UNP Gen. Secy. does it again!

Tuesday 4th June, 2024

UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara, who disturbed a hornets’ nest last week by calling for a poll postponement, was widely expected to make an about-turn yesterday by way of damage control. But he, in his wisdom, stood by what he had said and even peddled an absurd argument that flew in the face of common sense. He only provided more ammunition to the opponents of his master, President Ranil Wickremesinghe, ahead of a crucial election.

Bandara insisted that the Constitution provided for a referendum, and therefore his proposal that the presidential and parliamentary polls be put off by two years with the help of people’s approval at a referendum was consistent with the supreme law. He has exemplified the saying that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Constitutional provisions are not there to be abused by governments to compass their political ends. Bandara must have witnessed, as a youth, the devastating impact that the 1982 referendum, with which the UNP did away with a general election, had on the country. The J. R. Jayewardene government rigged the referendum and obtained the result it desired. Thereafter, that oppressive regime went so far as to proscribe the JVP, which had legally challenged the outcome of the referendum, and paved the way for another bloodbath in the late 1980s. Is it that the UNP has not learnt from history?

Some UNP seniors have half-heartedly sought to dissociate themselves from Bandara’s proposal. But the fact that the UNP has not taken any action against Bandara lends credence to the Opposition’s claim that he would not have made that call unbeknownst to the party leadership. The UNP leaders will not be able to wash their hands of their General Secretary’s attempt to stifle democracy. Their claim that he has a right to express his views is not convincing at all. Roshan Ranasinghe was sacked from the Cabinet for expressing his candid opinion about corruption in the cricket administration though his views resonated with all right-thinking Sri Lankans. Bandara continues to be the UNP General Secretary though his proposal at issue has received universal condemnation.

The Opposition has claimed that Bandara’s proposal is tantamount to an admission that the UNP is not sure of winning the coming elections, for if it had been confident of victory, it would never have proposed a poll postponement at this juncture. This argument is not without some merit, and it is likely to be used against President Wickremesinghe.

Bandara’s bêtise reminds us of the proverbial monkey that harmed its royal master in his sleep by striking a mosquito sitting on him with his regal sword. President Wickremesinghe has proved that he is capable of tackling his enemies, but it looks as if not even all deities this country is believed to be home to could save him from his friends. Those who were responsible for the UNP’s ignominious defeat in 2020 have crawled out of the woodwork and are making up for lost time. They have reverted to their old ways; they are busy lining their pockets and antagonising the public. These elements not only indulge in corruption but also shield the corrupt openly, as we saw during the battle between Parliament and Sri Lanka Cricket, which is under a cloud. The UNP, which is full of such characters, has become a millstone around its leader’s neck.

Unappreciative as his critics may be of his political leadership for bringing some order out of chaos on the economic front, President Wickremesinghe’s hard work has not gone unrewarded. His executive powers have helped him with the task of resuscitating the UNP to some extent, and conducting his presidential election campaign at the expense of the state, like his predecessors who leveraged the executive presidency to grant various inducements to the public ahead of elections to garner votes. However, the daunting challenge before him is to win the upcoming presidential election with his trusted lieutenants ruining his chances of winning while enjoying a ride on his coattails.