The UNP, Ranil Wickremasinghe and politics of perversion

The leadership bout in the United National Party reached the second round last Wednesday, August 17, 2011 and it

belonged to Ranil Wickremasinghe. The battle was fought on the friendly confines of Ranil’s Working Committee where he enjoys a comfortable majority. But the man who is deficient in plans, strategy, tactics, craftiness and guile in bringing down the current regime that is universally known for corruption, nepotism and alleged crimes against humanity, exhibited his willingness to display such craft and depravity for his own survival.

Round two to Ranil

He appealed to ‘King’ Rajapakse to order the Roads Development Authority to re-tar the road so that it was made impassable for any traffic including any would-be protesters. Furthermore, Wickremasinghe got the Government to ask the Police to obtain an order from courts to prevent the UNP supporters from entering their own Party headquarters. How can one describe this as anything but politics of perversion?

The desperation of the man was evident.

Uncomfortable with the masses

This is a quality that no political leader has shown to date. In similar circumstances, a leader of people would do everything on behalf of the people and not individuals. What Wickramasinghe did was preventing the people, not

individuals, from coming to Sirikotha. He is extremely uncomfortable with the masses; his domain is quite different-a select few cronies, many of whom have lost their electorates at the last Parliamentary elections and those who managed to get in but hold their allegiance to Ranil for the sake of safeguarding their own private turfs like party posts- his comfort zone is right there.

Shameless monument

The closure of a thoroughfare which was a perfectly rubberized road that connects the Pita Kotte junction with Rajagiriya, that runs right in front of the Sirikotha stood as a shameless monument to Ranil Wickremasinghe’s so-called political astuteness. Moreover, the security at his private residence was buttressed manifold by the police throughout the day. His chief comrade-in-arms was none other than Mahinda Rajapakse, the President whose corrupt government he is supposed to lead his troops against. If this is not politics of perversion, what is?

Round one to Sajith

The first round of the bout was almost a no-contest win for Karu-Sajith group, when the Party Parliamentary group

confronted Ranil and asked him to step down from leadership after the dismal performance at the recently-concluded local government elections.

While Sajith Premadasa, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Rosy Senanayake, Dayasiri Jayasekera, Sujeewa Senasinghe, Thalatha Athukorale and last but not the least, Karu Jayasuriya and Kabir Hashim asked the leader to step down, not a single MP had the guts or the conviction to speak on Ranil’s behalf. They were simply dumbfounded. The onslaught was so vocal, logical and convincing; they opted not to be on the losing side of the argument.

Love for party

Sajith spoke how the Party suffered the most humiliating defeat at the local government polls, he pointed out how the leader went missing in action the day after the elections, gallivanting in the United Kingdom. He spoke of his lack of concern for the ordinary UNP worker and the leader’s scant respect for the constitutional reforms adopted at the last convention. Sajith was followed by Dayasiri, Ranjith Maddumabandara, Thalatha, Sujeewa, Rosy and Kabir. One after the other they spoke with facts, figures, clarity and conviction. They are all

respected Members of Parliament who have always exhibited honesty, respect for traditional values and above all, love for the Party.

Retired hurt even before leaving the pavilion

What was Ranil’s response? Walking out-the singular quality not of a leader, but of a coward. Not only did he walk out, he tried to summon his so-called loyalists as well to walk out with him, but none responded- not Mangala Samaraweera, Tissa Attanayake, Jayalath Jayawardena, Joseph Michael Perera, Jayawickrama Perera, John Amaratunga, nor his close associate, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam. The weight of the arguments was so heavy on them that they were riveted to their seats. They knew that they had an earful of truth and honesty and their collective tongues were muted. The wicket was taking a nasty bounce and spin and Ranil loyalists were retired hurt before they could even come to bat!

Took the battle to his turf

Today Wickramasinghe is being surrounded and advised by a group, consisting of a Party Treasurer who is far too divorced from grass-root level politics, a Chairman of the Legal Department who cannot read, write or speak in Sinhalese, a General Secretary whose only function is appearing before a press conference and narrating good-for-nothing jokes and his closest adviser is a businessman cum club owner whose indulgences are more often than not out of

control. This is his turf, his comfort zone. Among the masses Ranil is plain impotent. So he took the battle to his turf-Working Committee whose appointments were made without any reference to the decisions adopted at the convention. At the working committee meeting they tried to expel Rosy Senanayake, one of the most articulate critics of Ranil Wickremasinghe. Both Karu and Sajith opposed this most vehemently. Ranil adopted the age-old tactic of a loser-if you don’t like the message, kill the messenger. If this is not politics of perversion, what is?

Power does not come cheaply

But there is one fact the Karu/Sajith group needs to realize too. All politics is the pursuit of power and that pursuit is not easy, nor is it cheap. In terms of money, labor, time and sacrifice, it is very expensive. They need to be ready for the long haul-come what may.

JRJ took over the Party in 1973, but it took him five long years through satyagrahas, 100 meetings campaigns, Lake House boycott, sacrificing his own Colombo West electorate and challenging Mrs. Bandaranaike to hold a by-election and then winning it soundly, delegating powers to the most qualified and capable politicos at the time, such as Premadasa, Gamini, Lalith, Ronnie and Nissanka etc. etc.. A change in leadership will not ensure a UNP victory; nevertheless, a change in leadership at present is a prerequisite to any meaningful journey that the UNP wishes to undertake. The people need to see a clear difference between the Rajapakses and the UNP, they need to see a difference between patriotism and pseudo-patriotism, they need to see a difference between mass politics and cohorts’ politics, they need to see the difference between clean politics and politics of perversion. Then they might demand a change, they might say enough is enough.

 

 

2 Comments to “The UNP, Ranil Wickremasinghe and politics of perversion”

• Rohantha
  August 24, 2011 at 5:34 pm

  Ranil may not know how to beat Mahinda, but sure he knows how to beat his own team. on the other side Sajith should not shout as a person on the death row, unless he can eat the BULLET and swallow it. He shouts at VM park and goes to Sri Kotha and never comes back to his followers. Poor leadership quality.And for god sake KARU should decide whether he wants to be the leader or not. Issuing statements on Good Governance and this will not bring any results. All of them should take a leaf from HE President on how to outsmart your opponents. I may not agree with him on how he conducts the government But full marks go to him on how he is doing politics or rather POLITRICKS. He could teach not only local politicians but also others.
• Ruwan
  August 24, 2011 at 11:23 am

  Well said, lets see if Sajith can listen, cause his head seems to be way to big. Let me do a reply for Sajith.

  But there is one fact the Karu/Sajith group needs to realize too. All politics is the pursuit of power and that pursuit is not easy, nor is it cheap. In terms of money, labor, time and sacrifice, it is very expensive. They need to be ready for the long haul-come what may.