The end of the Railway strike, a huge burden on the public at the time of the GCE O/L examinations, removes a critical challenge to government with the approach of the Local Government polls. The Railway Trade Unions would have realized they were not having much support from the public, although there may have been sympathy for some of their demands, due to the hardships faced by the O/L exam students. The indications are the strike has in fact been suspended, and the Government will have to work out good negotiating situations in the coming weeks, especially after the GCE O/L and Christmas & New Year season. The proposal to have the Railway, Health and Education services to be ‘Closed Services’ certainly need better clarification in the context of how this will help to meet future salary demands from public sector trade unions.
The Local Polls are moving into the politics of keen rivalry with the contest between the formal SLFP under Maithripala Sirisena’s leadership and its rival lotus bud SLPP with the unofficial leadership of Mahinda Rajapaksa, emerging as a contest for the hold over the SLFP, more than the issues of local government. The last week did see the rift within the Joint Opposition (JO) widen with one member of the MEP, Sriyani Wijewickrema MP from Digamadulla who won election to Parliament under the SLFP/UPFA, coming over to the SLFP leadership of President Sirisena. She was soon followed by three members of the Wimal Weerawansa’s National Freedom Front - its Deputy Leader Weerakumara Dissanayake, National Organiser Piyasiri Wijayanayake, and NCP Council member P. B. Kumara. This placed, Weerawansa, a major publicist of the JO, very much weakened and isolated, which in the coming days could have negative impacts on the electoral strategies of the SLPP.
The lack of organisation of the SLPP in preparing for nomination to the Local Polls is seen by the rejection of its nomination lists for important local government bodies of Maharagama, Weligama, Panadura, Agalawatte, Badulla and Mahiyangana, covering municipal councils, urban councils and pradeshiya sabhas. This is certainly no matter of misfortune, but shows poor study of the new systems and documentation for nominations, and certainly raised questions about the leadership of the SLPP and the JO in these affected areas. It is noteworthy that the areas include Maharagama, which has senior SLFP and MEP leaders within the JO, the Panadura and Kalutara areas which usually have a very active local leadership, and Uva Province where the leadership of the SLFP largely remains with the Sirisena led SLFP.
With the contests between the SLFP and SLPP in most areas, as well as the decision by the Sirisena wing to place some candidate under the Betel leaf symbol of the UPFA, in addition to the SLP’s Chair symbol, the Sirisena – Rajapaksa contest is certainly moving to be of intense rivalry, with more shifts, jumps and leaps likely to be seen in the coming weeks, as the politics of advantage shows more importance, than issues of local government. There are also many allegations by poll watcher organisations of civil society that underworld and anti-social elements are being given nominations, raising questions about the success of the new electoral system to break the spread and hold of corruption in the electoral process.
UNP remains strong
Amidst these rivalries between the SLPP and SLFP, the UNP remains in a very strong position, with the support of most minority political parties and groups moving towards it. The efforts by the SLMC to have a more nominations for Muslims in Colombo, ejected by the UNP, and rivalries between the SLMC and ACMC on Muslim representation in majority Muslim areas, have not affected the UNP’s hold in these areas. However, the overall anti-corruption thinking among the broader public, especially those who supported the UNP-backed Common Candidate for the Presidency in January 2015, do not share the enthusiasm of UNP supporters in the coming polls.
The UNP certainly has to face the criticism on corruption come from the Treasury bond exposure, and the necessity for Ravi Karunanayake and Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe to leave their key portfolios. The report of the Presidential Commission on the Central Bank Bonds, due by December 31, is expected to have a major impact on the UNP’s poll campaign. However, poll analysts are of the view that even weakened by the new allegations of corruption; the UNP remains the strongest party in the coming polls, and will obtain a plus factor from the rivalries of the Blues in the SLFP and SLPP.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will certainly have to lead a strong campaign in the coming weeks to re-affirm the UNP’s position as the leading party in the local polls, especially with the necessity to fight the SLPP of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s leadership, as well as the opposition of the SLFP/UPFA of Maithripala Sirisena’s leadership. The idea of the Unity Government’s main parties – the UNP and SLFP having a no-contest pact did not materialize. However, as the campaign moves with rivalries and indications of future control of local bodies, there could be understandings that could not be realized before nominations, which could benefit the UNP.
The Wilpattu crisis
An important shift of politics from elections to the protection of nature was seen in this week’s Wild Life and Nature Protection Society (WPNS) organised protest at Vihara Maha Devi Park moving to the UN Office in Colombo, which drew considerable public support, showing a growing public interest in a crisis mounting in and near the Wilpattu National Park.
The speakers at Vihara Maha Devi Park raised urgent concerns about the increasing annexation of land from the largest national park in the country, and its boundary areas that also need protection, for the settling of hundreds of families. The efforts made by those carrying out these settlements to make the protests against the anti-nature and anti-environmental moves a to be anti-race and religion, were completely rejected and effectively criticized by the speakers who explained the huge damage done to the National Park, which needs protection as a national asset in the context of nature and the environment.
The protests went away from that of an anti-Muslim move, in view of the involvement of Minister Rishard Badurdeen in those resettlements of those displaced by the LTTE, with strong criticism also of the moves by State Minister Palitha Range Bandara to support different housing settlements in the area, and the action of Minister Lakshman Kiriella, to build two huge bridges and build roads in the nature reserve, which will further damage the much threatened wild life park, as well as nature and the environment that need maximum protection in the present conditions of the country. Speakers were not opposed to the resettlement of displaced persons, but emphasized the need to ensure that such re-settlement should not threaten, damage or destroy nature and the environment.
The WPNS protest also drew support from members of the public whose concerns have been increased, following the killing of the Galgamuva Tusker, as well as other tuskers in recent weeks, and the huge business reportedly going on in the export of tusks and ivory goods from Sri Lanka. The Minister of Wildlife is on record that the recent killing of tuskers is a well planned and executed conspiracy. The threats faced by the tuskers of this country are naturally linked to what is seen as the major threat to wildlife and nature by the human incursions at Wilpattu, backed politicians with varying interests.
The protesters led by the WPNS walked to the UN office in Colombo and handed over a petition with regard to the violations of the Ramsar Convention, the international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. Sri Lanka is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention, signed in 1971, which is the oldest multilateral international conservation convention, and the only one to deal with one habitat or ecosystem type, wetlands. Sri Lanka has 165,000 hectares (410,000 acres) registered in the Wilpattu Ramsar Wetland Custer, in addition to other Rasmar registered reservations. The protesters look forward to the Ramsar Convention office, and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature that works closely with it, will take this matter up with the Government with no delay.
Thursday’s events in Colombo saw an important new trend in the politics of protest, with the public moving away from the tradition of party politics to areas of importance to society that are not supported by political parties, or are being avoided by the political parties for electoral, ethnic and other interests.
Tall Tree
As Christmas approaches Sri Lankans could have some pleasure, at having the Guinness record for the world’s tallest artificial Christmas tree, and beating China is something today. It matters little at having no relevance to the spirit of Christmas, but of great joy to Minister Arjuna Ranatunga.
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