UNP/JVP link: ‘Marriage of convenience’ to UPFA and not for the masses

- Lakshman Seneviratne

United National Party (UNP) MP for Badulla District, Lakshman Seneviratne in a hard-hitting interview with Jatila Karawita says the common opposition presidential candidate General(rtd) Sarath Fonseka will ‘disrobe’ the corrupt and dictatorial UPFA presidential candidate at the January 26 presidential polls.
MP Seneviratne stressed that the outcome of the upcoming polls is a forgone conclusion considering the support already extended to the common presidential candidate by diverse Tamil opposition groups like the TNA, CWC, Mano Ganesan’s party, R Yogarajan and S Sellasamy etc.
He also emphasised that the people are ready in one voice to eject Mahinda Rajapaksa from office in a valiant bid to put an end to unprecedented corruption and fraud taking place with the ‘blessings’ of the UPFA leaders. Excerpts of the interview...

Do you subscribe to the view that the opposition is overestimating the chances of General Sarath Fonseka getting the better of President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the January 26 polls?

Not at all, in fact if you ask me I’d say the outcome of the polls is a forgone conclusion as far as General Sarath Fonseka is concerned.
This is not a case of being too big for their shoes or anything of that sort. This is the realistic ground situation as is well and truly evident judging from the multitude of people converging on the rallies organized by General Fonseka countrywide.
We are not overconfident by any stretch of the imagination but brimming with confidence of showing the door to a dictatorial President who is hell bent on amassing wealth for only his kith and kin as the rest of the country goes to rack and ruin.

Do you think the polls manifesto launched by General Sarath Fonseka contains pledges that are feasible and could be carried out once he is elected, or will they be mere hollow election promises made in a bid to reach the highest position in the land?

I refuse to label the polls pledges in General Fonseka’s election manifesto as being mere propaganda.
It is something more productive and tangible than the usual election promises of past candidates contesting a presidential poll.
It has been fittingly called a ‘Vishvasaneeya Venesak’ or ‘Believable Change’ that he intends to put into effect from January 27 onwards in this country.
To put it in a nutshell the people have a choice to make on January 26. Either the people can continue with unprecedented corruption, bribery, nepotism or ego-boosting extravagance that is causing thousands of families to pay high taxes, a high cost of living, falling income and a failing health and education system.
Or to support the believable change that the general is promising to restore democracy, eliminate corruption, bribery, help families by creating jobs, increasing incomes lowering taxes and the cost of living etc.
These are the things that could be realistically achieved by the common presidential candidate; hence it is not surprising to find people rallying round him by the hour to elect him to office to effect the ‘believable change’.

But, the UPFA is charging that General Fonseka would need nothing short of a miracle to grant the pledged 10,000 rupee salary hike to public servants?

It may seem like a miracle to the UPFA, but not to the opposition or the majority of the public servants of this country.
According to the plan mapped out by the General if not for the unbelievable corruption, bribery and nepotism taking place not only within the first family but also in the UPFA ranks, there is a possibility of reducing the heavy taxes on food and essentials which people need everyday.
If corruption is stymied, all that revenue could be channeled to improve the lot of the people like building more hospitals, using better quality medicines, better facilities in schools- hence granting a 10,000 rupee salary increase to public servants is not an election gimmick or rhetoric but a realistic proposition.

How do you describe a proxy of the LTTE - the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) extending its support to General Fonseka or is there a secret pact entered into with the TNA by the common opposition candidate?

As far as a secret pact is concerned there is none whatsoever. The TNA has clearly stated to the country that they decided to back the General because he understands full well the need to provide a lasting solution to the ethnic issue, far better than Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Also TNA leader R Sampanthan said the other day that the General was no longer attired in the military uniform hence it was a misconception to infer that the TNA was throwing their lot with a military official aspiring for the country’s highest office.
One of the other main reasons for the TNA to rally round the opposition is the President’s lukewarm response to remove all the high security zones in the North.
Not only the TNA, but the UPFA Deputy Minister of Telecommunications S Sellasamy also defected from the government to the opposition along with former CWC National Organiser R Yogarajan and former CWC member M Satchithananthan and it is clear the
President is rapidly losing the powerbase among the minority population not only in the North East but also in the up country because it is crystal clear to these parties that it is only General Fonseka who could bring equality and equity to such communities in this country.

How do you justify the association between the UNP and the JVP to oust the President? Isn’t it akin to two adults leading a marriage of convenience? Or will it end in divorce?

This could seem like a marriage of convenience to the UPFA but not to the people at large who are far more pragmatic and knowledgeable than the UPFA who are like a set of frogs or toads in a well.
Our association with the JVP is clear and that is to help General Fonseka become the President to pave the way for a ‘believable change’ in this country and to infer that it is heading for a divorce is a day dream of the UPFA.
I am not saying that both the UNP and the JVP are going to be in politics together, as there is a palpable difference between the two parties but to accomplish a common goal for the country both the parties have stepped onto the same political platform.
Who knows this so-called marriage of convenience may not end in divorce after all and could continue from strength to strength and let time be the judge of that.

Isn’t there a possibility for General Fonseka to steer this country towards a military rule if he wins, having known him to be a very rigid army commander?

Again none whatsoever. What is the whole purpose of steering the country towards such a rule and what would the General stand to gain by doing that.
If that was to be the case, the UNP, JVP or any of the other ethnic groups in the fray would not have joined hands with him in the first place. The bigger picture is clear to the people.
General Fonseka has already doffed his military uniform since his retirement and now he is coming forward as an apolitical figure to effect a ‘believable change’ and to suggest that he is trying to have military rule in the country is utter tripe if you ask me.

Will there be anymore crossovers from the UNP to the UPFA in the aftermath of the S B Dissanayake, Johsnton Fernando and Indika Bandaranaike drama?

In fact, the crossovers are taking place from the UPFA to the UNP. If not how do you explain the crossovers of Mayantha Dissanayake, the youngest son of Gamini Dissanayake, S Sellasamy a UPFA Minister, several CWC members and several other politicians from provincial council level to the UNP led opposition.
There will be more to follow and all these people know that the General has the ability to not only to accept the presidency but to carry out the tasks envisioned in the ‘believable change’.
All I can say at this moment is that Mahinda Rajapaksa’s days of remaining as the President of Sri Lanka are numbered and January 27 will be written in letters of gold as the day when the people disrobed a dictatorial leader of this nation for good.