Ranil: Please listen to the people of Sri Lanka and not the West

"Ranil, this may be the final opportunity for you to vacate the party leadership with some dignity. Don’t be self-centered any more, particularly at a time the country needs a true dynamic leader in the Opposition, when the ruling party play havoc with no respect to the rule of law and undermining the public interest at will. Don’t hesitate to grab this golden opportunity because the time is running out."

by Vishvamithra

(September 16, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The right-thinking people of this country strongly believe that you are the Agent for the West, the man who is ready to give effect what the West demands with no question asked. Ranil, we don’t know the right answer but surely you know.

If you are a person concerned with the plight of the Party today you should have left the party honorably by now. More than anybody else you know that you are an utter impotent and inefficient leader, who allows the ruling party to act as if there is no Opposition. You know more than anybody else that because of your self-centered attitude a lot of parliamentarians left the party and joined the ruling party. They refused to suffer under your barren leadership. Their efforts to bring about a change in the party leadership failed because of one individual that is you.

The need of the hour is to have bold policy inventions by the UNP a party that rule the nation for a substantial period since independence. Ranil, with all respect, please clear the way forward and resign honorably. Let the general membership of the party chose the leader, just not someone like Sajith Premadasa or any other person who demands the leadership in the party as of a right. The leadership selection process should be totally transparent and democratic process and the general party members [registered members] should be given the right to elect a new leader, not the central committee as you may think, because there is nobody in the parliamentary group of the party who deserve the party leadership.

Design a logical and effective process to implement this proposal which of course is an uphill task. Yet, in the interest of the nation you got to do it and respect the right of the party members to elect a dynamic, honest, patriotic person to lead the party, because as at present it looks as if there is no Opposition in the parliament.

This is the best opportunity to set the record straight and you are the best the person who should take initiative in the right direction because you have nothing more to loose. Be bold and learn from other leading democracies, particularly the UK and US, where the party leadership selection process is absolutely transparent and democratic.

Just see how David Cameron took the leadership of the Conservative from nowhere and finally became the youngest Prime Minister in the UK. He was in his 30’s when elected to the leadership of the party. There, all competent members in the legislature were allowed to contest in the leadership selection process. Unfortunately we don’t have people of that caliber in the UNP parliamentary group because the party is bankrupt, so go for a process open to all. Surely there are a lot of learned and well-respected leaders outside the mainstream politics who could be promoted to contest the partly leader contest.

The process may consist of series of ballots which could reduce to two at the penultimate round. On each round eliminate the candidate with the fewest votes. To be eligible to vote, an individual may a paid-up member of the party for at least three months. Let the candidate who tops the poll in the penultimate round be declared the party leader. This is the only way that could lead the most fitting person to become the leader of the party.

Ranil, this may be the final opportunity for you to vacate the party leadership with some dignity. Don’t be self-centered any more, particularly at a time the country needs a true dynamic leader in the Opposition, when the ruling party play havoc with no respect to the rule of law and undermining the public interest at will. Don’t hesitate to grab this golden opportunity because the time is running out. Use this opportunity before you are condemned in pubic and thrown out from the party leadership. At least earn some credit for your contribution in the installation of democratic process in the political party leader selection process in Sri Lanka that is lacking in all the political parties including the so-called peoples’ party the JVP.

CBK in a recent interview offered to the Daily mirror mentioned that she was proved wrong, giving party leadership to MR. She admitted that out of 64 members in the central committee only 3 people favoured MR, yet she use her authority to appoint MR to be the party leader. Good that MR delivered and finished the war. Yet, this clearly shows the level of autocracy in the Lankan politics. Please change this utterly wrong undemocratic process and let a true dynamic leader with a vision to lead the nation sans petty minded cronyism take over the leadership of this beautiful nation.