‘How can we win again…?’
After the ’70 massive defeat of UNP a member of the party asked JR ‘how can we win again’ JR answered quoting a parable from the Bible.
There is a wonderful story in the Bible. One day a capitalist asked Jesus how to go to heaven. Then Jesus said that in order to go to heaven, you have to change like a camel that can go through the eye of a needle. Like that, we will have to change like a camel that goes through a needle’s hole. We want to be a new party. A new team should be introduced. New policies should be presented…’
This is the story JR related. It was not easy for JR to change the traditional UNP. But he changed the party as much as he could. The capitalist party of their relatives turned the so called UNP into a little man’s party. The party got rid of the western clad culture. What was difficult for JR to do, the people did to the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. The party members razed Ranil’s unchanging UNP to the ground and on that land they built the newest and youngest party in Sri Lanka today the Samagi Jana Balawega.
‘So, why is it that the new party formed by people without going on the solo journey is trying to revive the UNP?
Those who say that they should join the U.N.P. are not saying that to win the 2024 elections but to earn some money by doing their personal work in Sirikotha. Those who applaud claiming that Ranil and Sajith should get together there are two fractions that clap for this view. One fraction is UNP and the othe is Janata Vimukthi Peramuna. Most favoured for this is Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna . This is clear when we look at this story of JVP leader Anura Kumara.
‘The two camps have been divided and polarized. Either you are J.J.B. If not with those who are not J.J.B. There is nothing in between…’
Anura Kumara Dissanayake
It is even clearer when you listen to this story told by Nalinda Jayatissa.
The sun has risen well. The two camps are well divided. There is nothing in between. On this side is the treacherous camp that is destroying the country. The leaders of the Podujana Peramuna, the leaders of the United National Party will be here for a while, and the SJB leaders including Rajitha and those small left-wing gangs are all lined up in one camp. That enemy camp is very clear. On this side is the camp of the people…’
Nalinda Jayatissa
It will become a single camp in the next national elections. There is a SJB MP in this Matale. She says that Ranil and Sajith are like her eyes. Rajitha Senaratne told the Daily Mirror newspaper that he is in talks with Ranil to reach an agreement. Tissa Attanayake says that he is ready to form a government with Ranil for a short period. This is very clear. They have had to climb one floating log with Snakes; Mugatiyas, to survive during a food. It is clear today that there are only two canters.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake
This is JVP’s dream. First to come out with Ranil and Anura centre was Ranil’s disciples. Immediately after Ranil became the President they said at the next presidential election the battle is between Ranil and Anura. They drew that dream to throw out Sajith and SJB. It does not matter even if Anura wins the next presidential election, they spread the opinion that Sajith will not be allowed to win.
Even if Ranil loses in the next presidential election, they want to make Ranil the leader of the party and the leader of the opposition to regain the people’s power that they have lost. JVP took owner ship of this dream knowing that it would be difficult to win if Sajith jumps into the middle of Anura’s fight against Ranil.
Now the JVP is keeping their fingers crossed until the Samagi Jana Balawega joins forces with Ranil. JVP knows that defeating Ranil will be like eating cashews even if Ranil joins hand with other forces. It was not the SLFP or Mahinda who defeated Ranil in the 2005 presidential election, but the JVP. JVP defeated Ranil in the 2004 general election as well. But JVP knows that Sajith is not Ranil. Sajith has the JVP’s people’s Foundation. That’s because of his father. The small man in the city, the poor little man in the village likes Premadasa name. On the other hand, there is a tie court group that can speak to the elite class represented by Ranil in Samagi Jana Balavegaya and win them over. Because of this, JVP is afraid that it will be difficult to defeat Sajith, and if Sajith becomes the candidate, because he is a horse that can win, anti-Ranil crowd will leave JVP and bet on Sajith. That is why JVP is trying to crush Sajith and Samagi Jana Balavegaya. JVP is not wrong there. The JVP calculations are correct. These days JVP goes to bed dreaming of Ranil and Sajith getting together.
‘Oh, we only have 30%. To make it 50%, we need to join forces with UNP….’
This is the story of those who sell their theories to the Samagi Jana Balawega after doing personal work in Sirikotha.
When any party lost, they poll 30%. In 1977, the SLFP, which suffered a crushing defeat, took 29%. The UNP., which suffered a crushing defeat in 2010, took 29.34%. Look at it in that manner that, the major parties in Sri Lanka polled 29% when they lost. That 29% was obtained because floating votes gone to the winning party. When the winning score of the defeated party is shown, that party’s 29% voter base becomes 50%. For that, those parties gather different parties and make new alliances. It is not difficult for Samagi Jana Balawega to get 50% of the votes in the 2020 general election. For that, it is not to join with a party like UNP, which the people had said no to it in 2020 general election, but what should be done is to form alliances with new parties and new groups.
The other three candidates who are contesting this year’s presidential election are all candidates who lost in the previous presidential elections. Ranil is a candidate who lost in two presidential elections and in many back-to-back elections. Anura contested the last presidential election and lost by getting 3.16%. Sajith also contested the 2019 presidential election and lost. If Anura who lost by taking 3.16% in 2019 can become a winning horse today, it is a ridiculous argument to say that Sajith who lost by taking 41.99% in 2019 cannot become the winning horse this time.
In the 2018 by-election, the people finished the SLFP. They finished UNP in 2020. They finished the Podujana Peramuna in the 2022 ‘aragalaya’. Today there are only two parties in this country. One is the Samagi Janabalawegaya , the other is Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. The 2024 battle is between these two parties
By Upul Joseph Fernando