CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

Ranil Cries Halt To Toppling the Goverenment Strategy

By Philip Fernando from Los Angeles

Creating a winning coalition to topple the Rajapaksa government seemed elusive as Ranil Wickremesinghe announed that a new strategy was being planned by him after the budget. That itself is an indication that Ranil has given up his much vaunted topping straegy, many observers commented.

With a few more days to go before the 3rd reading of the Budget even the JVP is now cautious about making predictions. They even voted with the government when the Defence Ministry votes was taken few days ago during the Committee Stage of the Budget. Their faux pas in voting against the government on the Second Reading hurt the JVP badly.

JVP's volte face was a definite sign that they were smarting under that decision as the national sentiment for the war remained very high. To have sided with the UNP and TNA during that vote brought strong criticism. A quick power grab foisted on by Ranil Wicremesanghe seemed to have caught them unawares.

Throwing a lifeline to the LTTE currently fighting for their own survival was very bad politics. Thus, JVP's support for the defence vote at the committee stage was nothing but a vain attempt to do damage control due to the irreparable damage they suffered at the seconding reading vote.

The logic of any decision of oppose the budegt seemed completely at odds with reality. So it was when SLFP dissident Wijedasa Rajapaksa after his crossover to the Opposition argued that since President Rajapaksa would continue to hold office, even if the governemnt were to be toppled, the war effort wouldn't be adversely affected even if the budget was defeated. It was flawed thinking to assume that going counter to the war effeort would be acceptable by the vast majority of the people who would cringe at the very idea of a Tiger come-back.

To most obserers, a vote against the President's war budget is nothing but a vote against his war effort. They point out that JVP's right to oppose the budget cannot be questioned but having tried to defeat it, it has no moral right to demand that the LTTE be crushed militarily. Face saving tactics won't help it dupe the discerning public. The Editor of the Island in an editorial asked the question" How can Rathu Sahodarayas relishing oxtail soup say 'no' to beef "?

What is intrigueing is that there is no guarantee that if the budget were to be shot down and a general election held, the UNP-led Jathika Sabha would be able to form a government. Even the support expected from Mangala-Sripathy duo has not yet been tested and whether they could deliver what they have promised to the UNP at an election remains to be seen. It is safe to assume whether Hakeem and Thondaman, who are currently voting with the Rajapaksa government will risk a general election and help topple the government at this stage.

Ranil Wickremesisnghe is hndling his Opposition role with scant respect for the issues of the day. It keeps shifting from issue to issue without anything solid to hang its anti-government campaign on.

It has not won the public confidence due to its obsession with the "toppling the government" mindset.

Philip Fernando is the former Editor of the Sunday Observer currently domiciled in Los Angeles

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