• AKD’s new Cabinet of Ministers to be sworn in tomorrow; a maximum of 25 ministers
• JVP/NPP Central Committee and Executive Council meet to make final decisions on Govt.
• Expectations run high as AKD’s NPP/JVP secures over two-thirds majority in new House
• JVP/NPP makes Sri Lankan political history with victory and many national records broken
• Over 5.3 m voters had stayed away from polls, concerns over impact on democracy
• AKD, JVP/NPP under pressure now to perform with a majority of newcomers to Parliament
• Indian HC becomes first diplomat to meet and wish AKD on JVP/NPP victory; RW to visit India
• Polls campaign sees unique canvassing, Rohitha crying on stage, Harin with Messi, and more
• RW meets several confidants post-polls, asks them to draw plans on next steps for UNP
• Clash begins for ‘gas cylinder’ National List slots; decision between Dinesh, Ravi, Faiszer, Tiran
• SJBers concerned over poor performance at polls; split nationalist camp turns to NPP/JVP
• Chaos over SJB National List selections; push for Ravi J, Thisath, Prasanna, Sujeewa, Ranjith
• SJB alliance partners demand National List; Sajith focuses on sending professionals to House
• RW warns of AKD Govt. facing ‘Y’ junction in a few months; IMF team to start third EFF review
• JVP defectors FSP criticises JVP for forgetting November heroes; AKD holds event post-polls
• FSP asks AKD to appoint a commission to probe murders, disappearances of fallen comrades

Sri Lanka’s political landscape has witnessed much evolution since the introduction of the current electoral system to the country, but the Parliamentary Election of 2024 will definitely be one for the history books.

The next focus of the masses is on how President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) will appoint his new Cabinet of Ministers tomorrow (18). It is learnt that the President is looking at keeping his Cabinet at a maximum of 25 ministers and 25 deputy ministers as pledged during his Presidential Election campaign. It is also learnt that the final decisions on the portfolios as well as the National List members of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) will be made by the JVP Central Committee and the NPP Executive Council, which met yesterday (16).

However, the appointment of the Cabinet tomorrow hinges on the issuing of the gazette by the Election Commission on the new legislators. The key obstacle in issuing the gazette will be the finalising of National List members of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and the New Democratic Front (NDF) that contested under the ‘gas cylinder’ symbol given the clashes among members to secure National List slots.

It is interesting that what started out as a lacklustre election with less than 70% voter turnout on election day concluded by making history, with President AKD’s JVP/NPP breaking several national records – the first political party to secure a two-thirds majority in Parliament under the Proportional Representation (PR) system, the first party to win electorates in the Northern Province, which have always been won by Tamil parties, and send Members of Parliament (MPs) from the party to the House, and finally the candidate to poll the highest number of preferential votes at a Parliamentary Election.

President AKD was focused on ensuring the support of the Tamil communities in the Northern and Eastern Provinces for his Government during the Parliamentary Election campaign, where he even noted that the only way to bring about reconciliation was by creating a rule that included both the Sinhala and Tamil parties. 

The President expressed commitment to return lands acquired during the war and currently held by the Government and stated that the Government had already directed the Attorney General to take the relevant steps to release Tamil political prisoners. The opening up of roads closed during the war and the assurance by the President on two key grievances of the Tamil people yielded results, with the voters turning to the JVP/NPP above the traditional Tamil parties and politicians.

The JVP/NPP victory at the polls came as the JVP marked the 35th death anniversary of the party’s Founding Leader Rohana Wijeweera and a week before President AKD’s birthday that falls on 24 November. For AKD, 2024 is seemingly filled with milestones.

Be that as it may, President’s AKD’s jubilance could be short-lived if he loses sight of several key factors witnessed during the polls and ignores the clarion call of the masses to clean up the country’s rotting political system. 

It is never a good sign when over 5.3 million of the eligible voters do not exercise their franchise. This number is an increase from the over three million voters who stayed away from the polls at the September Presidential Election. The last time the country witnessed such low voter turnouts was in 1989 (63.6%) and 2010 (61.26%).

However, the JVP/NPP vote bank saw an increase of over one million votes, ensuring the party recorded a majority, which it failed to do during the Presidential Election, while the Opposition parties, especially the SJB and NDF, witnessed a massive erosion of their vote base from the September polls.

Nevertheless, President AKD is well aware of the adverse impact high expectations of the masses could have on a government going by the fates that befell the Governments of 2015 and 2020. The masses have ensured that the JVP/NPP cannot give any excuse for failing to clean the existing political system and introducing the necessary legislation for the purpose.

The Opposition continues to claim that the JVP/NPP Government, due to its inexperience in governance, will be faced with a make-or-break situation by next year. President AKD however has responded to detractors who claim that his Government cannot carry on for more than several months by stating that the JVP/NPP Government will not leave without building the country as promised. “Who is there to take over if we leave? It is clear that there’s no one to do that,” the President has claimed.

The challenge before President AKD and his Government was rightly pointed out by former President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), President’s Counsel Saliya Pieris in a social media post last Friday (15): “The NPP must be wary of the pitfalls that come with great power. As the President himself had said yesterday (14), in the past political forces used a two-thirds majority to enact laws which violated people’s democratic rights. The NPP will have to resist the temptation to enact laws and measures which will erode democratic rights and freedoms.

“The new regime will have to manage the extraordinary expectations of the electorate who expect it to develop the economy, uplift their lives, control inflation, tackle corruption, address the issues of national reconciliation, enact constitutional reform, and uphold democracy and the rule of law.

“The NPP leadership will have to ensure that its new and relatively inexperienced MPs and ministers do not stray away from the principled positions that the party has espoused so far and that they and their supporters do not violate the trust that the people have placed in them. No doubt the NPP leaders will remember the fate of past governments elected by the people with large majorities.”

Parliamentary Polls history

Following the conclusion of the historical Parliamentary Elections last week, it is interesting to take a look at Sri Lanka’s polls since the introduction of the PR system.

Since the United National Party (UNP) Government introduced the PR system to the country in 1977, the first Parliamentary Election to be held under this system was in 1989. There have been eight Parliamentary Elections held under the PR system and last week’s election took the number up to nine.

The Parliamentary Elections of 1989 was won by the UNP after defeating the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). While the SLFP was unable to win in any district, the UNP secured 125 seats at the polls.

In 1994, nominations for Parliamentary Elections were accepted on 11 July and the polls were held on 16 August. This election was won by the SLFP-led People’s Alliance (PA). While the UNP won the Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Digamadulla (Ampara), Trincomalee, and Kegalle Districts, the PA won all the other districts excluding those in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. The northern districts were won by Tamil political parties. 

In 2000, nominations for Parliamentary Elections were accepted from 18 August till 4 September and elections were held on 10 October. The JVP by this time had established itself as the third political force in the country and contested this election. The election was won by the PA while the UNP won the Colombo and Badulla Districts while losing the Kandy and Nuwara Eliya Districts. However, the UNP surprised everyone by winning the Hambantota and Polonnaruwa Districts. Tamil parties secured victory in the north.

Nevertheless, the PA lost power within a period of one year with the Opposition securing key defections from the then PA Government. Nominations were then called for Parliamentary Elections in 2001 from 20-27 October and the election was held on 5 December. While the PA managed to win only the Monaragala District at this election, the UNP-led United National Front (UNF) won the rest of the districts in the south and the Trincomalee District in the Eastern Province. The Northern Province was won by Tamil parties.

The UNF Government elected to office in 2001 was prematurely dissolved by then President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (CBK) within 27 months, who called for fresh elections. Accordingly, elections were held on 2 April 2004. This election was won by the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), which was a coalition formed by the SLFP and JVP. The UNF won the Colombo, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, and Badulla Districts. The rest of the southern districts were won by the UPFA. The north and east was won by Tamil and Muslim parties except for the Digamadulla District, which was won by the UPFA. 

The 2010 Parliamentary Elections were held about a year after the war victory on 8 April. The UPFA recorded easy victories in all of the southern districts as well as the Trincomalee and Digamadulla Districts in the Eastern Province. The UPFA at the time created a record as the party that secured the highest number of seats at a Parliamentary Election. The northern districts however were won by Tamil parties.

Parliamentary Elections in 2015 were held on 17 August amidst much political turmoil. The UNP made a comeback at this election by winning it under the UNF. The UPFA won the Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Ratnapura, Kalutara, Anuradhapura, Monaragala, and Kurunegala Districts. The UNF won the rest of the southern districts and the Trincomalee and Digamadulla Districts in the Eastern Province. The rest of the districts in the east and the Northern Province were won by Tamil and Muslim parties.

The next Parliamentary Elections were on 5 August 2020. The newly formed political party at the time, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) won 145 seats in Parliament and recorded the highest number of seats won by a single political party at a Parliamentary Election in the country. This record has now been broken by the JVP/NPP.

Corrupt elections

Meanwhile, there are records of corrupt elections held in some countries around the world and Sri Lanka has also had its fair share of experience on the matter.

The most corrupt elections held in Sri Lanka have been identified as the 1982 Referendum called by then President J.R. Jayewardene, the Presidential Election in 1982, and the 1999 North Western Provincial Council Election.

The 1982 Referendum is known even today as a black mark in Sri Lanka’s democratic history since it is referred to as the most corrupt election the country has witnessed. This Referendum was held after suspending the civic rights of then Leader of the Opposition, SLFP Leader Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Jayewardene at the time made arrangements to bring forward the Presidential Election and hold it prior to the Parliamentary Elections that were due to be held in 1983. 

The Presidential Election held in October 1982 was marred by violence and the UNP led by Jayewardene recorded victory at the polls. After winning the Presidential Election, Jayewardene decided to hold a referendum instead of Parliamentary Elections. President Jayewardene at the time had reportedly said that the country should not face elections for a period of 10 years. 

Soon after the 1982 Presidential Election, Jayewardene called for a referendum on 3 November in 1982 under a special presidential directive. The Referendum was held on 22 December 1982.

The then UNP Government also took measures to arrest its opponents under alleged Naxalite charges, with SLFP Assistant Leader Vijaya Kumaranatunga along with several other party leaders being arrested on 19 November 1982. Newspapers Aththa and Suthanthiran printed in the north were sealed. 

Meanwhile, the 1999 North Western Provincial Council Elections were marred by violence and violations of election laws by the then PA Government.

Preferential votes

On the matter of preferential votes, the recently concluded Parliamentary Elections saw the highest number of preferential votes to be polled by a candidate when JVP/NPP Gampaha District candidate Vijitha Herath polled 716,715 votes.

The first record for the highest number of preferential votes at a Parliamentary Election was set by the late Lalith Athulathmudali in 1989 with 235,447 votes. This record was broken by former President CBK in 1994 by polling 464,588 votes.

CBK’s record continued until 2015 when it was broken by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe with 500,566 votes. This record was broken five years later, in 2020, by former President Mahinda Rakapaksa (MR), who polled 527,364 votes.

Cleaning up Opposition

Be that as it may, following the ‘clean-up’ operation of Parliament, as President AKD referred to the recent Parliamentary Elections, there’s now much discussion on the need for a similar ‘clean-up’ operation among Opposition political parties.

Almost 95% of the MPs in the Parliament elected in 2020 were defeated at last Thursday’s (14) Parliamentary Elections. This is being referred to as a total ‘clean up’ of Parliament and the existing political culture in the country. The SLPP led by the Rajapaksas saw the highest number of its former MPs being defeated.

However, there remains the call for a ‘clean-up’ operation in the Opposition parties, especially to make way for new leadership. This applies not only to the SJB and UNP but to the Tamil political parties as well.

Minority parties

On the Tamil political front, Illankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) Leader-elect S. Shritharan along with several other ITAK members have made it to the new Parliament, while some prominent members including former MP M.A. Sumanthiran and several others were not elected.

The ITAK has reduced its representation in Parliament from 10 MPs in the last Parliament to eight MPs (seven elected and one National List slot).

The toll of the divisions within the Tamil political parties in the Northern Province and Eastern Province was witnessed at the Parliamentary Elections given the decline in the number of MPs being returned from the Tamil political parties, including the ITAK. Apart from Sumanthiran, the defeat of Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) Leader Douglas Devananda clearly indicates the emerging changes being pushed for by the Tamil people in the north.

From the Muslim political parties, the two key leaders, Rauff Hakeem and Rishad Bathiudeen, have been re-elected to the new Parliament while the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) will send in three MPs to the new Parliament (two elected MPs and one National List slot). This is a decline from the eight MPs representing the SLMC in the 2020 Parliament. Hakeem however is entering Parliament from the SJB-led alliance.

The All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) meanwhile will see one MP entering Parliament. This is a decline from the six MPs the party sent to the House in 2020. However, ACMC Leader Bathiudeen too will be entering Parliament from the SJB.

RW to India

Meanwhile, Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha became the first diplomat to meet and congratulate President AKD on the JVP/NPP victory at the polls with a bouquet of flowers at the JVP Headquarters in Pelawatte. Jha was also the first diplomat to meet and greet AKD soon after he was declared President by the Election Commission.

Both these events indicate the close attention being paid by India to relations with Sri Lanka, which the AKD Government is no doubt beginning to feel.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that former President Wickremesinghe will be leaving for a long tour of India this week, where he is also tipped to hold meetings with several key internal forums. Given Wickremesinghe’s political acumen, it will be interesting to see what he will be up to during his long stay in our neighbouring country.

Battle within ‘gas cylinder’

One of the key issues faced by the key Opposition parties is the selection of members to the National List slots secured by the respective parties.

The SJB has secured five National List slots while the NDF has received two slots. Filling these slots from among the lists of names submitted by the parties to the Election Commission as members for their National Lists has resulted in many clashes. 

Canvassing for the two National List slots secured by the NDF had commenced on Friday (15) evening, when the final islandwide results were announced. A minister of the former Wickremesinghe Government whose name has been included in the National List had made his way to meet Wickremesinghe at his Flower Road office to discuss who would be nominated to the slots.

Wickremesinghe had however remained noncommittal, saying that the NDF members needed to meet the following day, Saturday (16), and discuss the matter.

Meanwhile, UNP senior Ravi Karunanayake, whose party the NDF was used for the UNP, SLPP, and SLFP alliance to contest the polls, had reminded Wickremesinghe that the agreement prior to the election was for the NDF to be assigned a National List slot. Also, a member of the SLFP whose name is included in the National List, Faiszer Musthapha, PC, had also made a round of calls to Wickremesinghe and his confidants to check who would be nominated on the National List.

Wickremesinghe had on an earlier occasion prior to the Parliamentary Polls stated that former Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena would be sent to Parliament through the National List.

However, with the increasing interest in the National List slots, Wickremesinghe convened a meeting of senior UNPers and SLPPers to discuss the NDF’s two slots on the list.

Passing the buck

During the meeting at the Flower Road office yesterday, a group of SLPPers had stated that they preferred another member from their group being sent to Parliament instead of Gunawardena through the National List. They had proposed that former Minister Tiran Alles be sent to Parliament. 

Gunawardena meanwhile has stated that he is unsure of whether he wants to continue in politics or retire.

Meanwhile, another group of SLPPers had proposed the name of former Minister Kanchana Wijesekera also to be nominated for the National List slot.

Finally, following the increasing chaos over the two slots, Wickremesinghe had said that one National List slot would be for the SLPP and the other for the UNP and asked the SLPP group to discuss and nominate the individual for the slot.

As for the National List slot for the UNP, Wickremesinghe had said the party would discuss and decide on its candidate and had concluded the meeting.

RW turns to UNP

Soon after the final national result was announced by the Election Commission on Friday (15), Wickremesinghe met with several of his confidants at his office on Flower Road, Colombo 7. The office was not the hive of activity it had been in the past few months since the Presidential Election period.

The securing of a seat by the UNP in Nuwara Eliya after contesting under the ‘elephant’ symbol has resulted in the UNP leadership coming under pressure to once again focus on the need to revive the UNP.

In the run-up to the recent Parliamentary Elections, there was much pressure from the UNP organisers and members for the party to contest under the ‘elephant’ symbol and Wickremesinghe’s move to contest with the SLPP dissidents under the ‘gas cylinder’ symbol did not bode well with UNP activists, including party seniors like Akila Viraj Kariyawasam.

This had resulted in many UNP members and supporters staying away from voting at last week’s election as a mark of protest. 

All this has now prompted Wickremesinghe to ask his confidants to look at the next steps of the UNP in order to revive the party, with Wickremesinghe also indicating that he is prepared to make way for a new leadership for the UNP.

SJBers’ displeasure

Meanwhile, the SJB also held its post-mortem on the party’s performance at the Parliamentary Elections last week.

SJB Leader Premadasa’s actions were criticised by some SJB seniors, who felt that following the defeat of the SJB leadership at the Presidential Election, they were being sidelined in the party’s Parliamentary Elections campaign. 

These, along with the mixed messages delivered by Premadasa during the Parliamentary Elections campaign, have been blamed for the drastic decline in the SJB vote bank between September and last week. The SJB polled 4,363,035 votes at the September Presidential Election and polled 1,968,716 votes at the Parliamentary Elections. 

It is learnt that the dissension that was growing against some of Premadasa’s confidants has further increased due to concerns over the party’s waning popularity among the people, with the belief that Premadasa, like UNP Leader Wickremesinghe, is becoming a leader unable to win.

Chaos over National List

While the issues within the SJB continue, the party is now faced with an immediate issue in the form of selecting members to fill the National List slots.

The SJB secured five National List slots at the polls and there are senior members of the SJB and minority parties that allied with the SJB as well as SLPP dissidents waiting in line for these slots.

However, it is learnt that the SJB leadership is looking at making a change through the appointments made through the SJB National List to reflect the public’s call for a system change. 

It is also learnt that Premadasa is looking at sending fresh faces to Parliament through the National List that will include professionals. Among the individuals being considered are Ravi Jayawardena, Thisath Wijayagunawardane, Prof. Prasanna Perera, and Sujeewa Senasinghe as well as Ranjith Madduma Bandara from the political side of the SJB.

Such a move will no doubt create many clashes within the SJB as well as its alliance, with the likelihood of splits taking place before Parliament is convened on Thursday (21).

Split in nationalist camp

Meanwhile, the nationalist camp, which at one time exerted a decisive force in electing presidents and governments, has split to such an extent that a majority of the vote base has turned to the JVP/NPP.

The nationalist camp was held by the Rajapaksas since 2005 and SLPP National Organiser Namal Rajapaksa, who has been named by the party as its National List nominee, is now left to battle hard to regain the leadership of the camp.

However, Namal is facing a formidable challenge in the form of Sarvajana Balaya Leader Dilith Jayaweera, who is fast emerging as the leader of the nationalist camp with the support of key former members of the camp such as Udaya Gammanpila and the like. The Sarvajana Balaya recorded a slight increase in its vote bank between the September poll and last week’s election by polling 122,396 votes at the Presidential Election and 178,006 votes at the Parliamentary Elections.

In fact, in the run-up to the Parliamentary Elections, it was Wickremesinghe and Jayaweera who took the AKD Government to task.

‘Y’ junction

With the election frenzy coming to an end, or at least the key elections, the AKD Government will have to recommence work on the economy that is on the mend.

A group of representatives from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), scheduled initially to arrive in the country on Thursday (14), has delayed arrival by a few days and was scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka yesterday (16).

This delegation, led by IMF Senior Mission Chief Peter Breuer, will conduct the third review under the country’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme.

Meanwhile, former President Wickremesinghe has pointed out that Sri Lanka’s economy is on a knife’s edge and the AKD Government needs to focus on it after making populist statements on the election platform.

He had noted during a discussion with a group of NDF members that the Government was holding the economy like a rubber ball which would bounce back after the Parliamentary Elections and that the Government would be at a ‘Y’ junction by around March next year, having to make a key decision that would decide the country’s economic future.

Wickremesinghe had explained that if the Government turned to the left at the junction, choosing to continue with welfare measures and reduce taxes, the IMF programme would come to an end and the country would be back in a challenging position. The former President had further noted that if the Government turned to the right, it would mean following the IMF programme and the programme put in place by his (Wickremesinghe’s) Government. 

Lessons from history

When a former MP had asked Wickremesinghe whether the AKD Government could continue to govern the country, Wickremesinghe had noted that the present Government should be allowed to govern for five years.

Wickremesinghe had also recalled historical experiences when the country had been ruled by Leftist movements, reminding of the country’s situation under the 1970 Government which included the Communist and Lanka Sama Samaja Parties. The suffering faced by the people at the time resulted in the UNP recording a five-sixths victory at the 1977 Parliamentary Elections.

Standardising politics

Meanwhile, President AKD has continued to underscore the need to standardise the country’s politics.

He noted that the JVP/NPP Government had taken measures to ensure that former presidents were assigned only the perks and privileges that they were entitled to under the law. “We have already appointed a committee to look into this matter and ensure that all former presidents are assigned only what they are entitled to under the existing laws. Nevertheless, the committee will also look at changing existing laws to provide perks and privileges to the people,” AKD claimed.

He noted that the Government was being accused of political victimisation when the law was being applied to former VIPs in order to ensure that no one was above the law.

The President also claimed last week that in the future, former Presidents would have to submit an application to the Government requesting what they needed in addition to what they were entitled to. 

“If a former president does not have a house in Colombo, they can submit an application outlining that neither the former president, their spouse, nor children have a house in Colombo. If the relevant former president is also unable to afford rent for a house in Colombo, the Government can consider the request and provide a house in Colombo on humanitarian grounds,” AKD added.

He explained that since every citizen had to submit an application when they required something from the Government, the same system should apply to former presidents as well. “We have to bring standards into politics. Should it not be so?” AKD questioned.

Ready to give ‘Aswesuma’

President AKD further claimed in a satirical manner that if the former presidents were in a helpless state and had fallen to the state of citizens receiving ‘Aswesuma’ payments, the Government could consider including them (former presidents) in the list of recipients of welfare measures.

The President noted that if the former presidents were unable to afford a house of their own and were in a helpless state, the Government could consider paying them the ‘Aswesuma’ welfare payment.

Exposé on MR

While President AKD continues to focus on standardising politics, former journalist Uvindu Kurukulasuriya, a social media activist based overseas at present, last week exposed a certain privilege enjoyed by former President MR.

The revelation was that MR had allegedly taken vitamins and medicines amounting to millions of rupees from the Army Hospital. The social media post by Kurukulasuriya had alleged that MR had been registered in the Army Hospital as a retired military officer in order to take millions worth of vitamins and medicines free of charge. 

According to Kurukulasuriya, MR has been registered at the hospital as General Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa under service number 0/0002 and he had also posted several documents on his social media post to confirm his finding.

It has been further alleged that MR had taken the list of vitamins and medicines free of charge even after the new Government had assumed office last month. Kurukulasuriya has further stated that he would publish a full exposé after studying the main documents in his possession.

Military Spokesperson Major General Rasika Kumara’s statement to the media following this revelation confirmed that MR was being facilitated by the Army Hospital. Responding to the allegations on social media, he said that the President and former presidents could receive treatment at the Army Hospital. 

The Spokesperson also noted that MR had not been given an ex-serviceman’s number but had been issued a reference number in the system.

Forgetting fallen comrades

Amidst all the drama in the run-up to the Parliamentary Elections, the JVP/NPP faced heavy criticism with regard to the JVP’s policies from a splinter group of the party – the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP), former President Wickremesinghe, and the Sarvajana Balaya’s Jayaweera.

Former JVPers, the FSP members last week criticised the JVP for failing to commemorate the fallen comrades of the party on 13 November (Wednesday), which the party had done for 35 years. The November heroes’ commemoration known as ‘Il Maha Viru Samaruma’ had been an annual event in the JVP calendar where the fallen comrades of the party’s 1988-’89 insurrection, including JVP Founding Leader Rohana Wijeratne, are commemorated.

Even during the global pandemic, the JVP held the commemoration online. However, this year, the JVP did not hold the commemoration event citing that the following day (14) was Parliamentary Elections.

JVP dissidents were critical of the party, claiming that since assuming office, the JVP leadership had forgotten the fallen heroes of the party.

However, the JVP, after claiming that the November Heroes’ Day could not be organised on a grand scale this year due to the silent period for the Parliamentary Elections, organised a small gathering on Thursday (14) evening after polls closed to commemorate the fallen heroes.

Call for justice

The FSP has meanwhile also called on the JVP leadership to take the necessary measures to ensure long-delayed justice for the party’s comrades who were killed and disappeared during the two insurgencies in 1971 and 1988-’89.

FSP senior Kumar Gunaratnam, known by JVP comrades as Gunda, has pointed out that despite the many commissions and offices that were set up by the previous Government to look into the persons who had gone missing during the civil war and the two insurgencies, there had been no moves to ensure justice to the comrades.

“Now that the JVP Leader is the President of the country, ensure that steps are taken to conduct a broad investigation into the murders of Rohana Wijeweera and other comrades as well as the disappearance of thousands of comrades,” Gunaratnam has asked President AKD, adding that the President should make the announcement prior to the 35th anniversary of the November heroes’ commemoration. 

RW’s message

Former President Wickremesinghe meanwhile called on the JVP last week to apologise to the plantation community for opposing the granting of citizenship to plantation workers.

“This is the first meeting I’m addressing on behalf of the UNP. Even though we are contesting from the ‘gas cylinder’ symbol elsewhere, Jeevan Thondaman insisted that we contest from the ‘elephant’ symbol in Nuwara Eliya,” Wickremesinghe had said during a rally in Kotagala.

“At that time, when citizenship was granted to the plantation workers, JVP Leader Wijeweera strongly opposed it,” he had noted, emphasising the close ties between the UNP and the estate community. 

The former President highlighted that under agreements between Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Indira Gandhi in 1986, Sri Lankan citizenship had been granted to those without citizenship in India or Sri Lanka. “We gave citizenship to everyone who did not have it, whether they were in India or Sri Lanka,” Wickremesinghe had explained, while adding that the JVP, on the other hand, had denied the right to vote to plantation workers at the time.

Unique canvassing 

Meanwhile, a unique canvassing campaign for the Parliamentary Elections was witnessed last week when a group of individuals who were engaged in a door-to-door campaign in the Gampaha District had called on the people not to vote for the party they were canvassing for.

It is learnt that a group of individuals attired in t-shirts depicting the name and symbol of a party which has been under much controversy in the past few weeks, had handed out leaflets outlining the relevant party’s policies to the people in the Gampaha District. However, several individuals in the door-to-door campaign had asked the people not to vote for the party they were canvassing for and had asked the people to vote for the JVP/NPP.

It is further learnt that the canvassing individuals had told the public that they were only doing the work they had been paid for but that they were not going to vote for that party. Instead, they had told the people that they would be voting for the JVP/NPP. 

This unique canvassing method had caught many people by surprise.

Messi in Harin campaign

Meanwhile, former MP Harin Fernando, who contested under the ‘gas cylinder’ alliance, created quite a drama on the final day of campaigning last Monday (11) when he was stopped by the Police and election officers over wearing a ‘Messi No. 10’ t-shirt during a road campaign. The police had also questioned several of Fernando’s supporters who had also been stopped for wearing ‘Messi No. 10’ t-shirts.

The election officials had opposed the ‘No. 10’ t-shirt worn by Fernando’s supporters, claiming it was a promotion of his (Fernando’s) candidacy number at the elections.

Video footage of the confrontation saw Fernando and his supporters arguing with the Police officers and the election officials, resulting in Fernando and his supporters removing their t-shirts and walking away.

Tears on the trail

While Fernando locked horns with the Police and election officials, former MP Rohitha Abeygunawardena, who also contested the election under the ‘gas cylinder’ symbol, took a more sensitive approach by shedding tears during an election rally in his constituency.

Abeygunawardena claimed that regardless of the outcome at elections, he had always stood by the people and he would do the same this time around knowing he would not be elected to the new Parliament. 

However, Abeygunawardena was the only MP to be returned to Parliament from the Kalutara District after contesting under the ‘gas cylinder’.