right of Reply: Accelerated Spin Doctoring Against Rising SJB

“All too often, what matters is not whether an idea is true or effective, but whether it fits with the preconceptions of a dominant cabal.”
Rory Sutherland, Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas that Don’t Make Sense
The column authored by Kelum Bandara on 5, February 2022, carries the title, “Sajith Nerved by Champika’s Actions”.  
The title of this column more than its contents, nerves the readership of the esteemed “Daily Mirror”.   
Readers and also Kelum Bandara himself, know well that the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has become the best known national political alternative to the Rajapaksa Regime, with the exit of Sajith Premadasa from the Grand Old Party, UNP, of which he was elected Deputy Leader.   
This was the unequivocal verdict and endorsement of the people at the Presidential Election of 2019, and the General Election of 2020, respectively. The people endorsed Sajith Premadasa for reasons best known to themselves, with Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, of the JJB and Ranil Wickremesinghe, of the UNP railing far behind.  

SCHEMING AND SPIN DOCTORING ARE SHORT LIVED

In my opinion, Kelum, who is a dynamic Senior Journalist of Daily Mirror has become the latest victim of Spin Doctoring by a set of reactionaries, to create a truth out of an untruth that the already routed feudalists and disgruntled Marxists with less than 5% of the vote are in fact a formidable force.  
Such spin doctoring is the only hope for this clique of politicians of different affiliations who are severely burdened by the truth that as long as Sajith Premadasa remains the leader of the largest opposition party SJB, they will not be able to make their presence felt.  

ACHIEVEMENTS OF SELF-SERVING SPIN DOCTORS OF THE PAST

These feelings of inadequacy rooted in political impotence, are not new tendencies that we see today, but an old tendency we also witnessed during the time of leaders like Vijaya Kumaranatunge of the SLMP, and Ranasinghe Premadasa of the UNP with extra-ordinary mass appeal as in the case of Sajith Premadasa. While Vijaya was considered a Naxalite by JR Jayawardene with the support of late Anura Bandaranaike, who was Vijaya’s brother-in- law the JVP/ DJV combine was hell bent on eliminating him as a national traitor. Premadasa was similarly undermined, and character assassinated by some of his juniors representing the southern electorate, laying the foundation for the LTTE to assassinate him.  

SAJITH FACTOR IS NERVING

The Sajith factor seems to be nerving to a number of political party aspirants for the Presidency. Proving this point, the leader of the three-member Parliamentary Opposition, known as the JJB, was recently trying to dismiss Sajith Premadasa’s proposal for a snap parliamentary election as a total absurdity when the country is bankrupt.   
AKD said at a Press Conference in September 2021, that Sajith Premadasa should get his head examined. This was in response to the argument by Premadasa that the people should without further delay, work towards a regime change. Being the leader of a tiny grouping that polled a hundred thousand more votes than the totally routed UNP, that malicious sentiment in utter desperation, in the desire to become a somebody in politics, out of a nobody, is understandable. Anura Kumara, of the JJB, as much as Ranil Wickremesinghe, of the UNP, could only end up with 445,958 (3.84%) and 24,9435 (2.15%) respectively, against Sajith Premadasa’s 2,771,984 (32.73%) of the votes polled.   
It is obvious even to a secondary college student, that those who possibly feel shaken by Sajith’s leadership are the JJB and the UNP, and not any one within the SJB, like Champika Ranawaka of the 43 Brigade. Champika Ranawaka as much as the other parties that support the SJB, is a constituent element subscribing to SJBs Social Democratic alternative articulated by the party leader Sajith Premadasa.  

RIDICULOUS PROPOSITION FROM CABAL

According to Kelum, Champika Ranawaka who has supported Mr. Premadasa, knowing very well that he is the undisputed SJB leader, is now aspiring to be a Presidential Candidate, as much as Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka.   
It looks like Kelum is hard pressed to say so, to please the previously mentioned competitors of the SJB, namely, the UNP leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, as well as the JJB leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, with their not quite significant support base.  
 Probably it is in their vested interest to get Kelum to convince the Daily Mirror readership that Sajith, the undisputed leader of the SJB who defeated Anura Kumara and Ranil Wickremesinghe decisively, is now challenged by the two gentlemen mentioned before.   
The SJB, which is Sri Lanka’s main opposition, is an extraordinarily modern political outfit with utmost commitment to a Social Democratic alternative to all the other parties in both the government and the opposition. SJB’s leader, just like his father, President Ranasinghe Premadasa is intensely committed to serve the vast majority of poor people of Sri Lanka, while ensuring that there will be the best possible avenues for the local, as well as the international community to invest in Sri Lanka, as happened under President Premadasa.   

ASPIRANTS FOR NATIONAL LEADERSHIP SHOULD EARN RESPECT 

Sajith became the logical alternative to the UNP leadership, as its elected Deputy Leader, and then as the Presidential candidate polling 5.5 million votes, not because his father happened to be the late President Ranasinghe Premadasa, but because Sajith himself had by then earned an island- wide reputation as a national level leader, with a formidable vision for the country and the people, like his father.   

  TACTICS TO DRIVE A WEDGE BETWEEN PARTY LEADER AND CHAIRMAN

Kelum in his article, states that Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka is also an aspirant for Presidential candidature. Mr. Fonseka is the trusted Chairman of the SJB led by Sajith Premadasa. According to Kelum, Field Marshal Fonseka had asked Mr. Premadasa not to live off the political legacy of his father, the late Ranasinghe Premadasa and that the Ranasinghe Premadasa political tag does not sell any longer.   
Kelum needs to be careful of disgruntled elements outside the SJB who are desperate to drive a wedge between the Party Leader and the Party Chairman. As for Field Marshal Fonseka’s alleged advice, it is clear that Sajith by now agrees with anyone who says that we need a pragmatic Social Democratic development alternative inspired not only by President Premadasa but also by other similar globally relevant Models.  
I assure Kelum that there won’t be any dispute between the two seasoned political leaders with their high sense of people oriented pragmatism.  

BEYOND RHETORIC AND DEBATE 

Kelum also states something that the SJB Leadership often articulates clearly: that what we need is not political rhetoric, but a serious debate on the way forward. Let that debate go on. 
However, in the meantime, the SJB has gone beyond rhetoric and debate. It is proving its capacities through programmes like SAKWALA and HUSMA that equip under-privileged schools and Hospitals, with digital screens, computers and medical equipment, that the present Rajapaksa regime miserably fails to provide. 

POTENTIAL OF MODERN OPPOSITION PARTY WITHOUT POWER

Whilst the prevailing culture of politics in Sri Lanka has much to do with human wickedness and deceit, the SJB leadership proves to all of us that there is much that a modern opposition party is able to do for the people, even before being mandated to rule. 
All what the competitors should do is to learn from this glorious example of benevolent, caring and compassionate national leadership of the SJB, providing a most promising future for the young and the old in the midst of utter hopelessness in every frontier.
 “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying, when there seemed to be no hope at all” 

 - Dale Carnegie