Wednesday, 22 October 2014 00:00
-
- {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Nationalist forces are gathering ahead of presidential elections, with speculation the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) will meet with President Mahinda Rajapaksa at some point this week. The infusion of more hardline elements in the ruling coalition into the larger political arena could see the emergence of interesting elements in the months ahead.
On the surface, demands made by the JHU would appeal to many voters weary of the breakdown in law and order, rampant corruption and nepotism evident in the Government. The eight resolutions adopted at the party’s convention especially seek to redress significant issues such as opaque Government spending that would appeal to the common man.
These resolutions call for the removal of the Executive President’s power to appoint Supreme Court judges and Court of Appeal judges, to set out in the Constitution the ministries that can be held by the President, and to resettle the Sinhalese who were displaced from the north and the east during the conflict, in conformity with the population ratios in the 1971 census.
It also proposed the number of deputy ministers should be reduced to 35 and that the President should be made answerable to Parliament, that a system of voting that is a meld of the proportional representation system and the first-past-the-post system should be introduced for all elections, that non-career diplomats in the foreign service should comprise only 35% of the total, and that those too be appointed in accordance with specified criteria.
But other elements within the resolutions could send alarm bells among moderates and minorities alike. In particular the largely hardline demand of bringing legislation to “safeguard Buddhism” and trim powers of provincial councils will make many cautious of the JHU’s demands.
The main aim of insisting a reduction in the powers of the provincial councils is to clip the wings of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). Despite repeated denials by the TNA that it does not follow a separatist agenda, the JHU has insisted on being suspicious of its prominence in the north and has criticised the Government for not rolling back provincial council powers ahead of elections last year. This together with the JHU’s close alliance with other hardline organisations such as the Bodu Bala Sena would throw uncertainty over President Rajapaksa’s capacity for getting the backing of moderates and minorities.
Even though the JHU has pushed for reforms, in its way party front man Science and Technology Minister Champika Ranawaka has insisted it will remain part of the United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA) coalition. In previous years it has enjoyed significant clout within the UPFA and has been credited with guiding its policies at crucial points.
The United National Party (UNP) by contrast has so far staunchly remained as a proponent of minority rights. With the JHU declaring ultimatums, the main Opposition is cautiously testing the waters of possible engagement with nationalist forces it has largely steered clear of so far. Yet in the process it runs the danger of isolating minorities and moderates that returned to its ranks in force just a few weeks ago and could cost it crucial votes in a national poll.
UNP MP Eran Wickramaratne told reporters the party is willing to listen to “all” parties but insisted they must be willing to listen to the UNP in return. However, such neither here nor there policies could cost them a chance to bring all ethnicities under one party banner.
