Possible dissolution of Parliament worries top UNP frontliners!

by Peeping Tom

There was growing disillusion in UNP circles particulary over the weekend, following confidential reports reaching Sirikotha that a large section of UNP Parliamentarians were soft pedalling the UNP campaign while UPFA organisers were batting out with Alliance campaign managers to obtain time slots for public rallies from a heavily overbooked alliance candidate Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse.

Sources close to UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe were disturbed that these reports pointed an accusing finger at not only inactive UNP backbenchers but also at a number of UNP frontliners, reportedly dragging their feet.

Among those identified in these reports as not putting their full weight behind the UNP leader were Gamini Lokuge, Dr. Karunasena Kodituwakku, M. H. Mohamed, Prof. G. L. Peiris, P. Dayaratne, John Amaratunga, Joseph Michael Perera, Imithiaz Bakeer Marker, Mahinda Samarasinghe, R. A. D. Sirisena, Gamini Jayawickrema Perera, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene, Renuka Herath, Rukman Senanayake, A. H. M. Azwer, Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena, Dr. Rajitha Senaratne as well as several other UNP backbenchers.

These reports due to be handed over to the UNP leader shortly, have underlined that almost all these bigwigs were former Ministers who still commanded a substantial political clout in their electorates while a few of them had their sympathies with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse.

The main reasons identified in these reports for the growing disillusion were:

Firstly, Mahinda Rajapakse was enjoying a much higher level of popular appeal among the people while the UNP leader's public postures were seen as 'lack-lustre'.

Secondly, the Alliance candidate backed by the JVP and Muslim parties stood a better chance of a comfortable victory over the UNP candidate going by previous electoral result and projections for the ongoing elections.

A third reason, which these reports identified as being the most likely reason is that an unlikely win for Ranil Wickremesinghe will still leave him without a Parliament any majority compelling him to dissolve Parliament resulting in most of them having to face another costly General Election, with the prospect of many of them being dropped in preference for younger candidates or possibly loosing at the polls!

A victory for Mahinda Rajapakse will effectively secure the Parliamentary seats of all the present UNPers for anther four years, as Rajapakse will not dissolve Parliament having won back the 39 member JVP support.

The biggest worry for the UNP Parliamentarians have been identified as a Rajapakse victory effectively securing their Parliamentary seats for the full term while a Ranil Wickremesinghe victory will cut short their Parliamentary term prematurely, imposing, in addition, a costly General Election on the country.

These reports, prepared by UNP loyalists, have also indicated that the frontline UNPers were unhappy that the UNP leader, instead of confronting the UPFA at the elections, was seeking an alliance with the SLFP, giving the impression that all the political forces were supportive of the SLFP, a situation which may indicate that the UNP leader was preparing to face his possible 13th defeat.