The Real Opposition
Sarath Fonseka is facing jail time. Ranil got a new car. Who’s the real leader? DNA members were arrested at a protest in Galle. The UNP is meeting itself in Colombo. Who’s the real opposition?
Ranil and Mahinda, BFFs
Ranil with PM DM Jayaratne at the opening of an exhibition
While Sarath Fonseka and his family are losing everything, Ranil continues meeting with Mahinda and getting a replacement car while his mother gets Presidential visits in hospital. While Ranil’s CFA is taking a beating in the Lessons Learnt And Reconciliation Commission he’s not defending himself, attacking instead the declawed Mervyn Silva. More to the point, he’s not bringing up the substantive issues that the commission won’t discuss. Ranil is no longer the opposition. He’s part of the system.
1984
Forget Big Brother, Ranil is Emmanuel Goldstein, the perpetual enemy that 1984’s Big Brother couldn’t exist without. To quote from the protagonist’s torture in the Ministry of Love, “Goldstein and his heresies will live for ever. Every day, at every moment, they will be defeated, discredited, ridiculed, spat upon and yet they will always survive.”
Everything Ranil stood for is being discredited by Mahinda’s commission, even by his former Defence Secretary. His CFA is being framed as a failure that emboldened terrorists and endangered countless lives. Yet, even though the commission draws this conclusion, Ranil will never face any consequences. Because Mahinda needs him. He’s the Yin to his Yang, the Cheech to his Chong.
Fonseka actually challenges Mahinda, so he’s the one in jail. Though it’s not entirely clear what he’s fighting for, Fonseka fights. He’s unpredictable, tenacious and respected. Ranil, by contrast, is predictable, tenacious only in clinging to power, and openly mocked. Though he has ideas, many were proved wrong, and he has not taken right action at the right time.
Democracy
The biggest impediment to democracy in Sri Lanka is not Mahinda (who actually wins elections, while cheating) but Ranil (who loses without trying). By neither trying or leaving he makes the perfect foil to Mahinda, one who he is comfortable enough with to invite over for discussions while simultaneously stealing MPs out of his back pocket.
This is why Fonseka was right to say “They [the UNP] must not limit themselves to words but must act as well.” The UNP has been reshuffling endlessly yet Ranil still has the gall to negotiate with Mahinda on behalf of a party he barely controls. There is only one decision maker in the UNP, and there’s only one decision he needs to take. To step down and let the party reorganize itself out of urgency.
Instead, Ranil – like Prabhakaran – seems to be using protracted internal negotiations to strategically retreat and wait it out. No matter how much they negotiate, it seems like Ranil is content to take the UNP and the entire opposition hostage before he gives up. Occasionally brave MPs run to government territory to be comforted by portfolios and actual work to do, but Ranil still clings on to his little strip of power.
Such is the state of the opposition. The UNP, which should be pushing against the government is instead collaborating and being co-opted. The DNA, which should be a minor party, is taking the lead in actually fighting even though they don’t have the ideas, organization or money of the UNP. In fact, Fonseka is now asking the UNP to join the DNA, which seems fair enough. The DNA is the real opposition now, whereas Ranil seems content to drive Mahinda’s hand-me-down Jaguar as the actual opposition puts everything on the line and languishes in jail.
WHO WILL CONTROL THE UNP IF SAJITH BECOMES THE LEADER? NO DOUBT IT WILL BE HEMA.P., SOTHTHI UPALI AND ETC. SO THERE WILL BE ANOTHER TERROR ERA WHICH PEOPLE HAVE FORGOTTEN.
SO SRI LANKA WILL CONTINUE TO BE A TERROR COUNTYRY FOR THE NEXT 20 TO THIRTY YEARS. RANIL SHOULD NOT BE BLAMED FOR THE UNP’S DEFEAT ALL PARTY MEN SHOULD TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY.
RANIL WOPULD HAVE WON THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN 2004 IF NOT FOR THE NORTHERN BOYCOTT FIGURES WILL SPEAK FOR ITSELF. UNP HAS TO DEPEND ON THE MIONORITY VOTES.
GOD BLESS SRI LANKA.
NOT ONLY THAT HE CHANGED HIS RELIGION, NOW SAJITH IS A BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN..
Thanks to Rosy. She has done a wonderful converting job. Even a lot of cats and dogs in the neighbourhood are born again christians because of her..
RANIL IS THE NEW PIRABAKARAN
Sadly, I have to agree with Soysa only to an extant. Don’t forget the central theme of artical 14 which is Ranil is the new Pirabakaran ! While Mahinda wins elections by cheating, Ranil is selling democracy down the river for the petty favours he can extract from the so called government of the day. So, we the Sri Lankan going to find out in 15 years or so that we will have no opposition and will have generations of Rajapaksas ruling the land. India will be a superpower by then and would realise that to counter the powerful Rajapaksas (and the influence of China in Sri Lanka) being a threat to India – they have to have a counter balance – and what would that be? As before, they will turn to the minority Tamils. Training camps in Tamil Nadu, arms suppliers, insurgency and so on… before we know it, we will be back to where we started. Fighting among us, killings, and bombs going off everywhere. So let us get rid of Ranil for good, the time clock is ticking… Wake up guys.
Ramy
Courageous of you to say this now. But are you the same Indi Samarajiva who did some website work for the UNP under this same Ranil Wicks? Of course you are allowed to change your views and loyalties. But in your immature eyes, Ranil could do nothing wrong then, and now????
I did work for the UNP in 2005.
I don’t think supporting a politician is like a marriage, you’re supporting a public servant. If they don’t deliver the goods, then you fire them.
Like your main article, your comment is silly as well. Contrary to what you say, a political affiliation is like a marriage, if you practice ‘principled, conviction politics’. You work hard to get your house in order and the marriage to work. Failing to succeed in your attempts, you file a divorce, but that has to be the last resort. Your explanation is like, you dump your wife because she failed to conceive and that’s disgusting. Taking your public servant example, if you are supporting a public servant, first you need to make sure you agree with and admire his courage and principled position. If he fails to deliver, then you have to share the blame too, in which case firing him will not do any good. Instead, stick by him and try to put him on the right track. Anyway, the main article is diabolical to be very honest.
It is the JVP which is vibrant opposition whenever UNP or UPFA loses power, unlike Jvp who can confront state power & its machinery without it.
Always power losers curry in favor of ruling powers, Track record is quite visible as the JVP is not power crazy.
What’s wrong if our leaders have a close friendship. Mr Ranil Wickramasinghe is not SF’s life partner, father, mother, sister, brother, son or daughter to be so close to SF. He may support SF but there is no harm of RW attending state functions and gracing other occasions. He is not a crafty person to gain things from the government by showing good face to them. I think RW had travelled in better cars and not greedy for things like that.
We agree with Mr.Sheriff and Menike. The population is undergoing severe economic hardships and all of us must get together to overcome the situation.
You mean for a group hug? Yes that’ll solve it!
Ranil is been taken for a ride by MR again…
This guy is so gullible!
[Ranil, Mahinda-te kade yanawa]
Ranil enjoys the recognition (although negative) through the discredits, ridiculed, spat upon, as long as he has control on the UNP donations and since recently being Mahinda’s toy boy. I dont think Royalists will like to proudly take him as an example of a good Royalist now…. Blowing with the wind
Wake up folks! When was Ranil W in the opposition? he has always been a part of the system since he lost his first contest with MR. He is Mr’s mole in the UNP.
Did not the Sunday Leader support Ranil W for many many moons…..
Why are you trying to “back stab” RW now ???
Support RW….Life time…Opposition Leader of Sri Lanka…
GO… SUNDAY LEADER GO… SUPPORT JVP NAD THE HATE GANG
THE KILLERS OF 80′S JOIN HANDS WITH FONSEKA THE MONSTER. GO..AHEAD CREATE ANOTHER BLOOD SHED…!
This situation is not new, even though little columnist boys may have woken up to this reality only just now. Before he was brutally killed, the late Lasantha Wickremaunge was the real Opposition Leader and Ranil was only a cheap pretender. Lasantha was sympathetic of the opposition political parties but never sang praise of Ranil. He had the courage to question and even challenge Ranil.
Sri Lanka is well on its way to a one party democ(kery)racy. Ranil is literally a dead loss, the only national issues raised by Sajith in parliament is the state of little known by-roads in Hambantota, while Ravi K (Alimankada/Pamankada man) will never be accepted by the people of Sri lanka, Karu J has the force and personality of a cooked limp noodle and that sums up the opposition in Sri Lanka. The only real threat to the Rajapaksha’s despot rule was from Sarath Fonseka and in true dictatorship style he has been neutralized.
It is now up to the people of this country to rise up against this tyrannical rule but to do that who is there to give leadership to it. Its a violation which has obsessed tyrants of the twentieth century. They do not want to simply kill their opponents, but to liquidate them and to deny that they ever existed. This will be the destiny of Sarath Fonseka.
Fonseka is by no means a Saint but the vendetta that is being carried out against him lacks credibility and the frivolousness of the charges against him is laughable.
As I see it the biggest impediment to democracy here is neither Mahinda nor Ranil ,but the inability of the voters of this country not to see through the humbugs the elect to rule us.
Well said. The best response so far.
Lanakan electorate is NOT mature enough to navigate a democracy. Their lack of comprehension fundemental democracy is the true evil that keeps sending the wrong man (or woman) to lead our nation..
@iIAN DS
Loved your comments. Well articulated and so factual. Liked the Alimankada-Pamankada-man quip and the cooked-limp noodle analogy.Also the final analysis that the lankan voter is the real culprit responsible for all this corruption in politics.
Ali Baba and Forty thieves cannot be defeated by another bunch of unethical leaders, that includes the former General
What do you mean by “He’s the Yin to his Yang, the Cheech to his Chong”? Are you just talking about one person here or are you suggesting they smoke weed together? Amazing!
Oh Dear Oh Deary Me !!! Indi is getting heavy . Time for another glass of Kassipu !
The General is the one and only powerful and possible challenge to MR in the current political field in Sri Lanka and he is accepted unanimously and wholeheartedly.by the people.The Royal family is well aware of this fact,and put in their utmost to stop it.But it is naive and stupid to underestimate people’s power.
When you said ‘unanimously’, did you mean 10%? That was what he was polled in the general election from Colombo. It is fair enough if you extrapolate it to the whole of the country. Anyway what challenge is he to the president? In the Presidential election, he tapped the entire UNP votebase plus the minute JVP lot. Luckily for him, Somawansa uncle was their to save his face by coining a word within former’s capability called ‘Jilmart’. He was a great soldier but he is not even confident enough when he speaks Sinhala, let alone anything else. It doesn’t really matter whether it is SF or RW, what they want is to find real issues to talk about. At the moment, SF talks about his woes and RW talks to the moon.
Did you say peoples power? This man SF can NEVER be a peoples man because he thinks Lanka is only for the majority race. The others are just a blot on the demographic spectrum of the country and will have to be pushed into the Indian Ocean sooner or later. No way Jose, the minorities will never accept this man as worthy of his salt.
The writter is absolutely right. Ranil’ action of cooperating with a ruthless goverment make him an indispensable ally to MR. Ranil should instead use these negotiations to restore democracy. But does he have the guts or skills?
Ranil has no back borne
Where is Mangy in all this? Maybe he is still conferring with his matriach about what to plan next. The cunning fox who never sees any grapes as sour because he blew up all his chances and is still struggling to cling to some position of money-churning political power..
despite all the criticism against the government I am really happy to see the boom in Sri Lanka
see the share market/Tourism industry and the independent reports from world bank/IMF
Even with some courruption at the higher level SL is in correct track and I cant think of any one to replace MR
May be Sajith P will -I will vote for him next time if he contest …