Ranil?s DFNC Attempts to Grab
Power
Dilrook Kannangara
It was two weeks ago that the UNP promised to bring a no-confidence
motion against the government. This is the only way wild dreams of Ranil
may be materialised. However, as it happens always with all his endeavours,
it didn’t happen! This is one of a hundred different attempts he
and his miserable buffoons made to grab political power in a country
the masses won’t elect him by ballot.
Only politician in the world to lose
three presidential elections
He lost the 1994 presidential election even before nominations were
called! His party, having lost faith in him following the massive defeat
suffered in August 1994 decided to replace him with attractive and able
Gamini D and later his wife, both accomplished professionals. Thereafter
he lost two presidential polls yet hangs in there in wide contrast to
what happens in other countries. Hilary Clinton, Barak Obama or John
Edwards will contest the US election in 2008 for the Democrats and not
John Kerry who has lost already in the 2004 poll. The 2005 election
is a case in point. Even when the then incumbent President supported
Ranil heavily and openly while all SLFP electoral organisers were appointed
by her, Ranil lost! The LTTE on the other hand went back on the 2002
MoU signed with the UNP and took a soft approach to its sole representative
claim in direct contrast to its conduct in 2004. If all Tamil votes
were either cast or reserved for their ‘sole representative’,
Ranil would have lost the deposit of rupees 50,000!
The lowest success rate
Ranil’s election success rate is a paltry 22% for the last 30 years.
This equals a failure rate of 78%! This is in spite of mammoth amount
of money spent - the highest – by the UNP. For instance it wasted
rupees four (4) billion for the 2004 general election excluding billions
spent by individuals and other entities! Saachi and Saachi – the
world’s number one PR agency – was hired in 1999 for hundreds
of thousands of Pounds to groom the loser but to no avail; they resigned
from the project as the streak of defeats would be a blackmark on them!
This year a-USD 20, 000-per-month dress consultant has been consulted
by Ranil to choose his fashion garments. USD 240,000 a year plus millions
of rupees on fashion garments would have bought clothes for the entire
IDP populace in this country. And he talks about helping the poor!!
The shortest lasting time
However, Ranil has won 22% of elections he lead his party. These victories
tell an even miserable story. After the 1977 and 1989 elections, he
lost his Biyagama electorate! If in the UK, US, Australia, India, Japan
and in many democracies, this would have marked his political end. However,
he went on to become the PM wherein he lasted only 15 months. After
capitalising on the drought, LTTE attacks and defection in 2001, he
reassumed power; this time only to last 26 months. Can he bring about
political stability which is vital for business and economic growth?
No sane person would think so.
The Longest standing Opposition Leader
On September 19th, Ranil became the longest serving Opposition Leader.
Factor in all the above record, there is the most desperate politician
the country has ever seen. If greed for power is a merit, he certainly
must be recognised for his valiant and courageous attempts at power.
‘UNP has been led to its
ruin’
Whoever said this did the vital calculations; 46 UNP seats plus Mangala
and Sripathi and Ven Uduwe Dhammaloka gives it 22% of the total parliamentary
seats. In a parliament elected on a proportionate representation (PR),
this is the lowest the UNP has ever scored and percentage-wise it’s
the UNP’s lowest ebb for 60 years. The validly appointed UNP leader
by it’s executive committee was disregarded and Ranil continues
to use all the goodwill, credibility and reach the UNP has for mere
personal gains.
Today the UNP shouts at the gates of banks, it rallies crowds to their
fancy dress comedies, it accommodates all the rejects from the SLFP/JHU/TNA/SLMC/CWC
and by the UNP itself, copies JVP-style-protests, ridicules Buddhism,
ridicules local values and beliefs and conjoins with terror groups.
Would it’s forefathers be happy about the way things are done now
in their party?
Part of the problem lies in the executive presidential system. JRJ appointed
RP as his PM because the latter was disadvantaged by caste, education,
personality and timid submission vis-à-vis other seniors in the
party who might have posed a challenge to JRJ. This tradition continued
as RP appointed DBW – the most passive and submissive MP then.
Guess what DBW did when his chance came; he appointed the most passive
and submissive MP then for the post of PM. So Ranil had his chance;
now Ranil follows the same strategy within the UNP. Only Ranil’s
pom-pom beaters are tolerated in the party; there is huge competition
among Lacksman/Rookman, Ravi/Rosi, Johnston/Joseph and Tissa/Mangala/Sripathi/SB
to become his darling. Chandrika/Anura/Vimukthi are also prying in the
party to jump out of their political dungeons. It is interesting that
all of them were rubbished by JRJ.
A few vain attempts Ranil made in
the past six months to grab power
- · Launched a media hype forcing the Defence Secretary to
resign after the Katunayake SLAF base was attacked by the LTTE on
Ranil’s 58th birthday. Had the resourceful DS resigned, the LTTE
would have got the upperhand and Ranil would have had more chances
to grab power
- A ‘raja yoga’ was working for Ranil – according to
him - that failed to reinstate him
·
- Ranil worked hard for an international invasion that would have
placed him at the throne just like Chelabi was appointed in Iraq after
the invasion.
- · A false alarm on human rights was made as if Sri Lanka
has beaten Darfur, China, India, Pakistan, Taliban, Zimbabwe, Singapore,
Burma, Laos, Palestine, Lebanon, Cuba, etc. on human rights. His intention
was to block foreign aid to Sri Lanka thereby forcing the government
out of public office.
- Ranil personally met foreign diplomats and begged them not to give
any support for the country’s development work; he thought this
will topple the government
- · He quickly grabbed Mangala and Sripathi into his fold and
formed the ill-fated National Congress which was annulled by the court.
- · Island-wide and world-wide desecration campaigns were carried
out against Sri Lanka and its elected government hoping that these
will bring down the government
- · Protest campaigns were launched to ‘scare-off’
the government
- · Used his mother’s, brother’s, cousin’s and
uncles’ media institutions to sling mud at the President, Ranil’s
opponents, monks and patriots.
- Threatened to bring corruption charges against Basil Rajapakse and
many others but nothing happened as there was no presentable evidence
other than Lacksman’s baboon-like chest beating
- · Tried to ground the MiG jets so the LTTE can attack government
troops and possibly help him topple the government.
- · Threatened to bring a no-confidence motion against the
government without any confidence of support it gets; it was a fiasco
as expected.
- · Held secret talks with Chandrika to get a number of SLFP
supporters into the UNP to topple the government.
- · Colluded with the LTTE to destroy opponents, grab power
and remain in power.
- · ‘Satyagraha’ campaigns were launched to invoke
blessings on the Batalanda killer to get to power.
- · Ridiculed Presidents’ brothers hoping that they would
leave the country in fear!
- · Robbed the motor car of a Buddhist monk MP to discredit
his holiness, Buddhism and Buddhist teachings/beliefs (the eight noble
paths, the noble triple gem, four guarding deities, etc.) hoping that
it will collapse the government which is amply supported by Buddhists
and non-Buddhists alike.
- · Persuaded – after a few meetings - his friend Gnanakone
set out to buy government Ministers for USD 1 million each into the
UNP camp.
- · Many other desperate attempts to topple the government
before its term end.
These campaigns are like opening a bottle of soda;
they all fizzled out in no time.
Post 9/19 strategies
After bettering the record for the longest standing Opposition Leader,
Ranil is likely to change his strategies to grab power. He may be a
frustrated man. It is likely that the intensity of his campaigns may
die down only to restart nearing the budget. But some are of the view
that he will continue unabated until god knows when.
Remarkably, there is a reduction in UNP’s anti-government activities
and mud slinging this week.
Ranil is born to lose
These attempts are akin to what the Pirate attempts on Dr Dolittle to
get power over all species.
As long as Ranil uses intimidation, threats, violence, terror, torture,
mud slinging, pretence, lies and the like, he is bound to fail. A good
example is how he deceived the public by stating that he has a period
of intense ‘raja yoga’ knowing too well that he is passing
through the notorious Saturn (Sani) period (Dasaa) from 2003 to 2020
which is bad all round. Any astrologer will tell him to retire from
politics at least till this passes over.
On the part of the government, effective measures should be taken to
relieve the mass media from Ranil’s stranglehold. Ranil is a no
body sans his media.
By the way, DFNC stands for Daily ‘Fertilising attempts’
(of human eggs) yet No Children; it denotes utter ineffectiveness the
type displayed by Ranil.
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