Politicians made by media are like Papadams: Ranil

19 August 2011 08:00 pm Views - 8580

Opposition United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said one cannot sky rocket into the leadership of a political party but he or she should rise up step by step and stressed that leadership qualities could only be developed by backing the leader whenever he or she faced a challenge.

“A politician should have a lot of patience not only to head a government but also to be an opposition leader. Although social service is good, you cannot win only by doing social service. Some others think they can win by doing politics through the media. One cannot go forward in politics through the media. Politicians who are limited to the media are like papdams,” he said.

Mr. Wickremesinghe expressed these views at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute (SLFI) on Thursday during the launch of UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake’s biography.

He said all UNP members including himself backed late President Ranasinghe Premadasa when an impeachment motion was brought against him. Mr. Wickremesinghe also recalled how he and others safeguarded the party when the party experienced a leadership vacuum after President Premadasa was assassinated in 1993.

“I was forced to re-organise the party in 1994 when the party’s vote base was badly eroded after the party was defeated at the 1994 General Election,” Mr. Wickremesinghe said.

He recalled how former President J. R. Jayewardene acted patiently when he was criticised by late I. M. R. A. Irriyagolle openly at cabinet meetings in 1965.

Mr. Wickremesinghe also said how the conspiracy to oust British Conservative Party leader Stanley Balding by Lord Braybrooke -- a wealthy businessman and media magnate -- failed miserably.

Meanwhile Mr. Wickremesighe yesterday insisted that disciplinary action would be taken against all reformist members as he had been empowered to do so by the working committee as a matter of urgency.

He said this during a meeting with the leaders of the UNP’s trade union wing Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya (JSS) at Pitakotte said disciplinary action would be taken against all the reformists if they have acted against the party’s interests. He said he was empowered to take action after Wednesday as per the working committee decision.

“I don’t know what the reformists have said but action would be taken against them if they have acted against the interests of the party,” he added. UNP reformists who held a news conference on Thursday went on the offensive criticising Mr. Wickremesighe and his loyalists

Referring to a question raised by the journalists on a statement made by National Organiser Ravi Karunanayake who had defended a private TV Channel that was criticised by him Mr. Wickremesinghe, said that he is not aware as to what the national organiser had said.

“I will ask him about it when I meet him,” he said. (Yohan Perera)