Time for all good men to come to the aid of party and country

News of the UNP breakaways talking to the UNP as reported in The Morning Leader last Wednesday would have been great news to supporters of the grand old party. The UNP, the oldest political party in the country, has shown tremendous resilience in the past. It has arisen from the grave many a time while its opponents declared so many 'last nails' being driven into the coffin.

In 1956 following its severe drubbing, S.W.RD. Bandaranaike declared it stone dead but after the declared premature demise and the demise of Bandaranaike, it rose from the dead.

Once again in 1970 after the two third majority scored by Sirima Bandaranaike and her Marxist comrades, the UNP was declared  'dead and buried forever' only to see seven years later J.R. Jayewardene leading the party to the biggest ever victory and the party ruling for 18 consecutive years.

Alive and kicking

The last two provincial council elections at Ratnapura and the North Central Province indicated that the UNP is alive and kicking. The fact that its  nominees for the posts of two chief ministers - Maj. Gen Janaka Perera and Ranjan Ramanayake - polled the largest number of  votes in the two provinces indicated the potential still left in the body that has been declared moribund. The party has to pull itself by its socks, resolve internal differences and once again be the vibrant party that it has always been.

In the absence of a strong opposition party, President Mahinda Rajapakse using the powers of the executive presidency has been driving rough shod over the basic rights of the people in this 60-year-old democracy.

He with utter nonchalance ignores constitutional provisions he is sworn to follow. The most glaring example is the non implementation of the 17th Amendment which enables the appointment of a Constitutional Council that is empowered to appoint key state officials such as the police chief, the elections commissioner, heads of the Public Service Commission, and Judicial Services Commission. Instead, he hides behind the excuse of awaiting a report of a Parliamentary Select Committee on the Constitutional Council on recommendations to be made on the council.

That report which is urgently needed does not seem to be forthcoming and appointments are made arbitrarily by President Rajapakse. The appointees, some of whom like the police chief are on service extensions having passed their age of retirement cannot act independently and are obliged to follow the dictates of the President. This has led to a severe breakdown of law and order.

Roof coming down

The few remaining independent media organisations are screaming to no avail. Now with the roof threatening to come down on the Rajapakse government desperate remedies are being resorted to. The government that is claiming victory to be round the corner in the 25- year-old battle against terrorism has now brought in regulations that are clearly a threat to functioning of independent radio and TV channels.

This is hilarious because only one or two really independent radio stations and TV channels are operating in the country anyway. The country is under Emergency Rule and under the Public Security Act newspapers can be censored if and when the government desires.

No money

The only explanation is that the Rajapakse government realises that it is neck deep in trouble and the water is fast rising. Despite Rajapakse's portrayal of a rosy economic picture the fact is that foreign exchange reserves are expected to hit rock bottom and the country would be hard pressed for imports of essential commodities.

That was the reason why that after the glorious picture painted of a booming economy in the budget, taxes were announced on imports of essential commodities such as wheat flour, milk, sugar and other consumer items. If after three years of conning the people about the success of the Mahinda Chinthanaya, the people already suffering the highest rate of inflation in Asia are expected to undergo further privation no amount of bakthi gee or viridu verses churned out by the government's hired hacks could save the situation.

The excuse given for imposition of taxes on imported consumer commodities is that it is to promote local production. This is a na‹ve and childish excuse that won't go down even with the Rajapakse faithful. If the visionary thinking about import substitution with local production is the reason for import curbs, why were not these curbs imposed at the dawn of the Mahinda Chinthanaya?

Why this sudden shift in policy? Sri Lankans cannot be fooled because they had gone through this exercise of import substitution for patriotic reasons before; under Sirima Bandaranaike's socialism, parents had to stand in queues each day to buy a loaf of bread and for hours to purchase a tin of infant milk food. Are we returning to that age?

Indian big brother

The other factor to consider is the recent breathing down our necks by our 'friendly neighbour' across the Palk Strait. We all know it happened 21 years ago. For the past two years Mahinda Rajapakse has been beating the war drums and assuring the people that victory over the terrorists was near at hand.

Victory is all very good, thanks to the LTTE splitting up and anti Pirapaharan forces teaming up with the government. But while the people were being told to await the fall of Kilinochchi - the forces were so close to the town that they could see the outlines of the buildings - they now seem to be going around in circles in the area and heading in different directions. Pirapaharan had said that the Rajapakses were day dreaming about the fall of Kilinochchi.

No doubt the Sri Lankan forces having made tremendous sacrifices - hundreds of them making the supreme sacrifice - have gone so far. These achievements have been made on their blood, toil, tears and sweat. Not on the grandiose propaganda blasts of the warlords in Colombo or their mouthpieces. Are the Indians stalling the military offensive as they threatened to do two weeks ago?  Meanwhile let's not forget that over 200,000 Sri Lankans - men, women and children caught in the cross-fire have been rendered homeless and most of them are without a roof over their heads while the North East Monsoon lashes the Wanni.

The trillion dollar question now is whether the New Delhi bureaucratic Brahmins and politicians are now twisting the arm of Mahinda Rajapakse to go slow in finishing off the LTTE. It happened 21 years ago, it can happen now. Despite all the bombast of the Rajapakse brothers, have they caved in?

No effective opposition

The gross Sri Lankan tragedy is that there is no effective opposition party to query the government on the issues of import substitution and Indian interference. The only opposition can emerge from the UNP which still seems to be at sea.

The report that Rukman Senanayake, the UNP chairman is initiating talks for the 17 breakaway UNPers to return to the party fold is welcome news. The truncated UNP is like its symbol, the elephant sans the trunk. Most of them are politicians with means and do not need ministerial posts and the perks that go with them for survival. Besides they are a lost tribe.

It is quite unlikely that Mahinda Rajapakse will sacrifice his own MPs to find them seats at the next elections.