THE IMPENDING POLITICAL MARRIAGE
While fighting was raging in the North with arms, a political war has cropped up within the SLFP and the UNP in the South. One group to join the Government and get ministerial posts. The other group to safeguard ministerial posts and privileges they are likely to lose. Some who expect positions went to India last week and met prominent astrologers to see if their future is rosy. One among them was Prof. G. L. Peiris. He participated in three special pujas and returned from India on Monday, the 9th with predictions from such astrologers. On the same night he met the Prime Minister and President's senior advisor Basil Rajapakse at the prime minister's office. Karu Jayasuriya also participated in this meeting. The Prime Minister did not participate very much in this discussion. It was Basil who spoke on behalf of the Government. "We do not believe in Ranil. You carry on with this. We shall do everything that should be done from the President's side. Don't be afraid of that. Don't have any suspicion about that," Basil informed G. L. and Karu. G. L. made a special appeal to Basil thus: "Don't give a chance to Ranil to talk to the President face to face, alone. Invite a UNP delegation for such talks."
Trouble from the day he was invited
Although the SLFP-UNP talks to come to an agreement ended cordially and successfully there began trouble from the moment Ranil was invited for talks between the President and the UNP leaders. This confusing situation had been created by the Government side. Ranil's Secretary Dayaratne spoke to temple Trees and intimated Ranil's necessity to meet the President. In the letter of invitation the President's Additional Secretary sent accordingly, what was mentioned was for the NP leader and the delegation to come for talks. On seeing this letter Ranil got angry. Ranil who berated the President in front of the likes of Malik, Lakshman having come to the Opposition Leader's Cambridge Terrace Office: "When a face to face meeting is asked for with the Head of State by the Opposition Leader pride of place is given to it. In no country in the world is this kind of thing happening. This kind of thing has not happened even during Hitler's time," Ranil said in anger. Ranil asked his Secretary to draft a letter saying that his Party's Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya and Chairman Rukman Senanayake will go with him for the meeting with the President. That letter was sent to the President's Secretary.
Thursday was fixed as the date for the talks. Accordingly Ranil met the President who told him: "You have a big pressure from the Party it looks, to accept the Cabinet posts."
Ranil rejecting it outright said: "No, accepting portfolios is not the question. We will support on the basis of the six points agreed to by us with you." In answer to that the President said: "We will do this together. If you don't join the Government there can be a threat to your leadership within the party".
When Ranil asked: "Right if so how many portfolios are you giving us? What are those portfolios?" The President said: "I can't say that. There will be another confusion." Ranil also did not give in. "If you can't say that we also can't say whether we will accept portfolios just now. I shall make a decision after discussing with the Party. I can't give a word without consulting the Party. It is not a problem whether we accept portfolios or not. We will come to an agreement on these six basic points", he said
Towards the end of the discussion the President came to know that G. L and Milinda were held up at the check point unable to enter Temple Trees because their names were not there in the list of names of the delegation that was to accompany Ranil. However the President immediately informed to let them come to Temple Trees.
Ranil understood the underhand activities taking place and at that very moment telephoned and asked Malik, Ravi Karunanayake and John Amaratunga to come to Temple Trees, forthwith.
When the two of them came down from upstairs after the discussion all the UNP delegates who participated in the talks had come. The President started the discussion with them. The Prime Minister participated on the Government side. Here, Ranil agreed to sign the agreement on October 23rd, having agreed to the six points.
Although the talks were to end on that note G. L. suggested that the machinery by which the six points are to be worked out and the distribution of portfolios should also be discussed then and there, mentioning the acceptance of portfolios about which he seemed to be rather impatient. In reply to G.L.'s request Ranil said: "We have not yet come to an agreement on that matter. So we will sign an agreement on the six points. We will appoint a separate committee on accepting portfolios and discuss later on its structure, how many and what portfolios we are accepting.
At this juncture John Amaratunga turning the discussion in another direction said: "There should be an agreement between both parties that no one crosses over after the agreement is signed during the period it is in force. It should be included as one condition of the agreement".
"If an election come, can it be implemented" ? asked the President.
"Yes it will not be possible in the event of an election," put in Ranil.
"Then we will say until an election, in the agreement", the President said.
The meeting ended in 12 minutes.
We shall strike if LTTE brings arms
It was on Monday morning that President Mahinda had summoned the co-chairs of the peace process in Sri Lanka to temple trees. Mahinda started the discussion on a tough tone "We are ready to talk to the LTTE at any time. But if a single LTTE arms ship is spotted we shall attack," the President said. While talking in this vein Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar was severely found fault with the President. It was when Ambassador Hans Brattskar's face was changing colour due to the stiff strictures passed on him by the President that Mangala sitting close to the President pushed a glass of water near the President. "I saw Hans's face changing colour. In the confusion what I had drunk was the glass of water close to the president's seat", Mangala was heard to tell someone after he came out of the room where the discussion was held.
Talks between the government and the LTTE are fixed for the end of October. Meanwhile, by the time the security forces chiefs met the President in the evening on Wednesday fighting was raging between the Government Forces and the LTTE in Muhammalai Forward Defence line.
SS, 17.10.2006