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Senior UNP leader joins Rajapaksa team

COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan opposition suffered a setback on Monday as one of its senior members broke ranks and joined the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

S.B. Dissanayake, the national organiser for the United National Party (UNP) and the opposition leader of the Central Provincial Council, at a hurriedly convened news conference here said the entry of General (retired) Sarath Fonseka into politics was “dangerous” for the UNP and the island nation.

“Though I have no doubt Mr. Rajapaksa would win the January 26 contest by a margin of five to six lakh votes, I believe, thanks to the backing of the UNP and the JVP the General has become a candidate to reckon with and it is not good for the democracy of Sri Lanka,” said Mr. Dissanayake.

A colourful politician who turned 58 this year, Mr. Dissanayake admitted that Mr. Rajapaksa visited his residence in Hanguranketa on Sunday afternoon to discuss the current political situation and he had come to the press conference venue straight from the Presidential Palace after an audience with Mr. Rajapaksa.

“My support to Mr. Rajapaksa is unconditional. I chose to switch my allegiance to the President and his party as my leader and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is out to destroy the UNP. It was our duty to save the UNP and I am doing my bit,” he said at the news conference where he released a 22-page booklet in Sinhala titled “My responsibility”.

Mr. Dissanayake targeted Mr. Wickremesinghe for not fielding a party presidential candidate and accused him of driving away all capable leaders from the party. That the dissident leader was planning to bolt from the UNP stable became evident when he stayed away from the party convention on Saturday where General (retired) Fonseka made his first public appearance.

SLFP is not an unknown entity for Mr. Disssanayake as he entered politics through the party and gained prominence as a member of the SLFP and was instrumental in Ms. Kumaratunga’s 1994 political campaign.

In the 2005 Presidential election, Mr. Rajapaksa scored poorly from the Central Province and political observers believe Mr. Dissanayake is a plus as the political leader commands some hold in the up country areas.

Meanwhile, General (retired) Fonseka asserted at a Janatha Vimukthi Perumana (JVP) organised meeting asserted that he would not be a ceremonial head if elected. The comment is significant in the context of the opposition demand for abolition of Executive Presidency and its replacement with a model akin to India.

The travails of the General are not only from the ranks of the main opposition. Despite the backing of most of the main opposition parties, his campaign so far has been lacklustre. General (retired) Fonseka is yet to announce the name of the party under which he will file his presidential nomination. Nominations for the January 26 presidential poll will be accepted on December 17 from 9 to 11 a.m.

Meanwhile, the New York Times in a Delhi datelined report said the Obama administration was contemplating a “new policy” on Sri Lanka. The paper, quoting from a report of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Washington wanted to stop lecturing the Mahinda Rajapaksa government over its human rights record and other issues and focus on its “strategic interests in the region”.

The report came ahead of the two-day official visit of U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake, beginning on December 8.

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