Sirisena-Rajapaksa talks on tricky political issues on Wednesday
Posted on May 5th, 2015
Adaderana
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa are to discuss a range of ticklish political issues when they meet at the parliament Speaker’s residence here on Wednesday.
A leading member of the Rajapaksa camp told Express on Tuesday that the talks will not be one on one” but between two delegations, one headed by Rajapaksa and the other by Sirisena. The Rajapaksa group has sent its agenda for the meeting to Sirisena, and is awaiting a response.
Broadly, Rajapaksa’s demands include: an end to victimization” of his supporters through politically-driven” police investigations into charges of corruption and other misdemeanours; accommodation of his supporters in the nomination of candidates of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) in the forthcoming parliamentary elections; and rejection of the idea of forming a National Government with the United National Party (UNP) after the parliamentary elections.
Sirisena and the UNP, are on the other hand, are touting the idea of a National Government of all parties to depoliticize governance and usher in a cooperative political culture.
After the enactment of the 19 th.Constitutional Amendment (19A), which bars Rajapaksa from contesting for the Lankan Presidency again (there is a two-term limit now), the former President seems inclined to cooperate with Sirisena and work under him in the SLFP hoping to become Prime Minister, at the very least. But interestingly, Rajapaksa’s followers themselves are against the SLFP declaring its Prime Ministerial candidate ahead of the elections. Rajapaksa loyalist Dilan Perera has said that the SLFP has never, in the past, named a Prime Ministerial candidate ahead of an election.
As for the Sirisena group, it is expected to allay Rajapaksa’s fears in a general way without committing itself to anything concrete. This is because Sirisena is acutely aware of the potential threat from Rajapaksa. He had earlier said that if he had lost the Presidential election, he would be six feet under the ground. However, Sirisena feels compelled to lend an ear to many in the SLFP who think that Rajapaksa should be accommodated because he is still popular among the Sinhalese-Buddhist rural voters. (New Indian Express)
May 5th, 2015 at 2:04 pm
If Dilan Perera the pseudo socialist is involved as a Rajapakse loyalist then the day that Rajitha Ooru Kata too will join is not far away. These are people that Rajapakse should keep miles away from him. Otherwise he would be betraying the Sinhala Buddhist masses who support him. He would be betraying the Sinhala Buddhist masses if he is going to woo the muslims and tamils again over the Sinhala Buddhists – the loyal voters who made him the victor of the war over Tiger terrorists.
Mahinda’s Catholic wife is not seen on his Buddhist Temple trek. I hope we have seen the last of her and her Catholic kith and kin in Mahinda’s future.
May 5th, 2015 at 3:18 pm
National Government is a SCAM by Ranil to have his minority-rule UNP run the government while giving other parties who comprise the majority a minor role with deputy ministerships or non-important minister positions – just like he is doing now.
The only way National Government works is if the party with the most seats in Parliament after the election gets to form the coalition government, and at a minimum controls Prime Minister, Finance, Foreign Minister/External, Central Bank, Justice, Defense, Policy Planning, Economic Affairs, Public Order, Housing, and Education. The other ministerships are then divided among the other parties based on the percentage of seats they got in Parliament. Anything else is a scheme to have a minority of the population control the government, which is the OPPOSITE of ‘democracy’.
Like in New Zealand, the leader of the party with the next largest number of seats in Parliament becomes the opposition leader even if their party has several minster positions in the National Government.
Obviously, if the party with the most seats in Parliament has a majority, there is no need to form a National Government at all.
May 5th, 2015 at 6:25 pm
Ratanapala,
Mrs MR was with MR during the Vesak visit to Buddhist temple.