PARALLEL Perspectives

That sunken feeling:

Electoral drought awaiting the UNP

That sunken feeling of an impending electoral drought awaiting those who bucked the jubilant mood of the people cannot be over stated. Predicting the reversal of UNP's long anti-war stance, including their repeated calls for Defence Secretary's removal is beset with the harsh reality that the apala kaalaya may still be on. The recent Supreme Court bombshell annulling the privatization of the Insurance Corporation may prolong that drought according to many analysts.

The potentiality of a UNP come-back with a post-war clean sheet got nipped in the bud. The claims to a squeaky-clean record of governance of a UNP era back yonder just would not stand a chance now. The UNP's trump card to climb the electoral ladder by dismissing war-triumphalism or on claims of better management skills seemed overtrumped. Starting on a clean slate now seems a distant possibility.

Combined with an earlier court decision about the Lanka Marine Services deal where a block of prime urban land, not included in the original agreement, had surreptitiously been included in the final deal during the UNP regime and the recent de-privatization of the Insurance Corporation nailed such a revival.

Dismal disregard for war record

It is a steep climb back when faced with a three and half-year staggering record of the Rajapaksa Government.

That comparison is doomed to dwarf the claims of economic management wizardry of the UNP.

The North-Eastern revival will sealed that fate. Unless an honest appraisal of the current national situation is made by party leaders, UNP's path to revival would be hard or near impossible.

However, the first statements by UNP leaders after the war ended showed a dismal regard for Sri Lanka's heroic struggle to get the IDPs a good deal and bring normalcy back soon.

The UNP leaders are bent on repeating what they did during the war. Their criticism of the war aftermath is equally disastrous when the prevailing mood in the country is to give strength to government efforts-however harsh the climate is-than to down right pooh-pooh everything that the Government is doing.

UNP leaders first heaped contempt on the war effort in the expectation that it was bound to fail. It looks as if many were hoping against hope that LTTE would win. Much of the UNP's political hopes were pinned on the LTTE giving a hard time to the Government like during the Chandrika Kumaratunga's tenure prompted by the slight electoral swing towards the UNP in 2001 which got botched in 2005.

The UNP leaders doubted the near perfect and precise execution of the war under the Rajapaksa regime led by Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. So we saw those ill-advised barbed comments-Thoppigala is a jungle, Alimankada and Pamankada jokes and the audacity demanding Defence Secretary's resignation. Certain media outfits and many NGOs joined in the chorus of "war cannot be won"'

Flag as rallying point

It is a shame that the euphoria genuinely felt in the country is not shared by a section of the political elites. In the West, the National flag waving is a common occurrence. The National Anthem of the USA is sung with gusto over a dozen times on TV everyday-at the begging of every major event. Sri Lankans are now appreciating the vitality of calling themselves Sri Lankans and proud of it. Their flag should be the rallying point.

The country triumphed over the ruthless terrorists. If triumphalism is to be abhorred, there would be a price to pay and it can be safely predicted as to who would pay the price when the next elections come around. Shock and awe, was how the Iraq invasion was heralded by the US. Patriotism is never hidden under a bush.

The UNP's hope that the climate for another ceasefire agreement would arise never materialized. The Opposition must seriously announce its national policy on IDP restoration not because they expect to bring down the Rajapaksa Government some day but that policy must reflect what is best for Sri Lanka.

Opposing IMF loans to Sri Lanka or just grabbing on to anything that comes their way for sake of political expediency would hurt them.

UNP leaders have their work cut out. Re-learning the political graces would be a good way to start.

All politics is local and exuberant is a dictum that is rarely wrong.