Rally aftermath proves equally stormy

As the day of the United Bhikku Front Rally at Hyde Park calling for the abolition of the Executive Presidency dawned, UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was busy engaging in a publicity stunt at the Nugegoda market.

Strangely reminiscent of Tamil Nadu politician Karunanidhi whose major fashion staple is a pair of sunglasses, Wickremesinghe donned his own pair of shades and surrounded by a grouping of his faithful, addressed the media and spoke to ordinary people at the thoroughfare.

Even as the UNP Leader was calmly handing out leaflets to raise awareness and talking to ordinary people about their problems, his General Secretary and party machinery was already preparing reports to be handed over to the leadership regarding the UNP members who were tipped to attend the rally that had caused massive tensions within the party. Meanwhile, last minute decisions were being made by UNP members as to whether to attend the rally the face of which was to be former Army Chief Sarath Fonseka.Former Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya following eleventh hour discussions with the Buddhist monks to put forward his position, decided to bow to the Working Committee decision to ban UNP Members from the rally. The UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake who had lashed out at Jayasuriya the previous day claiming he was attempting to bring the party into disrepute, hailed the senior UNPer’s decision as courageous and a step in a right direction. However insiders claim that despite the overt show of support for Jayasuriya’s decision, Wickremesinghe himself is displeased that he was unable to suspend Jayasuriya’s membership along with that of five other members who attended the rally. The UNP Leader is reportedly irate about certain moderates within the party who made fervent appeals to Jayasuriya asking him to stay away from the rally. Wickremesinghe reportedly told confidants that nobody should stop Jayasuriya and others from attending, so that the party could get rid of the irritants once and for all.

Buoyed by the Leader’s attitude, a certain faction within the UNP led by senior party men like John Amaratunge are now attempting to push for Wickremesinghe to call for a report on Jayasuriya’s activities in the last few months, to determine whether there has been any violation of party regulations on the former deputy leader’s part.  Meanwhile the membership of five UNPers including Palitha Range Bandara, Palitha Thawarapperuma, Asoka Abeysinghe, Shiral Lakthilake and Maithree Guneratne have been suspended, after reports on the five members were handed over to Wickremesinghe just hours after the rally concluded. The UNP is also mulling the suspension of 15 other members who attended the rally.

Observers quip that while the UNP Leader is intent to purge the party of his detractors, the fact is that the opposition is finding it hard to keep its members from leaving the party in droves. UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa has reportedly called for an end to exacting revenge at the party’s last Working Committee meeting on 12 October, but it remains to be seen as to how he reacts to the suspension of the five party members who are all members of the reformist group within the UNP which has openly backed Premadasa for party leadership.