‘I have no obligation toward General Sarath Fonseka’ says Mano Ganesan. Colombo: Law maker Mano Ganesan and his Western People's Front are keeping their options open on the Presidential election.
He is aligned with the opposition United National Front led by the UNP and its leader Ranil Wicikramasinghe. Yet he asserts that he has no obligation toward General Sarath Fonseka, whom the UNF is likely to field.
In fact, Mano is unwilling to disclose his cards. The only thing he is willing to say is that their support will be to a candidate who agrees to fulfil his party’s core demands.
Asked to elaborate these demands, Mano Ganesan told the Asian Tribune they have primarily two main demands. He spelt them as abolition of executive presidency and resettlement of IDPs. The candidate whom they support must be willing to fulfil the political aspirations of Tamils and Muslims.
According to the political grapevine, Mano Ganesan was also privy to Gen Sarath Fonseka’s plans to resign from the army and enter the Presidential race. He doesn’t categorically deny the rumour but is unwilling to offer any comment on Fonseka’s candidature.
Could this be due to the reported rejection by the General of the changes he had made in the resignation letter before it was sent to the President? Mano Ganesan refuses to get drawn into these issues. “Some talk of this nature is rumoured around, and in circulation but I am not confirming it”.
Excerpts from the Interview:
Asian Tribune: I want to know whether you are supporting General Sarath Fonseka in the forth coming presidential election.
Mano Ganesan MP: As a party we have not taken any decisions and General Sarath Fonseka himself has not officially said that he is contesting in the first place. On the other hand United National Front as an alliance officially had not sat and discussed and made a decision. We have to wait till election time. Once the election date is announced then the real activities will start.
I have no obligation toward General Sarath Fonseka or anybody. I have been working with UNP for a long time. I am not a member of the TNA. I am member of United National Alliance which itself have alliance with Tamil, Muslims and Sinhalese also I am not a member of the government I am now part of the Sri Lanka’s state. Those are my position. I am in UNF now and it does not mean that I will agree to everything they say.
Asian Tribune: You have sent some questionnaire General Fonseka. What happened to those questions?
Mano Ganesan MP: Yes, he tried to reply me, but so far has not given me anything in writing. Unless I get it in writing I will not even consider anything else. I might be in a small party, but I am thinking for the Tamils as a whole.
They can see me as a small party or as a small man, but I am talking for the entire Tamil community. When some members of the TNA have been going around the world I stayed back in Colombo and spoke for the Tamils and defended them to the best of my ability.
I have made my intentions very clear with the media, there are various media reports I cannot go and check each and every media reports and correct it, what I am doing is I am engaging with all parties. . The way I am running my party is basically different from the leaders of the northern and eastern leaders run their parties. I am always prepared to engage with the Sinhalese. Even in the election I can win the seat in the parliament and in provincial council without any single Sinhalese soul. Still I believe that this is one country and we have our future within this one country.
On the other hand it does not mean that I have to give into Sinhala Buddhist majority hegemony policies.
Asian Tribune: I never wanted you to give into the hegemony of the Sinhalese, but the I am interested in telling you is not to be identified with a corrupt person. If Ranil Wicikramasinghe is contesting you can even support him no problem. If Mangla Samaraweera is contesting you can even support him no problem. Not the General a person alleged to be of multiple personality.
Mano Ganesan MP:Anyway these kinds of charges and allegations are also against influential people in the government as well. Right?
Asian Tribune: People speak the same dialect?
Mano Ganesan MP: About bribery corruption, evidences are also coming out.
Asian Tribune: But you don’t have these types of corruption levelled against President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Mano Ganesan MP: No, I am not referring to the President.
Asian Tribune: May be some government officials might have been involved?
Mano Ganesan MP: What I am saying is that since of late, there is a new class of people who have emerged in Sri Lanka called ‘President’s men’.
They are not elected but no any electoral legitimacy they are clique of people who are put up at the Temple Trees and are running the country.
Generally, you understand among us Tamils and Muslims the school of thought among us was that the Presidential system is beneficial to us – the minorities. Right now I have lost interest in such misconceptions and changed my stance, because right now the parliament has been weakened by this President’s men. The administration of this country is controlled from the temple tree and Parliament has become a simple talk shop.
Asian Tribune: This Executive presidential system was initially introduced by J.R. Jeyawardhana and it is being followed. Every presidential candidate since then has declared that if they are elected they will do away with the executive presidential system and sought the mandate from the people. Fortunately or unfortunately, maybe we say fortunately for them they never had the majority in the parliament (150 seats) to change the Presidential system. That clearly indicates that the people are not in favour of such change. If the people liked the change they would have voted for the candidates put forward by the president’s party and endorsed the abolition of the Executive Presidency in the country?
Mano Ganesan MP: Though J.R.Jeyawardhana had introduced this system but since his time there were two important Presidents from SLFP one is Chandrika Kumaratunga and the other is Mahinda Rajapaksa when they were elected they said that they will change executive presidency.
Asian Tribune: I agree with you but people of the country have not provided such mandate by voting for 150 persons of the party of those presidents so that they can bring the necessary change in the constitution?
Mano Ganesan MP: No, not having the majority is a different issue what I am saying is that both have not taken any honest and sincere effort who agreed before the election that they will abolish this system. There is no sincere honest effort from them.
Asian Tribune: So you are saying that you will support someone who declares if he wins the Presidential election he will abolish the executive Presidency?
Mano Ganesan: We are interested in some more things if our support is needed. Please don’t think that just because we are in the United National Front we have to support the General? We have own party and we have our own identity and individuality.
Asian Tribune: OK. We came to know that General Fonseka first sent the copy of his resignation letter to Ranil Wicikramasinghe, Mangla Samaraweera and to you. We also learn that you three sat down and went through the General’s resignation letter. Finally you struck down some portions and added some more and sent it back to the General. But the General has edited your version, deleted some of your important suggestions and sent his version of the letter of retirement to the President of Sri Lanka.. Is that correct?
Mano Ganesan MP: That is not correct
Asian Tribune: In Sunday Times they said that the draft of the retirement letter was first sent to Mangala, Ranil and Mano and you all discussed and amended and sent it back to him. But what he has done is he again changed those amendments introduced by you all and gave the letter to the president.
Mano Ganesan MP: Some talk of this nature is rumoured around, and in circulation but as far as I am concerned I am not party to drafting of any such documents on behalf of the General.
Asian Tribune: News to this effect was in the Sunday Times?
Mano Ganesan MP: Yes, I understand but I am not confirming it.
Asian Tribune: Do you mean to say that you were not a party to this drafting exercise on behalf of the General?
Mano Ganesan MP: My priorities are these two national questions - one is IDP resettlement and the other is the abolition of Executive Presidency.
These two issues are important for me. As a Tamilian, my concern and priority I believe, you also will understand and agree, I always consider the resettlement of the IDPs and the abolition of executive presidency are the key issues for me.
Asian Tribune: Have you been to the IDPs welfare centres?
Mano Ganesan MP: No, so far we have not.
Asian Tribune: You may be aware that on the 16th November, a TNA delegation consisting of 7-members of parliament visited the IDP welfare centres.
Mano Ganesan MP: Yes, for the first time TNA have been taken there.
Asian Tribune: Are you not talking to the TNA people?
Mano Ganesan MP: Yes, we are talking to them and are discussing with them.
Asian Tribune: Regarding what?
Mano Ganesan MP: Regarding general issues, now we have to face the presidential election that is one issue and the second issue is the general principle of creating new set of political principles representing aspirations of the Tamils and Muslims of this country. We have been discussing on these issues.
Asian Tribune: I was told that Ruff Hakeem, President of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress is trying to enter into an agreement with the TNA.
Mano Ganesan MP: On what?
Asian Tribune: You should know. May be he intends to rope them with UNF in the election.
Mano Ganesan MP: I have my doubts, I don’t know, but anyway with due respect to Ruff Hakeem and the TNA leaders, I am also part of that discussion representing my party. We are right now discussing issues I mentioned - developing and formulating new principles which could meet political aspirations of Tamils and Muslims of this country. So far we have not come to discuss about election.
Asian Tribune: Ruff Hakeem, according to our information, is not also discussing about election. He wanted to enter into an agreement with some political reasons not about election.
Mano Ganesan MP: That is correct.
Asian Tribune: If in case you are going to see the IDP camps with whom will you be going?
Mano Ganesan MP: We will go on our own.
Asian Tribune: We will go on our own means what?
Mano Ganesan MP: We parliamentarians….
Asian Tribune: If you are going whom you will take with you?
Mano Ganesan MP: We have five MPs. I am one of them; we have already gone and filed the intervention of the Supreme Court. When we were denied permission to visit the camps, we moved the courts. I am one of the five applicants. Generally, it should be assumed if I go ( to the IDP camps), I would go with the other 4 colleagues.
Asian Tribune: Who are they?
Mano Ganesan MP: Dr. Jalath Jeyawardane, Mangla Samaraweera, Laxman Senevarante, Asan Ali, the General Secretary of the SLMC and myself.
Asian Tribune: If in case if the government is interested in allowing you to go alone. Will you go?
Mano Ganesan MP: If it is the case, then I will go alone.
-Asian Tribune -
Comments
Its funny that pro-LTTE
Its funny that pro-LTTE parasite Mano Ganeshan and his "three wheeler party" now trying to go behind General SF for the elections.
Shame on both parties!!!!
Political Parasites
Mano Ganesan speaking big was made possible by the defeat of the terrorists. Earlier he was seeking a bigger security detail to protect himself from tiger threats. Yet he was a mikymouse who gave moral support for the tigers. He travels to Canada and try to influence Canadian politicians against Sri Lanka. He has made several derogatory statements on Sri Lanka and its president. He has slandered the Army Chief and other service commanders all the time.
Now he talk even from his hind side to shake hands with SF is laughable. All these joker politicians once slandered the armed forces and its commanders, suddenly has got under their uniforms to defeat MR. The very people who had done an about turn now point their fingers at the president saying why he is going back on holding Presidential elections before parliamentary elections even the constitution does not mandate.
Mano Ganesan rather than criticizing the government for your salvation of Tamil votes and misleading the very people, must try to help them realize their potential. Most Tamil politicians have done is not directly helping their constituents, but blaming the government for every thing.