The largest single party in the Island the UNP has a moral responsibility to put its past behind and follow the path to governing against stupendous odds.

 

The government is losing a lot of credibility (though many in government seem to be unaware of this) by its actions and over confidence, that have been predicated by a huge majority in Parliament and as the opposition is weak and fragmented, gives the current MPs in government a false sense of security. Once they are able to organize themselves by solving the internal leadership crisis, the opposition will be able to secure the backing of the silent party faithful who have been disgusted with the goings on, many of whom have not cast their vote in the last few years due to their negative feelings of the party leadership. It is just a matter of time that a justified role in politics will fall into the UNP despite everything that has gone on before. However for that to come about there has to be a radical change in thinking, with a proper set of alternatives to this administration.

In my view that party will have to take a more left leaning approach, as the government is one that can easily be referred to as a right wing dictatorship, which pretends to socialist and nationalist and helping the poor, but are in fact dong the complete opposite which has increased the levels of inequality in the society rather than the reverse. Further the US$26B windfall of free money from our workers overseas has been squandered over the past 6 years and all growth we have seen in this period is solely due to this money circulating within the economy contributing to growth and propping up the exchange rate. The fact that few economists have been able to explain this is baffling and is more the result of their inability to comprehend such facts that are not in textbooks and their inability to think outside the box in this regard.

The full weight of incumbency coupled with a noose over every one who even attempts to help the opposition, makes it doubly hard for the opposition to gain some traction, and unless there is a mass scale uprising or march which shows the government a show of force that is substantial indicating the level of opposition it is difficult to foresee a change of scenery in politics in the foreseeable future.

Once the tide turns it is important that the party machinery is fully geared for elections that can come when the UNP is least prepared and the government feels vulnerable when they believe the future is uncertain and going for a general election now will permit them another long term while the going gets tough.

It is IMPORTANT that the party immediately solves its internal dissension and organizes itself with a plan a vision and steps to win an election with a program.