by Prasad Gunewardene
UNP leader Ranil Wickramasinghe on Monday set an example by telling his MPs that those who were elected before the year 2000 will not be allowed to accept luxury vehicles offered by the PA government. He said the country was in an economic crisis and the people were heavily burdened by the rising cost of living."Let us take into consideration these factors before we decide on luxury vehicles",he said adding that the complaint that some of his MPs were going behind Minister S.B.Dissanayake begging for vehicles was not proper."I have got their names and I will initiate an inquiry",he said.The UNP leader warned that those elected to parliament before the year 2000 will have to give up the idea of new vehicles and a reasonable scheme for new vehicles for those elected this time would be formulated.A set of MPs elected before 2000 looked dejected at the decision made by the leader.However,several senior men in the party welcomed their leader’s decision saying that the UNP as an opposition has set an example for the government and it was the duty of the PA to follow suit.

The garbage battle in Kotte turned into a trade union encounter and ended up in a heated debate whether the MPs who had completed five years should seek a pension when the UNP parliamentary group met on Monday.At the outset,the three men involved in the battle were on one side regarding the Kotte garbage issue.The three men were ,Ravi Karunanayake,Gamini Lokuge and Srinal De Mel.Lokuge complimented Karunanayake for his action against the Kotte Mayor on the garbage issue.Karunanayake who accepted the bouquet changed the subject to say that the UNP trade union,the Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya should be more active to take on issues as in the days of President J.R.Jayewardene."We see the JSS sleeping and nothing practical has happened for the past six years",Karunanayake charged.

UNP"s veteran trade unionist,Srinal De Mel now a National List MP burst out in anger over Karunanayake’s remark to stand by his trade union to say the JSS has been active under the leadership of Gamini Lokuge.Karunanayake shot back and asked,"Have you organised at least one strike during that period’.Lokuge intervened to say,"you must analyse and see the progress of the JSS’."Iam not asking you to rush in a foolish manner to strike",said Karunanayake adding that strikes too should be done in a democratic manner at the wish of the majority of the workers.De Mel chipped into charge Karunanayake saying it was Ravi who wants to abolish the poor MP’s pension.This angered Karunanayake to ask whether it was reasonable for men elected to parliament coming with the intention of getting a pension in five years when the poor public servant had to labour for over twenty years for that right."First get your JSS in the correct path before you think of pensions",Karunanayake said with a smile.

De Mel did not give in but continued to say that the JSS was a vibrant organisation. Karunanayake however charged that the lethargic attitude of the JSS had given undue advantage to the JVP and pointed out that the JVP was able to bring in ten MPs because the JSS as a trade union failed to take issues before the people.UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe in chair allowed his men in the fray to continue as he was heard whispering that it was democracy in the party that allowed expression of opinion.Once again Karunanayake reiterated that the inactivity of the JSS led to the erosion of confidence in lakhs of supporters of the UNP.Lokuge shot back that the MP was making baseless accusations. Ravi retorted, Thondaman was more active and just a token strike by them brought the President down to the conference table and asked what the JSS has done to move the government on important issues of the workers.