Unite And Field A Common Candidate: An

Open Letter To Opposition Parties

| by Laksiri Fernando
To: United National Party (UNP), Janata !im"kti Peram"na (J!P), Tamil National
Allian#e (TNA), $emo#rati# Party ($P), Frontline %o#ialist Party (FL%P) and oters&
( A"'"st (), *+(), %ydney, %ri Lanka ,"ardian) A##ordin' to reliable reports,
President -ainda .a/apaksa as de#ided to #ons"lt te %"preme Co"rt re'ardin' te
possibility o0 #allin' 0or te ne1t presidential ele#tion be0ore (2 No3ember tis year
(Colombo Pa'e, () A"'"st *+())& Te p"rpose is de#lared to be to old te ele#tion
be0ore Pope Fran#is4 s#ed"led 3isit to %ri Lanka on (5 Jan"ary *+(6& 7"t tere #an be
oter idden a'endas or moti3es&
8t as to be admitted tat te opposition is not 9ell prepared 0or te 0ort#omin'
national ele#tion:s as te 'o3ernment does& Te 'o3ernment is s"re to "tili;e te 0"ll
0or#e o0 te state apparat"s alto"' tat 9o"ld be a blatant 3iolation o0 te ele#tion
la9s o0 te #o"ntry& Tis is also a predi#ament o0 te abolition o0 te (<t Amendment&
As yo" all 9o"ld admit, President .a/apaksa does not a3e a moral ri't or a people4s
mandate to #ontest 0or a tird term& Tat is a'ainst te demo#rati# norms a##epted
internationally& Tis is not sometin' e de#lared at te *+(+ ele#tion& Te passa'e o0
te (=t Amendment 9as possible tro"' te pre3io"s #rosso3ers 0rom te
opposition ens"red o00erin' perks and pri3ile'es& %ri Lanka as de'enerated into lo9
depts o0 politi#al #orr"ption&
A0ter te end o0 te 9ar, te #o"ntry ad m"# ope and opport"nity 0or pea#e and
national "nity& Tese a3e 3anised into tin air as a res"lt o0 sort si'ted poli#ies o0
a"toritarian r"le installed to #ontrol all #omm"nities and pittin' one a'ainst te
oter& As te past e3ents a3e #on0irmed, te .a/apaksa re'ime does not belie3e in
demo#ra#y, r"le o0 la9, independen#e o0 te /"di#iary or "man ri'ts& -ost
despi#able is te 0amily r"le& All tese de3iations 0rom demo#rati# norms a3e been
possible be#a"se o0 te presidential system and its "nbridled stren'tenin'&
All tese are reasons 9y te opposition so"ld "nite and 0ield a #ommon #andidate&
%ri Lanka entertains enormo"s e#onomi# opport"nities 0or s"stainable de3elopment
'i3en te Asian res"r'en#e, parti#"larly in 8ndia and Cina& .a/apaksa re'ime as
e1ploited tese opport"nities mostly 0or te bene0it o0 te 0amily, 0riends and politi#al
#oterie& 80 not 0or te lopsided poli#ies, %ri Lanka #o"ld de0initely a#ie3e a do"ble di'it
e#onomi# 'ro9t& Te present e#onomi# bene0its a3e not been sared 9it te poor
or te remote pro3in#es& Tere are so m"# o0 idden e#onomi# 'rie3an#es amon'st
te people&
No one is askin' te parties in te opposition to 0orm into a one party or respe#t te
e'emony o0 one party& Te stren't o0 te opposition is its pl"rality o0 poli#es
allo9in' te people to sele#t teir representati3es dependin' on teir poli#y
pre0eren#es at a parliamentary ele#tion& 8n tat respe#t, te 0"t"re parliament #o"ld
be#ome a ealty instit"tion allo9in' te ma/or party or parties to 0orm a 3iable and a
3ibrant 'o3ernment& UPFA poli#ies a3e be#ome stale and barren&
>o9e3er, te presidential ele#tion is di00erent& %ri Lanka is at #ross roads& 80 te
in#"mbent president is allo9ed to 9in a'ain tat 9o"ld be te 3irt"al end o0
demo#ra#y in te #o"ntry& Politi#al iss"es a3e t"s be#ome more #r"#ial tan te
e#onomi# iss"es& ?at is re@"ired is demo#rati# "nity or "nity 0or demo#ra#y&
8t is a @"estion o0 "nited 9e stand or di3ided 9e 0all&
8n re#ent times, a 0or#e0"l #i3il so#iety mo3ement (National -o3ement 0or %o#ial
J"sti#e A N-%J) as emer'ed led by !en& -ad"l"9a9e %obita to #all 0or te abolition
o0 te e1e#"ti3e presidential system& 8t is 9ell kno9n tat most o0 yo"r politi#al parties
parti#ipated at teir re#ent seminar and eld talks 9it te N-%J& 8t is tr"e tat te
N-%J 9ants te abolition o0 te BP system as te sin'le iss"e& Tat mi't not be
possible or ad3isable& Tere are oter iss"es& Te abolition o0 te BP system mi't not
be tat easy as tey a3e p"t 0or9ard in teir road map& 7" tey a3e also #alled 0or a
#ommon #andidate& Tat is entirely a rational #all&
Te N-%J strate'y is also limited to te presidential ele#tion& Tat is also not possible
or desirable& Tere so"ld be a #ommon strate'y 0or bot ele#tions&
80 yo" all a'ree on te abolition o0 te e1e#"ti3e presiden#y, as yo" a3e all de#lared,
tere is no point in yo"r leaders #ontestin' te presiden#y& Co"r leaders #an #ontest
te parliamentary ele#tions /ointly or separately& Tese are matters tat yo" #an
dis#"ss to'eter and a'ree "pon& >o9e3er, 9at mi't be important is to p"t 0or9ard
a #ommon #andidate 0or te presidential ele#tion& Tere so"ld be a minim"m
plat0orm a'reed "pon, 0or e1ample, (+ point pro'ram&
Co" may appre#iate tat apart 0rom te N-%J mo3ement 0or te abolition o0 te
e1e#"ti3e presiden#y, tere a3e been se3eral almost spontaneo"s #i3il so#iety
mo3ements tat a3e emer'ed in te past& One 9as te "ni3ersity tea#ers4 mo3ement
(FUTA) tat demanded in#remental DE ,$P allo#ation 0or ed"#ation& Like9ise, a0ter
te impea#ment o0 te Cie0 J"sti#e, la9yers #ame 0or9ard "nder te 7A%L banner to
"pold te independen#e o0 te /"di#iary and r"le o0 la9& Alto"' not yet #rystali;ed
into a mo3ement, tere is an "r'e on te part o0 te p"bli# ser3ants to be independent
and #ond"#t teir tasks 9ito"t "nd"e politi#al inter0eren#e&
Tere 9ere se3eral oter mo3ements, trade "nion and people4s demands& Uni3ersity
st"dents 9ere #lamo"rin' to preser3e 0ree ed"#ation& Jo"rnalists are still "neasy abo"t
te restri#ted media 0reedoms and treats& Tese and oters #o"ld #onstit"te a (+
point or (* point pro'ram& >"man ri'ts also #o"ld #onstit"te a #entral position&
Tere so"ld be a #ommitment to ne#essary de3ol"tion and to promote etni#
armony in te #o"ntry&
Promotion o0 a responsible b"siness se#tor (.at"pas9ela), "nity to desist ate spee#
and 3iolen#e (Al"t'ma), and not to "se te armed 0or#es 0or so#ial #oer#ion (Nort)
and preser3e teir pro0essional di'nity also #o"ld be i'li'ted& B3en to p"rs"e an
a#ti3e nonAali'ned 0orei'n poli#y, and oppose te #"rrent 0ias#o, #o"ld be one o0 te
pro'ram points&
7eyond te a'reed minim"m pro'ram, all parties so"ld be able to #ampai'n 0or teir
o9n poli#ies and plat0orms& ?at is ne#essary is to a3oid Fdo'A0i'ts4 9itin te
opposition&
Te ele#tion #ampai'ns so"ld be ed"#ational, inspirational and so"ld be able to
mobili;e and mo3e people 0or ele#toral a#tion& 8t is better to start tem soon 9ito"t
pro#rastinatin'& 80 te #ampai'ns are stron' and moti3atin', tere may be oter
parties in te 'o3ernment at present 9o 9o"ld /oin& Te parties #o"ld be 9el#omed
b"t not te tainted indi3id"als&
8 am not 'oin' to dis#"ss 9o mi't be te s"itable #ommon #andidate& Co" may sele#t
tat #andidate 0rom one o0 yo"r politi#al parties or 0rom o"tside& 80 a person is sele#ted
0rom a politi#al party e:se so"ld resi'n 0rom tat party to so9 alle'ian#e to all
parties in te "nited 0ront or te /oint pro'ram& Te person so"ld be a #redible one
9it stron' politi#al 9ill&
Alto"' te N-%J as proposed a road map to abolis te presiden#y 9itin si1
monts it mi't not be possible& One year period mi't be more 0easible and ten
tere mi't be a possibility o0 e3en o3era"lin' te 9ole #onstit"tion 9itin tat
period& >o9e3er, it is not my main point or appeal& -y appeal is 0or yo" to 'et "nited
as m"# as possible, talk to ea# oter in a 9orkable manner, and #ome to some
"nderstandin' 9ito"t delay&
?en yo" sele#t te #ommon #andidate, e:se so"ld be a reliable person, not to r"n
a9ay 9it te presiden#y b"t to abolis it& At te same time e:se so"ld be o0 a
stron' politi#al 9ill& Until te mission is a##omplised, e:se so"ld a#t as a nominal
e1e#"ti3e ne3erteless 0ormin' a #aretaker 'o3ernment a0ter dissol3in' te e1istin'
parliament and dismissin' te 'o3ernment& O0 #o"rse e:se so"ld 0ollo9 te
#onstit"tion& Te e1e#"ti3e po9ers so"ld be on te reser3e, in #ase i0 anybody,
parti#"larly te de0eated re'ime tries any 0o"l play&
From all my politi#al s#ien#e kno9led'e o0 o3er )6 years, de0eatin' te re'ime and te
president is 0easible, i0 te opposition is "nited and "nited 0or#e0"lly&
Posted by Ta3am