Q. I want to talk to you about the future of the UNP(Democratic) group. Let’s start with you first. Are you satisfied with the role that you have been playing in the government?

A. So far, yes. Because we joined the government on a certain agenda. That is to help the president eradicate terrorism from the country and bring about a peaceful solution to the north east conflict. So I think we have done our duty by giving the president a majority in parliament and by strengthening his hand to prosecute the war and to re-convene the All Party Conference. In that respect, yes, we are satisfied that we have been able to do our duty.

Q. You used the word ‘we’ referring to the group as a collective. But it’s known that some members of the group are not very happy.

A. As individuals, we all have our own way of looking at things. I am not trying to hide anything – there are some misunderstandings. But as a group, we meet every week, we discuss matters. We always have access to the president and the senior members of the SLFP or the other members of the coalition, so we try to resolve our problems through discussion. Individuals may have some small problems. They are not major issues that can break up the government or cause splits in the group. So I don’t think there’s a crisis at the moment. But I think that everyone should be able to express their feelings. We should be happy that they have been very open about it.

Q. Who are the members who have been open about their grievances?

A. I don’t want to mention names, but if you read the newspapers, you will be able to see for yourself.

Q. In your view, are these reasons that some members have been adducing for being aggrieved, reasonable?

A. In the beginning, we agitated for reforms in the United National Party. None of these reforms were coming through and we found that there was no response from the leadership of the party. So we were on an agenda to reform the party and make it more acceptable to the people. The UNP can command 4 to 5 million votes at an election. But we have been losing right throughout. At the last presidential elections, we got 4.8 million and we still lost the election. Till election day, the UNP is said to be leading, but after the votes are counted, we have lost. A good example is the recent Sabaragamuwa and NCP provincial council elections. This is why we were trying to bring in reforms to make this party more acceptable to the people of this country. There was no response to that. We also wanted to help the government to finish the war and eradicate terrorism, and bring about a peaceful solution which is acceptable to everybody. But there was no response from within the UNP. And until now, I have not seen any change or reform within the United National Party. It is still the same old system. We don’t take the correct decision at the correct time, we take the wrong decision at the correct time. So this is the disadvantage that the UNP has been having. If there are reforms, what matters is who is going to implement these? What is the assurance that these reforms will be implemented?

There is also the question of what changes we are contemplating, whether it is a leadership change, or a change in policy or the way the party is run? But at the moment, I don’t think there are any compulsions on the UNP to change, since we left and after Johnston Fernando and the others also started agitating for reform, nothing really has happened accept for making some cosmetic changes like appointing a political affairs committee, which has no legal validity in terms of the party constitution. The highest decision making body according to the constitution of the party is the working committee. Even if you take the political affairs committee, who are the members there? Other than the members of parliament or the senior politicians, people like Mr Malik Samarawickreme and Mr Weragoda, are also members of the political affairs committee. What experience has Mr Samarawickreme got in politics? Can he envision the political future of a party? Can he analyse anything? He’s a personal friend of mine. This is nothing personal. But this is politics. When you put the wrong people to wrong places it is the party and the poor members who suffer. This is what has happened to the United National Party.

Q. Now some members of the UNP(D) group are said to be having grievances. What I wanted to know was whether in your view, those grievances are reasonable.

A. I have not spoken to anybody about any grievances that they may have. Speaking for myself, I can say that I have no grievances. But some members may have problems about their authority to work and they would like to make some sort of a contribution. Some people are not happy with their portfolios subject wise, and may like to change their subjects. Some may be having issues with their cabinet ministers. These are not major problems. All these are problems that can be settled over a cup of tea.

Q. Some people have grievances concerning pending cases relating to political victimization. Your group has a bout 400 cases of political victimization on record. In the past one and a half years, you have been able to settle only 100. In your view, has there been sufficient cooperation from the government in settling these outstanding cases?

A. In fairness to the government, this was taken up in the cabinet and a committee was appointed in the education ministry with Mr Karu Jayasuriya as a member. Tt went into all these grievances and they listed people to whom salary increments and promotions should be given. But there were some administrative mistakes made and when the recommendations were referred to the cabinet, it was sent back to the same committee to prepare a new set of criteria. So that’s why it is taking a bit of time. I agree there is a delay. A lot of teachers are frustrated after waiting for so long without anything happening. These things can be discussed as a group and Mr Karu Jayasuriya is trying to resolve that problem. In time to come this also will be solved.

Q. When the UNP was in power between 2001-2004, so far as I know, not a single case relating to political victimization was solved. But your group has managed to solve about 100 in one and a half years. To me, that seems quite creditable when compared with the record of the mainline UNP.

A. When you say 100, are you referring to the education ministry?

Q. No altogether, you have 400 cases…

A. No it’s more than that. Most of these problems we have been able to solve after discussing with the respective ministers. For example, I must be very grateful to minister Dulles Alahapperuma because the majority of the cases in the CTB and the transport ministry, we have been able to solve.

Q. How many cases have you solved in the transport ministry?

A. About 50 or 60. There are other ministries as well, where the ministers have accommodated our request and solved the problems. For example, I can mention Mr John Seneviratne, Mr Dinesh Gunawardene and Dr Sarath Amunugama in my ministry. Like that there are a lot of ministers who have accommodated our requests. But to come back to your question, about the government of 2001-2004, it was not just the cases of political victimization or the injustices done to members of the UNP, that were held in abeyance – not a single job was given at that time.

Q. Certain individuals in the mainline UNP, like party chairman Rukman Senanayake, have spoken up, wanting to get the 17 dissidents back.

A. There’s nothing to take us back. We are still members of the UNP. The court has accepted that and we still make our membership contributions to the party and we are still being invited to UNP parliamentary group meetings. But before they invite us back, they must sit down and analyse what made us support the government. If they can address that, then the party will be open for anybody to come in. Now today can we attract any intellectuals to the party? Will respectable, acceptable people in society want to accept any responsibility in the party? Unfortunately General Janaka Perera made the wrong move and paid for it with his life. If you remember, when the PA came into power in 1994, people said well, the UNP is going to lose after 17 years, and they supported the Alliance. But there was a question over who’s going to govern this country. Has Chandrika got the right people to form a cabinet? So she brought in a new set of people like Lakshman Kadirgamar and Professor G.L.Peiris. This gave her government a lot of credibility. Has the UNP been able to attract any people like that? Even those who want to come in, don’t want to be under a dictatorial party constitution. I must thank Mr Rukman Senanayake for inviting us back. But before that they must sit down and think what made us go, and correct those issues.

Q. What they expect is that your own instinct for political survival will bring you back. They feel that some of you will not have a place in the UPFA list. So they are expecting some to come back in order to survive politically.

A. When we took this decision, we all discussed the pros and cons of our move. It is up to us to decide whether to join the SLFP or to join the UPFA as an alliance member with a distinct identity, or to go back to the UNP. So the options are open. I think it is too early for us to commit ourselves and say this is what we are going to do. So we are keeping our options open and we’ll see how things work out. But we are of the opinion that we must support the president in tackling terrorism and to bring a political solution to the ethnic problem.

Q. Are you saying that if it comes to a snap parliamentary election early next year as speculated in some quarters, it will be every man for himself, with regard to the group of 17 – is that what you mean?

A. As a group, let us first discuss this problem. There are differences of opinion. So we have to come to a consensus and decide what we are going to do. We have to keep our options open.