Politics is always unpredictable but never has Sri Lankan politics felt so wild and erratic. President Maithripala Sirisena, who was elected under the mandate of restoring good governance, though deviating from his original objective, is still a man on a mission. Hitherto his goal is to mark time and prevent his political rival Prime Minister Ranil WIckremesinghe from implementing the United National Party’s (UNP) development programme till he is able to win the presidential candidacy of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)-Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) – or so he believes. However, with the onslaught on the executive presidency and with both Prime Minister and Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa consenting to abolish the hot seat, he saw new opportunity – the non-executive presidency (NEP). It is quite evident that Sirisena is playing politics till he sees his next opportunity and is not keen on politics based on policies. Many political analysts agree that the beginning of his downfall was his greed to grab the power of the SLFP in which he eventually served as the General Secretary till he defected in the run up to the 2015 presidential election. However, the SLFP’s journey coarsens by the day with u-turns reflecting the crumbling of a party that saw legends like S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike and Sirimavo Bandaranaike. For better or worse, SLFP-SLPP grand alliance is apparently not taking off the ground due to obvious differences between the two schools of thought. Last week’s vote on the second reading of the 2019 Budget saw the latest twist. The agreement between the SLFP-SLPP was that the rank and file of the two parties would join hands and vote against Khema’s boys’ grand Budget 2019. The Opposition was in tatters from the very beginning. Rajapaksa charged that the Budget was oppressive and had burdened the people with more taxes in the guise of giving concessions. However, his offspring and SLPP’s heir apparent – MP Namal Rajapaksa – contradicted him, saying the Budget proposals were very attractive and easily caught the attention of the public as it was election-oriented. Just before the vote, the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) parliamentary group met at the Committee Room 3 in Parliament to deliberate over the Budget under the chair of Rajapaksa, where the group unanimously approved the former President’s proposal of voting against the Budget but voting in favour of President’s expenses. “Overall, we are against the Budget. The backbenchers of the UNP are attempting to defeat the President’s expense heads. In the event the UNP calls for a division, let’s vote for it. However, we must vote against the Budget and try to defeat its passage somehow,” stressed Rajapaksa. However, it is learnt that the President on one hand disappointed in the manner in which the proposed alliance of SLFP-SLPP was progressing and on the other hand fearing the consequences of the UNP voting against his expenses was compelled to change his decision from voting against the second reading to abstaining. Furthermore, the delay and the apparent apathy shown by the SLPP leadership was troubling Sirisena, who felt that SLPP was not showing any keen interest even after the SLFP came forward to save the Parliament seats of SLPP MPs. It is also likely that the UNP leadership had an understanding with Sirisena’s confidantes that the UNP would not call for a division over the President’s expenses. Avoiding the humiliation was a likely factor in leading Sirisena’s camp to budge away from the SLPP-SLFP consensus. In this context, Sirisena called an eleventh-hour meeting in Parliament attended by Dr. Sarath Amunugama, Dayasiri Jayasekara, Nimal Siripala de Silva, Mahinda Amaraweera, S.B. Dissanayake, Mahinda Samarasinghe, Lasantha Alagiyawanna, and Thilanga Sumathipala whilst Dilan Perera, Lakshman Wasantha Perera, and Ranjith Siyambalapitiya arrived late. MP Duminda Dissanayake was not in the House. Sirisena confidantes Mahinda Samarasinghe and Dr. Amunugama proposed that the SLFP should not vote against but refrain from voting, compelling the UNP to not vote against Sirisena’s expenses. However, Sumathipala raised concerns, pointing out that the UPFA parliamentary group had already taken a policy decision to oppose the Budget. It is learnt that when Dilan Perera arrived after the meeting had concluded, a heated debate had taken place between Sirisena and Perera over the latest decision. “I am willing to handover my resignation even now. You will understand that this will backfire on you,” Perera is said to have told the President. It is learnt that Sirisena had personally called Perera in a last moment bid to get him to comply with SLFP’s decision but Perera had avoided all calls. As such, during the vote held late evening, Dilan Perera, Lakshman Wasantha Perera, Sriyani Wijewickrame, and Nishantha Muthuhettigama voted against the Budget in stark violation of Sirisena’s stance. With the 29 SLFP MPs abstaining, the UNF Government succeeded in passing the second reading of the 2019 Budget with 119 voting in favour of the budget, and 76 voting against. 103 UNP MPs along with two from Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC), and 13 TNA Parliamentarians cast their votes in favour. However, the Rajapaksa camp was enraged by Sirisena’s sudden reversal without any dialogue with the SLPP; several MPs such as Dilum Amunugama also openly criticised the SLFP. Sirisena’s debacle UNP backbenchers had been making public statements that in light of President Sirisena blocking the development programme of the Government, the party should vote against and defeat Sirisena’s expenses when it came up for vote. In fact, when the vote over the President’s expenses came up the following day (13), UNP backbenchers Hirunika Premachandra, Hesha Vithanage, Chaminda Wijesiri, etc. heavily criticised Sirisena, saying that he cannot ever be trusted. Over 30 MPs from the Joint Opposition (JO) too were said to be on alert, all guns blazing, in the event a division was called out for Sirisena’s expenses following instructions given by Rajapaksa. In addition, a rumour spread that one or two MPs, disgruntled with Sirisena’s change of stance at the last moment the day before, might even vote against the President’s expenses. In fact, MP Sanath Nishantha said that he was no longer willing to be cannon fodder for Sirisena. However, SLPP stalwarts Dullas Alahapperuma and Dinesh Gunawardena had mediated and managed to calm the young MPs. SLFP-SLPP talks Despite the hiccups, the SLFP-SLPP talks on building an alliance officially kicked off last Thursday at the Opposition Leader’s Office in Colombo. Prof. G.L. Peiris, Dullas Alahapperuma, and Dr. Anil Koswatte participated from the SLPP whilst the SLFP was represented by General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara, former General Secretary Dr. Rohana Lakshman Piyadasa, and Thilanga Sumathipala. The discussion took place following a decision taken at the party leaders’ meeting held on 21 February. At the 21st meeting, two committees from the SLFP and SLPP were appointed to hold discussions on forming the alliance. Accordingly, the three member SLFP committee and the SLPP committee met last Thursday at around 10 a.m. At the outset of the meeting, the discussion between the two parties was based on forming a common agenda on forming an alliance. Earlier, the two parties possessed two separate agendas, and following Thursday’s meeting, the SLFP and the SLPP have reached a common agenda for future meetings. Both parties decided to discuss the controversial issues later on and decided to focus the dialogue on two key areas: 1. Necessity for a broad alliance and 2. consensus on a basic policy framework. The SLFP presented a document containing 12 policies while the SLPP presented one with 16 policies. However, both parties have agreed to combine the two sets of policies and formulate one document combining both proposals. Therefore, a 20-point policy document has been formulated. However, the SLPP has also expressed its displeasure at the SLFP’s decision to abstain from voting at the second reading of the 2019 Budget held last Tuesday (12). The SLFP delegation responded stating that the party was initially planning on voting against the Budget, but decided last minute to abstain. The SLPP responded saying the “JO” was hopeful that the SLFP would vote against the Budget at the third reading vote. Be that as it may, the SLFP has informed the SLPP that the discussion on the party’s stance on the final vote on the Budget next month is still ongoing. JVP meets TNA Meanwhile, the one-time third force of Sri Lankan politics – the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) – is again coming to the limelight with the 20th Amendment and the abolition of the executive presidency. Last week, it met with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) last Monday. JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Secretary Tilvin Silva, and politburo member K.D. Lal Kantha, who was recently released from remand, represented the JVP whilst the TNA was represented by Leader R. Sampanthan, M. A. Sumanthiran, Maavai Senathiraja, Selvam Adaikalanathan, and Dharmalingam Siddarthan at this historic meeting. Changing its earlier position, the TNA stated that it was willing to shed its stance and consent to the 20th Amendment and the abolition of executive presidency. “We have discussed a political solution with the President. President Sirisena has agreed to our proposal. Plus a joint committee comprising of SLFP and TNA MPs were appointed. By July we would be able to submit our first report,” Sampanthan told the JVP leadership. “We are in the position where power is devolved to all ethnicities of the country. We are in agreement for a broad discussion on this. We must involve all sections of the people with this process,” replied Anura Dissanayake. “We must work with the JVP to get all the main parties on the correct track. Although we may differ on some principles, we may be able to agree on others,” affirmed Sumanthiran. “We must give the people the chance to decide on this. However, the people will only get that opportunity if the 225 MPs think about this constructively. As such, ensuring the special majority (two-thirds) is crucial,” stressed Dissanayake. It is learnt that the JVP also began negotiations in order to muster the support of the Rauff Hakeem-led Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), MP Arumugam Thondaman-led Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC), Rishard Badhiutheen-led All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC), and the Mano Ganesan-led Democratic People’s Front (DPF). The JVP also launched its civil society front campaign from Nugegoda, to abolish the executive presidency through a series of rallies to be held islandwide last Thursday. UNHCR blues The President has appointed a committee of five members to represent the President at the 40th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Tilak Marapana, the committee comprises of MP Dr. Amunugama, Northern Province Governor Suren Raghavan, Secretary to the Foreign Ministry Ravinatha Ariyasinghe, and Deputy Solicitor General Nerin Pulle. Consideration of the Report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on “promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka” will take place at the ongoing 40th Session of the UNHRC on 20 March 2019, while the draft resolution on Sri Lanka on the same theme, which Sri Lanka has signed up to co-sponsor, is scheduled to be taken up on 21 March 2019. Following consultations held with President Sirisena and Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana among others, it was decided that the following will comprise the Sri Lanka Government delegation from Colombo who will participate in these discussions. They will be joined by Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva A.L.A. Azeez, Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Samantha Jayasuriya, and other relevant officials of the Sri Lanka Permanent Mission in Geneva. Meanwhile, the President’s representatives should express only his standpoint at the session and not accede to the treacherous resolutions of the UNP, claimed the “JO”. The countries that have presented resolutions on Sri Lanka through the UN Commission on Human Rights are the countries which pressurised Sri Lanka to cease the war at its final stage. The President should not allow the UNP to dictate the Government’s position in Geneva and instruct the Minister of Foreign Affairs on the decisions that should be taken before the UN Commission on Human Rights, the “JO” demanded. The Government has informed the international community that it continues to demonstrate firm commitment to the advancement of reconciliation, the rule of law, good governance, human rights, justice, equality, and dignity for all our citizens, based on the 100-Day Programme on which Sirisena was elected in January 2015. The Government stated that it did not consider the reconciliation process in our country to be a box-ticking exercise and that it is deeply committed to uphold the rule of law and to ensure the equal protection of the law to all individuals without discrimination as guaranteed under the Constitution of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka recognises that its citizens are guaranteed equitable socioeconomic development, which can only become possible through the establishment of durable peace and reconciliation. The Government said it is making every effort, despite the sociopolitical and economic constraints and challenges, to realise our vision of a reconciled, peaceful, stable, and prosperous Sri Lanka for all our citizens. The reconciliation, judicial, and reparation processes are for all affected communities, irrespective of race, religion, and gender, including the families of missing security forces personnel. The reconciliation and development agenda cannot be successfully achieved by the Government working alone. The participation of political parties, civil society, academia, the business community, the media, as well as the international community are essential for this important national endeavour. The Government stressed with sincerity and conviction that it will not be deterred by anyone in fulfilling the undertakings given by it to the people, which will lead to building a peaceful, stable, reconciled, and prosperous Sri Lanka for all citizens. Sri Lanka’s judiciary and law enforcement mechanisms are fully capable and committed to the processes of advancing justice to all concerned. It has a long history of integrity and professionalism and since January 2015, steps have been taken to further strengthen its independence, assuring that all reconciliation mechanisms will be implemented in accordance with the Constitution. Although the legacy of conflict in Sri Lanka is heavy, permeating the Sri Lankan society to this day with extremists constantly striving to take advantage of this situation to achieve political gain. This realisation only makes Sri Lanka even more determined to ensure that we never return to the violent days of the past. It is the Government’s intention to ensure the fulfillment of its commitments to its entire people and bring closure to a sad and disturbing period of recent history.