Ranil Wickremasinghe’s opinion of Sajith Premadasa & Dayasiri Jayesekera

In my opinion, Ranil Wickremasinghe’s perspicacious analysis of the above two rising stars of the UNP has undoubtedly led him to believe that in NO uncertain terms will he allow either to be the party leader at the present moment despite the perilous state of the party. I will recommend both Sajith and Dayasiri, who I admire to read the past 10 blog entries to look at their weaknesses and determine if they accept my reasoning, agree to change their ways to learn from past mistakes so that RW can change this view. RW is willing to give up his leadership today, if his opinion turns favorable.

I hearby show below the extracts from the Wikipedia definition of the word:

Perspicacity (also called perspicaciousness and perspicuity) is a penetrating discernment - a clarity of vision or intellect which provides a deep understanding and insight.

In his study of the elements of wisdom, the modern psychometrician Robert Sternberg identified perspicacity as one of its six components or dimensions; the other five being reasoning, sagacity, learning, judgement and the expeditious use of information. In his analysis, perspicacity was described as

...has intuition; can offer solutions that are on the side of right and truth; is able to see through things — read between the lines; has the ability to understand and interpret his or her environment.

—Robert J. Sternberg , Wisdom: its nature, origins, and development

I quote from today’s (23^rd December 2011) issue of the Daily Mirror, which under the caption, ‘Lack of consensus resulted in clashes’ where Dayasiri says that the Monday clashes would have been avoided had the party accepted the party leader position for Karu Jayasuriya and leaving RW with the Opposition Leader title.

A statement such as the above is convincing evidence that it was perfectly OK for UNP supporters to damage the buildings and vehicles in the Siri Kotha complex because his opinion was not what prevailed. Nonsense such as this from prominent figures is what is wrong in politics. If he cannot see this as something wrong, then he certainly should join the other side as it would be best for the UNP not to have leaders who fool the people into believing mistruths.

RW is reluctantly holding onto the party leadership, even though he, as a scholar and intellectual, could be most comfortable pursuing other interests. He is holding onto it until a person who shows maturity, tact, and responsibility shows up. It is wrong to believe we need another Rajapakse type to beat him as many people do, but a man who can be contrasted so easily that he is white to the Raja’s black!!!

I was a supporter of Sajith Premadasa, and now I am really cheezed off

As each day passes and more mistakes and errors of judgment are made by Sajith I find that he is unfit for high office, and has damaged any future chance he may have of leading the UNP. The latest was his complete and unabashed support for Sirasa TV for their personal attack on RW, Sajith's party leader. It is the duty of the Deputy Leader to protect the leader and not to attack him, what he thinks in private should be kept as such.

So being complicit in supporting Sirasa who pays Sajith a substantial retainer along with a host of other UNP MPs, they are purposely fooling the public due to their own agendas that clash with those of the Party. It is obvious that there is no meeting of the minds and slugfests continues in the UNP amongst and against its own membership. I am sad about this and it is just a matter of time when the party splits and those who form the breakaway cannot use any derivative of the UNP and must realize that their efforts at forming a new party will be short lived.

When the arrested persons were released on bail yesterday, it was Sajith who embraced Maithri Guneratne. It was obvious therefore from that point, that SP is really close to him, who has mercilessly attacked the leader. On the one hand SP supports Maithri in his personal agenda, but then fails to carry that through face to face with the leader, as he should but uses the Sirasa TV as his mouthpiece.

This entanglement with a questionable TV channel in terms of its obvious behavior will most definitely affect his future, unless he disassociates with MTV group. This he is unlikely to do due to the favors he receives. Therefore his potential future within the party will also be at risk due to the pig headed advice he takes.

Furthermore he again invoked his father’s name yesterday on some inconsequential event and further sullied his name. These additional acts coming out of insufficient experience does not bode well for the future even in this festive season. It comes to the stage now that he cannot mend fences but go it alone. I wish him good luck as he does not fit in with the fuddy duddy types who have dropped him. Further he is not helping his cause when being seen with people who are committed to the downfall of the Leader. IN short his position is untenable.

The question is if all his supporters, who also are supporters of those arrested, such as Rosy, Thalatha, Dayasiri, Sujeewa, Karu, Dunesh and others are ready to form a new political party tomorrow or day after arising from this dispute. Some serious issues of discipline will come thick and fast against all these, leading to further erosion of the UNP grass roots establishment. How can they stay in the UNP?

There is no question that the example set by this behavior is ammunition to the govt. who will show film clips and say how can such a bunch of undisciplined rioters form any party let alone a government if this is the example or precedent they set! 

Sajith please hold your ‘Press Conference’ tomorrow at Siri Kotha not elsewhere

It is known that many people who supported RW gave their vote to Sajith as the Deputy Leader, knowing that he will be the heir apparent and that it was good for the party. However he is now holding a press conference tomorrow in a place outside of Sri Kotha almost as a slap in the face for the party that has elected him, deputy leader.

Do not do so. You have every right to hold a press conference in Siri Kotha, without permission from anyone. Therefore if you do not hold it there, it means you are about to go against the unity of the party and possibly have some of the Siri Kotha attackers in the team surrounding you at the media briefing. This is contrary to party unity and if you are unable to carry out your duties as the Deputy Leader under the current leadership, resign your position now and don’t waste the time of the hard working party loyalists by fooling them. If it is a new party you wish to create please understand that you can do it but it is not the UNP. You will split the party and delay its rising by a few years, but you can never increase your voter base at the expense of the party as it is a person you are creating and not a party that is the follower of the original National Congress of beginning of the 20^th century.

So my advice is DO NOT create any more rifts, and let down those who had faith in you as the Deputy. You know your limitations and your inability to take on the reigns of the party leadership. That is why you pushed Karu to an early demise from active politics, much against his will by fooling him and your followers that he had active backing of the party stalwarts.

So instead of taking the platform to do what you are good at, namely a tirade against the leadership, either resign from the position or the party and finish it off. I know that is not what you want, but it may what your advisers want you to do to teach RW a lesson. That is not your agenda, it is theirs, so do not get sucked into it. They wish to pursue their agenda and are using you. Only you will suffer as you have the most to lose.

You action tomorrow however much you think to the contrary could be the beginning of the end of your promising political career. There are enough ambitious people who want to take up from you, and don’t think that you are indispensible. The times are tough in the opposition, bear all the troubles with fortitude and build your reserves of strength for the huge battles ahead for the UNP against the government and all its actions in 2012. The party needs you to lead from the front. If you give that up do not expect anyone to forgive you!!

The UNP at the Crossroads or at each other’s Crosshairs! Or even at a ‘Level Crossing’ waiting to be run over and destroyed by the government train!!

 

It is time the leader of the UNP called all the dissidents to order. First please call them up and speak to them in a reasonable tone, as he is perceived as being unapproachable by them to air their grievances. One reason is when Sajith gets up to speak, it is just to attack the leader with little diplomacy, and therefore the reception he gets is of a leader who belittles all his proposals, and that must change

The meeting should be conducted by a third person acceptable to both sides. This will then prevent it becoming a slugfest. Then the issues that are uppermost can be addressed, ironed out, and compromised, leading to broad agreement on a master plan to implement a working draft of a call to action starting with the party supporters along with responsibilities, timetables, goals. Once the faithful are included and empowered it is easier to attract new members into the grass roots ‘shaka samithis’. The rebuilding of the party at the ground level can then begin.

The disunity of the party is not easy to repair in a few weeks. There are electoral organizers in neighboring electorates who do not talk to each other. The preference voting system has not helped, as it creates fear that people from other areas will come into another’s area for events, which in turn lead to friction and sometimes violence. This behavior is very detrimental to the party in its quest to wrest power.

For the suggestions above to be implemented, the national leaders within the party must show a unified force to the general public, saying that their differences have been patched up and will continue to work together for mutual benefit and that of the party. Then this example can be followed by the warring factions.

The expected changes to the electoral system recently announced is a good opportunity to get the grass roots organized to discuss at that level how the party should respond and plan for the future elections under the proposed new legislation. The party can take the upper hand in this over the government’s at the ground level and be able to spread information that the UNP is better prepared to face the challenge, as they can benefit more as the largest political party in Sri Lanka, which will be able to give a run for the money pumped in by the State.

It is important to take the right path at the cross roads, avoid the level crossing and speed ahead with a clear vision and plan of action, to achieve the goals. One must be realistic about being able to present goals that are achievable rather than the half baked sayings that they can topple the government in a matter of days!

Sajith Premadasa's lack of maturity in politics and his impatience is a severe handicap for high office

President Mahinda Rajapkse as we all know took an amazing amount of harsh criticism from Chandrika Kumaratunge, when she was President. He did not retaliate at that time, but bit his tongue and waited patiently for his time. Now he is President he does not mince words when he needs to, about the faults or made up faults of his predecessor. He can criticize her for every failing during her term and even for her successes!! That is what comes with the power of Presidency in SL.

So for Sajith Premadasa to subtly attack his current leader for all sorts of transgressions whilst being the Deputy Leader and effective second in command, shows an extreme lack of maturity. Does he remember how his father was treated like a pickpocket when he was Prime Minister and JR was President? JR would have Ranasinghe Premadasa waiting for hours at his doorstep, when he was entertaining guests and having a jolly good time with his whiskey and gin and tonic drinking friends. He did not bother coming out to meet the PM and handle the one of two minutes it took to resolve the problem.

RP had to undergo all this and bid his time until it was his turn. He then exploited his position to maximum advantage during his Presidency. I remember Sajith as an imp when I dined with the Premadasas. He had no relationship with Sajith at all. So I see the irony of his proclamations of the ‘yalith Premadasa yugayak bihikaranawa’ Kathawa. Poor RP would be shuddering at the words his young buck is saying. There are enough people amongst the living who saw RP being livid when Mrs Premadasa tried to introduce young Sajith to politics, when he returned from the UK after graduation from University, and had a frightful English accent from his few years at the Mill Hill Public School.

I know Premadasa had different designs for Sajith. He wanted a higher level of education before politics. Owing to the untimely demise of RP it was not to be. So it was then, and so it is now, that his mother has an undue influence on his political future. RP would never have allowed Sajith to go to Hambantota, but instead have bequeathed Colombo Central with 80,000 permanent votes(not preferences) just for him. Something Sajith never has and still does not understand.  

I need not refer to the litany of woes that young Sajith has been mired in, all of which show his immature nature and his lack of vision, forethought, and political cunning to rise to the challenge of leadership in the UNP. I always thought he had talent, however his lack of judgment in his political career, mainly influenced NOT by his gut instincts but by his wife and mother will forever consign him to nihilism