Can Harin revive down-and-out UNP?

The controversial yet energetic politician Harin Fernando assumed the newly created post of the Deputy General Secretary of Political Mobilisation of the United National Party (UNP) last Monday. The former Minister of Sports has been associated with both the resurgence and downfall of the grand old party in the past. The UNP hierarchy expects Fernando to reorganise its leadership and strengthen grassroots political activities across the country ahead of future elections.

It was Fernando who set the foundation for the UNP to come back into power in 2015 after the party had been in the political wilderness for almost a decade. The then opposition MP in 2014 took the brave and courageous move to resign from the Parliament and contest for the Chief Ministerial post of Uva province to challenge the authoritarian Rajapaksa regime at a time when everyone thought that it was impossible to dislodge the then powerful Rajapaksa family.

The charismatic individual who began his political career from Badulla has always taken up daunting tasks. He was given the portfolio of Tourism when the industry was in doldrums at the height of the economic crisis 3 years ago. Despite enormous obstacles, with the collaboration of the industry stakeholders, Fernando was able to lead the recovery of the tourism industry from the depths of despair. When Fernando held the portfolio of Sports during the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe Government, he brought the Prevention of Offences Related to Sports Act, which made Sri Lanka the first South Asian country to criminalise several wrongdoings related to match-fixing. In that period, Fernando also banned the controversial Thilanga Sumathipala from holding any position in the Cricket Board.

Ironically, it was none other than the Old Josephian who was at the forefront of shaking the very foundation of the UNP 6 years ago. It was Fernando who championed the establishment of the breakaway political outfit – Samagi Jana Balavegaya – in 2019. As a result, the UNP could not get a single MP elected to the Parliament from any district in the country and had to be satisfied with a solitary seat from the National List. However, the former MP soon got disillusioned with the leadership of Sajith Premadasa and broke ranks with the SJB to join hands with Ranil Wickremesinge – the man who introduced him into politics. Fernando played a key role in electing the UNP Leader as President during the parliamentary vote which took place subsequent to the resignation of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Sri Lanka’s foremost Centre-Right political party has not won a presidential election since 1989. Wickremesinghe has been the leader of the party for 3 decades, yet under his command the party has suffered defeat after defeat with very limited victories. The biggest political blunder he made was to topple Chandrika Kumaratunge’s People Alliance Government in 2001. Gaining a parliamentary majority/Government control when the executive presidency was held by an individual from a rival political party was simply committing political hara-kiri. Though Wickremesinghe is a skilful public administrator as well as an outstanding internationalist, he has never excelled in Machiavellian political power games. His ill-advised decision to back Maithripala Sirisena for the Presidency in 2015 had a disastrous effect on the UNP.

Unless the UNP brings back the SJB breakaway group into its fold or aligns itself with the latter, political prospects appear to be quite bleak for the party. Today, the party has become an insignificant political entity and has suffered the same fate as the old Leftist political parties like the LSSP and CP.

The ruling NPP is well-organised and politically astute unlike their opponents. Nevertheless, there have been certain signs of a political witch hunt against dissenting views under the current administration. In such a context, a united opposition could check the aggressiveness of the Government. Can Fernando bring together the UNP and SJB to pose a serious challenge to a Government which has a two-thirds legislative majority? Only time will tell.