The no-confidence motion against Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen is meant to be a victory for its movers, be it voted in or voted out in Parliament. This is what United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) MP Udaya Gammanpila uttered after handing over the motion to Speaker Karu Jaysuriya last week.
The UPFA is seeking to strip Mr. Bathiudeen of his portfolio by adopting such a motion over allegations made against him on ten counts including the accusation that he extended political sponsorship to suspects arrested in the aftermath of Easter Sunday’s bombings.
Even before the date is fixed for the debate, the motion has stirred politics, and, in a way, it is a gain for the mover.
First and foremost, the motion put the ruling United National Party (UNP) in a spot mainly because its Catholic MPs insist that they should be allowed to vote for the motion along with the main opposition. The UNP has six MPs who are either Christians or Catholics. Three of them - Hector Appuhamy, Kavinda Jayawardane and Niroshan Perera - are open about their stand against Mr. Bathiudeen. They informed the UNP or the government’s parliamentary group meeting conducted on Tuesday that they should be given permission to vote according to their conscience when the no-confidence motion against Mr. Bathiudeen is taken up in the House on a date to be decided upon later.
- Even before the date is fixed for the debate, the motion has stirred politics, and, in a way, it is a gain for the mover
- The government cannot simply disregard him because the support of his five MPs is crucial for its survival
MP Niroshan Perera, who is also the state minister for the subjects held by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, openly aired his position at a press conference. He, along with Mr. Appuhamy and Mr.Jayawardane, informed the parliamentary group on Tuesday that they were under pressure from their constituents and the Catholic clergy to vote against Mr. Bathiudeen. However, other Catholic and Christian MPs of the UNP remain non-committal at the moment.
Now, the government is struggling hard to take up a common position on the motion because there are views that contrast with those of the Catholic MPs. In other words, there is a build-up of support within the UNP for Minister Bathiudeen as well.
Kabir, Mangala support Rishad
At Tuesday’s group meeting, a host of MPs including the likes of Highways Minister Kabir Hashim and Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera expressed themselves in support of Minister Bathiudeen. The two Ministers said Mr. Bathiudeen should not be victimized on mere allegations which are yet to be proven. Then, they said Mr. Bathiudeen, along with other minority leaders, stood in solidarity with the UNP when President Maithripala Sirisena brought about the change of government on October 26, last year.
It created a kind of furore among the MPs over the stand to be taken regarding the no-confidence motion, and they argued back and forth on the merits and demerits of it. The government is shaken in this manner even before the motion is put to debate in Parliament.
Mr. Bathiudeen is a hot potato for the government at the moment. The government cannot simply disregard him because the support of his five MPs is crucial for its survival in Parliament. Also, his accommodation involves a political cost.
Obviously, he, as the Minister and the leader of All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) which commands the support of five seats in Parliament, would not have aided and abetted terrorism. It is unreasonable for anyone to say that he was complicit in the commission of acts of terrorism that caused immeasurable damage to lives and properties. Nevertheless, he evoked the public wrath when he tried to flex his political muscle to secure the release of some suspects arrested in connection with the serial bombings. It led to the build-up of public opinion implicating him. Public perception, built in this way, looks entrenched at the moment.
Army Commander Mahesh Senanayake openly said that he received a telephone call from Minister Bathiudeen inquiring about some suspects netted by the security forces in connection with terrorist acts.
So, Mr. Bathiudeen’s denial of any wrong-doing flies in the face of such substantiation by the Army Commander. That is one allegation made in the no-confidence motion. It holds legitimacy now since the Army Commander has affirmed it.
MP Udaya Gammanpila presenting the no-confidence motion on Minister Rishad Bathiudeen to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya
It became known that his Ministry has politically favoured the supply of scrap metals through the government’s machinery to the copper factory owned by the father of suicide bomber Mohamed Ibrahim Insaf Ahmed. The father, Ibrahim Yusuf, had been a close political aide of Minister Bathiudeen or his party for that matter.
In the face of these allegations, it is quite reasonable that the general public harbour suspicion about the Minister.
Public perception, be it correct or wrong, matters a lot in politics. At the end of the day, constituents hold sway over their elected representatives. Easter Sunday’s bomb attack claimed 279 lives, and a bulk of them were Catholics or Christians who were attending Easter Sunday Mass in three churches that came under attack. As such, anti-Bathiudeen sentiments run high among people. So, the Catholic MPs of the government obviously face pressure from their constituents to remove Mr. Bathiudeen. The UNP is fighting a hard battle to get its act together in this regard because of such realities on the ground.
Against this backdrop, another school of thought prevails within the government - that the Minister should step down till allegations against him are probed through a parliamentary select committee and his name cleared.
At Tuesday’s meeting, UNP MP Palitha Range Bandara, who is disillusioned with the government for not giving him a substantial ministerial post, made a subtle political attack on the party hierarchy. He referred to how the party leadership made Ministers Tilak Marapana, Ravi Karunanayake and Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe resign from their respective posts on different occasions in the past pending inquiries into allegations against them. Likewise, he suggested that Mr. Bathiudeen should be prevailed upon to resign until he absolved himself of any wrong-doing through proper investigations.
The dominant view of the UNP is that it should collectively face not only the motion against Minister Bathiudeen but also the no-confidence motion handed over by the JVP against the government. The party is likely to act for defeating the motion against Mr. Bathiudeen, it means.
But, the UNP is well mindful of the UPFA’s intentions by making such a motion - that is to fix the government. Mr. Gammanpila said that the motion would be a victory, be it passed or not. Aware of it, the UNP intends to defeat the motion collectively. Yet, it will be achieved at a political cost - drain of public confidence. To mitigate it, the government will refer the allegations to be probed by a parliamentary select committee. Then, the government can tell the people that it does not want to protect anyone, and will probe the allegations through the committee to be appointed.
In the meantime, Minister Bathiudeen also made a veiled threat at the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. He said he would resign from his office if he was asked to do so by the President or the Prime Minister. He said he did not intend to join the opposition.
“I will not join the opposition at this hour. I will take whatever decision when the presidential election is announced,” he said.
TNA strife with divisions over motion against Rishad
Another key factor for the government in thwarting these motions is the support of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) which enjoys 16 seats in Parliament. The government relied on the TNA during the past few months even to pass the annual budget.
As things stand at the moment, the TNA is in strife with division over the motion against Mr. Bathiudeen. That is because the TNA MPs representing the Wanni district and the districts in the eastern province want to support the motion to remove Mr. Bathiudeen.
However, the TNA MPs from the Jaffna district have not yet decided on it. Be that as it may, TNA leader R. Sampanthan is reported to have communicated to Mr. Bathiudeen in private that his party would stand by him at this trying time. His argument is that the minority leaders should stick together come what may.
It is a tough time for Mr. Bathiudeen. He is a hot potato for the UNP or the government. But, he is becoming a much sought after politician for his people, particularly the northern Muslims. The more he gets beaten up in politics, the more he will gain in popularity among the Muslims. He seems to be commanding the support of the Arabinized segment of Muslims. It is quite a number to reckon with.
It is true that he did not indulge in acts of terrorism. Nor did he support terrorism. But, he cashed in on Arabinization of his people for his political ends. If he loses ministerial posts, he will gain in popularity in his electorate which is otherwise on the wane.
