The common thread that seems to run through these parties as they prepare for a showdown next year – with the exception of the United National Party (UNP) which President Ranil Wickremesinghe leads – is that they are scrambling to prevent internal divisions from fragmenting their popular vote base.
As for the UNP, it is preparing the ground for its Annual Convention on September 10. It is to be held on a grand scale at D.R. Wijewardene Mawatha in Colombo, the venue being changed from the ‘Nelum Pokuna’ theatre. The meeting is likely to see the adoption of a new Constitution for the UNP.
While strengthening the authority of President Wickremesinghe, the new Constitution will pave the way for a second-tier leadership for the party. The President has advised that he needs to ensure that succession plans for the leadership should be in place. This will be in the form of a leadership council.
If the UNP was aspiring for stability through these changes, it was more a case of damage control in three of the other parties, namely, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna which dominates Parliament, the main Opposition party the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP).
13th Amendment Debate
In the SLPP, divisions are emerging within its ranks over the issue of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution which was incorporated into legislation under the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987. President Wickremesinghe has been recently calling for the full implementation of this amendment.
Parliamentarians such as Nimal Lanza who have been working closely with President Wickremesinghe have stated publicly that they supported this point of view. Lanza points out that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was also agreeable to the concept of maximum devolution.
This is reference to the former President discussing a proposed ‘13 plus’ strategy that envisaged granting even more autonomy than what was set out in the 13th Amendment. This was soon after the end of the Eelam war in 2009 in response to calls from India for a settlement to the ethnic conflict.
However, others in the SLPP have vehemently disagreed with this view. This was articulated by two party stalwarts, General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam and former Minister Gamini Lokuge. They were both of the view that the matter needs further discussion and a broader consensus of opinion.
Factional speculations
Kariyawasam, in a recent discussion with the President, was to point out that none of the previous seven Presidents who held office prior to President Wickremesinghe were in a position to implement the 13th Amendment in full and that the reasons for this should be given serious consideration.
What was interesting is that the obvious difference of opinion on an important national policy issue is being aired publicly by both groups within the SLPP. This may be a sign of healthy freedom of expression but other SLPP members are also concerned that this could lead to serious divisions.
So far, the higher echelons of the SLPP have not publicly expressed their views on enacting the 13th Amendment in full. If this were the only issue that was causing concern in the SLPP, it can be settled at a leadership level through discussion where the party’s stance can be formally announced.
Raising even more eyebrows are the potential difficulties in the SJB. For many months now, there has been speculation that when national elections are announced a faction of the party would pledge their support to President Wickremesinghe and join his team. So far, this has not eventuated.
Shifting alliances and intrigues
Several MPs elected on the SJB ticket have however left the party. They include Harin Fernando, Manusha Nanayakkara and Diana Gamage who joined the Government when former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was in office and ‘independents’ Kumar Welgama and Champika Ranawaka.
There was also speculation about former Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne who stated publicly that if he were handed over the troubled health portfolio, he would accept it. This is despite the SJB handing over a motion of no confidence against Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella in Parliament.
Also causing waves within the SJB is former Army Commander and Presidential candidate at the 2010 Presidential Election, Filed Marshall Sarath Fonseka. He holds the titular position of SJB Chairman but has recently been quite liberal in his public criticism of party leader Sajith Premadasa.
SJB-UNP reconciliation speculation
The latest round of concern within the SJB arise from comments attributed to Parliamentarian Rohini Wijerathne. One of a handful of female members in the legislature, Wijerathne has earned a reputation of maintaining a dignified presence in Parliament while being and able and assertive debater.
Wijerathne hails from a political family in the Matale district with close connections to the UNP. She is the daughter of former Minister Wijeratne Banda and the widow of Sanjeewa Kaviratne. In the aftermath of political events of last year she vied unsuccessfully for the post of Deputy Speaker.
Asked at a public function in Kandy last week whether she supported the President or Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, Wijerathne was to say that they were they like “her pair of eyes” and added that they should be working together towards the betterment of the country in this time of crisis.
This has been interpreted in numerous quarters to mean that moves were afoot to reconcile the SJB and the UNP, the latter being the parent party from which the former broke away from. There certainly have been some discussions in this regard and opinion within the SJB is divided.
It is understood that the UNP will offer an olive branch to the SJB to return to its ranks. There is also every possibility that if this approach fails, SJB Parliamentarians would be invited on an individual basis to join the Government. Informal discussions in this regard are already taking place and there have been positive responses from some MPs, those familiar with the process have said.
Leader of the Opposition and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa faces a challenging task. On the one hand, he has to push through a political programme that is in contrast to that of the Government to offer an alternative to the voters. On the other hand, he has to keep his Parliamentary group intact.
Nevertheless, Premadasa is also in talks of his own. That is to woo the Nidahasa Jathika Sabhawa. This group of thirteen parliamentarians with Dullas Alahapperuma and G.L. Peiris as their leaders have held discussions with the SJB leadership on a possible alliance before major elections.
It will be recalled that Premadasa and Alahapperuma have a good working relationship. In the lead up to the selection of a President by Parliament in July last year, Premadasa who first announced his candidacy later withdrew from the contest to support Alahapperuma who however did not succeed.
SLFP’s Political Alignment Dilemma
Another party that is sorting out its internal issues is the SLFP. Once a major party which governed the country for decades, it is now a depleted outfit. Several party seniors are Government Ministers but the party hierarchy is undecided as to what position it should adopt at the next election.
With virtually no prospect of securing victory on its own steam, the SLFP has come to face the reality that it would have to align with a major player in the political arena by next year. At present the party officially opposes the Government despite some seniors being Cabinet and State Ministers.
These Ministers successfully challenged in Court moves by the SLFP to expel them from the party. After this, there appears to be a change of heart from the party leadership which is amenable to the possibility of contesting the next elections with the Government. However, some oppose this move.
At the centre of this controversy is SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekera who is reportedly resisting this concept. His public statements have been critical of the Government. Despite this, the SLFP will be compelled to take a stance on supporting or opposing the Government in the near future.
Therefore, personalities and the political positions of all the major parties except the UNP are currently in a state of flux at this time, attempting to forge alliances with the aim of securing the best possible outcomes for the next major national elections which are due to be held next year.
