite pressure from some party quarters to boycott it over the manner in which the government had mishandled the local elections.

"Whenever I was invited by the President to discuss the ethnic problem, I obliged and further I agreed to work within the framework of the Liam Fox agreement and suggested only minor amendments to the draft communique,'' Mr. Wickremesinghe said.

It is known that Mr. Wickremesinghe rushed to sign the Liam Fox agreement initiated by Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar even without consulting the Working Committee of the party.

However the Working Committee later ratified the deal.

When a close associate queried as to why he rushed to sign this agreement, Mr. Wickremesinghe said it was done in the best interest of the party after carefully analysing the local government election results. 

"What would happen to the UNP if they go for a Parliamentary election asking for a fresh mandate?" Mr. Wickremesinghe queried then.

Besides, the UNP at that stage rated Mr. Kadirgamar as the rising star of the PA and rushed into sign the agreement in an apparent bid to woo the Tamil voters.

Former Foreign Minister A.C.S. Hameed having a goal in mind told the business leaders there should be a basis for talks and he felt the Liam Fox agreement was the best starting point.

He said the business community should work towards the implementation of the Fox agreement and they readily agreed.

During the talks Mr. Wickremesinghe also had swipes at Minister G.L. Peiris when he said that the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee sought the approval of the Committee to submit a draft report along with the draft Constitution to Parliament at a time when he (Mr. Wickremesinghe) was away.

"At that meeting the UNP members submitted riders and it was agreed that the Select Committee would meet soon. But it had not happened todate,'' Mr. Wickremesinghe said.

In the circumstances, it would be unfair for anybody to say that the UNP had not given any support to find a solution to the ethnic problem, he said.

Mr. Wickremesinghe said there had been instances when he was invited by the President to discuss this problem but later he found out to his utter dismay that he had been openly criticised and condemned by the President. Yet he did not mind it.

He was broad-minded enough to be tolerant of such outbursts and criticisms.

When the meeting began, Mr. Wickremesinghe took a pot shot at the President when he apologised to the business leaders for not keeping them waiting for 45 minutes. "I apologise to you for starting the meeting on time," he quipped, obviously referring to reports that the business leaders had to wait nearly one hour when they went to Temple Trees to meet the President.

The business delegation led by Lalith Kotelawela with his lady secretary to do the minutes, was however without a key figure Keells Group chief Ken Balendra. Political analysts were speculating whether he kept away becuase he and the UNP are not on the best of terms after the privatisation of the Queen Elizabeth Quay. 

The Keells Group was one of the companies in the multi-national Gateway company which got the contract. The UNP has slammed this deal as a sell-out of national assets.

Business delegation leader Lalith Kotelawala while thanking Mr. Wickremesinghe for the productive dialogue with them, expressed concern over the confrontational attitude between the PA and the UNP. 

He said they felt that it was their duty to play the role of a catalyst.

"Without a solution to the ethnic conflict, the country cannot reap the fruits of economic growth and development,'' he said.

Mr. Kotelawala also said they had been keeping in touch with President Kumaratunga regarding the latest developments and she had agreed to nominate two people to co-ordinate moves with the business leaders.

Mr. Kotelawala bowled a googly to Mr. Wickremesinghe, asking what might be the pitfalls if talks were held with the LTTE.

The UNP leader deftly passed it on to Mr. Hameed, saying, ''ask Mr. Hameed. He is the only man who could advise us." He was apparently referring to Mr. Hameed's role in peace talks in 1991. 

But Mr. Hameed was cautious and in turn asked Mr. Kotelawala, "Is your Chamber prepared to take me as a Consultant." With this they got away and the UNP did not answer Mr. Kotelawala's question. However, Mr. Kotelawala and the delegation appeared to be jittery about the media. Mr. Kotelawala on more than one occasion stressed the need to maintain the confidentiality in the talks.

He appeared to be thoroughly disturbed over the detailed reporting of their meeting with the President.

As the meeting was in progress, Mr. Kotelawala queried as to whether the UNP would nominate two representatives to liaise with the business leaders.

At this point Armyne Weerasinghe had a different view, suggesting to the UNP that they appoint two representatives to the National Committee. After deliberations, it was decided to nominate two UNP members to liaise with the business leaders.

Mr. Kotelawala said that if the UNP could nominate K.N. Choksy and with Minister Peiris on the other side, they could form a formidable combination. 

The UNP agreed to consider the matter. 

Mr. Choksy also made a useful contribution at the meeting when he said that the UNP had submitted alternative proposals to the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Constitution and all other key areas which could also be fruitfully used in finding a solution.

The business delegation while pointing out it was not their duty to make any proposals on the Constitution and on political issues, they were keen to see that the PA and the UNP on the same platform with a proposal acceptable to everybody.

They also pointed out that they do not advocate separatism in any way but the effort was to find a solution which is acceptable to the LTTE and others too.

It is their point of view that it would be a futile exercise to talk to the LTTE unless the major parties have some sort of consensus on what they could offer.

Minutes before the meeting started the two delegations exchanged courtesies where the business leaders paid a glowing tribute to one time member of their club Karu Jayasuriya.

"He should have been on our side,'' one member said.

The meeting ended on a pleasant note, but how the UNP would respond is another question.

The UNP may be having valid personal problems about the attitude of President Kumaratunga and Minister G.L. Peiris, but most analysts feel the time has now come for the party to rise above personal or party politics and act in the national interest.

Another story in the headlines is the controversy between Attorney General Sarath N Silva and the political journal "Ravaya". The issue came to a head when Mr. Silva decided to meet the media at the weekly Cabinet news briefing. His aim was to reply the allegations made by Ravaya and to clear his name as the Chief Law Officer of the State. 

It was President Kumaratunga who suggested that the AG should clear his name on all the allegations levelled against him. 

Since Minister Peiris too held the same view Mr. Silva decided to face the media. 

The AG told the President that he would go before the press and clear his name since he had nothing to hide. 

But he reminded the President that similar allegations surfaced just before he was to be elevated as the President of the Court of Appeal too. "Soon after I was appointed, the campaign also ceased," he told the President. Replying, the President said that she did not have any problem with the AG personally but she made this suggestion for his own good. 

"I understand," Mr. Silva said. 

"I would like to face the press, but on one condition, nobody should announce the date." 

But to the utter dismay of Mr. Silva he found that the press had already been informed of the matter. 

Once the matter was publicised, the AG received many telephone calls from friends and sympathisers, that it would not be necessary for him to appear before a press corp to clear his name. 

But since he had already taken the plunge, Mr. Silva decided to go ahead despite the warnings. 

On Thursday morning President Kumaratunga telephoned Mr. Silva once again. 

"Are your going to meet the press?" she asked. "I won't compel you to go, the President said while querying whether an AG should appear before the press just because one newspaper made allegations. 

The President also indicated that she was prepared to go to the extent of cancelling the press conference if he so desired.

"I can face it. I am very confident about it," Mr. Silva said. 

"You have to take the risk. I can only wish you well," the President said. Mr. Silva faced the test with much confidence and answered the questions well. 

The questioning lasted for almost one hour. The AG is known to have taken one whole day to study the documents and prepare his case. 

But the question persists as to whether the Attorney General should have come before the media for an "inquiry". 

Some analysts say the matter is personal and is not linked to his official duties while others say some interested parties are trying to frame him on the eve of his elevation to the highest post in the Judiciary. 

Whatever it may be, the end result was that the "Ravaya" achieved full mileage from the story before a larger audience than it ever had. 

At the weekly Cabinet meeting Minister Fowzie had an exchange of words with President Kumaratunga over a locomotive tender. 

Mr. Fowzie told the government that he had received a sufficient number of diesel engines and it would not be necessary to get down some more diesel engines as stipulated in the tender document. 

Instead he asked the President to release the money to rehabilitate the railway tracks. 

"If we don't have proper tracks to run trains the objective is lost. 

I have six engines - more than sufficient. Now I need money to rehabilitate tracks," he said. 

But the President disagreed. 

"You can't do that, you have to act according to the agreement," she said. The President also alleged that the Transport Ministry had some corrupt officials. 

Mr. Fowzie snapped back, "Don't say that. I myself find out everything unlike other ministers."

"You got down engines from France and now we need tracks," Mr. Fowzie hit back. 

"What do you mean, you think I bought French engines," the President asked. Mr. Fowzie withdrew his remarks saying, "Sorry, your government". 

However, he said that his demand for money to rehabilitate the railway tracks would not be withdrawn. 

The President later directed him to submit a report on the matter for further consideration. 

Cooray dreaming of Ideal Republic

While the business community is trying to get the PA and UNP on one platform, one time UNP strongman and General Secretary B. Sirisena Cooray has his own agenda to make a re-entry to mainstream politics.

Mr. Cooray's theory is somewhat different to others. While proposing an independent Presidency for the future, he advocates the concept of a national government as best suited for the country.

Mr. Cooray has prepared a detailed document on which he is trying to build this new concept. Mr. Cooray has issued the following Mission Statement titled, "A Confident Country". 

"Where do we begin? How do we begin?"

By trying to understand what is wrong with us.

o A government which has no constructive vision, which lacks cohesion, concentration and a sense of responsibility and consequently has no sense of direction.

o A community which has lost confidence in itself.

How can we overcome the crisis?

Only through the joint and separate endeavours of four of the country's major players: the government, the community, the private sector and the media.

Government:

The crisis we are experiencing today is primarily due to the failure of the government to guide the country in the right direction.

It is the responsibility of the government to give confidence to the community, the private sector and the public sector - by ensuring stability, a clear sense of purpose and direction.

If the government fails in this task, then the community, the private sector and the public sector will not pull together; they will move in different directions, all too often guided solely by unenlightened self interest.

That is why we need a government with a vision for the country and the people; a government which knows where it wants to go and puts in place milestones that have to be achieved as we rapidly go forward.

A government which is not scared of thinking big; which is ambitious for the country and the people.

A government with a 'can do' approach and a sense of urgency.

A government which is persistent in its efforts to pull the country out of the crisis.

We also need a government which is caring and responsive; a government whose vision for the future is based on the needs of the country and the people.

A government which is close to the people it represents, sensitive to their problems and their needs.

A government which is not alienated from its own people.

Community:

The community has a major role to play in the task of leading the country forward. We need a community which has confidence in itself and in its ability to meet present and future challenges. The community has the responsibility of lifting its sights and ceasing to focus on petty issues. The impact of this negative outlook on our young people, the best future resource this country possesses, is destructive.

It is the responsibility of the community to work towards discarding these negativities and developing attitudes and outlooks which attract rather than repel; enthuse and stimulate rather than depress.

Situation Report

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