‘Why I accepted a cabinet
portfolio while being in the UNP’
M. H. Mohamed, MP
United National Party
Colombo district
The Island Editorial Courtesy The Island 05-02-2007
My colleagues and I who have decided to support the government of
His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapakse will continue to be members
of the UNP and serve our constituents with increased efficiency and
dedication now that we can peruse a democratic agenda. In the following
text I shall set out the underlying reasons which have convinced me
that I will not be able to serve the people of Sri Lanka through the
UNP as long as Mr. Ranil Wickramesinghe remains its disputed leader.
It is my opinion that a leader should lead and not be led, and Mr.
Wickramesinghe has been led by a group of political novices for most
of his leadership.
1. Soon after Mr. Wickremesinghes’ defeat at the Presidential
election in November 2005 (incidentally his 13th defeat as leader)
I called on Mr. Wicramesinghe. At this meeting he informed me of his
decision to summon the Working Committee of the UNP and announce his
resignation as leader of the UNP. This was the accepted and gentlemanly
course of action for any self respecting political leader the world
over. It was also in keeping with the nature and character of the.
Ranil, I had come to know and respect over the years from junior college
to leader UNP. But, to my utter astonishment 12 hours later I came
to know through the media that Mr. Wickremesinghe had decided to continue
as leader UNP. This about turn would in the following months come
to epitomize his political direction and was the beginning of the
loss of principles of responsibility, discipline and democracy within
the UNP. It might be argued that these principles are the very ones
which a politician should shed, but to me who had been nurtured in
the old school of politics these principles are all important. This
decision of Mr. Wickremesinghe Created an ideological divide with
in- the party which every attempt was made to rectify in a non confrontational
and democratic manner. But, due to the leader UNP stealthily altering
the Constitution of the UNP with his inner circle these attempts came
to naught. His tactic of delaying the decision making process also
caused frustration among those who wanted the reform process of the
party accelerated to democratize the party and amend the unconstitutional
powers, the leader had bestowed upon himself.
2. As the most Senior UNP Parliamentarian I have periodically been
giving Mr. Wickremesinghe advice/opinion on a variety of political
issues within and out side the party with a particular reference to
Sri Lanka and UNP Muslim affairs. Most of this was done in documentation
form which Mr. Wickremesinghe is supposed to prefer. But to date not
a single correspondence I sent him has even been acknowledged let
a lone acted upon. This has led me to question the process of obviously
faulty decision A in a within the UNP to which I too had to be a part
due to the nature of collective responsibility. Over the past few
months this process of ignoring grass root political opinion had become
the hallmark of the Wickrmesinghe dominance of the UNP. He seems to
have taken a leaf out of a speech of US President George Bush by adopting
the concept, ‘either you are with me or you are my enemy".
This attitude has stunted expression of opinion and thereby democracy
within the UNP.
3. After Mr. Wickramesinghe passively handed over the UNP government
in 2004 due his political inaction, he appointed a series of Committees
to analyse the causes -for the UNPs poor showing at the elections
that followed and make necessary recommendations. Mr. Wickramesinghe
is well known for his passion for appointing committees which wastes
time of the committee members mid also results in nothing but of course
buys time for Mr. Wickremasinghe to cover up his political deficiencies.
One I such report which was, suppressed and seen only by a privileged
few around Mr. Wickremasinghe has described him in the following terms;
"‘not accessible, slow in decision making, does not make
use of political opportunities, living in a world of his own, projects
image of a foreigner, aloof to local politicians and rural Sri Lanka,
In Sri Lankan style of speech and non respecting Buddhist clergy in
particular". What surprised me was why did the UNP need a committee
to mention what the entire UNP and country already knew. But though
the UNP hierarchy was aware of these glaring defects in their "leader"
his accomplices covered these attributes up to the determent of the
UNP. All honest attempts to get the party to act on these reports
never succeeded due to the undemocratic atmosphere which had been
instilled in the UNP by then.
4. As the most senior UNP Muslim member of the UNP during the past
5 years I have been extremely concerned about the fast eroding support
of the UNP by UNP Muslims. INS I have conveyed to the leader, Political
affairs committee, Working Committee and all other party bodies concerned.
But due to the leader been convinced that he does not need the support
of UNP Muslims to win elections the party too has ignored my efforts
at reviving Muslim support for the UNP. Not only did the leader discourage
Muslims from supporting the UNP he activity did so. Let me give you
a few indisputable facts on this account. In 2002 I took the initiative
and called all UNP Muslim national/local political representatives
for a meeting at Sirikotha when Mr. Milroy was acting Secretary of
the I UNP.
The leader was against such a move and instructed me through a third
party (he was unable to tell me directly) to cancel the meeting. But
I refused. On the day of the meeting, where there was quite a large
gathering, Mr. Wickramesinghe walks in unannounced and behaved in
a most negative manner questioning the reason for the meeting. Here
was a situation where the leader of a political party, is questioning
his, own grass root organizers as, to why they are strategists to
increase the party voter base among a segment of its supporters. This
move on the part of Mr. Wickremasinghe was unpardonable from a UNP
perspective. This incident should also not be forgotten when the history
of this era is written for the UNP. The second incident occurred during
the last Presidential election.
The UNP Muslim under my leadership had organized a grand reception
for the UNP Presidential Candidate who happened to be Mr. Wickremasinghe
at the Galle Face Hotel Colombo. All preliminary work had been cleared
with his closed inner circle as well. Thus we as organizers thought
that we could not only preach to the converted but also could actually
convince more Muslim to vote for Mr. Wickremasinghe. But the attitude
and behaviour of Mr. Wickramesinghe put an end to all that optimism.
His conduct at the meeting is All a subject of discussion and quoted
as an example of his commitment to UNP and Sri Lankan Muslims. Just
to give you a glimpse of his behaviour, Mr. Wickremasinghe made a
dash of an entry refusing to be ‘Welcomed at the entrance by
the Welcoming party which included children, straight a way walked
up to the podium ignoring please from the organizers to wait for religious
observances and Welcome address, rudely dismissed questions during
the interactive session planed, and concluded his disastrous appearance
in less dun half an hour.
His exist was even more dramatic as he literally ran out of the
Grand Ball room as if to say that he has had it with the large number
gathered to shake his hand. A lunch in his honour had to be partaken
without him. The net result was that the UNP Muslims, were deeply
embarrassed by the behaviour of their Presidential Candidate and the
Candidate himself lost a far number of enfranchised voters from all
over the island who had come to greet him.
5. During Mr. Wickramesinghe’s second terra as Prime Minister
of Sri Lanka I had the privilege of organizing an International Muslim
Seminar in Sri Lanka to I invited him as the Chief Guest. At this
august assembly Mr. Wickramesinghe without consulting the organizers
as to what to say - as is customary at international gatherings made
a speech of his own. In it he said that the root cause for violence
among the Israelis and the Palestinians was that the Palestinian youth
were unemployed. This statement caused uproar among local and foreign
participants. I personally had to put in place a damage Control exercise
to prevent it becoming an international incident. This shows that
A&. Wickremasinghe truly lives in a world of his own to ignore
the geopolitical realities of the Arab/Muslim world. Needless to say
during the short term Of Mr. Wickremasinghe been Prime Minister our
relations with the Arab World were at its worst.
These are but a few reasons which have made it impossible for me
as politician to serve my constituents of Colombo District and Borella
electorate in particular under the leadership of Mr. Wickremasinghe.
The traditional identity of the UNP is been eroded by a group of political
novices who’s motives are not compatible with the founding belief
of the UNP.
Every attempt at getting the party back on course since the last
presidential election has Wed due to the undemocratic nature of the
decision making process in the UNP. As a grass root politician in
constant touch with my electorate I am secure in the knowledge that
the majority of UNPers are, aware of our reasons and modus operandi
to bring back democracy mid the rule of law within the UNP.
I conclude by quoting from the Damma Pada
Devo vassatu Kalena
Sasse sampathi he tu cha
Pito bhavathu lo ko cha
Raja bhavatu Dammikko
Translation:
May the rain fall in time
May your harvests be full
May all beings be happy
May the rulers be reghteous.
