Ranil preparing to dump Cooray again

The internal contest within the UNP for the plum job of the Colombo Mayor is in full swing with Party Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe backing away from his promise to appoint Sirisena Cooray as the Mayoral candidate.

According to UNP sources, Wickremesinghe has given his nod to Hemasiri Fernando who is not a resident of Colombo. Fernando is the Chairman of the National Olympic Committee. But three of Colombo's leading political figures - Milinda Moragoda, M. H. Mohammed and Mohammed Maharoof - are opposing Wickremesinghe's last minute move to back away from his promise to Cooray.

They are threatening not to campaign in the Local Government Elections if Wickremesinghe fails to honour his word.

Wickremesinghe, who knew that Cooray was in his early seventies when he offered the job, is now raising the issue of age to get out of his promise, according to UNP sources.

On the eve of the Presidential Election in November, 2005 when Cooray joined the campaign to get him elected, Wickremesinghe gave a personal assurance to nominate him to a post higher than that of the Mayor. According to Wickremesinghe's plan, Cooray was to takeover as Western Province Governor - a new provincial authority reconstituted by Wickremesinghe to include all Local Governments in the Province.

The Colombo MPs are now concerned that Wickremesinghe is not even willing to handover a lesser office than the one he promised originally to Cooray. When Cooray rejoined the party on the eve of the Presidential Election, he was appointed to the Working Committee.

Cooray was appointed personally by Wickremesinghe as a 'trouble-shooter' in the NCP. Despite Cooray putting his weight behind Wickremesinghe, UNP circles are concerned that the leader is once again reneging on his promise.

Insiders also reveal that earlier Wickremesinghe had rung Cooray, who is now in Australia with his sons, and assured him of his support. A leading radio station had contacted Cooray in Australia and asked whether he was offered the job of Mayor.

Cooray had replied that he was offered the job by the Party. In the ring for the Mayor's post are Cooray and Omar Kamil along with Hemasiri Fernando, present Deputy Mayor Azath Salley, Thilanga Sumathipala and Bodhi Ranasinghe.

From the Freedom Alliance veteran left-winger, Vasudewa Nanayakkara is likely to contest the UNP nominee. Nominations for the Local Government Election closes on February 16. Cooray is due in Colombo on February 09.