Rienzie Algama – On Candid Camera

By Raisa Wickrematunge

On July 26, he received a phone call at 5:30 am from an unknown source. “I am going to town today. We’ll see what happens,” was all he said. He left his home in Weligama for Colombo, never to return again. The story of Rienzie Algama has been widely reported in the media. The 60 year old, a staunch UNP supporter, set fire to himself on July 26. It was said he had taken this drastic action in despair at the leadership crisis the UNP was undergoing. He succumbed to his injuries later.
Algama did leave something behind. On the very afternoon of his death, he visited the UNP Media Unit, where he recorded a statement. What’s more, a videotape of him reading the statement was recorded as well.
Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Private Secretary, Sudath Chandrasekara, when questioned said, “Algama did come to see me at around 12:30 pm. He wanted to meet me and the Opposition Leader.” However, Wickremesinghe was in India at the time.
Chandrasekara says Algama used to come to see him at least once a month. This time, as he had done on previous occasions, he said he had an article that he wanted to publish. Chandrasekara therefore saw nothing unusual in Algama’s request for help. As Chandrasekara had another appointment, he had asked Algama to finish writing the article and leave it on his desk. He added that the “initial” article had been roughly only two pages long.
However, Algama, according to Chandrasekara had said he had no time to finish writing the article as he had a meeting that evening. What took place thereafter is not just curious but extremely odd to say the least.
Algama not only handwrote a statement reiterating his extreme disappointment with the United National Party and the party’s continuing dissent and discord, but the UNP Media unit went so far as to video-tape him reading out this statement, based on instructions by Chandrasekara.  When The Sunday Leader requested a copy of the tape from Chandrasekara he claimed the only copy had been handed over to the Mirihana police for further investigation.
We reproduce below a short excerpt  and English translation of Rienzie Algama’s statement:
“Since Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe took over the party leadership in 1994 I have supported him. Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe has been in politics continuously since 1977 where he recorded a resounding victory in the Biyagama electorate at the election in July that year. He entered parliament and held the positions of Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Education Minister and Science and Technology Minister in the J.R. Jayewardene administration and many other posts until he took over as the party leader in 1994. Since then he has held the post of Opposition Leader for the past 16 years and held the Prime Ministerial portfolio for two terms  and now some have presented reform proposals to change the party leadership that is held by Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe.
“I spoke to the party leader at the outset and said, Sir during the party crisis after the 2004 election, 40 of the 82 we had left. Now there is crisis brewing in the party again. I told the party leader that measures needed to be taken to resolve the crisis without allowing it to continue further. The party leader spoke to me and said that it would not become a crisis as he would resolve it before hand. Not even a week had lapsed since the party leader had made this comment when I saw comments made by several of our MPs to the media. After seeing those comments I spoke to the party leader again. I told the party leader, Sir, the problem is becoming serious once again. Therefore, I will intervene and discuss about the matter to resolve it.
“The party leader then said, Rienzie, don’t be too smart. It would not become such an issue. Let’s resolve it. After the matter continued for several days, the Reforms Committee has prepared a report, I believe, to hold elections for posts. Or else to go for an election if a consensus cannot be reached. We had planned to get proposals ratified by the party convention. But, I see one thing, this party has received 47 lakhs 63,389 votes when Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe contested the presidential election. Yet, the votes declined to 23 lakhs at the last presidential election. There were so many reasons for it. We started to distance from the party due to various internal conflicts created by various ideas put forward by some of us. That is the truth. When an organiser is appointed, he does not organise. Organisations are not strengthened and electoral organisations are not formed. To form youth organisations and youth fronts, it was sometimes only the organisers who were dedicated.
“Finally, when we went for elections, we lost. When defeated, they say we lost because of the leader. The party does not continuously lose because of the leader. Everyone who is talking today have only built their electorates in a manner where they could get the required votes to win the election. They all have posts, but none of them were able to win. They should first win their electorates. These are not being said just for argument’s sake. I speak because of the hurt. I want to bring unity. I want to intervene. Our Hon. Rukman Senanayake was treated unfairly. I accept that. After putting him on the National List, he was not taken into parliament through the National List. When the party leader was approached with this issue, he said no. And when there was a likelihood of what Hon. Rukman Senanayake has predicted coming true, I went and told Hamu, since I always called him by that name, about the situation that had risen and said it is your family that established this party. Let’s not allow this party to fall again. When I asked him to protect it, he accepted with honour and said let’s try to resolve it peacefully and united.
“I have spoken to all of them during this month. I spoke of bringing peace. I spoke to Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya morning and evening. He said that he was willing to sacrifice his post to anyone. He told me that the party had to be protected. He always said that. There is nothing that I have not done to bring peace to the party during the last two or three weeks. No matter the efforts taken, I see that it has come to a position where there can be no peace. Therefore, I’m going to decide. I’m going to stop all that I have done for the party in the past 65 years and I’m going to bid farewell to politics. I am bidding farewell. I love my country and I love my three children very much. I also love my party in the same manner. Therefore, I’m going to make a decision today. The 47 lakhs UNPers in the country must unite today and understand that we need to build our power base. And it is not to let the party be destroyed according to the ideas of various persons. I call Sajith Premadasa and everyone else to build unity within the party. Unite for the party’s future.
“At this moment, I will sacrifice my life to build a party that would serve the people and protect the people by forming a government. I hope my example would be an example to all party members. As a person who has been dedicated to build the party, I have a final request. That is for all the party members to get together and increase the 47 lakhs votes to 57 lakhs with the party leader and to stop all this crises. I ask everyone to come to an agreement, a consensus. It is not in vain. The sacrifice I’m making as an example to all party members to bring unity to the party. All these people have to unite to bring peace to the party. I ask them to build the party among the people and work for the party to build a government. I ask for it because the current administrative system in the country must change. There has to be unity among us to do that. Don’t ever allow that unity to break down. The organisers must tell the party members and everyone that it is not positions like the leadership or the deputy leadership that is needed, the party needs power.
“Everyone must unite for the party to secure power. It is that message to unite that I give. I’m not just giving that message, the results of my actions will be that I have made every effort by going from house-to-house, to every parliamentarian and every leader asking for unity to be created in the party. However, I’m attending this programme after hearing the outcome of the final discussion. The response I received was that we will not unite. We will not build the party. What we need is a change in the leadership. That is what one person told me. I don’t want to reveal the name of the person as it would harm the party. It is not by looking at the party leadership or deputy leadership, it is by looking at the people of the country. I ask all organisers and parliamentarians to be dedicated to the party membership and the people in the country.

“Finally, today I bid farewell to the UNP and my politics.”

Clearly Rienzie Algama in his final paragraph indicated he was going to resort to drastic action when he said, quote “At this moment, I will sacrifice my life to build a party that would serve the people and protect the people by forming a government. I hope my example would be an example to all party members. As a person who has been dedicated to build the party, I have a final request. That is for all the party members to get together and increase the 47 lakhs votes to 57 lakhs with the party leader and to stop all this crises. I ask everyone to come to an agreement, a consensus. It is not in vain. The sacrifice I’m making as an example to all party members to bring unity to the party.” Unquote.
Meanwhile, the hand-written statement Algama wrote was subsequently typed into a computer by Chandrasekara’s office.  The final result is a 12 page document.
Chandrasekara maintains that Algama told him he had had enough and wanted to retire from political activity. The tape, Chandrasekara said, was simply of Algama reading his article. He insisted it was common practise for people to videotape statements. “Yes, that is normal procedure. We do this even with provincial councillors,” Chandrasekara said.
“I will sacrifice my life to build a party that will serve the people,” Algama wrote in his statement shortly before his death. He added “Everyone must unite for the party to secure power. It is that message to unite that I give.” Algama expressed great sorrow about the disharmony within the UNP ranks, claiming he had visited many parliamentarians and exhorted them to unite, in vain. He ends his letter by announcing his retirement from politics and bidding the UNP farewell.
Rienzie Algama had no history of mental problems or depression, according to his son, Sameera Algama. Nor was he the type of man to be easily manipulated.
It appears that Algama’s act of self-immolation was somewhat planned — he even speaks of sacrificing his life in the letter he wrote shortly before his act of self-immolation.
Sameera  Algama said Rienzie traveled to Colombo three times from August 24 to 26. He added that he had received a mysterious phone call at 5.30 am on August 26.  Sameera maintains they do not know who called his father at that time of the morning but after the phone call, he had merely said rather ominously “We shall see what will happen,” before leaving for Colombo.
He had then prior to his departure asked his daughter to study hard and do well. Later on during the day, when Sameera phoned his father, Rienzie had told him “I have given up politics. Please look after the family.” Sameera had been puzzled about his father’s comments. Sameera says his father sounded very upset and disturbed. He was to be tragically enlightened later that day.
The Head Quarters Inspector of Mirihana Police, Senerath Egodawela said he could not comment other than to say that inquiries into the whole matter were still ongoing. It is certainly strange, to say the least, that a man with no history of mental illness should suddenly set himself on fire — party division or not. It is equally strange that, considering the clear distress indicated in Algama’s statement, no one attempted to pacify him before he committed his desperate act. An act committed right in front of UNP Headquarters, Sirikotha.
The identity of the mysterious caller who telephoned Algama that fateful day was never discovered.

Sajith Premadasa Says…
UNP MP Sajith Premadasa said he had been asked to and given a statement on the Algama incident both to Sirikotha and the Mirihana Police.
What was Premadasa’s involvement in the saga?
Premadasa said he had been interviewed at Sirikotha on two issues — one, whether he had met Algama on the day of the suicide, and two, whether he ever had any discussions with him on the state of the party. “I have never ever met Algama over political issues, whether it be the present, past or future direction of the party. He has come and seen me at National, Divisional and Provincial Council level meetings, but I never spoke to him on the state of the party. I never met him on the day of the suicide either,” said Premadasa.
The Opposition MP expressed surprise that Algama had videotaped himself before his death. “I’m flabbergasted,” Premadasa said.