COLOMBO, AUG 27: Sri Lanka's political parties were today scrambling to cobble together alliances to contest the crucial October parliamentary polls, preparations for which have already been marred by three murders.Political sources said the ruling People's Alliance (PA) had clinched a deal with an ultra-nationalist party, while the main opposition and smaller political groups were racing to cut deals before nominations open tomorrow.President Chandrika Kumaratunga's PA pact with the right-wing MEP, or People's United Front, has surprised many analysts, given the bitter acrimony between the two parties over the Government's radical ethnic peace plan.The MEP had vowed to fight tooth and nail the devolution proposals of Kumaratunga contained in a draft-Constitution bill which seeks to turn the country into a de facto federal State in exchange for ethnic peace.The bill was put on hold on August 3 when the Government failed to muster the required two-thirds' majority in Parliament, but Kumaratunga has vowed to have it implemented within two months of the October poll.``It looks like the Government is changing its tactics,'' said an Asian diplomat. ``Instead of putting the new Constitution as the main campaign issues, the Government may try to project a more acceptable alternative.''Press reports here said over the week-end that the new Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake had already suggested that there could be drastic alterations to Kumaratunga's proposed Constitution Bill.The shift in PA policy could be influenced by the powerful Buddhist clergy who have opposed the draft Bill with an open campaign against it, including a hunger-strike by a monk.The Buddhist clergy has already warned that the elections could be violent as three people were killed in poll-related clashes in the past week. Several more have been wounded.Kumaratunga had been keen to turn the October 10 poll into a referendum on her political plan, which she believes, will end decades of ethnic bloodshed that has claimed over 60,000 lives, but her party appears divided on the issue.Even as a strong opponent of the devolution plan joined the Government on Friday, a more influential Muslim party, which had ardently backed Kumaratunga's political package, quit the Cabinet, last week.The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), which resigned from Kumaratunga's Government on Tuesday, said it could not remain in the Government due to differences with another Cabinet Minister.SLMC leader M H M Asraff had issued an ultimatum to Kumaratunga to expel Transport Minister A H M Fowzie who issued a statement slamming the SLMC over the party's demand for a higher quota of seats at the polls.Fowzie received unexpected backing from the powerful All Ceylon Buddhist Congress (ACBC) which hailed him as a secular leader and slammed the SLMC leader for trying to provoke communal tensions.
