Karu Jayasuriya has announced that he’s contesting for the post of UNP leader, opposition leader effectively. Sadly, Sri Lankan parties have no internal democracies (like US primary races to select party candidates) and it seems like Ranil is trying to bury any challengers in bureaucracy. Sajith Premadasa is also pushing Karu as a proxy, which makes it a bit of a weak attempt. What was interesting, however, was what the two challengers said in their letters.
Sajith’s Letter
No less than sixty one (61) UNP parliamentarians have crossed over to the government party and out of the 61 Cabinet members of the present UPFA government, nearly 25%, were elected as UNP MPs in the Parliamentary elections, the latest defection being our colleague Mohan Lal Grero. In such a sad state of affairs our supporters’ disgust is quite understandable. If the Leader of our party cannot empathize with them, there in fact, the tragedy lies with the Leader, not with the supporters.
This urges all of us to resort to a fundamentally sound course of action.
It is therefore, with a deep sense of urgency and honor, I request you to stand for election for the post of Leader of our Party. (via DBS Jeyaraj)
Karu’s Letter
We preach on the need for free expression. It is not allowed within our party. We preach for democracy. There is no democracy in our party. We preach on the need for transparency. There is no transparency in the party. We preach for unity in the party. Instead there is devious manipulation to cause disharmony and seek revenge.We complain of authoritarianism in the government but forget it is there in greater measure in our party.
As co-deputy leader, Sajith Premadasa, said in a letter to me, this is why 61 MPs have crossed over to the UPFA government in the recent years. Some of them hold influential cabinet positions. This is why, as he points out, in sixteen years, commencing from 1994, our Party voting bloc has gone down from 45% to a dismal 29%.
Can the actions of one person or a small coterie be allowed to continue this systematic destroying of our party? I asked myself whether the United National Party can continue to betray the public confidence imposed on them. I am convinced overwhelmingly that we cannot. We owe a duty to all our party followers, the public and the country. (via DBS Jeyaraj)
Comments
The statistics are shocking, there is no way a party leader should stay after losing so much, and usually internally party pressure and self-respect would cause them to step down. Ranil Wickremesinghe hasn’t, necessitating this turn of affairs, and even this he looks bound to scuttle through internal party legalistic finagling.
What I don’t get is why Karu. He left the party to support the war effort and came back weakened. He’s also old and not really a new direction for the party. I don’t get why Sajith doesn’t stake a claim and contest for himself.
I do not know about his ‘skills’, forget it I do not know anything about him but his looks suck! Aren’t there any younger blood than these constantly constipated looking old codgers. Don’t they know how to smile? even the Texan Perry does it way better!
Any which way you look, UNP is fucked, that is what I hear!
Sri Lankans dont consider those of Sajith’s vintage as Presidential material, so he wouldn’t have a chance against Mahinda. Karu has a better chance. He’s respected as a good Sinhala Buddhist (the majority still looks for that I think), an astute businessman and a family man. Sajith is good at fundraising and getting things done at grassroots level. He hasn’t distinguished himself beyond that, as far as I know.
Ranil is good to have in parliament, but he’s clueless when it comes to understanding his countrymen. I think he’s also very old fashioned and Karu is not so. I hope he steps down at least now. There’s so much he could do for the country instead of engaging in pointless squabbling within the party.
Ha-ha. That look is very popular in magerata. Our singers used to sport that kind of expression even when performing on stage. Some of them still do.
Ranil will kill this so easily.
new rule
“one who has changed his party can’t become the party leader”(excuse may be that to a person who changed his party to form the party in which he hopes to become the leader bt karu didnt form the UNP. he chngd party b’se of “gentleman reasons” and came back b’se of some of ther “gentleman reasons”. nt because of sumthng else ;) )
the point is that UNP is in a such a mess now that they can’t even find a guy who has been life long UNPer(at least not a jumper) to contest for the leadership.
problem with sajith is that his rivals accuse him of being a “dictatorish” as much as or more than ranil.
and v al remember his dad the great.
in that case, I stand corrected Shammi :)
Just think rationally. None of the top three have the charisma and leadership and believability. They all have too many factions looking for their own personal day in the sun and not caring for what the country needs.
The country needs a credible opposition to MR regime and none of the three have the balls for that. So then who are we left with. I think we must try a long shot, give it a go, give a year for a person to show his leadership qualities in uniting the party, and Ranil and Sajith factions to back him. ( Karu actually has no faction as he is not really considered in that way other than a Monitoring :wda balana” position even if he is elected.
So don’t waste time find the most electable person from the other MPs. Or give 3 candidates a chance to contest and pick one from them with neither Sajith, Karu or Ranil being in that selection.
The UNP should be disbanded. It has done enough harm to the country since independence.