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By Dharisha Bastians
Under a tight cordon of police, Ministerial Security Division and Special Task Force security that lined the Kotte Road outside the United National Party’s Sirikotha Headquarters, Sri Lanka’s grand old party held its controversial 54th National Convention on Saturday, 1 December.
Sirikotha turned garrison-like with strict security measures adopted to prevent gatecrashers from disrupting proceedings, after the chaos that ensued following the leadership election in December 2011 that badly damaged the party headquarters.
Saturday’s convention was a resounding victory for UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe who checkmated his party’s dissidents and reformists to extend his term in office by six years through an amendment to the party’s constitution.
The amendment to Article 98 (1) of the UNP Constitution, also does away with annual elections for the party’s other office bearers, and empowers Wickremesinghe to make key appointments, including the deputy leader, party chairman, general secretary and national organiser posts. Wickremesinghe is likely to make these appointments early next year. Sources close to the Party Leader say Premadasa will be reappointed Deputy Leader of the party.
Of 5315 delegates present at the Convention, 4978 voted in favour of the amendment while 337 voted against.
UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa requested the opportunity to explain his ‘nay’ vote and was granted permission by Wickremesinghe who sternly silenced the jeering crowd and insisted they allow the Deputy Leader to speak. “You were given a chance to cast your vote for the amendment, let anyone who wants to vote against it. That is his right. I have no problem with that,” the UNP Leader ordered the crowd.
“I am voting against this amendment to extend the leader’s term by six years in accordance with my conscience,” Premadasa told the crowd. Also voting against the amendment were UNP MPs, Dayasiri Jayasekera, Thalatha Athukorale, Buddhika Pathirana, Rosy Senenayake and Ranjith Maddumabandara.
Premadasa cut a tragic figure at the largely pro-Wickremesinghe convention, against which injunctions were sought by groups of party reformists but ultimately rejected by the courts. He was seated next to the UNP Leader, and amidst Wickremesinghe loyalists Joseph Michael Perera, Gamini Jayawickrema Perera and Tissa Attanayake. The convention has been crisis struck ever since delegates were selectively invited to attend, which dissidents claimed was entirely dependent on their loyalty to the leadership.
During a rousing speech that stole the show at the convention, Premadasa noted the absence of several key provincial councillors and local Government members who had not been authorised to attend the convention.
Kicking off his speech with the claim that he was not only attending the UNP convention as the party’s deputy leader but also as the son who had sacrificed his father for the party, Premadasa charged that no amount of sidelining or discrimination would make him leave the UNP.
He also expressed his willingness to be the party’s presidential candidate in the event the leadership was not contesting the election. “If the leader contests the presidential election, I will dedicate my life to ensuring his victory. But if attempts are made to lease out the UNP’s presidential candidature, I assure you I will sacrifice my life to protect it for the party,” Premadasa asserted. The UNP Deputy Leader said that he stood against the amendment to the constitution which extended the term of the leader for the sake the party, because since 1994, the UNP has not had a plausible and clear victory at a poll under the current system. However, Premadasa’s comments drew standing ovations from MPs in the pavilion when he promised to bow to the majority will of the party and support the leadership in order to battle the corrupt incumbent regime.
Striking back at Premadasa’s speech, UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake said he was not a politician who was going to beg the party to give him positions or candidacies. “The UNP does not belong to someone’s son or a leader’s son. I am here to work and I believe that it is by showing what you can do that you can get to the top,” he said.
Following his major victory at the convention, Wickremesinghe told delegates that the UNP was to embark on a radical program to oust the ruling regime and urged the party to begin reorganisation at grassroots level in order to carry out a protest campaign against the Government.
The convention also had its share of commotion when security prevented delegates to enter after the 9.30 a.m. cut off. However, late stragglers with passes and invites insisted they be allowed into the premises but were continuously prevented by Sirikotha and MSD security personnel. Finally UNP National List MP Harsha De Silva arrived on the scene to mediate and following consultations with the leadership, requested Sirikotha security to allow those with passes into the premises.
