SJB: Partially Awoken Somnambulist? UNP, the Real Sleeping Giant

With reference to last Monday’s article, “SJB: Fast Asleep or Sleeping Giant?”, and the response it received under the right to reply, prompted me to further scrutinize the controversial idea. As most of the neutral political analysts speculate, Samagi Jana Balawegaya is neither fast asleep nor a sleeping giant but appears to be a toddler who had a fantasy nightmare and had partially awoken up from slumber to enjoy counting the ‘Common Candidates’ as they keep adding on to the threatening list, helped by the party itself.   
The 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan, had prompted Admiral Yamamoto, the Japanese Naval commander who was given the order to attack Pearl Harbour to have stated, “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant…” In the 1970 film ‘Tora, Tora, Tora!’ the quotation is portrayed at the very end of the movie.   

Although the statement may well have summed up his real feelings about the Pearl Harbour attack, there is no authentic evidence to attribute it to Yamamoto himself. William Safire traces its origins to the phrase by Napoleon, “China is a sickly, sleeping giant. But when she awakes, the world will tremble,” proving Napoleon’s wisdom in visualizing a global political future, a couple of centuries ahead.   

"The UNP, unlike the SLFP or SJB, is the authentic giant, forcefully put to sleep by the lullabies sung by its leader Wickremesinghe"

The writer does not wish to be the proverbial ‘small fry’ intervening between two warring sharks, Mr Cooray and Dr Jayatilleka, battling it over the article titled by the former. The SJB leader’s unsteady and lacklustre approach has motivated a few much more dynamic and knowledgeable men to enter the queue of Common Candidates with Champika, Harsha and Sarath, now joined by Wijeyadasa. None of these former or present three-wheeler party leaders who are ‘confident of their ability to come forward as alternatives to the SJB leader, like many others in their flock who attempt to occasionally upset the apple cart in both the Governing and opposing sides, are capable of winning even a Pradeshiya Sabha on their strength. Wimal, Udaya and Vasu being good examples across the board.   
By looking at just one of the things the SJB leader offered during the election: “Rs. 20,000.00 monthly to each household.” Would any rational, mature politician be expected to make a statement of that type?   

Are SLPP and SJB new parties?   

No, they are not. When an arrogant, weak leader, who drags an established party into oblivion and refuses to budge, the rank and file would naturally join hands with a breakaway faction in forming a party under a new banner. Both the SLFPers and UNPers did rally round an alternative leadership to maintain their historic seven decades of existence in the annals of independent Sri Lanka, leaving the title and the headquarters for a few beleaguered leftovers to wander, while witnessing the huge majority at the grass-root level and the vast support base, turning towards the radical factions.   

D. S. Senanayake broke away from Congress, forming the UNP; and the UNP breakaways led by Bandaranaike formed a new party in the SLFP. In the North-East, Chelvanayagam broke away from Tamil Congress to form the Federal Party. All three successfully developed them into winning outfits within a few years! It is rather hilarious for any student of politics, to conceive that SLPP and SJB are new parties that broke time records set by the earlier stated ones and compare them with the performance of their predecessors.   

"Both the SLFPers and UNPers did rally round an alternative leadership to maintain their historic seven decades of existence in the annals of independent Sri Lanka"

The wide support enjoyed by Sajith Premadasa, within the party, almost certainly not really on account of able leadership traits, than the fact that they hated Ranil Wickremesinghe. Sajith’s claim being President Ranasinghe Premadasa’s son is also somewhat of a disadvantage. This could be true for most UNPers. His father’s track record, especially as the executive president, wasn’t too clean. People suffered one of the horrendous UNP rules during his tenure. His dismal record in his relationship with the LTTE is also a hurdle Sajith has to surmount. Sajith is an excellent public speaker. With his personality shining through expressions of opinion, he could invariably provoke and rouse an ordinary crowd, though it is just ‘pop-gun oratory’ to above-average listeners. This was apparent even before he was picked as the UNP’s Presidential candidate. In a party that failed successively at polls and lacked colour, Sajith was the main attraction but had to suffer the most comprehensive defeat the party ever recorded in its history, while Ranil had missed it marginally twice with ‘war monger’ Prabhakaran, causing almost fatal harm that helped CBK in 1999 and again preventing the traditional pro-UNP Jaffna voter going to the booth that helped MR in 2005. 

 
On his planning and administrative skills as a minister, even his close associates have cast doubts. Remember the secret tapes of Ranjan, where RR, in a telephonic conversation with colleague Hirunika, both SJB loyalists, in a clip that went viral on social media, compare the leader and deputy; both agreeing on the huge gap in their intellectual capacities. This he amply demonstrated in his performance as Housing Construction and Cultural Affairs Minister. Ranjan confesses, “I worked with him for six months, he has no capacity at all”. Nevertheless, the kindhearted man he is, Sajith undertook the embarrassing task of making representations to the President on behalf of imprisoned Ranjan, for his release.   

"Sajith’s claim being President Ranasinghe Premadasa’s son is also somewhat of a disadvantage"

Sajith’s stoic silence on the Central Bank Bond heist, being the Deputy Leader of the UNP, the main partner in the Yahapalanaya and also a Cabinet minister, was strange, to say the least. He kept mum over misrule and corruption. His housing programme appeared haphazardly arranged with proper feasibility studies not being carried out. His cronies brushed aside by-laws of local government authorities. Attempts were made to build houses in areas under the Department of Archaeology. Rs. 400 million funds that belonged to the Central Cultural Fund were exhausted to almost nothing. There were some 15 institutions that came under him. He is said to have recruited workers violating guidelines and exceeding requirements, to institutions that came under his purview. The government is said to be collecting statistics which it can use against him at a future contest. Will they work against him in the competition to select the opposition’s candidate for Presidency in 2024?   

Patali Champika Ranawaka’s strategy in abandoning the Sinhala-Buddhist nationalist image and agenda has brought him closer to the ambitious man’s next goal….‘the common candidate’. He formed his contingent – called ‘43 Senankaya’ [43rd Brigade], together with Shiral Lakthilaka, the lawyer who joined the UNP from the SLFP and led the anti-Ranil movement. Ranawaka’s strategy is unique, being a qualified engineer, certainly with more charisma; he is a cut above the other aspirants in the SJB.   
The UNP, unlike the SLFP or SJB, is the authentic giant, forcefully put to sleep by the lullabies sung by its leader Wickremesinghe. The moment the singing stops, it could revitalize with vigour and vitality and no force may be able to stop the mass exodus back to Sirikotha; a remarkable event, most people of this nation are dreaming of.   

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