This time around it appears that the mainstream SLFP or the Maithri pila as some would have it, means business. The Joint Opposition has declared it will join Left parties at Kirulapone at their May Day rally instead of the SLFP main rally to be held at the Samanala playground in Galle. Hitherto the party had been lukewarm in dealing with the members of the Joint Opposition which cocked a snook at the SLFP hierarchy, every time orders were issued to fall in line. Instead the JO went their merry way in open defiance of party edicts. It appears that the SLFP top brass has had enough and its showdown time.
Provincial Council and Local Government Minister Faiszer Musthapha's unambiguous warning to all the Joint Opposition MPs to be present at the SLFP May Day rally at Galle or face dire consequences, carried the weight of a Presidential edict. Musthapha who is not even the General Secretary of the party would certainly not have had the audacity to issue such a dire warning to SLFP seniors including Mahinda Rajapaksa, if it did not have the blessings of the President. In fact Musthapha's warning sounded like an ultimatum and for good reason.
A similar warning was issued by Party General Secretary Duminda Dissanayake, barring JO members from organizing the Hyde Park rally. But the rally went ahead, presided over by MR himself, in open defiance of the warning. No disciplinary action was taken even against a single JO member. On the contrary, a feeble attempt was made by State Minister for Highways Dilan Perera to justify not taking disciplinary action. According to the explanation of that worthy, no member of the JO attacked the President at the Hyde Park rally. Never mind that the Party General Secretary himself had issued an official warning against staging such a rally.
Dilan Perera's remark no doubt would have emboldened the Joint Opposition and reassured its members that no punitive action would follow by defying party orders. Nay, some former local government members even went to the extent of burning their "show cause" letters sent by the party in the full glare of the media. Now they (JO members) have even gone to the extent of belittling, and even ridiculing the President in public. Speaking to supporters in Minuwangoda, MP Prasanna Ranatunga, staunch MR loyalist, had come forward with a novel idea as to why they are unable to attend the Galle May Day rally. According to Ranatunga, in the event they attended this rally, there would invariably be boos and hooting when President Sirisena begins addressing the rally. Ranatunga says that they don't want to place the President in an awkward situation. Besides it is an insult to the party. It is common knowledge that hooting at SLFP meetings addressed by Ministers of the party now in the unity government are arranged affairs. It could not have been any different at Galle. MP Ranatunga should be questioned as to how he had advance knowledge of hooting being planned against the Head of State.
This, leave aside being an open challenge to the President's authority, no doubt amounts to contempt with which members of the Joint Opposition hold their party leader. This cavalier remark no doubt would not be lost on the President who will be forced to act firmly this time around lest he be considered weak and vacillating vis a vis the Joint Opposition. The President cannot afford to project such an image. Continuous defiance of party orders would also send the wrong signal to the SLFP rank and file, making them look up to the Joint Opposition to provide leadership to the Party.
Hence all signs are the public are going to witness a grand show down, come May Day. The President cannot afford to be hedging, if he is to assert his authority over the party. Besides, the Local Government Election will be upon him anytime soon. He has to take control of the party machinery and organize the grassroots support, still by and large with Rajapaksa. Tolerating defiance would only make the President's position weaker. He has to lead the party to victory and that is the bottom line. He is well aware that a split SLFP will only benefit the UNP and the blame will be on him for failing to unite the party as its leader. Hence the stakes are very high for the President.
The natural outcome of any disciplinary action is expulsion from the party, subject to a court ruling, if the Joint Opposition legally challenges such an expulsion. The UNP too took legal action against four of its MPs who threw in their lot with CBK on the eve of the 1999 Presidential Election. The expulsion was ruled invalid by the Sarath Silva led Supreme Court, that opened the floodgates for mass defections from the UNP. That was of course when the party was in the Opposition and all court rulings went against it. How things will pan out this time around is left to be seen.
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