• Maithripala suspension from party leadership brings focus on CBK, Nimal, Mahinda for next lead
• SLFP seniors decide on Nimal to lead party in Maithripala’s absence; CBK takes on role of Advisor
• Nimal asks Mithrapala to convene Politburo on Monday; not received court order, says Mithrapala
• Rebel group takes charge of SLFP Headquarters, puts new chains, locks; court order pasted on doorway
• Mithrapala complains to Police of ‘important’ files gone missing; Police bans everyone from entering
• Maithripala convenes meeting with Colombo organisers as sixth Executive President, not SLFP Leader
• RW slams arbitrary appointments of party organisers; objects to Arun’s appointment in Jaffna by Ravi
• SJB signs alliance MoU with six dissident SLPPers from FPC; other parties in current SJB alliance missing
• SLPP split widens with some continuing to back RW; Prasanna says won’t support Namal or ‘elephant’
• Tamil parties look at a Tamil candidate for Prez Polls; no support for such candidate, says Sampanthan
• AKD and Sajith ready for public showdown, no dates; Sumanthiran attends AKD’s meeting in the north
• Discussions begin on a new ‘Piripun Deshayak’ alliance; formation as anti-RW, Sajith, and AKD alliance 

As the country enters into holiday mode with the Government also in slow motion and all activities at a snail’s pace until the following week starting 15 April, the political stage was a hive of activity last week dominated mainly by the internal clashes that finally cracked open the core of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the formation of a Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB)-led alliance with a group of dissident Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MPs.

The fact that the country has entered into holiday mode was evident with Parliament proceedings being adjourned until 4 p.m. on Tuesday (2) as relevant MPs from both sides of the divide scheduled to address the House that day were not present in the Chamber. Parliament sessions were limited to just two days last week due to the New Year holidays of the House that commenced after last Tuesday.

The ruling SLPP MPs who were not in the Chamber when the House was temporarily adjourned included Prof. Ranjith Bandara, Suren Raghavan, M.M. Muszhaaraff, Dr. Bandula Gunawardana, Vadivel Suresh, and Shehan Semasinghe, while the Opposition MPs included Dr. Harsha de Silva, M.A. Sumanthiran, Vijitha Herath, Patali Champika Ranawaka, Niroshan Perera, S.M. Marikkar, Prof. Charitha Herath, Gamini Waleboda, Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, Thushara Indunil Amarasena, M. Velu Kumar, M. Udayakumar, Charles Nirmalanathan, Selvarajah Kajendren, and Weerasumana Weerasinghe.

As Parliament officially entered the New Year holiday period, the SLFP crisis that resulted in a power shift kept unfolding on a daily basis.

SLFP blues

The SLFP is currently facing multiple challenges with the deposed Party Leader, former President Maithripala Sirisena facing much scrutiny over his recent statement on the Easter Sunday attacks while the sacking of several senior SLFP members from party posts resulted in legal action being initiated against the party leadership and Sirisena being issued a court order suspending his party leadership.

The battle for supremacy in the SLFP started when Sirisena last week removed party seniors National Organiser Duminda Dissanayake, Mahinda Amaraweera, and Treasurer Lasantha Alagiyawanna from the posts held by them in the party.

SLFPers, who were taken by surprise by the removal of three senior party members from their positions, had then questioned why Sirisena had not taken measures to remove SLFP Senior Vice President Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva since he too was a member of the Ranil Wickremesinghe Government. Sirisena had cited that the rebel trio – Dissanayake, Amaraweera, and Alagiyawanna – had violated party decisions by aligning themselves with the Wickremesinghe Government.

However, the Colombo District Court on Monday (1) issued an interim injunction preventing the SLFP Executive Committee from removing Dissanayake, Amaraweera, and Alagiyawanna from their respective positions in the party.

Nevertheless, Sirisena loyalists claim that the SLFP had stated that it was not planning to hold discussions with the party MPs who had joined the Government and that they had been removed on that basis and that the SLFP would instead go ahead with the ongoing process, which includes court proceedings.

Be that as it may, neither Sirisena nor his advisors/loyalists have responded to the question on why the party has not acted against de Silva.

The next issue that was focused on by the SLFPers was the invitation extended by Sirisena to Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe to a meeting of key SLFP committees held on 30 March. Sirisena had told the party members that Rajapakshe had been invited to deliver a speech on the current political climate in the country.

When questions were posed on his presence at an SLFP meeting, Rajapakshe had said that he had been an SLFPer from the time of the late Sirimavo Bandaranaike and that it was nothing new to him.

From Champika to Wijeyadasa

However, it seemed evident that Sirisena had settled on Rajapakshe as a possible leader of the SLFP-led alliance that is in the making since he had already failed to convince the likes of former Leader of the SLFP and former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (CBK) to lead the new alliance.

It was CBK who first fired the salvo against the SLFP-led alliance, saying that she had not agreed to accept its leadership and the next potential leader of the new alliance, dissident SJB MP Patali Champika Ranawaka, also distanced himself when Sirisena publicly stated that he was willing to contest at the next Presidential Election.

Nevertheless, the welcome received by Rajapakshe from the SLFPers following the meeting would have definitely left Sirisena feeling sour given his insecurity of being upstaged in the SLFP.

Maithri’s dealmakers

It is in such a backdrop that the rebel SLFP trio had alleged of a group of ‘dealmakers’ currently surrounding Sirisena.

Both Dissanayake and Amaraweera made public statements last week where they referred to this group of ‘dealmakers’ who are misleading Sirisena and trying to destroy the party. “These individuals have pole-vaulted from party to party and have made it their job to carry tales. We urge them to stop trying to destroy the SLFP. We won’t allow it,” the rebel SLFPers claimed.

There has been a growing dissension against several individuals taken on by Sirisena as his trusted confidants and advisors. The rebel trio and their supporters claimed that these individuals have not been traditional SLFPers, but have actively advised Sirisena on the measures to be taken with regard to party activities while also instilling distrust between Sirisena and some senior SLFPers.

CBK strikes

The goings-on in the SLFP during the past week finally reached a climax with the Colombo District Court on Thursday (4) issuing an interim injunction barring Sirisena from performing his duties as the Leader of the SLFP. The court order was issued based on a complaint filed before the court by former Leader of the SLFP and former President CBK.

However, addressing an urgent press conference convened in response to the court order, Sirisena had said he was ready to confront any challenges that came his way. “In the history of the SLFP, challenges like these are not uncommon,” he had said, adding that there were many, including CBK, who had left the party to form other parties and then returned to the SLFP fold.

Prior to the court’s enjoining order suspending him as the Party Leader, Sirisena visited the Ruwanwelisaya Temple in Anuradhapura with his family on Monday (1) to engage in religious observances. When he was questioned by the media outside the temple, he avoided the questions being posed on his statement on the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks as well as the removal of three senior SLFPers from party positions.

Sirisena was last week ordered to testify before a Presidential Commission of Inquiry led by retired Supreme Court Judge I.M. Imam in connection with his latest statement on the Easter attacks, with commission Secretary S. Manoharan calling on Sirisena in writing to appear before the commission. Sirisena was also summoned before the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court on Thursday (4) in a related case.

However, Sirisena, through his lawyers on Wednesday (3) had informed court that there was no need for him to make a statement in court with regard to his recent remarks on the Easter attacks as he has already provided one to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The court last week ordered the CID to investigate and report on Sirisena’s statement.

The new path

Meanwhile, soon after the Colombo District Court issued an order against Sirisena, the rebel trio visited the Party Headquarters and held a press conference. The Dissanayake-Amaraweera-Alagiyawanna trio were backed by de Silva.

Dissanayake said that the SLFP had now embarked on a new path. “We are no longer willing to engage in criticism against the Party Leader. Our group is not motivated by a desire for political revenge against anyone. To all those who may have criticised us, voted in favour of our removal, or supported Maithripala Sirisena, we call upon you to unite with the party. Despite our differences, we are committed to safeguarding the interests of this party,” Dissanayake said at the conference.

Nimal takes charge

Following the court order suspending Sirisena’s party leadership, the next question centred on who would take charge of the party to steer it through the difficult path it was on. All eyes were on three individuals to lead the party – CBK, de Silva, and Amaraweera.

However, with CBK once again noting that she did not want to engage in active politics, it was then reduced to a choice between de Silva and Amaraweera. After a discussion between the SLFPers committed to a ‘new path,’ it was decided that the senior-most member, de Silva, should take charge.

Battle for power

However, the battle for power over the SLFP took a new twist last week with the party’s Senior Vice President, Minister de Silva calling on Acting General Secretary Dushmantha Mithrapala to convene a meeting of the SLFP Politburo to discuss the ongoing issues faced by the party and the SLFP’s future path.

In a letter to Mithrapala on 4 April, de Silva pointed out that an emergency meeting of the SLFP Politburo should be convened on Monday (8) at 10 a.m. at the Party Headquarters to discuss the party’s future political path. De Silva noted that it was important for the party’s Politburo to meet and discuss its future given that the party leadership had been suspended through an enjoining order in the Colombo District Court case No.DSP/188/24.

The letter further noted that Sirisena and MP Dayasiri Jayasekara as well as Shan Wijayalal De Silva could not be included at the meeting due to court decisions and that all members of the Politburo legally suited to attend the meeting had already been asked to keep the date and time free for the said meeting.

However, Mithrapala, responding to de Silva’s letter, stated that he was unable to act on the request since had not received the said court directive. Mithrapala’s letter on 5 April noted that the enjoining order issued by the Colombo District Court on case No.DSP/188/24 had not been received by him even by Friday evening and that he therefore could not convene a meeting of the party’s Politburo without knowing for certain the contents of the enjoining order.

Locking up headquarters

After reading the contents of Mithrapala’s letter, de Silva and the rebel trio had taken steps to send a copy of the enjoining order to Mithrapala via WhatsApp and had also pasted a copy of the order at the entrance door of the Party Headquarters.

The headquarters, it is learnt, had been locked down by the rebel group, before pasting a copy of the enjoining order at the entrance. “It would now be difficult for anyone to say they are unaware since it (the enjoining order) has been pasted on the entrance doorway itself,” a member of the rebel group said.

However, the Police had yesterday (6) informed that no party would be allowed inside the headquarters until the probe into the allegedly missing files was carried out. Yesterday (6) saw Jayasekara and Sirisena’s son Daham Sirisena visiting the SLFP Headquarters and being turned away by the Police.

Maithri calls meeting

Meanwhile, a meeting of the Colombo District organisers was convened yesterday (6) at the Kotelawala Kingsbery Hall in Kaduwela at 2 p.m.

Since Sirisena could not convene the meeting as the Leader of the SLFP given the court directive, steps had been taken to invite the participants under the name of ‘the sixth Executive President Maithripala Sirisena’. The meeting was to be attended by Sirisena, Mithrapala, and several other Sirisena loyalists.

However, several senior SLFPers noted that in the event Sirisena attended and addressed the gathering as the sixth Executive President, he would have to answer to court about how he had convened the meeting without holding a position in the SLFP.

Police probe

Acting General Secretary Mithrapala meanwhile lodged a complaint with the Maradana Police last Thursday that some ‘important’ files at the SLFP Headquarters had gone missing.

The Acting General Secretary has called for a Police probe to locate the files. It is learnt that Mithrapala had indicated that the files had gone missing after Dissanayake, Alagiyawanna, and Amaraweera had taken charge of the Party Headquarters after Sirisena’s leadership was suspended by a court order.

PA blues

The woes of the SLFP are far from over, with the planned alliance led by the party continuing to face delays due to the ongoing internal clashes. The SLFP-led People’s Alliance (PA) hit its first obstacle when former Party Leader and former President CBK refused to accept the leadership of the alliance.

The next issue that hit the alliance was finding a suitable leader. While SLFP seniors engaged in several discussions with political leaders looking at a possible alliance leader, Sirisena’s decision to express willingness to contest at the upcoming Presidential Election resulted in many political parties which had earlier expressed interest in joining the PA taking a back seat.

However, Sirisena had blamed Dissanayake, Amaraweera, and Alagiyawanna for the delay in forming the SLFP-led alliance.

He had accused them of withholding the party’s two alliance symbols – the ‘betel leaf’ (United People’s Freedom Alliance) and the ‘chair’ (PA) – which were used by the SLFP at previous elections. The deposed SLFP Leader had also alleged that the three rebel MPs had also attempted to align the SLFP with the Government, despite opposition from the party’s members and voters.

New post for Dayasiri

Meanwhile, former General Secretary of the SLFP Dayasiri Jayasekara, who is engaged in a court battle with Party Leader Sirisena, was recently invited for a discussion by Sirisena to invite him back to the SLFP with an offer of a new party post – that of senior deputy chairman.

Since the meeting had taken place prior to his removal from the party leadership, Sirisena had asked Jayasekara to come to his official residence in Colombo recently and requested him to return to the party. Sirisena had also noted that the charge-sheet against Jayasekara would be withdrawn if he returned to the party accepting the new position. 

However, Jayasekara had declined to accept any position in the party other than the post of general secretary, from which he was ousted. Sirisena, it is learnt, had said that Jayasekara could not be re-appointed as the SLFP general secretary since Dushmantha Mithrapala had already been appointed to that position.

Debate on Easter attacks

Amidst the ongoing drama involving the SLFP, Sirisena seems to be heading toward yet another crisis, with moves by a group of MPs to push for a three-day debate on the Easter Sunday attacks and the recent statements about the real masterminds behind the attacks.

The three-day parliamentary debate will result in Sirisena once again being in the spotlight to reveal the details behind his recent controversial statement about his knowledge of the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday attacks.

It is learnt that the motion seeking the debate will be moved by the SJB in the House when Parliament reconvenes after the New Year holidays on 24 April.

RW denies appointments

Meanwhile, the United National Party (UNP) faced some internal strife of its own recently, with some party seniors arbitrarily declaring individuals as party organisers. Some such appointments had even caused much controversy.

One of the appointments that had caused controversy was that of Arun Siddharthan as the UNP’s Organiser in Jaffna. The announcement was made by party senior Ravi Karunanayake during a recent event in Jaffna.

However, soon after Karunanayake had made the public announcement in Jaffna, party members and supporters in Jaffna had given a series of telephone calls to members of the UNP Management Committee questioning the new appointment and expressing their displeasure over it. The members of the Management Committee had responded saying that the UNP was unaware of Siddharthan’s appointment and had asked the party loyalists to remain calm until the confusion was addressed.

When members of the Management Committee had asked the Party Leader, President Wickremesinghe whether he had sanctioned Siddharthan’s appointment as a UNP organiser in Jaffna and said that party loyalists in the north were displeased with it, Wickremesinghe had responded saying that the UNP had not appointed any organiser.

Realising that there would be more party seniors who could make such arbitrary decisions, Wickremesinghe had firmly stated at the next Management Committee meeting that the UNP had not officially appointed any party organisers and that any individual named by party seniors as organisers would not be accepted into the UNP fold.

SLPPers oppose RW

The parliamentary group of the ruling SLPP meanwhile last week opposed a proposal presented by President Wickremesinghe. The incident had taken place on Monday (1) when they had opposed provisions within the Banking (Amendment) Bill, presented to Parliament by the President as Finance Minister.

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena had led the discussion during the SLPP parliamentary group meeting, which had been attended by Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe and other officials. President Wickremesinghe, who most often chairs the Government parliamentary group, had not been present at the meeting.

The proposed bill was aimed at providing powers to the Central Bank Governor to appoint key officials for banking functions. The Prime Minister and the SLPP MPs had objected to certain clauses in the proposed bill noting Parliament’s authority over financial matters. Concerns had also been raised on the possibilities of appointing individuals with past financial irregularities to key positions in banks such as the director boards.

SLPP MP Madhura Vithanage had noted the importance of State Intelligence Service reports to look into the suitability of appointees.

Namal launches campaign

The SLPP meanwhile is focused on engaging with the masses in a bid to prevent a further erosion of the party base at the grassroots. The party on 30 March inaugurated a series of district-level conferences being organised by its newly-appointed National Organiser, MP Namal Rajapaksa. The inaugural event took place in Tangalle town under the theme ‘Let’s Start the Struggle’.

Prior to being appointed as the SLPP’s National Organiser, Namal led several campaigns at the grassroots level to secure and expand the party’s vote base.

SLPP split widens

Nevertheless, the current split within the SLPP over supporting President Wickremesinghe at the upcoming Presidential Polls continues to widen despite discussions initiated by SLPP theoretician Basil Rajapaksa and the campaign launched under the party’s new National Organiser.

A majority of the SLPP ministers in Government continue to express their support for Wickremesinghe. This group is led by Chief Government Whip, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga.

State Minister Shehan Semasinghe last week noted that Wickremesinghe was the most efficient and experienced leader who could resolve the ongoing crisis in the country. He noted that although anyone would now think that they could govern the country due to the progress made by the Government under Wickremesinghe, it could not happen.

Saying no to Namal

Meanwhile, Minister Ranatunga continued his pro-Wickremesinghe campaign last week, stating that he would not extend his support to new National Organiser Namal if he were to contest the upcoming Presidential Election under the SLPP and would instead remain neutral during such an election.

“The SLPP has not decided to field Namal Rajapaksa as its candidate at the Presidential Election to my knowledge. He needs more experience to come to such a position. Namal is young and has more time. If Namal is fielded as a candidate at the upcoming Presidential Election, I will not support him and will remain politically silent.”

However, Ranatunga also noted that he would also not support Wickremesinghe if he contested under the UNP’s ‘elephant’ symbol. Ranatunga further emphasised President Wickremesinghe’s stance of contesting as a common candidate under a common symbol at the Presidential Polls and noted that it should be a symbol that could bring together many forces.

Ranatunga also reiterated that despite his support for Wickremesinghe, he had no intention of joining the UNP.

SJB alliance

Another key event that took place last week was the launching of a new alliance by the main Opposition SJB on Friday (5), targeting the upcoming national-level elections. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Friday at 9.45 a.m. at the BMICH, with the signing event led by Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa.

The alliance was initially set to be signed in March with the political parties that had contested the last Parliamentary Election under the SJB alliance, but had to be delayed due to certain issues pointed out by coalition partners.

However, on Friday, the SJB signed an MoU with a group of six dissident SLPP MPs – G.L. Peiris, Dilan Perera, Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, Dr. Upul Galappaththi, Wasantha Yapabandara, and K.P.S. Kumarasiri. These members were formerly part of the Freedom People’s Council (FPC) that was co-chaired by dissident SLPP MP Dullas Alahapperuma.

With a group of six members of the FPC now officially joining with the SJB alliance, the rest of the FPC members, it is learnt, are also looking at joining with another political alliance in the making.

Rishad undecided

The absence of the minority parties in the current SJB alliance, like the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC), and the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA), in the new SJB alliance was quite surprising.

However, the ACMC led by MP Rishad Bathiudeen recently told ‘Black Box’ that the ACMC would not be signing an MoU on an alliance with the SJB on Friday (5). 

It is learnt that the ACMC has decided to not join any political alliance at the moment and to instead keep an eye out on the developments on the political front. The party however is currently a member of the SJB-led coalition, under which it contested at the last General Election.

More alliance talks

Last week also saw a group of representatives from political parties joining a meeting to discuss the current political climate in the country and the possibility of the formation of an alliance. The discussion, it is learnt, had been focused on forming an alliance that would stand against Wickremesinghe, Premadasa, and Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD).

This meeting was attended by Roshan Ranasinghe, Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila, Prof. Charitha Herath, Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Jeevan Kumaranathunga, and Dilith Jayaweera. Patali Champika Ranawaka and Weerasumana Weerasinghe had also joined in the discussion.

It is also learnt that this new alliance is being formed under the name ‘Piripun Deshayak,’ with a 15-year plan to resolve the issues faced by the country and 1 May has been set as the date to launch this new alliance through a rally in Kirulapone.

Meanwhile, Weerasinghe had last week met with a group of disgruntled SLPPers in Parliament and invited them to join with the new alliance, saying that it would be the real alternative at the upcoming elections.

NPP ready for debate

Meanwhile, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) has challenged Opposition and SJB Leader Premadasa to a public debate, stating that it accepts the various calls for a debate proposed by SJB members. 

Addressing the media, NPP member Sunil Handunnetti had said that Party Leader AKD was ready for a public debate with Premadasa. He had further noted that several SJB MPs like Nalin Bandara and Dr. Harsha de Silva had called for an open debate with the JVP/NPP’s Economic Council members.

Handunnetti had stated that the JVP/NPP accepted the invitations for the debates while highlighting that it was important for different political parties to engage in such debates to maintain the quality of national politics. However, Handunnetti had noted that the JVP/NPP was keener on holding a debate between the Leaders of the JVP/NPP and the SJB due to the upcoming Presidential Election. The SJB was asked to send a written invitation for the debate. 

Sajith also ready

Meanwhile, Opposition and SJB Leader Premadasa responded to the JVP/NPP challenge saying that he was prepared for a public debate with any political party on the various issues faced by the country.

Premadasa said during a public event in Mullaitivu that such open debates would improve the quality of a democratic society, emphasising that he was ready for a debate on any topic, be it economic, social, political, international, or any other. He further challenged other political parties to compete with him to serve the country.

Suma at NPP meet

The JVP/NPP meanwhile is continuing with its series of islandwide meetings covering women, youth, working masses, and financial sectors.

The recent meeting held in Jaffna for members of the banking and financial sectors that was presided over by AKD also saw Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M.A. Sumanthiran in attendance. Video footage of the event showed Sumanthiran seated on a side next to JVP/NPP Executive Committee member Wasantha Samarasinghe.

Addressing the gathering, AKD called for a change in the country’s political culture and noted the need for a government that represented both the south and north of the country.

Tamil candidate talk

Some Tamil political parties meanwhile are looking at the possibility of fielding a candidate from the minority community who would present a credible and acceptable political solution for them for the Presidential Polls.

Addressing reporters at his residence in Trincomalee on 31 March, TNA Leader and Opposition MP R. Sampanthan had said that Tamils would be well-served at the forthcoming Presidential Election by supporting a candidate who would pledge to resolve issues concerning the Tamil minority through an acceptable political solution.

The media had quoted Sampanthan as saying that the political parties that formed the TNA had proposed to field a Tamil candidate. However, he had noted that the Tamils must understand that such a candidate would not be able to pull much support and, as such, the parties must decide on the best course of action.

Sampanthan had also refrained from making any statement to indicate that the TNA would support President Wickremesinghe at the next Presidential Election. He had observed that such a decision would depend upon the outcome of the discussion between Wickremesinghe and the TNA after nominations.

Boycotting polls

Meanwhile, the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), which is a breakaway faction of the TNA, said it would boycott the upcoming Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, demanding a solid constitutional solution to the issues facing the Tamil community in the country.

TNPF General Secretary MP Selvarajah Kajendren, speaking on behalf of its Leader, Opposition MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, has told the media that the party will not be supporting any common Tamil presidential candidate if any such person is presented for the upcoming Presidential Election and that it would instead urge all Tamils in the Northern and Eastern Provinces to boycott the two national elections.

According to Kajendran, the TNPF is looking for a constitutional change to get a permanent solution for the long-lasting ethnic issues and therefore it will not place its trust in any leader, either Sinhala or Tamil, until such a constitutional solution is provided.