UNP-led combine urged to form govt. or face electorate

‘If not derailed, election would have been held today’

by Shamindra Ferdinando-anuary 4, 2019, 11:25 pm

UPFA Anuradhapura District MP Shehan Semasinghe yesterday called for a consensus among political parties represented in Parliament to go for an early general election.

Semasinghe who represents the Joint Opposition said that fresh parliamentary polls were required to form a stable government.

In a brief interview with The Island, yesterday, Semasinghe said that the UNF-led combine comprising the TNA (16 members), the JVP (6) and SLMC (1) either should form a government or face the electorate without any further delay.

The 95-member UPFA parliamentary group recently lost four, namely Manusha Nanayakkara, A.H.M. Fowzie, Wijith Wijayamuni Zoysa and Piyasena Gamage to the Government.

The UPFA would provide the required support for a motion to enable the dissolution of Parliament immediately. In terms of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, Parliament cannot be dissolved before completion of four and half years unless it approved a motion to that effect with a two-thirds majority.

Semasinghe said that the UPFA would happily function as the legitimate Opposition. "Let there be a UNP-led government including the TNA and JVP," Semasinghe said, recollecting how they worked and functioned as a coalition at 2010 and 2015 presidential polls.

Pointing out that 122 lawmakers representing the UNP, TNA, JVP and SLMC moved the Court of Appeal successfully against Mahinda Rajapaksa’s appointment as the Prime Minister, Semasinghe said the TNA and JVP shouldn’t hesitate to accept ministerial portfolios.

Having had backed Gen. Fonseka’s candidature at 2010 presidential election after falsely accusing his army of deliberately killing Tamil civilians, the TNA was capable of taking the hardest political decisions, Semasinghe said. "Today, the TNA needs not take the LTTE approval to make a decision thanks to the Sri Lankan military."

The Rajapaksa administration brought the war to a successful conclusion in May a decade ago.

Those who had sought judicial intervention to thwart President Sirisena’s political project to stabilize the country conveniently forgot how the Oct 26, 2018 sacking of Wickremesinghe administration came to be, Semasinghe said. Had the UNP not perpetrated treasury bond scams in 2015 and 2016, delayed Local Government polls for over two years and adopted extremely neo liberal economic policies the ground situation would have been very much different, the MP acknowledged.

The Rajapaksa loyalist said that had the UNP-led combine not thwarted President Sirisena’s plan, the general election would have been held today (January 05). Unfortunately, those who masqueraded as champions of democracy sabotaged early parliamentary polls, Semasinghe said.

In accordance with President Sirisena’s plan the new parliament was scheduled to meet on January 17, 2019.

The enactment of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in late April 2015 reduced both parliamentary and presidential terms from six to five years.

Semasinghe said the UNP couldn’t secure a simple majority in parliament in the wake of Mahinda Rajapaksa quitting premiership on Dec 15, 2018. Although 122 lawmakers representing the UNP, TNA, JVP and SLMC filed quo warranto petition in the Court of Appeal against Mahinda Rajapaksa’s appointment, only 102 voted for a Vote on Account on Dec 21, 2018 to cover expenses for a four moth period (January-April, 2019), the lawmaker said.

Presidential and parliamentary polls are scheduled for 2019 and 2020, respectively. In terms of the 19th Amendment, President Sirisena can call early presidential poll anytime after next Tuesday (January 08).

Asked whether the UPFA was ready to face presidential election ahead of parliamentary polls, Semasinghe said that they could face any election. Feb 10,2018 outcome at the Local Government polls proved beyond doubt that the JO was in command and was capable of winning national elections, the MP said. Following the unification of the JO and the SLFP following Oct 26, 2018 sacking of the Wickremesinghe’s government, they were in a position to rout the UNP and its allies.

Citing simmering internal strife within the UNP over various issues such as the restriction of the number of ministers to 30 and non-cabinet ministers to 40, the SLFPer asserted that the UNP was facing a catastrophe at presidential, parliamentary and Provincial Council polls.

Semasinghe claimed the UNP leadership was struggling to cope up with the situation. Already six Provincial Councils namely Sabaragamuwa, East, North Central, Central, North Western and Northern had lapsed. The last to lapse was the Northern Provincial Council, Semasinghe said, adding that the Southern, Western and Uva Provincial Councils would stand dissolved on April 04, April 21 and Oct 08, 2019, respectively.

Semasinghe warned of dire consequences if the government resorted to underhand tactics to secure a two-thirds majority necessary to adopt draft constitution.

The SLFPer said that constitution making process couldn’t be influenced and fashioned to appease a particular party and foreign powers. Unfortunately, those publicly spearheading the project were solely interested in transforming the present constitution to pave the way for a Federal structure at the expense of unitary status of the country.

TNA spokesperson and Jaffna District MP M.A. Sumanthiran seemed too confident in presenting the draft constitution before the forthcoming independence day.

Even if all those who had campaigned against Mahinda Rajapaksa’s premiership voted for the draft constitution, they would still need as many as 28 additional votes, Semasinghe said.

Referring to recent public statements by JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Semasinghe pointed out that the JVPer frowned on reports pertaining to presentation of the draft constitution before independence day.

Semasinghe said that the UNP was in such a chaotic state it couldn’t sustain constitution drafting project though being pressurized by Western powers and other interested parties.

The lawmaker said that no less a person than Human Rights Commissioner in June 2016 had called for far reaching constitutional changes. Geneva owed an explanation why Sri Lanka had to amend/change its constitution on the basis of unsubstantiated war crimes allegations.

Semasinghe said that the UNP should now review its strategies. The lawmaker questioned the justification in presenting budget 2019 on March 05 when the UNP knew it was on a shaky wicket. How could the TNA vote for the budget if it felt uncomfortable in joining Wickremesinghe’s government.

Semasinghe urged civil society groups affiliated to the UNP and various Western embassies to reveal their stand on current political status. Having campaigned against President Sirisena’s effort to restore stability by having early general election, they couldn’t remain silent now, Semasinghe said.