RANIL... The quick thinker for crisis situation

Knowing that President Kumaratunga was not in the country, he immediately telephoned the Prime Minister and offered to help

Ministers Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake presented an impeachment motion in Parliament alleging several improprieties

Ranil Wickremesinghe, immediately mobilized the Defence Forces and the Police countrywide, ensured that retaliations did not occur on the Tamil people

Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister signed a ceasefire-agreement with the LTTE, although, this ceasefire agreement was criticized and the security apparatus was unhappy

Early morning, October 20,1995. The SriLankan Airlines aircraft with President Chandrika Bandaranaike and her officials had taken off from Katunayake Airport. Mrs.Sirimavo Bandaranaike was the Prime Minister and the de-facto acting President when armed cadres of the LTTE commenced attacks on CPC’s Oil storage tanks at Kolonnawa and Orugodawatte. News of the LTTE attacks reached the ears of political leaders and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was one of them. Knowing that President Kumaratunga was not in the country, he immediately telephoned the Prime Minister and offered to help. He thereafter went to the Operations Centre of the Defence Ministry and assisted in activating the country’s defence apparatus to overcome the crisis situation. His quick thinking in this crisis situation and keeping aside petty political differences ensured that the serious effects of the attack were minimized.

The LTTE, in July 2006, prevented the release of water for paddy cultivations from the ‘MAVIL-ARU ’reservoir in the Trincomalee District. This prompted an immediate response from the Sri Lankan Security Forces and started ‘Eelam IV War’ as it was known

Earlier, in September 1991, another crisis erupted in the UNP government of President R.Premadasa when senior Ministers Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake presented an impeachment motion in Parliament alleging several improprieties. President Premadasa was in a state of shock and disbelief. The Leader of the House Ranil Wickremesinghe, being a Lawyer he is, explained to the President, the constitutional action that he could take and set in motion a series of parliamentary and constitutional moves which resulted in President Premadasa defeating the impeachment motion. Again, it was a quick-thinker acting in a crisis situation.

The third instance was in the evening of May 01st 1993 when President Premadasa was killed by an LTTE suicide bomber at Armour Street during the UNP May Day processions. The President was dead and the country was in a perilous state. Ranil Wickremesinghe, immediately mobilized the Defence Forces and the Police countrywide, ensured that retaliations did not occur on the Tamil people. Thereafter, he facilitated the immediate swearing-in of Prime Minister D. B. Wijetunga as the interim President and had him confirmed by a unanimous vote 
in Parliament.

Earlier, in September 1991, another crisis erupted in the UNP government of President R.Premadasa when senior Ministers LalithAthulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake presented an impeachment motion in Parliament alleging several improprieties. President Premadasa was in a state of shock and disbelief

The fall of the LTTE: Initiated by Ranil
With the forming of the 2001 Chandrika-Ranil government and knowing that LTTE had resisted defeat from 1983 Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister signed a ceasefire-agreement with the LTTE. Although, this ceasefire agreement was criticized and the security apparatus was unhappy, the Sri Lankan Government kept to it’s  bargain and won international support and assistance. The initial weakening of the LTTE was due to this ceasefire. LTTE’s Karuna and his fighters in the Eastern Province who now appreciated peace, disagreed with LTTE’s Prabakaran and finally broke away. With Karuna’s fighters leaving the LTTE, Prabakaran did not get fighter support for his operations in the North.  Thereafter, Karuna and his fighters entered the democratic process and assisted the Sri Lankan troops to fight the LTTE. It is a known fact that it was Ranil Wickremesinghe’s ceasfireagreement that ensured the neutralization of the LTTE in the East. The LTTE, in July 2006, prevented the release of water for paddy cultivations from the ‘MAVIL-ARU ’reservoir in the Trincomalee District. This prompted an immediate response from the Sri Lankan Security Forces and started ‘Eelam IV War’as it was known. The renewed fighting resulted in the fall of a hitherto weakened LTTE and the death of LTTE leader Prabakaran.

News of the LTTE attacks reached the ears of political leaders and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was one of them. Knowing that President Kumaratunga was not in the country, he immediately telephoned the Prime Minister and offered to help

Maithripala sacks Ranil
Ranil Wickremesinghe’s ability to endure hardships without complaining was displayed in October 2018 when  President Maithripala Sirisena sacked him and appointed Mahinda Rajapakse as the Prime Minister. Ranil did not panic but quickly set in motion the political and legal moves to make the public aware and appeal to the Supreme Court that his dismissal was unconstitutional. The fiasco ended with  Supreme Court confirming that his ouster was un-constitutional. As a result, President Maithripala Sirisena was compelled to re-instate Ranil Wickremesinghe as his Prime Minister.

The present and the future
If one were to read the publication titled ‘Ranil Wickremesinghe’ authored by Dinesh Weerakkody, it is visible that Ranil Wickremesinghe is a person who prefers policy-oriented, administrative and development systems for the country without the voter having to depend on political personalities who change almost every five   years. 

He understands that Sri Lanka will prosper only if correct economic policies and processes are implemented to be a successful player in a global market. This too, while seeking the support of the developed economies in the world by being non-aligned for peace, stability and development.

Ranil Wickremesinghe as a Lawyer, politician and solution provider, has excelled when emergency situations call for quick thinking, steady nerves and political acumen.

At present, there are only a handful of politicians from both sides of Government and the Opposition who with long political experience, knowledge of international politics and the ability to bring prosperity to our country in this crisis situation and Ranil Wickremesinghe is one of them.

By A Former 
Parliamentarian