A step forward?

The much awaited Working Committee meeting of the United National Party (UNP) ended with mixed results yesterday for the fortunes of Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and his supporters. In fact, how the result is viewed will say more about the personality of the viewer than what it may mean at a practical level to the Grand Old Party. 

If the observer is of an optimistic frame of mind, he or she may see the fact that Premadasa grabbing the leadership of the alliance, heading the nominations board and being selected as the Prime Ministerial candidate a significant development, even though it falls short of the golden goal of netting the UNP leadership. The more pessimistic lot will be disappointed that Ranil Wickremesinghe won yet another battle to remain leader of the UNP, proving yet again his credentials for being the ultimate survivor in Sri Lankan politics. 

Satisfaction, even when unevenly sliced, can still give pleasure. Of course the Wickremesinghe loyalists out there will also be happy. But there is no cause for the Premadasa faction to be unhappy either. However, it does put a great deal of responsibility on him and his supporters, and it is hoped that they head straight from the Working Committee to a brainstorming session on how to tackle the upcoming General Election, and formulate a campaign capable of countering the publicity juggernaut the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) will surely launch at it in the coming weeks. 

The UNP has spent too much time caught up in its own internal issues, and therefore has to make up for lost time in capitalising on the policy mistakes of the Government. It has little time to get its house in order, and put together a powerful platform that will be appealing not only to its eroded vote base, but will also entice those who voted for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa back into their ranks. Understandably a Parliamentary Election is a different ball game from a Presidential Poll with many more loyalties, biases, and pressure points to contend with. The SLPP has also set itself a daunting challenge in aiming for a two-thirds majority, which electorally is extremely difficult. 

The fact that Premadasa will be heading the nominations board is an important point, as this gives him considerable power over UNP members, and the ability to command at least part of their loyalties. However, Premadasa and Wickremesinghe have to be careful to manage their respective roles and not clash with each other in this complex sharing of power. 

Perhaps the biggest challenge before the UNP is shaking off their recent term in office. Their oversights and mistakes are still very fresh in the minds of voters, and convincing them that genuine change is possible when Wickremesinghe remains the leader and Premadasa as well as many of his supporters were key Cabinet Ministers just last year, will be a hard hill to surmount. 

The UNP could dust off their presidential campaign that hinged on democratic gains and minority inclusiveness, but if the 16 November vote was anything to go by, it failed to resonate widely with voters. Premadasa also tried the gambit of mirroring his policies to be more nationalist in line with SLPP ideology, but failed to impress on that front as well. 

With about two months to go, the UNP must now get back to the drawing board and regroup. After months of infighting, showing a united front may be the best place to start.