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Another DFNC Attempt to Topple the Government by Ranil; this Time a Constitutional Tragicomedy!

Dilrook Kannangara

Another attempt by Ranil to fool the JVP to get its support to topple the government; as usual it is another DFNC attempt. This time he is trying to plaster the already heavily patched Constitution which was the brainchild of his late uncle. The failure of this Constitution can be seen everywhere; it was amended 17 times and plus many more unsuccessful attempts; it has the strangest election system in the world that elects losers and keep winners away; it has failed the formation of strong governments and has caused friction, mistrust and war among the main branches of the government (legislative, executive and judiciary branches).

Unfortunately for Ranil, his uncle’s piece of shoddy work has come to trap him in defeat although it has made him a MP in spite of repeatedly losing the Biyagama electorate. When John Howard lost his Bennelong electorate, he had to retire from politics as he couldn’t make it to the parliament.

Ranil has transformed himself into a constitutional expert overnight just like the coyote in the RoadRunner Show dressing up like a roadrunner! He has gathered bits and pieces from pieces of legislation here and there (Britain, South Africa, France, Canada, etc.) and has come up with a fancy panacea for all ills; so he claims. He has presented his ‘proposals’ to the JVP just four days ahead of the crucial third reading of the budget. He expects the JVP to be impressed with his crappy work and support it to ‘clip the wings of the incumbent President’! However what the JVP has been demanding over the years is to abolish the executive presidential altogether; they never wanted to plaster it and keep it. Additionally, even the SLFP will vote for a proposal to abolish the executive presidency. But Ranil wants to keep it as he thinks that one day he can become the all powerful executive president like his late uncle. The JVP has already smelled a rat in Ranil’s opportunistic proposals.

Who were the Constitutional experts behind these proposals? Nobody. Why these proposals? No real reason. Were the people consulted before these proposals were put together? No. Most importantly, can these ‘proposals’ solve the conflict? No; apparently they are not aiming at solving the biggest problem faced by the Lankan society. Ranil’s proposal for the JVP is like a marriage proposal by a 14 times divorced woman with a STD! God bless the JVP if they fall for Ranil’s appalling proposal. Those parliamentary jokers who swam against the tide and joined Ranil are in disarray; Mangala, Sripathi, Arjuna, Wijedasa, Anura (the MUSAWA clique - meaning liars) are struggling to make their presence felt; people have already adjudged them as losers and so has Ranil. This is why he is looking leftward.

All Ranil controlled media have gone silent about the JVP; some are actively praising the JVP. They have forgotten, for the time being, how they named the JVP – extremists, subversives, racists, terrorists, etc. Now they have suddenly become saints, saviours, bosses and partners. Pro-UNP-TNA-LTTE groups like the CPA, FMM have also stopped criticising the JVP; they praise the JVP instead. Even Parabakaran in his annual speech didn’t mention the JVP by the name for the fear of arousing the boss by calling him by his long name! Immediately after the third reading is over, JVP bashing will recommence. The bottom-line is that UNP voters cannot live with JVP voters and hence, there cannot be any UNP-JVP joint venture.

This brings into light another reality – a future UNP government will find it impossible to govern the country as the JVP is vehemently opposed to UNP policies; on the other hand, the UNP cannot use its favourite anti-trade-union attacks now. A couple of total shut downs against UNP-style privatisations, misappropriations and/or favouritism will send any UNP-government packing in no time. On the other hand, the SLFP has also made its own mark; any future government must fight the LTTE or perish; the LTTE is never going to adopt a less-intense warfare again after they made that blunder in 2002-5.

A UNP government means a very violent LTTE campaign to quickly recapture the whole N-E and ethnically cleanse all the Sinhala and Muslim elements. In terms of fiscal management, the picture looks even bleaker for the UNP. The manner the SLFP has handled public finance and foreign borrowings makes it imperative to broad-base the economy; else it is going to be impossible to handle it. For instance liberation of Vanni would immediately add USD 350 million a year to the economy and on the other hand the fall of the Jaffna district will shrink the economy by USD 1 billion a year immediately. The fall of Trinco, Batti and Ampara will further shrink the economy by another USD 1 billion. Simply the Lankan economy will collapse in the case of a major LTTE victory which is assured under a UNP regime.

Simply put it, the 14 year old mostly SLFP administrations have laid a minefield consisting of economic, military and social (trade unions, manyfold freedoms, bribery and corruption commission, HR commission, etc.) landmines that makes Lanka unrulable any other way.
The UNP did the same after they ruled the country for 17 years; the SLFP struggled (and still struggles) in the UNP-laid minefield.

Therefore if the UNP wants to rule this country, it must follow the economic, military and social trends the SLFP has created. In this context what difference it makes if the government is toppled now or in two years time when elections are due?

The best cause of action for the UNP is to support the government until the next general election; if the SLFP fails to deliver the goods by then, people will rally round the UNP at the election. This will give a share of the successes of the SLFP and its publicity stunts to the UNP plus the advantage of SLFP failures.

On the other hand, presently the UNP has become irrelevant; everybody is eyeing the JVP’s decision as only the JVP can turn the tide, not the UNP! By blindly opposing anything and everything, the UNP has become a given and people take it for granted. On the other hand the JVP by using its discretion has gathered the best of both worlds. As a result the JVP has become the effective Opposition; it decides singlehandedly when a government should go; they are the kingmakers. The UNP has become the unloved dog which feeds itself from whatever that falls from the JVP dinning table! In 1989, nobody in the UNP would have thought that tables will be turned on them!

Coincidentally 14 December 2007 (when the third reading of the budget is due) falls on the 10,000th day after the barbaric 1980 July attack on JVP strikers by JRJ; in a twist of fate, it is JRJ’s nephew this time who begs the JVP for support. The JVP can either play its part in the tragicomedy or vote for the budget!

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