‘Sri Lanka’s first executive president was J.R. He was the leader of the government as well as executive president. He was also the leader of the UNP, the ruling party that appointed him to the presidency. After J.R. became president, the UNP amended the constitution. That is, if a UNP member becomes president, he must be the leader of the party’. Sri Lanka Latest News
‘Why is that…?’
J.R. decided this when drafting the constitution that the party leadership is necessary to hold the executive presidency. He had understood from his political experience that the executive presidency could not be implemented without the power of the party and without the party’s control. This clause was changed by Ranil to bring common candidates from outside and make Sajith the presidential candidate in 2019 assume fear of losing his leadership.
J.R. In 1988, made Premadasa as the presidential candidate and handed over the party leadership, and he went home knowing that without party leadership and power, not only Premadasa but also no one else could rule the country.
Wijethunga, who became president after Premadasa’s assassination, also automatically became the leader of the UNP thanks to J.R.’s clause.
In 1994, when Chandrika became president, Mrs. Bandaranaike became the leader of the SLFP. Since she was Chandrika’s mother and she was wheelchair-bound due to illness, Chandrika had the unofficial leadership and power of the SLFP. But she took over the party leadership before her death.
In 2005, when Mahinda became president, Chandrika became the leader of the SLFP. Unlike the UNP, there was no clause in the SLFP that said that when a member of the party becomes president, he or she should automatically become the party leader. However, from the day Mahinda became president, he divided the party without telling Chandrika and finally took over the party leadership, knowing that a country cannot be governed without the power of the party. Chandrika received the letter removing her from the party leadership.
In 2015, Maithri became president without a party. He was supported by the UNP. Once Maithri asked a strange question from a Journalist.
‘The UNP constitution states that the president of the country is the leader of the party. If the UNP invites me to take over the leadership, what do you think I will do…?’
The journalist asked in turn.
‘Will you accept…?’
Maithri, who answered with a loud laughter and his usual smile, said this.
‘Do you think Ranil will allow it…?’
That is what Maithripala said.
The party leader’s failure to become the country’s president began to bear fruit for Sri Lanka only after 2015. Maithri and Ranil fought each other. The presidential office battle against Sirikotha was fierce. Maithri’s political decisions did not receive the approval of the UNP. The government collapsed on all fours.
Even when Gota became president in 2019, he was not the leader of the SLFP. Mahinda was the leader of the SLFP. Basil had the power in the party. Gota, like Maithri, was just the president. It didn’t take long Gota started governing the country with a group of people who trusted him and protected him.
The party office on Nelum Mawatha began to declare war on advisors and MPs who were spinning around Gota. Gota’s people were on one side, and Mahinda and Basil’s people were on the other side, battled a fierce war. In the end, it went as far as a family crisis. Even though the Rajapaksa family was said to be more united than the Bandaranaikes, the Rajapaksa family started declaring war on each other. At that time, if Mahinda had stepped down from the party leadership and given the party leadership to Gota, this crisis would not have come.
Then Gota could have done something and formed the government. What happened to Gota was that he was helpless without the party’s power. The main reason why Mahinda, Gota, and Basil won again in 2019 was the conflict between Maithri and Ranil. In that conflict, Gota framed Maithri. Mahinda framed Ranil. In the end, Gota became president and faced the same crisis.
If Gota had become the party leader and the leader of the cabinet as well as the party central committee, many of the problems within the government could have been resolved. J.R., who introduced the executive presidency, knew that the party working committee had more power than the cabinet. He brought to the cabinet the political decisions that were discussed and agreed upon by the party working committee. Gota did not even go to the party office on Nelum Mawatha. He was alone in the presidential secretariat, a prisoner of the advisors in the office. If he had been the party leader, the party’s central committee would not have allowed him to make the decision on organic fertilizer.
Ranil became president like Maithri. He was not the leader of the SLPP. But fortunately for him, he had been flattened by the Nelum Mawatha struggle when he became president. Therefore, he transformed the SLPP government into the SLPP party and made himself the leader. Only two or three of Basil’s disciples were left on Nelum Mawatha to challenge him.
After 2015, a party leader has become the country’s President again. That is Anura Kumara. But the JVP is not like the UNP or the SLFP. The power of the JVP is not in the hands of the leader. It is in the hands of the secretary.
‘Will what happened to Maithri and Gota happen to Anura too…?’
It is not known how to say that. It cannot be said there will be a Presidential Secretariat battle against Pelawatte like the 2015 Sirikotha vs. 2019 Nelum Mawatha vs. 2019 Presidential Secretariat battle.
By Upul Joseph Fernando
