The Ides of August

PB Dolapihilla’s ‘In the days of Sri Wickrema Rajasinghe, the last King of Kandy’ was a seminal work. It presented in English, for the first time, the Sri Lankan viewpoint of the events surrounding the British annexation of the last enclave of independence on the island.

In his book, Dolapihilla draws an image of a well-meaning king who is beleaguered by his aristocrats, isolated from his support base. He may have been paranoid, but it was true that everybody was out to get him.

One can sympathise with Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Leader of the United National Party. He must be feeling a little like Sri Wickrema Rajasinghe did in his last days. His courtiers are up in arms and demanding he step down.

The faction demanding that he step down, led by Sajith Premadasa has labelled itself ‘Reformist’. However, it is unclear what it is trying to reform. Its programme appears limited to making a cosmetic, leadership change.

UNP constitution

Although Ranil’s faction has not adopted a formal moniker for itself, it is being termed ‘Loyalist’. Both tags are somewhat flattering, obscuring the fact that they are both concerned with raw power rather than principles.

Ranil has made it clear that, in terms of the UNP constitution, he is in office until the end of the year. He forgets, of course, that the UNP is no great respecter of constitutions.

It was under the Grand Old Party’s ‘Long Parliament’ that ‘constitution’ became synonymous with ‘Periodical’.

The groundwork for the titanic struggle was laid on Monday. A dozen MPs of the ‘Reformist’ group met in secret conclave. Their aim: the overthrow of the UNP’s Caesar.

Neophyte MP Maitri Gunaratne played the role of Brutus. He proposed that Ranil be sidelined but kept as Opposition Leader, while Karu Jayasuriya would be made Party Leader.

The latter’s name is of course that which has been bruited about as the alternative choice for Fuehrer.

Actually, nobody takes Karu very seriously. He is widely assumed to be a stand-in for a serious leadership challenger, a Neguib to Sajith’s Nasser.

Party leader

There was a near riot at a meeting of the UNP Parliamentary Group on Tuesday. The first salvos in the battle were fired by the ‘Reformists’ who laid into the leadership. Sajith proposed that Karu be made Party Leader, the motion being seconded by Ranjith Maddumabandara.

Interestingly, it was Dayasiri Jayasekara who moved Maitri Gunaratne’s proposal regarding Ranil being kept as Leader of the Opposition.

It was left to Chief Opposition Whip John Amaratunge to explain that the choosing the Party Leader was not the prerogative of the Parliamentary Group, but of the Working Committee. It was at this time that the verbal melee‚ broke out. As the terse official statement issued by the Party Central Committee put it most eloquently, ‘Afterwards the Parliamentary group meeting was finished.’ Finished, wrecked, ruined, defunct, kaput, kapothi.

UNP General Secretary, Tissa Attanayake is sensible of the fact that the negative publicity generated by publicising the internal conflicts of the GOP will do it no good. He refused to comment after the meeting, beyond making the slimmest of statements in which he deplored the split.

Vociferous opponents

Ranil too does have the sense to realise that public battles will do no good to the cause of the UNP. Not so his more vociferous opponents.

They did not stop at splashing the proceedings of the UNP Parliamentary Group (suitably edited to look more moderate and restrained) all over the press. They also broadcast a mobile-phone-recording of the deplorably childish goings on.

This tape audibly demonstrates the vocal capacities of the parliamentarians of the UNP. The response to John Amaratunga’s declaration sounds not unlike the ‘Wall of Sound’ made popular by the popular music group ABBA, although somewhat less melodious.

Ranil responded by ordering an inquiry into how the recording was leaked to the media. He also warned the senior members that they had ‘48 hour’ in which to come up with a solution to the crisis in the GOP.

The Young Turks responded by calling meetings of UNP Provincial Council members and Local Government members in order to ‘re-educate them’. They are to be prepared for a change in the party.

As part of its ‘graduated response’ the reformists have wheeled out their small guns as well. Four local councillors from Chilaw, led by the fascinatingly-named Apollo Raj, have declared their intent of holding a Satyagraha in front of Sirikotha, the UNP HQ.

Now that Ranil’s position appears to be weaker, the less bold within the GOP are emerging from their lairs in order to be in at the kill.

Following the assassination of the Claudian Caesar Caligula, his ‘Republican’ opponents all put themselves forward as candidates for Emperor. In the case of the UNP, it appears that the cart is being put before the horse.

‘Reformists’ and ‘Loyalists’

Even before the old leader throws in the towel, the leadership hopefuls are throwing their hats into the ring. The latest entrant in the leadership sweepstakes is another Brutus, Ranjan Ramanayake, known universally as ‘One Shot’.

He has lashed out publicly at both factions, charging (truthfully) that they were weakening the party with their squabbling. This view was echoed by Jayalath Jayawardene - apparently now seeking to escape being marked as a ‘Loyalist’.

So it looks like the UNP is being further split, with a third faction emerging between the ‘Reformists’ and the ‘Loyalists’. They would be labelled the ‘Conciliators’, except that their efforts seem to be more to gain mileage from the split that to heal it.