UNP is not sinking due to disunity but because of its leader
by Dayan Jayatilleke
I am not now and have never been a member of either the SLFP or the UNP, though President Premadasa urged me to ‘come in through the National List, take a portfolio and do a job of work’.
The only registered political party (as distinct from political organisation) I have ever been a member (actually an Asst Secretary) of, was the Sri Lanka Mahajana Party. Vijaya had enthusiastically announced to the Central Committee, the collective entry of a few of us from the then-underground ‘Vikalpa Kandayama’, naming me and another comrade.
That would be one of his last Central Committee meetings. After his assassination by the JVP, I joined the party in fulfilment of that expectation. Of course I have supported two strong, courageous ‘patriotic- populist’ Presidents – Premadasa and Rajapaksa – and episodically, two others, JRJ in the post Accord/anti-JVP year ’87-’88 and CBK from the re-election battle of ’99 to her ouster of Ranil (before her tilt against Karuna , her differences with Kadirgamar and her PTOMS lunacy).
Given Ranil’s track record, it is safe to assume that what he tells the President that he will tell the international community, will not be what he says behind closed doors to the international community.
This is not baseless calumny. As Prof Pieris said in his parliamentary speech on External Affairs in the Budget debate, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Report on Sri Lanka, better known as the Kerry-Lugar Report, actually discloses that Ranil Wickremesinghe was one of the few who urged the US to keep the pressure on Colombo.
I have always held Hon Karu Jayasuriya in high esteem and regarded him with considerably warm affection. In 1997, the Lanka Guardian magazine under my editorship ran a cover story on his bid for the Colombo Mayoralty, titled The New Opposition. Since then I have held, on the record that he would be a far superior leader for the UNP and the Opposition than Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Today it is with no joy whatsoever, that I feel constrained to contradict Mr Jayasuriya on the record, albeit with no diminution of my affection.
In a widely circulated article he has urged that the UNP rise to challenge the Government, and attributed its inability to do so, to inner-party dissonance and disunity. In saying this he is wide off the mark.
Firstly, he has failed to identify that factor which is mainly responsible for the UNPs lamentable state.
Secondly he has named a factor which is far more a consequence than a cause.
Thirdly, in identifying the cause of the UNPs travails inaccurately, he is unwittingly prolonging the state of the party that he finds lamentable and is preventing the party from implementing the solution that can enable it to campaign resolutely against the status quo as he so ardently wishes.
The UNP was not disunited when it campaigned at the last General Election. It sank to a lower percentage than the SLFP under Mrs Bandaranaike did at the electoral tsunami of 1977. That was not because of disunity. The UNP did better at the Presidential election under a complete political novice, than it did under its present leader. The UNP did far better under the ‘emergency candidacy’ of Mrs Srima Dissanaike in 1994 than it did under today’s leadership.
The UNP is not sinking because of disunity. It is sinking because of its leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe. Over the years, dedicated party veterans such as Rukman Senanayake, NGP Panditharathne, and Daham Wimalasena have put this on the record. (The Panditharathne report followed an extensive grassroots survey).
There is no point in striving to launch an anti-government campaign as Mr Jayasuriya seems to suggest, because the masses aren’t going to be mobilised under his leadership. They aren’t going to vote, much less get their skulls cracked open by Police batons. It took the dramatic changeover to the JR Jayewardene-Premadasa leadership for the UNP to be able to motivate the masses to join any campaign, in the 1970s.
Urging the party members and supporters to make one more effort to fight the government without first giving them an inspiring new leadership and programme is akin to urging someone to fill a perforated bucket with water and bring it to a construction site. What is necessary is to first plug the hole and then attempt to fill it with water. The replacement of Ranil Wickremesinghe as party leader is the conditio sine qua non for any recovery on the part of the UNP.
Instead of lamenting the disunity in the party, Hon Karu Jayasuriya could have saved it from its present fate and placed it on the course he indicates, by taking over its leadership during the rebellions of 1999-2000 and then again in the middle of this decade.
Of course I may be wrong. So why not put it to the test? Unite around ‘The Leader’ Ranil Wickremesinghe; don’t talk of changing the leadership, remain mum in the face of the mass media, and stride bravely forward to contest the Jana Sabha elections scheduled for early 2011, or any other election that comes the country’s way.
If, sadly, I am right, the party will lose at least as badly as it did this time at the parliamentary elections or even worse. If on the other hand, I am wrong, the re-united United National Party will do better than it did earlier this year.
The danger is administering this test is that there are no other elections scheduled until the terms of the president and the recently elected parliament run out. If the UNP doesn’t show a recovery by the Janasabha elections, then what will sustain the hope of the party members and voters for six whole years?
How will the UNP survive?
Without a robust UNP, what will be the shape and direction of the Opposition?
Without a strong democratic Opposition how will democracy itself fare?
13 Comments
RW was never groomed to be a leader even by his uncle JR who no doubt recognised his weak character and lack of leadership skills. Ultimately the mantle of leadership passed to RW only after a host of top hierachy of the party had been assassinated. Thereafter RW has done what he could but failed in uniting the party which is his most significant failing.
His unwillingness to listen to his colleagues led to the depature of 18-20 top UNP ers to join Govt ranks. Now it is a question as to why he does not relinquish his position in the face of utter failure and inability to lead? The lack of a strong and credible opposition in Sri Lanka has become a major problem in guiding the destiny of this country.
Fully agree with Dayan Jayatilleke.
For the sake of the UNP, of the country, and of democracy, and in the name of God, Ranil must go. And the sooner the better.
This is an accurate assesment of the UNP today. Thank you Mr.Jayatilake. I hope Ranil and Karu read this article.
As Mr Jayatilleke, I am not belong to any party. I never vote too and I never met none of high level politician and have no what so ever contact with any politician. I am just a very ordinary citizen of Sri Lanka.I respect President Premadasa and MR for ggod things they did to country, but doesn't mean that both are perfect. when Mr RW was president, I respect him too as a honest person. However, today we need a strong opposition to ensure democracy in our country as Mr DJ says very correctly. After defeating LTTE, for which we ever indebt to President MR and Def Secretary ( however we should not forget General SF and his great contribution to the victory we enjoyed today: sadly 24 hrs hunger strike heroes trying to change the history of the victory), I sincerely beleive now democracy in our country is getting weakened. So, to be balanced, we need a strong opposition, and Mr Kary Jayasuriya is the most suitable to do the job, b'se he is the only clean, honest person at UNP to takeover.
Dear Dyan.
You think that you are a best intellectual in the country and try to dictate terms to UNP how to tackle their current problem -also you try to say that Ranil is a week leader just because he could not win past elections. Some Mps in UNP are disgusted just because ,no power or a UNP government.In case Ranil wants only the power he would have come to an agreement with LTTE in 2005 and would have become the president in the country -and then none of the people who are against him now, speak anything against him.
UNP could not come to power,just because Ranil did not want to cheat the people in the country.Anywa, now the people gradually realizing that they have been cheated.Now our country is isolated in the world and as a country considerably depends on import/export will hasve to suffer heavily due to unwise, temporary decision of the government. So, it is my view that there is no leader other than RW to overcome the current situation in Sri Lanka.In case Sajith become the leader, definitely the UNP will break into two. If UNP need a new leader,it is my view someone like Mr. Wijwdasa Rajapaksa is good for such a position (who is fully against Corruptions,wastages,inefficiencies etc.If no any solution,my best selection is Wijedasa Rajapaksa.
Does it really matter when you claim "I am not now and have never been a member of either the SLFP or the UNP " but at the same time claim "Of course I have supported two strong, courageous ‘patriotic- populist’ Presidents – Premadasa and Rajapaksa – and episodically, two others, JRJ in the post Accord/anti-JVP year ’87-’88 and CBK from the re-election battle of ’99 to her ouster of Ranil (before her tilt against Karuna , her differences with Kadirgamar and her PTOMS lunacy). " ?
Under Chandrika's mother and Rajapakse's father and under Premadasa ? JRJ our Sinhalese youths were killed in thousands.
As far as we were concerned Ranil made use of Karu initially to split LTTE into N & E and Chandrika made use of Kadirgamar to ban LTTE. As leaders they have done the duty in that respect. If not for our pressure and JHU these things would not have happened and subsequentally winning the war using our supporters in the armed forces. We worked closely with RAW, Southern Block , Chinese , and Israel Intelligence and helped Mahinda brothers. MR brothers and we fooled India very well. Now we are not happy MR trying to please India but not paying enough attention to poor people in the South including Rana Veeru. Hope they use the LTTE money from KP for the development of these people.
By the way why you are going back to "Vikalpa Kandayama " days when you claimed supremacy over the exisiting JVP. One thing we are sure about you is you want power, position and status. You write so much but why do not you as a PATRIOT write about your "Vikalapa Kandayama" policies again and register it as a party and forget about Mahinda & co and , Ranil and UNP ? It will be good for post war unitary Srilanka. We can form a coalition with you using policies which are common to both of our parties.
Taking the continued current leadership of the UNP as a given, there is only one way it can come back into power. That is if the state of the country deteriorates to the levels experienced during the Sirimavo years
That way, the UNP can come into power by default simply on the desperation of the people and not by any convincing policy or ideology
Perhaps that is what RW is trying to achieve - ensure the country and people gets squeezed as hard as possible by the West in order to increase sufferng, in the hope that in desperation, the peoplethey will turn to the UNP as they did when JRJ rode to power
Your ego continues to ASTOUND me ! Who the hell cares who you are supposed to have supported or not and the reasons for same ? Is this an exercise in self marketing ?
Democracy in this country was killed by Mrs Bandaranaike, JRJ , Premadasa and Rajapaksa on an ascending scale. You have supported 3 of them ! It had little or nothing to do with the opposition of the time and who led it.
Speaks well for your record doesn't it ?
Party Membership and undisguised political alliance are two different identities of the same coin.
Powerful though his above reasoning maybe, it comes all too late. DJ in my view has failed to cut the mustard with most of his postings of late on this site. One sided comment and turning the Nelsonian eye on matters deserving outright condemnation were the hallmarks of most of his work in recent months. They didnt go unnoticed.
Retention of one's independence is the single-most important virtue for any respected political analyst. Not overstaying one's welcome is the single-most important virtue of any honourable politician.
Both these types - however great they may be - will find their decline from grace totally graceless, unless reminded constantly, that it is the interest of the public and the public alone they must constantly serve; never those of anyone else.
That would be asking for too much of those whose mindset is clearly programmed to accepting any old crumb falling off the royal table. It must be the onset of senility that fails to remind Ranil W in particular, what a merciless hammering he has received each time he went to the bargaining table, be it at the behest of Prabhakaran, Kumaratunga or Rajapakse.
Senility comes in various shapes,sizes and forms. Going deaf is one such.
why does Dayan Jayatillake sound increasingly pathetic? UNP UNP UNP UNP UNP UNP UNP. Ranil won't go.
Srilanka claims a 99 % literacy rate. Yet the people have to put a cross against an Elephant or a Hand or anything else when it comes to casting their ballot.?
Does this recognize the competency level of the people with such a high literacy rate ?
Is this the same reason why Dr Jaythilaka rekcons that under another leader the UNP will be able to muster the masses to get their heads cracked by the Police batons?
Give them a break mate,
UNP is a spent force. Irrelevant, Irresponsible, Unpatriotic, Bankrupt,Ignorant, Opportunistic,ant Sinhala. anti rural Western worshipers, who don't have a clue of the pulse of the great rural majority.
It will be plain sailing for the Rajapksa regime unless they shoot themselves in the foot.
I do not have any political favourites. Yet I wish to disagree with some aspects of the sweeping sentiments of "Anonymous" above.
China is a great western worshipper in economic reform. They havent done badly by doing so. It is the economic miracle of Asia and this didnt happen through following the thoughts of Chairman Mao. They have respectfully assigned those miserable thoughts and those dark years to the dust bin of political history and are vigourously pursuing capitalism like no other.
Doubters can buy themselves a ticket to Shanghai and be amazed at what it offers. It is more westernized than any other western country anywhere else in the world.
Pulse of the people? How can the pulse of a majority who live in ignorance be taken as what a society wants or needs? The pulse of millions of the rural chinese never asked for the transformation it has now experienced.
The world and its ways have moved on. Somehow Sri Lanka hasn't. It would be interesting to ponder whether being dogged by dogma will bring us any prosperity.
I will always respect any country or a political system which can question its leaders and even bring them to their knees (Nixon, Clinton). Without being a stooge of that part of the world, we can learn much from the west in this regard.
Part of advancement is all about learning; be it from the chinese or the 'deplorable' west.
"Pulse of the people? How can the pulse of a majority who live in ignorance be taken as what a society wants or needs"
--Justice & Fair Play.--
Isn't the vote of the majority the fundamental basis of Democracy?
How can you call your self Justice and Fair play if you call the great majority of Srilankans ignorant.?
You are at least honest to say it in public unlike your leaders who always try to feed Bull Shit to this great majority,
As two consecutive election proved beyond doubt, that this great majority is lot more smarter than you think.