15 Mar 2018 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The February 10 Local Government election was one of many revelations: the dismal performance of the United National Party (UNP) being one of them.Following the people’s verdict, it came as no surprise when the crisis-ridden party announced that it would be initiating a reform process navigated by the younger UNP members. A committee headed by State Minister Ruwan Wijewardene was armed with the task of broadening the scope of reforms, appointed following a meeting held with Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe last month. The Daily Mirror approached several young members of the UNP to obtain their views on the recent developments within the party and areas of concern which should be addressed immediately.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror Chairman of the Committee State Minister Ruwan Wijewardene said the committee report was still underway and it was expected to be finalised this week.
“Certain suggestions have been made by the female members of the party, while the Deputy Leader has also made several suggestions. Once all these views are taken in, the report will be compiled and we expect it to be finalised this week,” he said.
Asked about the challenges the party has been faced with, the Minister said a holistic view of the party must be considered before changes are drafted.
“We as a party have to look at the organisation as a whole. The UNP has experienced a decline since the 70s and in order to remedy this situation, we have to look at the organisational branches. As a party, it is imperative that we address certain areas of concern. Some of these require immediate attention while others involve structural long-term planning,” the Minister said.
“A number of opinions have to be taken into consideration. There are senior members of the party who have expressed their views. There are provincial councillors and local councillors who have opined on various matters. An integration of all these views will be required in addressing these long-term and short-term changes,” he added. Minister Wijewardene made these comments with reference to a recent statement made by the Premier on long and short-term changes to be implemented within the party.
The younger UNP members should be granted more authority. There are various lapses in the organisation itself and these young members should be given the opportunity to work to overcome the issues. The youth branches must be incorporated in the journey forward
Commenting on the members who have challenged the present leadership of the party Minister Wijewardene said there were more important issues to be dealt with at present.
“There are some people who have held this view that the party leadership needs to change, some are of the view that such a change is not necessary. There are diverse views within the UNP right now and the members are divided on the matter of taking the party forward. However, I believe there are more pressing issues in the country at hand, which require our attention. But I must note that the UNP is a democratic party and appropriate action will be taken in due course.”
“Once the report is tabled, the working committee will deliberate further on the next course of action,” Wijewardene noted.
However the State Minister admitted that there were divisions in the party that would be addressed in due course.
“There are some areas that should be addressed immediately; I believe the younger UNP members should be granted more authority. There are various lapses in the organisation itself and these young members should be given the opportunity to work to overcome the issues. The youth branches must be incorporated in the journey forward. Once the report is tabled we will be able to deliberate on the specific ways of incorporating the young members,” he said.
Commenting on attempts to restructure the UNP, Minister Navin Dissanayake said a continuous dialogue within the party had resulted in the stakeholders understanding what areas of concern have to be addressed.
“We’ve had a dialogue within the party on what kinds of changes are necessary. What is clear is that whatever changes which will take place should not be artificial. It should be real and effective change so that UNP members and the country at large can feel that change.
I think Mr. Wickremesinghe is looking at a new leadership model where there is an overall change in the party leadership structure.
We have all given our recommendations to him in writing,” the Minister said adding that the reforms committee will convene to deliberate matters further.
We’ve had a dialogue within the party on what kinds of changes are necessary. What is clear is that whatever changes which will take place should not be artificial
“There are 10 to 12 of us in the second tier leadership. We intend to go ahead with this dialogue and hope to come to a conclusion soon,” Minister Dissanayake said responding to a query about when the changes would take effect.
“These kinds of changes cannot be done overnight because it has to be discussed at length. In a democratic party like ours, it takes time for a team to decide on what changes people should agree upon. Everybody has to be comfortable and there should be a broad consensus on what the changes are going to be,” he said.
The Minister did not fail to note that the planned transformation must cater to the collective advancement of the party.
“My personal view is that more than the individual slots, there has to be a collective change for the better, for the party. All party members are working as a team to bring about a change in the culture of the party. I believe the Prime Minister is fully aware of what has to be done. He has indicated that he too wants to have an effective second level leadership change. So, let us wait and see what kind of changes will come about,” Minister Dissanayake said.
Asked of what the reforms committee report entails Minister Fernando said that clear reforms had been drafted, however, no names had been mentioned in the report.
“What we expect is a rejuvenation for the party after the drawbacks suffered recently. Our objective must be to bring back the confidence not only within the party cadre but also among the people.”
Commenting on immediate and long-term reforms specified by the Premier, he said that some of the changes would be administered within 30 days.
“What the Prime Minister said was noted during a group meeting we had. Certain changes are to be implemented during a 30-day period. The Premier will start talking to us over the course of this week and discuss the way forward. We had a plan of rebuilding the party, with details on which areas need to be addressed. We need image building in the face of the country. Even if the reforms are perceived to take a longer time, we will push for them to be implemented before long. It is up to the younger members to prompt necessary changes and convince our leader to address them,” he said.
Commenting on the setbacks experienced by the party Minister Fernando detailed a number of reasons for the UNP’s unsatisfactory performance.
“One reason for the party’s dismal performance recently was that we haven’t met the expectations of the people. We had not provided them with tangible change. The promises were not delivered. If we can fulfil the promises by at least 50% I believe there will be an improvement of the situation. We had identified several mishaps on our part, such as the provision of vouchers and we are now looking at ways to rectify them,” the Minister admitted.
“We also need to look at the marketing aspect. Special attention needs to be paid to the manner in which the media handled us. We want the media to portray the truth. If we segregate the evening news on television and radio only 10 minutes would be dedicated to the government and the remainder of the broadcast time is allocated for the Opposition. It is clear that media is operating on their own mandates. We need to find ways in which we can communicate with the media better,” he added.
Our efforts were apparent, especially during the Local Government election. We are still not sure if this backfired on us but our stance has not changed. We will make way for a stronger female cadre in the party, the Colombo mayor being the best example
Speaking on the matter of women’s representation in reforms, Minister Fernando said the UNP will continue to fight for equal opportunities for women.
“Our efforts were apparent, especially during the Local Government election. We are still not sure if this backfired on us but our stance has not changed. We will make way for a stronger female cadre in the party, the Colombo mayor being the best example.”
“It is quite natural, in tough times to question the party leadership, especially when the party has performed poorly and when a reshuffle is around the corner,” Minister Fernando said when asked of his opinion on the challenges faced by the present leadership. “But Ranil Wickremesinghe I believe is the most experienced person to handle this kind of pressure,” he added.
“Being a younger member of the party I have always made my stance clear and I have been penalised for doing so. However, I have never spoken against the party or spoken of its issues in public. These are internal affairs which need to be resolved internally. There are some who love the attention when they speak against the party and there are also media with vested interests who will thrust such issues in the spotlight. Therefore we must be careful with our words and actions,” Minister Fernando noted.
“We have rallied around the party and not around a person. There are several middle-aged people who are uncomfortable with change or what is about to happen. It is a difficult situation to be faced with. Which is why we must practice caution because it will ultimately reflect upon the party,” remarked the young Minister.
“I believe Ranil Wickremesinghe has too realised this and he too wants to move on. The UNP has very capable second and third tiers reinforced and he will make way for change and let go of the baton at the right time,” he noted.
State Minister Vasantha Senanayake said he was unable to comment on the party reforms process as he was yet to see the report. Asked of what changes could be expected in the party, Minister Senanayake said the objective of attempting reforms was to drive change.
“But it does not necessarily mean that change will take place,” Minister Senanayake said.
“The Leadership of the party should understand that change is required and should be able to accommodate the necessary changes.”
“If the leadership is stubborn and refuses change, it will be impossible to make any significant impact at the next election. The results of the previous election have to be taken into account. If not we can expect an even more dismal performance at the next election,” he explained.
If the leadership is stubborn and refuses change, it will be impossible to make any significant impact at the next election. The results of the previous election have to be taken into account. If not we can expect an even more dismal performance at the next election
Minister Senanayake believes that the manner, in which the selection of leaders takes place, is an area that needs to be immediately addressed within the party structure.
“The choosing of leaders should take place in a more democratic method. We should also take a closer look at the people appointed from the national list. Meanwhile, personal appointments should also be looked into. Appointments should instead be allowed for districts with no Cabinet representations. And finally, young and emerging talent should be accommodated within the party,” the State Minister opined.
Several attempts to contact State Minister Harsha de Silva failed. However, the newly appointed State Minister taking to Twitter in February said that attempts to reform the UNP would continue, while denouncing reports of him crossing over to UPFA and reports of requesting Ranil Wickremesinghe to step down as party leader. His tweet on February 18 said “True, I spoke on the need of changes in the @officialunp leadership but it is not true I asked @RW_UNP to step down as PM,”
On February 23 State Minister Harsha de Silva tweeted a photograph of a meeting captioned “Sajith, Navin, Akila, Sujeewa and I (younger @officialunp group) tasked with a new plan going forward by @RW_UNP”.
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