THE BANKRUPT opposition
Posted on October 31st, 2014

Nalin de Silva

Only some middle class elements living around Colombo city limits would be thinking of a UNP President next year. They would be imagining various scenarios including an insurgency with the help of the JVP during the period after the first count. The JVP has already begun implementing their plans claiming that the forthcoming election is illegal whatever it means. They are with Sarath Nanda Silva and claim that Mahinda Rajapaksa cannot contest for a third time. However, it is not clear how the Presidential elections would become illegal simply because Mahinda Rajapaksa contests for a third time. Who has the jurisdiction to decide whether the election is legal or not? Is it a former Chief Justice or the leader of the JVP?

We do not know what would be the final outcome at the Supreme Court decision but if the Courts decide that Mahinda Rajapaksa could contest a third time then no matter what the JVP thinks the Presidential elections would be legal. The JVP wants to create the impression that the elections are illegal and organize street fights. The JVP leader has requested the UNP not to contest as the Presidential elections are illegal. It is very unlikely that the UNP would agree with the JVP leader on that and the party most probably would field Ranil Wickremesinghe as one of the so called common candidates.

Street fights

However, the JHU, at least the Ven. Rathana faction, is also of the opinion that the Presidential elections are illegal, and they are supposed to have discussions with Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera on a common candidate. If a political party is against the presidential elections they could boycott the elections. However, if the party is only against Mahinda Rajapaksa contesting the election then they could field a common or uncommon candidate against Mahinda Rajapaksa. The JVP is boycotting the presidential elections with ulterior motives. As we have said they are interested in capturing power, meaning Anura Dissanayake being made the President of the country, through street fights.

The UNP on the other hand wants to contest the Presidential elections with as many “common candidates” as possible and then force the commissioner of elections to go for the count of the second preference. During the nonagatha period we have already described in these columns the UNP wants to stage their version of street fights. They would be hoping that the JVP would not destroy their plans by resorting to premature street fights.

Yal Devi train

As it is at least a faction of the JHU would remain with the government, with Ven. Athureliye Rathana Thera joining hands with Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera who is increasingly becoming isolated from the public. Ven. Sobhitha Thera has some support among a few University Academics who are associated with FUTA and some left out leftists. In the end there is a possibility that Ven. Athureliye Rathana Thera would become the common candidate of this outfit.

The UNP would like to have more common candidates with the hope that Mahinda Rajapaksa would not receive fifty per cent of the valid vote in the first count. It is in this context that the UNP would oppose a candidate from the TNA or the SLMC. The UNP wants the Muslims and the Tamils to vote en bloc for Ranil Wickremesinghe. Their tactics would be focused on increasing the vote of Ranil Wickremesinghe while reducing the vote of Mahinda Rajapaksa. However, what the UNP and their advisors both local and foreign would forget is that some Muslims and some Tamils would vote for Mahinda Rajapaksa. In the final count Mahinda Rajapaksa would end up with 55 per cent of the valid vote without going for the second preference at the Presidential Elections.

The TNA has claimed that they were the people who obstructed Yal Devi going to Jaffna (probably with the help of the LTTE) and they would resort to same if the train continues to run to Jaffna. It is clear that the TNA like the UNP and the JVP has run out of slogans and they would have to consult their sponsors in UK, USA and the other Western countries. I do not mean only the dispersed Tamils in those countries but the so called statesmen as well.

The government of Sri Lanka is unlikely to accuse the Western states for their support for Tamil racism and Tamil terrorism, and they will continue to refer to the so called diaspora. The government cannot be blamed for this position as the Western states would deny their involvement in Tamil racism and Tamil terrorism. However, blaming only the dispersed Tamils (so called diaspora) is not going to help the government of Sri Lanka as there is no leadership or organisation that could be identified with the dispersed Tamils.

The government is engaged in a fight with a shadow instead of the real enemy but we have to understand its limitations. The reply to the Western states has to be given by the people at the Presidential elections by electing Mahinda Rajapaksa as the President for a third time with an overwhelming majority.

The bankrupt opposition was also exposed at the budget 2015. The opposition has no slogans and they cannot mislead the people. There are some trade unionists especially in the health sector with LTTE connections and they would resort to the lies that the LTTE is infamous for. Some of these trade unions for some time had been demanding the special living allowances paid to the public servants be added to the basic salary.

It is exactly this what the government has done in the budget 2015, with the result the basic salary of public servants increasing substantially from 2005 to 2015. With this the pension contribution, and other benefits increase as known to all the public servants. If that is not the case why did the LTTE connected and other trade unions demand that the allowances should be added to the basic salary. Was it to give the person engaged in the subject of salaries some arithmetical exercises?

To make it worse the trade unions connected with the opposition claim that the special living allowance given to the public servants in the 2015 budget is a compulsory increment that should have been provided anyway. This is as if the UNP had been giving special living allowances to the public servants when Ranil Wickremesinghe was the Prime Minister for a short period and making use of the opportunity to sign the so called ceasefire agreement with Prabhakaran under the auspices of the Western governments with Norway in the limelight.

The opposition is bankrupt and has run out of slogans and about to use the misery of those affected by the earth slip at Haputale, for their benefit. The government should make use of all the facilities available to help the victims and think more radically on the entire plantation economy. The earth slips could be avoided by transferring to some other economy and by depopulating the areas under threat as a long term remedy. The government is in a one horse race at present which is becoming boring to the public and may think of increasing the allowances of the opposition so that they could hire some slogan writers.

5 Responses to “THE BANKRUPT opposition”

  1. Senevirath Says:

    if ven sobhita wants to be better than mahinda why not talk about scraping the 13 a and palaath sabhaa. and going to the ”gamsabhaa kramaya”
    . may be he was asked not to by N G O S

    MAHINDA IS THE BEST OUT OF THIS LOT IF REHABILITATED

  2. AnuD Says:

    UNP had a great history. But, now it is a USELESS party.

    I don’t know what is wrong with ex-prof or Prof emeritus (if so) Nalin De Silva.

    UPFA is like Sinhala people, highly mixed. They don’t know what they are doing. They are working to satisfy their greed and nothing else.

    I know the Sinhale’s public know very well. That is the truth. They know what Mahinda Rajapakse is doing. But, there is no other choice (Well, SF came. but, propaganda made him a Traitor. Champika Ranawaka is calculated and he does not want to take risks). That summarizes every thing. Some say that everybody knows MR is stealing (or cheating public money). But, he is spending that money in Sri lanka. So, they don’t mind it.

    Otherwise, For Mahinda Rajapakse himself and his family is more important than than the country. All talk for him are cheer leaders, vandibattayas.

  3. Leela Says:

    I fully agree with Nalin that “the JVP is boycotting the presidential elections with ulterior motives.”

    JVP has reached their zenith and now have gone the way of dodos. JVP knows very well that they cannot come to power by popular vote. So, they capitalize whatever situation to reach their goal. Their motto is disruption. And JVP has done it before. Remember 1987 when they forced school children to streets and got them to chant ‘palath baba apita epa’ in 1987, those children knew nothing about the ‘baba’ they were screaming against. They just read a script aloud. When we were told about that drama at the time, laughingly though, we had agreed with the JVP act for we wanted Indians and ‘palath saba’ that forced on us out. Meaning, people act abruptly on impulse and not on sound judgement. JVP even got their cadres to kill a number of voters who voted at the first PC elections. Today, the very same JVP is asking people to vote for their cadres at PC elections. So much for their correct judgement.

    Forgetting whether JRJ tenure brought about economic failures or success during his 11 years rule, there was clear misery and mayhem throughout the country towards the end of his rule in late eighties. In MR’s case, the situation is completely the opposite: There is peace and political stability during the last five years of MR’s 9 year rule. In spite of alleged nepotism and corruption, and what not, people can feel development in the country and a sense of relief at long last after this budget. Who else can match that record?

    Regardless RW’s record, so long as the UNP put forward a candidate, people will take part in the political fanfare of the Presidential election. When the so-called IC back RW, more and more nationalists would flock around MR regardless entire JHU’s or individual defection by Ven. Ratana. And that whatever appeal or interest created by the media for the so-called common candidate would disappear.

    People in Sri Lanka are no fools. They know the fight for the presidency is between two people: the fight is between the UNP candidate and the SLFP candidate. RW’s strategy would be to get the majority of the minority votes and a minority of the majority votes to make up 50%+1. Now that there is no war with separatists, will RW’s game plan work at least this time?

    Political stability of a country is a must not just for peace but for economic progress as well. I think RW presidency will not be able to bring about a political stability when the majority community oppose his policies like con-federal, regaining Lanka and etc. Worse, in such a volatile situation the JVP would get an opportunity to start their street fights that they could not have done under MR.

  4. Nanda Says:

    Leela,
    Yes. People of SL are not fools. They are questioning why MR, despite having a 2/3 majority want to waste poor Sri lankan’s money to hold elections 2 years early.

    If he is developing the country well, looking after the Sinhala majority well why should he even think of loosing in 2 year’s time ?

    He is simply toying with hard earned money and peace. To him this is a game. Exactly same mindset as that of Mervyn Silva who was dancing singing අැවිල්ල ඇවිල්ලා ජනාධිපති චන්දෙ ඇවිල්ලා while hundreds are dead.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY3BZabenIs

    His son got hammered in a night club at the same time.

    How pathetic these politician have become ?

  5. Nanda Says:

    No argument of on bankrupt opposition, but there is proper opposition within the government thanks to the action of Udaya and Chmapika. They are pushing MR again for action. We can clearly see some action taking place now.

    “Police hunt for TNA Vavuniya organiser, Governor takes up Ananthi’s conduct with NPC” – but who knows , may be election gimmicks.

    Still waiting to see good news on Jihadist eradication.

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