“The people want Mahinda Rajapaksa back in politics”

“The Sri Lanka Freedom Party never thought President Sirisena and Mahinda Rajapaksa would work together. None of us expected this as the end result. Now we are on the winning path and our victory is clear,” said Shehan Semesinghe, UPFA Parliamentarian from the Anuradhapura District. Denying rumours he would cross over to the UNP, Semasinghe noted: “The UNP never had a vision or a manifesto. They were waiting for our party to break up to come into power. Unfortunately that will not happen.”

Following are excerpts:

Q: Is it true that you will cross over to the UNP? 

A: No, definitely not. I am the third generation in Parliament from my family. My grandfather is former Speaker, K.B. Rathnayake. My father S.B. Semasinghe is a former Cabinet Minister and presently a Minister in the North Central Provincial Council. We have a long history in the SLFP. No one in my family has crossed over. I have no reason to cross over when we see a clear winning path for the SLFP. 

Q: Are you certain that the UPFA will win the upcoming election? 

A: Yes, we will win for sure. That is why we have taken all the efforts to get everyone together. We were able to get the present President and the ex-President together and contest the elections. 

Q: But only 5.8 million voted for your party on 8 January and 6.2 million people wanted a change. Do you think this situation has changed by now? 

A: There were two candidates at the presidential election; the former President and the present President. And that was a presidential election. But when it comes to a general election, the result will not be the same. The 62% will get divided because parties such as the JHU, TNA and JVP will be going separately. We also keep in mind that there were quite a substantial amount of SLFPers who voted for President Sirisena. This time all the SLFPers will vote for the party because both President Sirisena and the former President will be on the same side. 

The UNP thought our party would get divided. But our party is a very democratic party; everybody can have their own views. But at the end of the day it is the verdict of the people that matters. People were certain that they wanted the former President back in politics. We are also thankful to the present President to giving that opportunity and showing us the winning path. 

Q: You are a strong supporter of Mahinda Rajapaksa. Tell us why you want him back in politics? 

A: We all are public representatives. People want Mahinda Rajapaksa back in politics. As people’s representatives, it is our duty to fulfil that wish of the people. You can also argue with me that 450,000 people voted against Rajapaksa. But are you certain that people who voted for this change are happy today? 

I represent an agricultural district. Those people are suffering today. Our economy has shrunk. People don’t have money. For the first time within the last six to seven years paddy prices have come down to Rs. 25 a kilo. This Government pledged to give Rs. 50 a kilo. So the people are getting just half of what was promised. They are also getting about Rs. 10 to Rs. 12 less than what they got in the previous year. 

All development projects have stopped. In our areas people had money in their hands thanks to the development projects; because of the labour, hiring of machinery, and other equipment. Even a small boutique had very good business. Today people complain there is no business and they don’t have money to spend even to buy their meals. People are pressurised. People now want a change; a real change. 

Q: This Government reduced prices of a number of goods, including fuel prices. How can you say the cost of living has gone up and the people are starving? 

A: I am surprised too. The Prime Minister on television says prices of goods have been reduced. But I would like to ask them whether they can name any goods prices were reduced. If you talk to vendors or people, they will say the cost of living is unbearable. And prices were not reduced. This is just talk. 

Q: There are serious corruption charges against Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family. Why are you supporting a dishonest politician? 

A: The ex-President has accepted there were a couple of downfalls during his time to which he had not reacted. And also, if there is corruption, anybody is free to go to court. Until the results of the inquiries come out, it is not for anybody to say to gain political advantage that he has robbed or been involved in corruption. The Judiciary can handle this and see whether there have been any malpractices in terms of corruption. It is not fair to point a finger at someone just because there are complaints. I don’t accept what the UNP and the Government are doing right now. 

Q: Don’t you feel he should prove he is not guilty of these charges before wanting to get back to politics? 

A: It is the people’s wish that matters. If the people want a leader who has done a brilliant job for the country, they will always want that leader. That could be the reason why the present President has very rightly accepted to give nominations to the former President. If he wants to prove he is not guilty, how long does he have to wait? No one can guarantee that the investigations will be over in a day or two. How long are we to wait? 

The UNP does not want the former President back in politics. After 8 January, not only them, everyone thought there would be a UNP regime coming soon in the country. But the expectation of the people has changed within three months. People in the villages are today ashamed to say they voted for this Government because what was promised has not been delivered. 

Q: Under what conditions was Mahinda Rajapaksa given nominations? 

A: I cannot comment on that because I don’t have the authority to comment on such matters. But according to what I know, negotiations between the two Presidents were peaceful. I suppose the SLFP will not have conditions on any issue, which will benefit the party and people of this country. 

Q: What do you have to say about the rumours Mahinda Rajapaksa was not offered the prime ministerial candidacy, that he will be not made the group leader and that he was asked to contest from Hambantota? 

A: I saw a statement made by the Opposition Leader that President Rajapaksa was given nominations from Kurunegala. 

Q: Is that the official statement made by the party? 

A: I am not sure of that because I saw this on television. But I am confident that none of the parties will lay conditions when you see a winning stream for the general public of Sri Lanka. It’s the people and the country which matter to us. No one thought this would be the end result. Nobody thought both Presidents and the SLFP would be together. The UNP was hoping our party would have divisions and it would make way for them to win. They didn’t have a plan; they were hoping to win by creating divisions in our party.

 

Q: If things change and Mahinda Rajapaksa decides to contest solo, will you join him? 

A: We need to talk about that because everything has been sorted out. I don’t think there is a need to talk about such move. 

Q: The political scenario in the country has been very unpredictable during the past six months. Anything could happen. If Rajapaksa contests alone, will you go with him? 

A: We are together. It is absolutely not necessary to talk about this matter. I don’t think that subject should be spoken of because if there was an issue, if there was a division, or if there was no agreement then this question would have been valid. But it is not the case. 

Q: Why should people vote for the UPFA? 

A: The only reason is for a change. When we say change, we expect better conditions than before. Nobody wants a change to a level coming down from where we were. People voted for a change and the result was shocking. The country is in chaos, there is a serious question about the stability of the country. People have realised it is the UPFA that can bring this county back on track and that is why they should vote for our party.