Chief Government Whip and Minister of Urban Development and Housing Prasanna Ranatunga said that what the country needs at this juncture is a mature leader who can win the support and trust of the international community. It is our responsibility to take the country out of this crisis and hand it over to the new generation. We are fulfilling this responsibility.
The Minister said, “Many standard bearers of our party are lining up for President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s victory. All of us have taken this decision risking our political future. We all chose the country, not the party at the time. That is the slogan of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Leader of the Pohottuwa. Therefore, we all are still standing with the slogan of our leader and party. Besides, it’s not just us; many progressive groups are rallying for President Wickremesinghe’s victory.”
He said, “This is not a suitable opportunity to experiment; we cannot put the country at risk again. I ask those who make accusations: why didn’t they support Ranil Wickremesinghe to bear the heavy responsibility that we have assigned to him as a party? We just don’t want to mince words here.”
Q: Since the beginning, you held the opinion that President Ranil Wickremesinghe should be supported at the upcoming Presidential Election, and you spearheaded a huge effort for that opinion. What do you think about the responses so far?
A: I make a decision and say things after much deliberation. Prasanna Ranatunga is not a person to say things in spite. Since the beginning, I stood for the best thing for the country.
Ranil Wickremesinghe stepped in when the country was at its lowest point and I see it as the country’s good fortune that he continues to step forward to win that battle. That day he started a very heavy and uncertain journey with no end in sight. When he accepted the challenge without a single member of his party in Parliament for support, he only had experience and inner-strength.
Today, he has entered the playing field alone to meet the challenge he accepted without the support of any party. On one hand, it is admirable that a mature politician with such a large political background accepts such a challenge. On the other hand, it is amazing. This is the biography of Ranil Wickremesinghe that we all should carefully read and understand.
Q: When you were fighting alone in the SLPP that day, did you even think that the Pohottuwa would face a situation like this?
A: Many standard bearers of our party are lining up for his victory. All of us have taken this decision risking our entire political future. As I have said before, we all chose the country, not the party at the time. That is the slogan of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Leader of the Pohottuwa. Therefore, we all are still standing with the slogan of our leader and party. Besides, it’s not just us; many progressive groups are rallying for his victory.
Q:You put a lot of weight for this party since the Mahinda Sulaga; what if someone says you are trying to pull the petals from this flower bud (Pohottuwa).
A: Why didn’t the same people say this two years ago tell Ranil Wickremesinghe to step aside so they can do the job? All those who are bragging today cowered under Wickremesinghe’s coattails. That is why he got the name “Ranil Rajapaksa”. And remember, I’m speaking as Prasanna Ranatunga, who was the same two years ago. I wasn’t born yesterday.
If he had not accepted that responsibility then, would there be a country left for these people to run for President? Can you even imagine what would have happened to the country by now? When we handed over the country to him two years ago, we made the same request. We will support him unconditionally to bring the country out of this economic abyss and re-establish law and order.
First of all, as a party, we should have decided whether he has fulfilled the responsibility we assigned to him so far or not. At one time it was said that we have saved the country together with him in the past two years; we have created an environment where the people can live and anyone can do politics.
And we say that this is not a suitable opportunity to experiment, we cannot put the country at risk again. I ask those who level accusations: why didn’t they support Wickremesinghe to meet the heavy responsibility that we have assigned to him as a party? We just don’t want to mince words here.
Q: Anyway, your party has taken a decision not to support him anymore. What if they say anything beyond that exercise is a betrayal of the party?
A: You told me, didn’t you, that I was dedicated to building this party since the Mahinda Sulaga? If we can dedicate ourselves to building the party, it is our responsibility to protect the party, right? Don’t we have the right to stand up and speak for it?
The SLPP was formed as a party that took the country forward. We know very well that the country is still in danger at this time. That is why we suggested to the party that we should take a step back and support him to overcome this crisis as he has made the sacrifice in the past two years and brought the country here.
Two years ago, we made a historic decision to make him President, and if we had made that historic decision at the time, it would have been remembered forever in the hearts of the people. Is there a reason why Ranil Wickremesinghe was good then and bad today?
Q: MP Dhammika Perera had said that he is ready to contest as your party’s candidate. Why did he step down?
A: First of all, I want to say that the decision taken by him is good for both him and the country. All these people come only if they can win. Accept only challenges that can be overcome. Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake did the same thing two years ago. They fled because they were uncertain whether they could accept and win this challenge. A recent reflection of that is Dhammika Perera.
Not everyone can do politics and not everyone is suitable for it. The best example is President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who was voted in by 6.9 million people. He is a very talented bureaucrat. We all thought that his talent was suitable for politics. But he was not an astute politician.
Q: Now MP Namal Rajapaksa has been named as your party’s candidate. Isn’t Namal a good replacement, since the popular opinion is that old people can’t govern the country and should leave politics?
A: First of all, when we handed over the country to Ranil Wickremesinghe two years ago, we did not ask him for his date of birth and his age. At least I didn’t even check if his pulse was falling. Ranil Wickremesinghe stabilised the country when others said they could lead.
The other thing is that Namal is a talented young politician whom I love. I do not underestimate his abilities. I am sorry to say this, but he does not have enough political acumen to understand why his political future is being sacrificed in this political storm. I would like to tell my brother Namal malli to learn the virtue of patience in politics from his father and Ranil Wickremesinghe.
One day with experience he will mature politically and will understand that this crisis he finds himself in and the few people gathered around him today was a tsunami that destroyed his political future. The country needs a mature leader now. It is our responsibility to take the country out of this crisis and hand it over to the new generation. I am for that responsibility.
Q: The other day you said there is a doubt whether MP Namal is on Sajith’s contract. What is your basis for saying that?
A: Anyone can understand that the strength of the entire SLPP is now with President Ranil Wickremesinghe. That is why Dhammika Perera pulled out. If Namal doesn’t understand that, then he is an amateur. There is a different purpose to run for office while knowing that you will lose.
Sajith knows that he cannot win that is why he wants to reduce even one vote for Ranil Wickremesinghe. Namal is the trump card used to stop the full force of the SLPP. Both of them did not understand where the grassroots members of the SLPP are at present. That’s why I say both are political amateurs. After they lose, they get a pre-school education on politics from Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Q: You informed Mahinda Rajapaksa in a letter recently that he is your ideal political figure. Why couldn’t he tame his proud young MP son?
A: A group of our MPs met him a few days before making that decision. His position was that we should help Ranil Wickremesinghe at this time for the sake of the country. As I said earlier, he puts the country first in every decision he took. We spoke to him out of respect. And I explained things in a letter out of love and respect for him. And he knows that we made the right decision. Also, regardless of his political views, I turn to him as a father at this time.
Q: What do you say about the allegation that Ranil Wickremesinghe, who made it a habit of breaking up parties, broke the backbone of the Pohottuwa?
A: He never asked us to leave the party and join him. Also, since he is contesting as an independent candidate, there was no obstacle for us to protect our party’s integrity and help him. We are the people’s representatives. The opinion of the people in our areas we represent is that he should be given power for the next five years. After working with him for two years, we were impressed with his abilities.
As people’s representatives, it is our responsibility to listen to the voice of our party members. Therefore, we continued to speak on behalf of our voters. But the party officials did not listen to our request or the request of our party members. At the end, we listened to the request of our voters and decided to support Ranil Wickremesinghe.
It is pointless to accuse Ranil Wickremesinghe or those of us who have decided to support him without party officials fulfilling their responsibility. Those in charge who have let the party down should take full responsibility. As a person who took great pains to form that party, I am shocked that the SLPP has suffered the same fate as many political parties that tried to swim in the river against public opinion.
Besides, we are still members of the SLPP. We have not taken the membership of any other party except the Pohottuwa. In the past two years, our party led by the Rajapaksas decided to give him the premiership and the Presidency. We proposed to the party to implement this as an extension of the decision taken by the party then. And remember well. Like our party, we got guts. Therefore, we do not hesitate to stand up for the right thing in the right place.
Q: Didn’t the party Secretary say that if you all go against the decision of the party, you will have to face adverse consequences?
A: Remember that the decision to help Ranil Wickremesinghe has been taken by the majority of the public representatives in the party. The composition of the party is made up of them. What we have presented to the party is the grassroots opinion of our voters and party members whom we represent.
If they decide to expel us from the party, the party will not expel us, but the opinion of their party members. With the opinion of being fired from that party, the party members also distanced themselves from the party. Do we have to face adverse consequences as ourselves or the party?
Q: According to your assessment, how does the SLPP’s decision affect President Wickremesinghe’s victory?
A: To be honest, we should have put our party’s support behind him. But the situation that has arisen today can be interpreted in different ways by many people. With this short-sighted decision taken by the party, it can be seen that other political parties and many groups have been stimulated and excited that he should win.
Also, some people said that Ranil Wickremesinghe should no longer associate himself with the SLPP. An environment has been created where they can help them if they want. However, we must accept without doubt that he is the leader who saved our country in the past two years. It is very clear that no matter what good work we do, he receives the blessings of nature.
Q: You recently said that people should vote out of courtesy. But you always said, “vote for the country”. Why should the people of the country vote for President Wickremesinghe?
A: Firstly, the people adored President Mahinda Rajapaksa who saved the country from the thirty-year war. We brought back with the Mahinda Sulaga and told the people to show their gratitude to the leader who saved the country.
Ranil Wickremesinghe gave new life to a country with a bankrupt economy, where law and order had broken down and the people’s representatives could not even walk down the street. Should we not show our courtesy?
What the country needs at this time is a mature leader who can win the support and trust of the international community. It is our responsibility to take the country out of this crisis and hand it over to the new generation. We are fulfilling this responsibility.
Q: Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake are veteran politicians. Don’t their experiences fall under your assessment?
A: It is true that both of them had been in politics for some time. How many people have been in politics till their hair turned grey? Maturity does not come from warming the benches in Parliament.
Q: You are talking about international support. But Lal Kanta publicly said the other day that if they come to power, they will withdraw from the Commonwealth?
A: That statement alone shows how tribal these people are. No country in today’s world can stand alone. That is why organisations such as the European Union, Commonwealth of Nations and SAARC exist. We got help internationally because we were part of these organisations. And he said that we would take steps to remove the United Kingdom from the Commonwealth’s leadership.
Could someone even think about removing the Commonwealth’s Crown which is recognised by the other members? This statement alone is enough to gauge what fate is in store for our youth if the National People’s Power, who appears as the saviours of the country’s youth, comes to power.
Q: Do you think that if Anura Kumara Dissanayake or Sajith Premadasa comes to power, they will fail to get as much international support as President Wickremesinghe?
A: The first thing is that Sri Lankans are still hesitant whether to vote for them or not. Because the people are afraid that if they come to power, they won’t be able to move the country forward. There is reasonable fear among the people that the country will be pushed back to its unpleasant past.
The international community stopped all its development projects when the country was declared bankrupt and unable to pay its debts. They were afraid to invest further in this country. But recently, Japan took steps to reactivate all suspended projects. It’s not because of anything else, it’s because of the confidence that the international community has in Ranil Wickremesinghe’s leadership.
When the world comes forward to support our country to rise with such confidence, if we as a party take a short-sighted decision and push the country into a crisis again, the people will never forgive us. Together with Mahinda Rajapaksa, we formed the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) to fill the gap created in the country after the collapse of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) founded by S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike.
MP Namal Rajapaksa and all those who support him will never be able to escape the responsibility of granting this fate to the party. This party was created in swamps of sweat and tears led by Mahinda Rajapaksa to usher in an era for the masses.
Translated by Jonathan Frank
