UNP Convention: Wickremesinghe’s resurrection or last hurrah

Argument
By Editor_1
The much hyped 79th convention of the United National Party (UNP) was on September 20, 2025 with almost all political parties except the ruling National People’s Alliance (NPP) in attendance -counterpoint.lk

By Kassapa

The much hyped 79th convention of the United National Party (UNP) was held last week with almost all political parties except the ruling National People’s Alliance (NPP) in attendance. It was intended to herald party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe’s resurrection, but it may well be his last hurrah instead.

A few months ago, the UNP was dead and buried, politically. It was routed at the last general election, with most of its candidates contesting under the banner of the New Democratic Front (NDF). Even the candidates entering Parliament from the NDF were from other parties, the only UNPer being Ravi Karunanayake and that too after virtually nominating himself on the National List.

Then came Wickremesinghe’s arrest for allegedly misusing public funds. Released on bail on medical grounds that are now being questioned, Wickremesinghe, ever the political animal, saw in this an opportunity to forge a ‘grand coalition’ of the opposition- with himself firmly at the helm. This was supposed to be demonstrated at the UNP convention, originally scheduled for September 6, but held last Saturday, September 20, ostensibly because Wickremesinghe needed more time to recuperate.

The momentum that led to the opposition closing ranks in support of Wickremesinghe at the time of his arrest had dissipated by then. Political parties which rallied around him in a knee-jerk reaction to his detention were more circumspect, weighing the pros and cons of siding with him.

Wickremesinghe and his acolytes will of course hail the convention as a huge success. A success it was, if it is to be measured in bringing opposing politicians into one room. Champika Ranawaka was there alongside Udaya Gammanpila. Nimal Siripala de Silva was present with Dayasiri Jayasekara. Rauff Hakeem and Ranawaka who filed a fundamental rights case against Tiran Alles’s actions as minister (which led to the jailing of the former Controller of Immigration Harsha Illukpitiya this week) were present, as was Alles. Perhaps the only man who had a semblance of shame to keep away was Wimal Weerawansa.

That is apart from the absence of the two leaders who Wickremesinghe would have most liked to be there: Namal Rajapaksa of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and even more importantly, Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB). Both parties sent their gullible general secretaries, Sagara Kariyawasam and Ranjith Madduma Bandara instead.

The SLPP’s stance was predictable. Their position was that they opposed what they called the government’s agenda of political revenge. However, it also made it clear that its policies were not aligned with those of the UNP and there would be no alliance with the Grand Old Party. Namal Rajapaksa was clearly in this for the long run and he wouldn’t want to be tainted with the sins of the UNP, burdened as he is with the allegedly corrupt and the criminal in the SLPP. From Rajapaksa’s perspective, that is sensible and should not come as a surprise.

Why wasn’t Premadasa present? The Leader of the Opposition had visited Wickremesinghe almost daily while the latter was in hospital, fuelling speculation of a reunification between the UNP and the SJB. The general secretaries of the two parties, Thalatha Atukorale and Ranjith Madduma Bandara had made statements that suggested that a reconciliation was imminent. There were both formal and informal discussions. Ideologically, there was no barrier, the SJB was merely the UNP by another name and was formed because Wickremesinghe refused to hand over the leadership to Premadasa five years ago and was thought to be ‘unmarketable’ to the electorate. So, if Wickremesinghe’s life was hanging by a single coronary artery – as his doctors and lawyers suggested in court – why not hand over the baton to Premadasa now and the unite the two entities?

The answer to that question came in the form an announcement that preceded the convention. Wickremesinghe was dangling what at first glance seemed like an olive branch: the UNP had decided to revoke the suspensions imposed on those who left the party to form the SJB.

It may have appeared to be a peace offering but the underlying, not so subtle message was not lost on Premadasa and those more loyal to him than to Wickremesinghe in the SJB: yet again, Wickremesinghe was trying to assert that he was dictating terms and hinting that returning to the UNP was a privilege that he was granting to the SJB as a gesture of gratitude in return for their support during his brief detention. As for the critical issue which fractured the UNP- Wickremesinghe’s leadership of the party- there was not even a hint that it was a topic for discussion.

Premadasa for once was astute enough to read the situation correctly. He directed his loyalists to point out that the SJB was the larger party even though the UNP maybe the more longstanding. The SJB had 40 MPs in the current parliament to the UNP’s solitary parliamentarian. At all recent elections, the SJB has proved that it had taken the UNP’s stable vote base with it. So, why would it want to return to a UNP with Wickremesinghe still clinging on to its leadership at the age of seventy-six years?

By all means, the SJB would consider a return to the UNP if it were the whole package with Wickremesinghe resigning from the leadership and making way for Premadasa to take over. They could then be one big family all over again. If that were to occur, there would indeed be a resurgence in right-of-centre politics and could present a viable alternative to the present day left-of-centre government but that won’t happen in the near future because Wickremesinghe’s is not foregoing the UNP leadership, even after fortuitously becoming President.

Wickremesinghe’s uncle, J.R. Jayewardene, allowed Ranasinghe Premadasa to succeed him, breaking down the elitist model of succession for the first time in the UNP. His nephew Wickremesinghe refuses to do so for Ranasinghe Premadasa’s son. It is Wickremesinghe’s ego- and not his ignorance that prevents him from acting to save his party. That, sadly is the tragedy of the UNP.

-This article was originally featured on counterpoint.lk

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