ENTER THE DRAGON; EXIT WIMAL AND GAMMANPILA
Two staunch supporters in the jaws of defeat
2015 was a year of political turbulence in the theatre of Sri Lankan politics. In a surprise move which even stunned the then UPFA government of Mahinda Rajapakse (MR), his own political ally Maithripala Sirisena defected to the opposition to become the common candidate for 2015 Presidential Election. It was considered a masterminded act as even the state intelligence machinery was unable to get a hint of this information before-hand. In the meantime, the Apex body of Sinhala hardline party ‘Jathika Hela Urumaya’ met at its headquarters to discuss whether it would remain with MR led UPFA party or cross over to the opposition which was suddenly consolidated by the advent of a common candidate in the calibre of Maithripala Sirisena. After having weighed the pros and cons, the apex body which was apparently disappointed with the government’s corruption record in recent times, decided to join the opposition alliance by a unilateral consensus. The Apex body comprised party heavyweights Patali Champika Ranawaka and Udaya Gammanpila. Not even 24 hours passed since this meeting, Udaya Gammanpila opted to remain with the governing party led by MR. He even went to the extent of calling a media briefing in which he made his renewed commitment to MR and his party. Unfortunately, UPFA and MR lost the presidential and general elections in 2015 but Udaya Gammanpila (UG) had been a staunch supporter of MR and a pillar of strength in his defeat. Just prior to the 2015 elections, he formed his own party ‘Pivithuru Hela Urumaya’ and contested the general election as an alliance party. He was a vibrant part of Gotabaya Rajapakse’s campaign since he declared his candidature for presidency. Obviously attracted by MR’s charisma, he unwittingly gave away his own character to project an image of ‘Rajapakse slave’ in the public eye. And he had a senior counterpart in the fold; firebrand politician Wimal Weerawansa who supported the Rajapakse clan in good and bad times alike in a higher proportion than Udaya Gammanpila in a way.
Weerawansa factor in local politics
Wimal Weerawansa (WW) is rather a different political creature who is evenly loved and hated by people. WW was a school drop-out who championed the ideology of Marxism so he was aligned with Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) at the outset. He contributed pro-JVP articles to a number of newspapers under some pseudonyms. Meanwhile, he was part of the 1988-89 insurrection but the extent of his involvement is not known. WW is an orator par excellence who always harbours a ‘conspiracy theory’ in his speeches, sometimes to the amusement of people. WW hated and despised the USA and its allies, and branded them as neo-imperialists although he has visited the USA a couple of times. Having entered mainstream politics in 1997, he contested local government elections and became a counsellor. Subsequently in 2000, he entered parliament on a JVP ticket. He was a heavy critic of the peace process initiated by then President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge and the peace accord brokered by Norway at the behest of Premier Ranil Wickramasignhe (2002-2004). WW was the Media Secretary of JVP and raised his voice on behalf of his party until 2008. In 2008, WW was expelled from JVP on disciplinary grounds as he was accused of unanimously or secretly supporting Mahinda Rajapakse in the latter’s some controversial initiatives, obviously against the wishes and policies of the party. Upon being expelled from JVP, WW immediately formed his own political party; National Freedom Front (NFF) and joined the government as an alliance party. He was rewarded with a ministerial post of Construction, Engineering Services, and Housing and Common amenities. In a way, this shows the high regard MR had for WW who unscrupulously supported him. WW was particularly noted for his infamous stunt ‘fast unto death’ protest in front of Colombo UN office against UN Human Rights Watch passing a resolution against Sri Lanka. It lasted barely for less than two days as he had given it up at the request of MR. Some say that this drama was pre-planned and well-orchestrated. So, he has become a laughing stock among people but for some, he was embraced as a hero who has shaken the corridors of the UN. This is a classic case of how WW tried to portray a larger than life image in his public life as he used to be. But, the citizens with an iota of intelligence know what it is, in reality. Despite all, when MR was defeated in 2015, WW remained as MR’s shadow and so was UG.
Two similar characters with the same fate awaiting them
WW and UG had similar characteristics of notoriety in their behaviours. UG has a high court case pending against him for defrauding an Australian national by the name of Brian Shedrik. He was implicated for selling shares of a company to the tune of Rs 21 million on a forged document of a power of attorney allegedly issued by Brain Shedrik. In a case filed by the affected party, the case is still proceeding and he would have already been exonerated if not for the foreigner who is pursuing the case. On the other hand, WW had more serious cases against him and his wife Shashee. WW was arrested at Bandaranaike International Airport during the government of good governance (2015-2020) for having a dubious passport. Then premier Ranil Wickramasinghe came to his rescue as widely reported in the local media. The premier was in for a flak within his own party ranks for his sympathetic act. Meanwhile, his wife had a case where a young boy was found dead at his residence. Nobody knows what has happened to him. WW had another case of notoriety for sexual harassing a female employee of Lake House in the formative years of his political career. Now, these two Machiavellian politicians are suddenly out of the ruling government due to the reasons best known to them. They both accuse Finance Minister Basil Rajapakse for holding the government to ransom. Apparently, they seemed to have fallen out with a Rajapakse sibling. But the chances are very remote that they will be absorbed into any other political party on invitation, given their unstinted loyalty to Rajapaksa with their vote base too being highly negligible. These two renegades have no alternative but to re-align with the government at a later stage for their own survival. Most of the people believe that they are staging a drama to retain losing votes in favour of JVP due to the crumbling economic management of the government so that they could rejoin the government just in time for the next elections with a story to hoodwink people. The soft stance taken by the government on them so far bears testimony to what it is going to be.
