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| Will Mahinda’s missing mate reappear?
By
Our Political Editor That is why Prime Minister Percy Mahinda Rajapakse wanted a Bandaranaike to be by his side when he handed in his nomination papers on Friday. There were none and there were no blessings either. President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was away in France. She was in gay Paree. She waxed eloquent in "fluent French" (as her own press release modestly said) about civilisation to the UNESCO General Assembly. That was a subject she studied at Sorbonne during her student days. Later, there were a lot of handshakes and kiss-the-cheeks with French dignitaries, including President Jaques Chiraq, Foreign Minister Douste-Blazy and Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy. She was wined and dined with the best of French cuisine, the choicest of wines and cognac, two of her favourites. For once, she forgot the cares of nomination day though her own Prime Minister was in the fray. For her brother, Anura, who left Sri Lanka on September 10, one month go, it was a long holiday. For a month, Sri Lanka has had no Foreign Minister at home. After attending the UN World Summit and General Assembly sessions, as a mere bystander, he went on holiday to his favourite location - Los Angeles. Thereafter, he had extended the holiday and arrived in Singapore. He seemed to prefer to be anywhere in the world than in Colombo. The man whom the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Central Committee decided should be Rajapakse's running mate as Prime Minister was still on holiday on nomination day. From Singapore, Anura Bandaranaike who last night returned to the country, was firing one message after another with a new set of demands. More on that subject later. Rajapakse felt he still needed the blessings and good wishes of the Bandaranaikes. He felt his father, the late D.A. Rajapakse had stood shoulder to shoulder with the late S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, when he walked out of the United National Party (UNP), crossed the floor of the House, and gave birth to the SLFP. So he was expecting the Bandaranaikes to return the gratitude and loyalty. Kumaratunga was in Paris and Anura in Singapore. So Rajapakse telephoned the Bandaranaike elder sister Sunethra and made a request - please be present with me when I hand over nominations. Sunethra, who usually shies away from politics, after her early heady days of student-politics in the West, politely declined. "I cannot do that without the permission of my sister," she explained. But assured Sunethra "I will do all I can to help you." A disappointed Rajapakse appeared before the Maha Sangha on Friday morning. After they chanted Pirith, he set out from Temple Trees, the Prime Minister's official residence, at the auspicious time of 8.43 a.m. Moments after arriving at the Elections Department Headquarters at Rajagiriya he saw his rival, UNP and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe walk up to him, and both shook hands. Wickremesinghe, the gentleman politician that he is, was gracious enough. Politics apart, despite his contrived smile which many misunderstand, he is a firm believer in personal etiquette and social conduct. But Rajapakse was to receive calls after the nomination ended. One of them told him it was good he did not walk up to Wickremesinghe and shake hands. This is what SLFP candidate Hector Kobbekaduwa had done when he contested J. R. Jayewardene at the 1988 Presidential Elections. They said Kobbekaduwa lost, but in this instance it was Ranil who came to you. But at the Elections Department Headquarters there were some live moments. One was when UNP's Bandula Gunawardena walked up to Rajapakse, shook his hands and asked "where is Anura?" Rajapakse pointed his index finger at Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was engaged in a conversation with some others, and said "ask him." Wickremesinghe was unaware. Another came when Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake, who was speaking to all candidates, their agents and lawyers in a nationally televised (and broadcast) event, thanked Janatha Caterers for providing the refreshments. The countrywide publicity, no doubt, was worth millions of rupees - much more than the cakes, patties and rolls that were provided together with tea and coffee. As reported in these columns last week, Kumaratunga painted herself into a corner and was forced to back out. Her strongly worded letter calling for Rajapakse's explanation on his decision to engage in an alliance with the JVP and JHU received no response. Her media aides then leaked stories of the dissolution of Parliament and the likelihood of fielding another candidate. When all this failed, a Central Committee meeting was summoned in a bid to persuade Rajapakse to withdraw two important provisions of his agreement with the JVP and the JHU - the withdrawal of P-TOMS agreement as well as the commitment to a unitary Sri Lanka. Rajapakse's manifesto, due next week, is to include both provisions. Even if Kumaratunga lost the battle to Rajapakse, and equally lost the support of some of her close confidants, even in Paris she appeared in a defiant mood. She was in touch with state media chiefs, particularly Lake House Chairman Janadasa Peiris and Rupavahini Director General Nishantha Ranatunga. This was to keep herself abreast of developments and to tell them the course of action they should follow. She was still holding the reins over how publicity should be dished out. But Rajapakse had also arranged to meet State media heads every Monday. Just two days after Kumaratunga's departure to France, he had the first round. There he complained how there was no Rupavahini coverage for him when he attended meetings in Kirindiwela, Beruwala and even Moratuwa. This was despite the fact that a camera was assigned for Prime Minister's coverage. After this meeting, Rajapakse had a private chat with Rupavahini Chairman M.M. Zuhair and Director General Ranatunga to complain about how how he was being largely blacked out. Rajapakse aides said the situation had not improved though Rajapakse urged that Zuhair be allowed to plan his coverage. Evidently, Kumaratunga was still calling the shots. Two Rajapakse confidants also saved what would have turned out to be an embarrassing situation. His confidants Minister Mangala Samaraweera and JVP's Wimal Weerawansa, a national speaker for Rajapakse rallies, wanted to check how a private public relations firm was handling the Premier's campaign. When Samaraweera heard one of the slogans, he hit his hand on his forehead. He exclaimed "my god, this is going to make her angry. We had better avoid anything that can provoke a situation," he was heard to tell Weerawansa. A slogan for Rajapakse had asked "Who is the SLFP leader who had remained in the party without switching sides?" That was a reference to Kumaratunga, who once ditched the party her father founded and the mother strengthened. It was also a reference to Anura Bandaranaike who left the SLFP to join the UNP. Another had projected Rajapakse in a gung-ho mood exclaiming that he stood for a unitary Sri Lanka. The slogans were later changed with Rajapakse's concurrence. Kumaratunga, who returned to Colombo early yesterday, was now planning to address Rajapakse rallies. She had in fact called for a list of venues but made clear only parties belonging to the Podu Peramuna should be on stage. This means speakers of both the JVP and the JHU will not be on stage with her. In preparation for her rallies, SLFP Headquarters staff had in fact prepared a colour poster in Kumaratunga's absence. It
bore Kumaratunga's portrait and spoke about a united Sri Lanka (or
Eksath Ratak). Rajapakse who was tipped off about the matter spoke
to the SLFP administrative staff and stopped the printing of this
poster. Mid this week Anura Bandaranaike arrived in Singapore and checked into, where else, but a five star hotel. He directed his private secretary, Onais Hafeel, to fly from Colombo to Singapore to obtain a briefing. Then came a shocker. Anura Bandaranaike had asked a personal friend to speak to Premier Rajapakse or his brother Basil, and obtain a written assurance. This is to ensure Anura backed Rajapakse in his election campaign. Anura had wanted a written assurance that he would be made Prime Minister and also Minister of Foreign Affairs. The friend in question did not approach the Rajapakses direct. Instead, he spoke to Minister Samaraweera. The friend had said that if a written assurance could be given to Anura, he would arrive in Colombo in time to address a news conference Rajapakse had planned for next Wednesday. There, he would openly declare his fullest support and co-operation to Rajapakse. Samaraweera was tactful. He told the friend "how can I go and ask for assurances from the Prime Minister now. The SLFP Central Committee decided Anura should be the Prime Ministerial nominee. That decision has not been changed. Why is Anura now making fresh demands?" In the meantime, Premier Rajapakse and his brother Basil maintained a stoic silence. The new demand by Anura Bandaranaike was strange indeed. During a stopover in London en route to New York, he issued a statement. In that he said "After extensive discussions with H.E. the President, I have agreed with her proposal that the Sri Lanka Freedom Party should closely examine the recent agreements entered by Mr. Rajapakse with some parties and groups. If it does accept the interest of our party and its people and if the Sri Lanka Freedom Party so decides, I will extend my full support and campaign for Mr. Rajapakse on my return". For Anura Bandaranaike, his sister's moves to have the SLFP Central Committee backtrack on Rajapakse's commitments to the JVP and the JHU boomeranged. Hence, the meeting ended with the CC only deciding to appoint a Committee headed by Rajapakse to draft the party's manifesto. Kumaratunga has not been able to obtain a mandate from the CC that the Rajapakse decisions were not in the interests of the SLFP. That has left Anura Bandaranaike stranded, if not abroad, even politically at home. So from Singapore, he was now trying to mend fences to make sure he had the plum positions. That was after declaring earlier that he was no longer interested in the presidential elections. If Anura declared then that his support to Mahinda will only come after the SLFP decided on certain issues after his sister's return, he now wants the Premier's support that he would succeed him in that post. In addition he also wants to feel assured that he would be the Foreign Minister. With holidays at tax payer's expense, in other words, Anura Bandaranaike wants the same tax payer to sustain him as Premier and Foreign Minister no matter what. With nominations over, Rajapakse flew to Kandy to pay homage at Dalada Maligawa. Later, he met the Maha Nayakes of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters. On hand to greet him were a number of Ministers including Nimala Siripala de Silva and JVP's Wimal Weerawansa. A surprise attendee at all the Rajapakse functions was Finance Minister, Sarath Amunugama who has assured him of his support amidst the UNP rumour-mill speculating otherwise. It seems that Amunugama's job is secure in the event of a Rajapakse victory, and the many other contenders for the job in the Treasury will fall by the way side. This includes Ronnie de Mel, the country's Finance Minister from 1977-89, who has comes out of political hibernation every time there's an election negotiating the bend. He had first tried his luck with Ranil Wickremesinghe insisting of a place in the National List, but just as Wickremesinghe was preparing to send UNP Chairman Malik Samarawickrama to tell him "No", de Mel pledged his support to Rajapakse. As every 100 votes would count in what is expected to be a cliff-hanger election, the 100 votes the 80-year-old de Mel can muster from Devinuwara, who knows, might turn out to be the decisive match-winner for Rajapakse at the end. |
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