Senior Vice President of the SLFP and Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva on Monday said that whatever the differences among members of a particular political party were, it would be a grave mistake on their part to switch sides.
Switching allegiance to another party would be beneficial to individuals, but it could cause debilitating setback to that particular political party, Minister de Silva said.
The veteran SLFPer was addressing a ceremony held at the BMICH to felicitate him. Recalling two major internal disputes within the SLFP, which could have wrecked the party during the ‘80s, Minister de Silva said the party survived because the majority remained with the then party leader, Sirimavo Bandaranaike.
Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa was the chief guest on the occasion.
Minister de Silva pointed out that there wouldn’t have been an SLFP for President Mahinda Rajapaksa to lead during the conflict had internal squabble destroyed the party. Acknowledging that any political party could be affected by internal disputes, Minister de Silva said that nothing could be as important as unity in the party.
The Badulla District parliamentarian urged his colleagues not to switch sides for personal gain, reminding that he had turned his back on SLFP rebels twice. Although the rebels, too, had been close to him, he didn’t want to desert Mrs. Bandaranaike during the time of a crisis.
Speaker Rajapaksa, External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris and former Minister Prof. Wishwa Warnapala paid glowing tributes to Minister de Silva, with Prof. Warnapala recalling Mrs Bandaranaike’s faith in the young attorney-at-law. Prof. Warnapala said that young de Silva appeared for the party without expecting any payment.
Prof. Warnapala recalled the circumstances under which Mrs. Bandaranaike appointed five persons to the decision making central committee, namely Nimal Siripala de Silva, Yasaratne Tennakoon, S. B. Dissanayake, Mangala Samaraweera and himself. A smiling Prof. Warnapala revealed how Anura Bandaranaike reacted angrily when he resigned from the central committee to pave the way for Chandrika Kumaratunga.
Prof. Warnapala said: “When Mrs. Bandaranaike inquired from me whether I could quit the central committee, as I was going overseas on an assignment, to accommodate a person. I only queried who is going to be my replacement. When I was told Chandrika Kumaratunga was to be my successor, I readily agreed. As I was in Kandy, Mrs. Bandaranaike sent Ratnasiri Wickremenayake along with Anuruddha Ratwatte to collect my letter of resignation. Hearing what I had done, Anura Bandaranaike reacted angrily. Chandrika Kumaratunga was able to join the central committee straightaway.”
Prof. Peiris, who had led the government peace delegation during Ranil Wickremesinghe’s tenure as the Prime Minister, told the gathering that Minister de Silva couldn’t be faulted for failing in Geneva to convince the LTTE to come to an understanding. The LTTE hadn’t been interested as it always believed it was invincible.
Speaker Rajapaksa appreciated Minister de Silva’s role as the Leader of the House. Recollecting his longstanding association with Minister de Silva, the Speaker said that Mrs. Bandaranaike once told him to contact the young attorney-at-law to file a case against the Mulkirigala by election. “Mrs. Bandaranaike told me of the need to initiate legal action against the then ruling party over the Mulkirigala by election. Mrs. Bandaranaike felt the result was unfair. But when I pointed out we didn’t have the required funds to move courts, Mrs. Bandaranaike advised me to seek Nimal’s help as he appeared for the party without any fee.” (By Shamindra Ferdinando)
Source: The Island (Sri Lanka)
