Democracy is in peril today – Ravi K

Asserts that action, not rhetoric, is the need of the hour

Stressing that baseless accusations and mudslinging by the Government and a handful of spineless party opponents will not make him step aside from his political career, United National Party (UNP) Parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake emphasises that he will continue with his constructive criticism rather than getting into deals with them.

Speaking about his controversial ‘Kilinochchi-Medawachchi’ statement, Karunanayake says it is now carried out by ‘spent force’ politicians who are trying to distract attention from the main focus. Following are excerpts from the interview:

Q: What do you think about the current political situation in the country?



A: We are going through a very decisive political journey with many crossroads at the moment. Even though we have come out of one problem, there seem to be many other problems to surmount. We need to successfully overcome all of them. Any wrong decision taken now would put us back again into the same old situation we were in. As Sri Lankans we have to think large and think as a nation. As a political party we certainly feel that this is not the way that it should go forward. Absence of war does not mean peace. Getting a more national-oriented policy is the need of the hour.



Q: Your controversial statement about ‘Kilinochchi-Medawachchi’ and ‘Alimankada-Pamankada’ is boomeranging on you. Now your own party is criticising that statement. Your comments?



A: It’s the media and my politically bankrupt opponents who are saying various things. This was created by the Government and legal action has been taken against that. It’s just the media and some of the people who don’t have any other base who bring it up thinking they can throw political mud at me.

As an opposition party, what did we say? Did we say anything against the country or the political system? They were making a political mockery out of that. There are many other statements that are uttered by people and nobody speaks of those. Obviously they don’t have anything against me. The easiest way is to use something the Government used and they have run short of that ammunition. Now it is carried on by these ‘spent force’ politicians who are trying to distract attention from the main focus.



Q: Don’t you think you are partly responsible for the UNP’s defeat, as your statement badly affected your image during the election?



A: I don’t think so. That again is a hype created by the media. Where has it impacted? Where has it affected? Persons like Sarath Fonseka who led the war have said that they were motivated when the opposition criticised them during that time. Those statements were attributed from a Government point of view — throwing political mud.



Q: Why did the UNP miscalculate the Government’s war progress?



A: I think it is preposterous even to say that. We had full faith in the military forces. And most of the forces were developed by the UNP. Even people like Pillaiyan who have come before the Lessons Learnt Committee have said that the breakup of the LTTE happened after the Ceasefire Agreement. Unfortunately, no attention was paid to that.Today even the media is worried about the Government’s draconian powers and the lethal weapons and they ask questions that would evoke answers that endorse the Government’s stance.

Nobody talks of what Pillaiyan or Karuna Amman or the Lessons Learnt Committee has said. They themselves have said they are brought to this position today because of the Ceasefire Agreement. Karuna Amman would not be in this kind of situation if it was not for the ceasefire. Pillayan would not have said the LTTE cracked up if not for the Ceasefire Agreement.

I am a person who likes to take a mix of both. The Government successfully led a military war and the UNP basically did the initiation of dismantling the LTTE. This, put together, has given the victory. The irrelevancy of certain utterances have only been raised by spineless politicians because they have no base, no national policy, no vision and no integration and they only feel it is easier to throw mud.



Q: Why was UNP unable to read the political moves of its opponents such as Chandrika Kumaratunga taking over the three ministries, Mahinda Rajapaksa coming into power, the war victory, the 18th Amendment and so on?



A: It’s not that we were unable to foresee that these things were coming. We saw these moves coming, but the people who were the major organs in the Government system at that time were unable to foresee anything. They decided not to take any action and took a laidback, laissez-faire attitude. Finally the three or four of them joined the present Government subsequently.

The genuine people who wanted to protect the then Government were disregarded and were told ‘No, let’s have faith in the system’ and the system collapsed. And the collapsing led to the very people who said ‘Don’t take the system on’ joining the Government. Today some of them are out of power; some of them are in power. All of them try to show that the UNP has committed a heinous crime.  

As for the 18th Amendment what can we do? When the Government is waving all the benefits, positions and money at the weakling MPs, what can we do? Some of the MPs who had said that even if their body goes their soul will not go to the Government, ended up there. What can we do?

We can only say the people who are in the party who are genuinely committed to protect the party and who see a vision that the UNP is the only party that can be a true overall Sri Lankan flavour to the political problem today, believe that the UNP certainly can do it. But it is the human frailties that exist in some of the MPs that basically torpedo this. And unfortunately we have to live with it.



Q: You are a victim of the Government’s witch hunt. As a strong critic of the Government, how do you see your future political career?



A: Just because of frivolous, baseless voyage of discoveries that have been pushed forward by the Government, do you have to be on bended knees? Is that what you are asking? I am a politician elected by the people, for the people, not to be using these seals to be putting deals with the Government. That only shows a difference in our calibre as opposed to others who, seeing even a rupee that is waved before them, can sway their politician allegiance.

All I can say is that there were many charges during Chandrika Kumaratunga’s administration. More than three quarters of them had public apologies, compensation paid and taken off. I am sure everybody who has initiated such action — even this Government — will feel what a heinous crime it is to take on a political opponent just because he doesn’t share their opinion.

I have confidence in the judicial system. That is on a thin line this moment. But still I have the confidence that at the end of the day justice will prevail. Like in the case of Sarath Fonseka, Ranjan Ramanayake and Range Bandara, what crime have I committed?



Q: What impact will it have on your goal towards the party leadership?



A: I am sure only the opponents in my own party may be wishful in their thinking in this regard. Because the Government knows that they have gone the full mile and couldn’t get anything out of it. So there are handfuls of greedy politicians who may be thinking instead of professionally or ability wise overtaking, that such things are what will be helpful to side step me.

There is a saying that when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. I believe I am in that category. Unfortunately politics has come down to such a low degree that sometimes the entire system needs to be questioned as to whether politics has become a way of life or whether it is a tool to help the country to be taken forward. I think many of them who don’t have the O/L or A/L or who have bought degrees over the counter are trying to use these kinds of things to earn a way of life.



Q: Why has the UNP failed to raise a voice against people’s issues such as high cost of living, human rights and democracy?



A: What is the burning matter that we have not fought for? As for the matter of cost of living, we are basically asking questions in Parliament, we are bringing people knowledge to question what the Government is doing and we are advocating higher pay rises, reducing taxes, etc. How can you say we are not doing anything? The situation sometimes is that the media is worried to report what we say. That is one of the main issues.

What have we not said about democracy? We have dared the system where others have basically preferred to be silent and noncritical. All stakeholders, political parties, the media and people by themselves all put together have failed in the system. I would say yes, democracy is in peril today, because of the anti democratic actions that are being taken.

I firmly believe that discipline has to come from all quarters. In a democratic country, people can express their political disenchantment, students can express their agitational ability by saying that the Government is not going the correct way, political parties can contest against anybody and at the end of the day you have a choice between a white van or being taken into remand or you have a thug throwing a bomb at you.

But certainly the opposition has been vocal and getting the message across. It has generally the case when you shoot the questions at the opposition; it is the UNP that has to be at the very corner. But if one party that has two or three MPs makes a hue and cry for a day, it is shown like they have been shouting for the whole year.

I guess there is a necessity not to be shouting all the time like hooligans or just to be vocal or deliver rhetoric, but to be effective in whatever you are doing and get the message across on a concerted basis or a coherent and consistent basis and ensure that at the end of the day an impact has been created. But today owing to the fact that the Government has such a huge overall majority they don’t care what is uttered by the opposition.

Some of our opponents sing hosannas for their dinner instead of utilising their rhetorical skills on the opposition. If they turn this towards the Government I guess that will help in trying to dilute the question that you pose to us. While each one seems to be having an agenda of their own, I think if we all sing from the same hymn sheet, it will probably give the feeling that we have a much stronger, more focused and much more effective opposition. But I guess their actions stem from the fact that their ulterior motive is basically taking on some of the opposition members rather than the Government. This is done in the name of reorganisation.



Q: What is happening inside the UNP at present?



A: What is happening inside the UNP is the same thing that is happening in all political parties today. Each one has its own internal disputes, disagreements, and problems. Unfortunately, being the principal opposition, we seem to be having the entire media and the Government blowing their trumpets and turning their flashlights towards us.

We certainly have the capacity and ability to come out with a solution. I am a believer that it could be done internally rather than externally. We need a radical change and radical reforms. You can’t cut your nose to spite your face. You have to have the entire team. You have a heterogeneous alliance that is governing. You can’t have just a namesake change.

The UNP does not have the capacity at this moment where it can look at replacing one person. A collective leadership council is the need of the hour. More people are tending to swim towards this harbour which can anchor the ships that seem to be floating in different directions.



Q: What’s your role in party restructuring?



A: My role is to ensure that a UNP Government can replace the current Government, which seems to be trying to take the democratic element away from this paradise island and thinks that this is an island of poverty in an ocean of prosperity. This needs to change, where all people are given opportunities to maximise their skills so that everybody will be pushing towards a Sri Lankan identity — and to get to the most important aspect, everybody should be able to have a decent, affordable, liveable salary and be able to spend it in any way they wish to.



Q: How long do you think the people have to wait to enjoy their basic rights such as economic, political and social freedom?



A: I am happy that as a paper you accept that there is lack of basic rights rather than human rights. This is what we have been trying to say. Sometimes we don’t have the opportunity to express this before the media because they are worried. People don’t have to wait to have their basic rights. This is not something that is being dished out like a bone to a dog, or anything that spills over from a plate which only has remnants left. This is enshrined in our constitution and needs to be discharged at every given moment. This is what we have been asking for; but the answer we get is a white van arriving.

Just because people are silent does not mean that they have accepted everything with glory. You have only 50 per cent of the people who have voted. As an opposition we have to get the message across; but that does not mean it is an issue only in the hands of the opposition. If action is not taken today, tomorrow your voice won’t be heard whether you are in the Government or not.

Just because you are dead silent it doesn’t mean that you have got to accept everything. Where it matters, stand up for your own rights. From a Sri Lankan perspective it is never my intention or my party’s intention to even unintentionally create hysteria when there is nothing. But where it is necessary, then all cylinders must be firing at the same time.



Q: Why do you think Government is increasing and reducing prices of goods and services outside the budget?



A: Isn’t it their inefficiency? This is the answer. I went to Court with Rev. Palitha Thera and Ravi Jayawardena in order to ensure that petrol is sold at a lesser price to the people. The Government accused us as national traitors. Is asking the Government to sell petrol at a lesser price a national crime?

Then we went asking for a reduction in electricity prices. We are saying that the war ended in May 2009, and today it is November 2010 — where is the reduction in prices? Sugar has gone up, milk prices are going up, eggs have gone up — even the hens are showing their price to the Government.

The Government says balance of payment is the highest ever. They say inflation is the lowest ever. They say per capita is the best ever. They are saying they are going to double this in three years. They say the budget deficits are reducing by the day. They say the IMF is giving whatever money they want. They say India is helping to build houses when the Indian Government is not building houses for their own people; they say China is ready to give whatever money they want. That, mind you, when the currency is appreciating.

Then what is wrong? If these are all the positive attributes, then why is it that people are not able to get the salary that they deserve? With last year’s earning capacity, can you buy the same at today’s prices? If you can’t, then there is something wrong with the figures that have been given.

This is the reason why, when they can easily reduce the petrol prices, they don’t. They said they will reduce the Cabinet, instead it is expanded. At the end of the day there is something wrong somewhere. Today people are pushed to a state where they are forced to believe in what is said rather than what they feel.

On the exporters side, very few are talking about these matters because either they are ignorant, in fear or both. Today any country would love to say ‘give up aid for trade’. But what is this country doing? We are making the exporters, who are our biggest asset in our country, pay the price for indiscipline and irresponsible borrowing. They are appreciating the currency and as a result ensuring the exporter pays the price. Today we have made ourselves uncompetitive in the export field. We are heading towards a huge internal cash crisis.

The next is access Sri Lanka gives to the world. You have to create bilateral trade, regional trade or international trade. The UNP’s approach was to go for international trade, go for bilateral and regional and make maximum use of that. When we lost the GSP+, the Government said to forget it. When the UNP got this benefit, we never had any conditions to fulfil. The exporters said that the loss is Rs. 26 billion and the Government says it is not bothered. But what will happen to the exporters? They are closing up and going to India and Pakistan. That is the national policy. Now when we mention these, we are looked at as traitors.

Today the Saudis are saying Sri Lankan maids are not allowed there. Reasons may be different. But we are going to have problems. If the world is looking at Sri Lanka as a role model, then why are we having these issues coming up? You have GSP+ which is a loss on the one side, then we are losing the labour GSP; we cannot send people overseas, which gave us the most amount of funding. Sri Lankan tea is losing its place; then we have the IMF talking but not giving the money.

Take the bank borrowings, the HSBC loan for an example. They borrowed three years ago at a fixed rate of 18.5%. When we said ‘Go to IMF World Bank,’ what did they say? ‘These are traitors asking us to go to our enemy.’ Today they are rolling carpets and bringing them back. What we told them then was that they would have to pay 5,000 million as opposed to 500 million. Now who is paying for that? Unfortunately when we question these, we become national traitors and the guys who commit them become compassionate statesman; then where is the country heading?

As the opposition, we strongly believe that we need to enhance the knowledge of the people on these matters, but it’s difficult to do it. And when the media is not there for us, it makes it more difficult. On the other hand, nobody can force people who don’t want to hear or who don’t want to see.



Q: Then why do you think the IMF in its latest review has commended the Government’s moves?



A: Let me rephrase something before answering that, the opposition is not there to criticise the Government just for the sake of doing it. We believe that there is a degree of necessity to allow the Government to work. That might be the reason why sometimes we were looked as not strong enough.

On the other score, what is the IMF saying? What is given as headlines is just 10 per cent of what is told. They have said it is high time the Government controlled inflation. Now the Government says inflation is around 3% to 4%; then what is there to control? Either the IMF doesn’t know what it is talking or the figures given by the Government are wrong.

India is saying it has 11% or 12% inflation; then they are saying you are massaging the Central Bank statistics that are coming up. If that is the case, then you have to read between the lines. Then they are saying foreign reserve is 7 billion and the debt is 8 billion. Then there is something wrong. Earnings in the country are expected to be 855 billion in 2010 and if your earnings don’t help you to cover the debt amortisation, then there is a problem.

Either the IMF doesn’t know what it is talking about, which I don’t believe; or the media reports only what they want to say. Is the IMF in line with what they saying? In their lending policy they, said the exchange rate must be conducive to the export form.

All the government entities are running at a loss, SriLankan Airlines — 9 billion net loss; Mihin Air 1 billion net loss; CEB 35 billion, Petroleum 5 billion, SLCTB 4 billion, Railway Authority 5 billion, Post and Telecommunication 4.5 billion. If everything is efficiently done, why are these institutions running at a loss? Where is the money going?

The Government talks about how is has done away with terrorists but they can’t do away with mosquitoes. They talk about eradicating terrorism but they can’t eradicate malnutrition. You have Samurdhi beneficiaries who have been getting Rs. 150 for the last 10 years.

The new phase is taking over; Shell to Litro, and has the price come down? They took over SriLankan Airlines; have the profits gone up? The best example is Mihin Air; if you take their financial statement for 2010, they made a loss of Rs. 1 billion. They say 100,000 passengers were flown. When you divide the 100,000 by the loss, each passenger has flown at a Rs. 10,000 loss. If you give this Rs. 10,000 to a passenger and say don’t come to Mihin Air, fly SriLankan and this is a discount voucher, they will not lose much. Doesn’t that make sense?



Q: What do you think about the Government’s nationalising policy?



A: It’s another gimmick. On the one side they talking about nationalising and on the other side they talk about public-private partnerships. It’s like taking from a crony and giving to another crony. The Ceylon Electricity Board made profits in the month of May; the following month Ceylon Petroleum Corporation says ‘we lose two billion a month to supply the fuel,’ at the end it was a loss of 1.7 billion. It is left pocket-right pocket, playing one against the other. It’s all a gimmick.

Isn’t the electricity tariff the highest in the world? Isn’t it the same with water prices, fuel prices? Then what is the benefit that has come out from the peace dividend?



Q: What is your opinion of the present suppression of university students?



A: I roundly condemn any activity which uproots the very fundamental factor of democracy, which is agitation. But I am also a great believer that discipline is a must. As an opposition member, as much as we been critical, we have got to say what is right and what is wrong. What I stress is that discipline has to be there, but the degree of democracy that exists in the democratic structure should prevail.

What the Government is saying is ‘do what I say, but don’t do what I do’. The mechanism they use is not acceptable and it is mostly like the village thug mentality. Governments are elected to run democratically and not to be acting dictatorially.



Q: How do you see JVP’s involvement behind student agitation?



A: I certainly think there is a problem. And we have not been fearful to express that opinion. But that doesn’t give the Government an open cheque to take students into custody just because they hold a placard at a protest rally or to tear gas Buddhist monks. All the action should be according to the necessary law and order activities.

Now why is this problem coming up? Because of the privatisation of universities. When we tried to do the same, what did they tell us? ‘Don’t touch this, it is a national policy’. When we saw the writing on the wall early, then we were looked at as national traitors, claiming we were trying to do away with free education. Now what are they trying to do? This is the hypocritical element.

How many children have been sacrificed? How many children have gone overseas? The Government says Rs. 8 to Rs. 10 billion is lost by people going overseas. When we mentioned this many years back, they opposed saying ‘the National Education Policy must be protected.’

The UNP is a party that introduced free education and gave free books and uniforms to children. What has the Government done? They can’t keep the existing schools that are running; they can’t give the school books on time.

Today there is huge brain drain in the country. We are supposed to be fundamentally having all the factors running very well. But there is a missing link. Today your per capita income is not being earned by even a Police constable or a Government clerk. What is this barometer of per capita?

There is a necessity today to think nationally, to think on proactive basis, to think across political shades and not be fearful to express your opinion. We call upon the international community not to be passengers in the system.

Today democracy is in question. Therefore, instead of having acrimonious politics, let us ensure we adopt a more statesmen like approach and together let us take on this challenging world, rather than be divided and lose the little benefit our Sri Lankans could get. Action rather than rhetoric is the need of the hour.