Ranil’s Mythical Access To Global Finance & Political Longevity Is Media Creation

By Amrit Muttukumaru –JUNE 7, 2022

Amrit Muttukumaru

We Sri Lankans are born suckers due to our gullibility worsened by a short attention span. How else could one explain how the beleaguered Gotabaya Rajapaksa struggling to hang on to his presidency would have dared to appoint the hugely unpopular Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister? Wickremesinghe along with the Rajapaksas would most likely be the most unpopular/disliked politicians in Sri Lanka. There is considerable print media hype that Wickremesinghe has accumulated considerable experience as a five-time Prime Minister with access to global funding and investments. What the media fail to mention is (i) only in one instance was he able to complete even 3 years in a 5 year term for a PM (ii) during his five-time tenure as PM, his United National Party never had a majority in Parliament (iii) his record in getting FDIs is dismal. Does anyone recall the dubious “$ 3.85 billion oil refinery in Hambantota” and the 2017 Volkswagen vehicle assembly plant in Kuliyapitiya which turned out to be a hoax? There was even a “ground breaking ceremony” for the Volkswagen plant!

At the most recent August 2020 General Election, the UNP ‘led’ by Wickremesinghe for almost 27 years was electorally decimated by not winning even a single seat. He himself lost the Colombo District which has always been a bastion of the UNP. He has clung on as UNP leader despite the party under him losing a record number of nationwide elections and thousands of exasperated party faithful by tinkering with the already authoritarian UNP constitution. It is widely believed that his inability to have popular appeal is largely due to his inability to connect with the masses.

Ranil’s Saviours

Ranil Wickremesinghe’s fairy-tale entry into the world of politics at the age of 28 was after his uncle J. R. Jayewardene led the UNP to a landslide victory at the General Election held in 1977 where the UNP obtained an unprecedented five– sixth majority in parliament. In this landslide victory, Wickremesinghe effortlessly won his Biyagama electorate under the then ‘first-past-the-post’ system. Jayewardene lost no time in appointing his nephew as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and later as the youngest Cabinet rank minister.

One may well ask how was Wickremesinghe time after time able to pull a rabbit out of the hat to be Prime Minister five times? The simple answer is the obsession of dynastic interests in control of the mainstream media not to let go of dynastic influence of politics in this country. Wickremesinghe and the UNP are the conduit to continue with the political influence of the Senanayake/Wijewardene/Jayewardene/Bandaranaike clans through Wickremesinghe’s laid-back first-cousin Ruwan Wijewardene whose father Ranjit Wijewardene is the feared Czar of the print media in this country.

There is something about the printed word that makes it more credible and hence more influential to condition the human mind in a manner that the social and visual media can never match. It is in this context that the antics of Sri Lanka’s most influential print media company – Wijeya Newspapers Limited (WNL) owned by Wickremesinghe’s uncle Ranjit Wijewardene and the next in line Upali Newspapers Limited (UNL) founded by Wijewardene’s late cousin Upali Wijewardene must be viewed. UNL is now controlled by Upali’s widow Lakmani who is the daughter of Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s late brother Dr. Seevali Ratwatte. Both WNL Chairman Ranjit and UNL founder Upali are cousins of J. R. Jayewardene who brought his nephew Wickremesinghe into politics.

It must be flagged that the mainstream print media in this country also has its internet presence.

Ruwan & Dynasty

It is apparent that the real motive of WNL to promote the disastrous political track record of its owner’s nephew Ranil (sister’s son) is to carve out a political future for Wijewardene’s laid-back son Ruwan who despite WNL’s cost free advertising blitz could not get him elected at the August 2020 General Election from the Gampaha District even with its Biyagama pocket borough.

Ruwan was catapulted to national politics virtually from obscurity by first cousin Ranil who lost no time in propelling him out of turn to the position of UNP Deputy Leader. This is similar to the favour done by J. R. Jayewardene to his nephew Ranil in 1977. The country has paid dearly for this in the case of Wickremesinghe and is well on the way to a similar fate at the hands of Ruwan.

Among many examples of the dynastic project is the ‘Daily Mirror’ (7 September 2020) Op-Ed article in vivid colour “Back To Senanaiksm And Save The Party” directly promoting Ruwan whose mother Ranjani is a grand-daughter of the co-founder of the UNP and the country’s first Prime Minister D.S.Senanayake:

“Ranil who commands a majority in the decision-making Working Committee will never give in to rebels. Only with the emergence of a new leader with the blessing of clergy and rank and file can rescue the grand old party from the present disastrous situation.”

“A moderate, soft-spoken, patriotic young leadership is what the beleaguered party requires for the upliftment of the moral of membership and for its survival.”

Another example of the dynastic project is:

“PM to bring in political reforms, secure foreign assistance: Ruwan” – ‘Daily Mirror’ 31 May 2022

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