Speculation is rife about the chop – Sajith Premadasa – where to from now?

The failure of the UNP working committee meeting on Monday to re-appoint Sajith Premadasa as the party’s deputy leader has created a round of speculation as to the intentions of the Party Leader who now has sole powers in whom he wished to appoint. ONLY if there is a quorum of one third of the WC members who have an alternative choice can another name be entered for a vote by the WC on a position. This is unlikely to happen in SP case as the WC overwhelmingly do not want SP in this position.

If there is anyone in SL politics who has done so much to reduce his own chances of leadership, it must be SP himself. He started so well, but from that point it has been downhill all the way. From the jokers he chose to defend him or extol his virtues, to the silly focus on a personal Sasunata Aruna program of giving Rs50K to places of worship, has done SP no end of harm in his leadership stakes.

It is arguable that he would be the strongest contender for the position had he not gone to bed with the Maharaja Organization in their tragic personal campaign against RW, and thus viewed as the point man in the Maharaja personal campaign against the UNP party leader. Whatever personal reasons the Chairman of Maharajah’s had in this anti Ranil campaign, UNPers of any sort should NEVER have climbed in board, if they valued their party. Any senior party member will never let his party down, no matter what personal grievances he may have with members within his own party.

It is now clear that SP will NEVER be given this position solely, at best he may have to share it with others. This calls into serious doubt his ability to lead the party at any time in the future, as other leaders will emerge in between that will usurp his position and perhaps by then, show him to be a charlatan that makes claims that do not stand up to scrutiny, just like most of what this Government does. He therefore becomes no different from any of the jokers who are in Govt. today. SO what of his future?

In my opinion his future is ONLY with the UNP and he would be foolish to form a breakaway. Thus far he has had very bad advice from Mother and wife, who I hope will stop doing so, allowing him to make up his own mind as to what he must do. I believe he should do what he is best at to go to the hinterlands and hold pocket meetings, not at rallies, but at homes, so he makes it a goal to speak to at least 200 people a day in homes, to convince the people that this Govt. has done nothing for the people of the country and only the UNP can, and thus redeem himself.