• IGP office not vacant, say Premier and Speaker; Mahinda notes special procedure to suspend IGP
• RW asks Tiran not to worry about IGP issue; RW makes bond payment, unable to appoint acting IGP
• Parliament follows precedence of late Speaker Anura Bandaranaike, Deputy Speaker Weerakkody
• Govt. split over Deshabandu; senior UNPer campaigns against IGP; pro-RW camp also split
• RW notes country would have been in deeper crisis if LG Polls were funded; assures Presidential Poll
• Prasanna takes the lead among pro-RW camp SLPPers, hints of party split if majority view ignored
• SJB’s Ishak Rahuman, A.L.M. Athaullah, and Azath Salley join Ranil’s rally in Galle
• Indika publicly admits senior SLPPers’ support to RW; RW visits SLPP MP Sahan’s house in Kadawatha 
• Basil meets RW, discusses new conditions and quotas in alliance; both to meet again today to finalise
• SLPP district leaders meet to decide, inform MR that majority of SLPPers support RW’s candidacy
• MR says no decision to field separate candidate; Namal blames RW for trying to break the SLPP
• SJB-led alliance to be launched on 8 August; dissident SLPPers to form major portion of alliance
• Group of Tamils signs MoU to field common Tamil candidate, ITAK says no; no new leader yet for TNA
• AKD promises justice for Lasantha and others murdered; action to be taken on two files on RW

That there’s never a dull moment in Sri Lanka was evident last week when despite the Election Commission’s (EC) much anticipated announcement last Friday (26) morning of the Presidential Election being held on 21 September, it was the ongoing controversy about the Inspector General of Police (IGP) that took centre stage.

The interim order by the Supreme Court that called for the suspension of IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon from office until the conclusion of the hearing of nine Fundamental Rights (FR) petitions filed challenging Tennakoon’s appointment has caused much controversy, now resulting in constitutional chaos over the powers of the Legislature and Judiciary.

In usual form, President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s actions since the Supreme Court directive have caused further chaos, especially with the announcement that he (Wickremesinghe) would refrain from appointing an acting IGP every two weeks as it could result in an election petition given that it is now the period of the Presidential Election.

In order to further distance himself from the IGP saga, Wickremesinghe ensured that he was one of the first independent candidates to make the deposit payment on Friday morning to contest at the Presidential Election. By declaring himself as a candidate, President Wickremesinghe has placed himself in a position where he cannot appoint an acting IGP.

It is learnt that as soon as the Supreme Court directive was announced on Wednesday (24), Public Security Minister Tiran Alles had been quite disturbed. However, President Wickremesinghe had explained to him the legal grey area in implementing the directive and asked the Minister to not be disturbed.

It is no secret that President Wickremesinghe has always maintained that the Legislature is supreme and that the Judiciary cannot intervene in legislative powers.

However, the controversy over the appointment of the IGP started when two of the three civil society members in the Constitutional Council (CC) refrained from casting their votes on whether or not to approve Tennakoon’s name, upon being proposed to the post of IGP by President Wickremesinghe. The final announcement of the IGP’s appointment being approved by the CC therefore led to much discussion and ultimately resulted in nine FR petitions before the Supreme Court challenging the appointment.

Be that as it may, the latest interim order by the Supreme Court suspending the IGP from office until the petitions are heard, in the run-up to a key national election – the Presidential Election – seems to have presented a grey area in the Constitution. 

This was pointed out by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena when he informed Parliament on Friday that removing the IGP required a special procedure, that the situation with regard to the IGP could not be resolved by the President, and that the matter must be sorted out in court if necessary. “If not, we will have to go before the Supreme Court again to resolve the matter,” he said.

Abeywardena also informed Parliament that due process had been followed in the appointment of the IGP by the CC. He further informed the House that the removal of an official appointed by the CC and Parliament must follow a proper procedure, which in his opinion had not been followed. 

As such, the Speaker agreed with Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena’s statement and noted that the office of the IGP was not vacant and if the matter required further scrutiny, it must be decided in the courts. 

Furthermore, it has been pointed out that in fact according to the interim order delivered by the Supreme Court, it has only been suggested that the President appoint an acting IGP, but has not instructed him to do so. As the court had not instructed the President to make this appointment, President Wickremesinghe has hence informed the Speaker that he will not be getting involved in this matter as it must be settled between the Legislature and the Judiciary.

Constitutional provisions

Meanwhile, questions were also posed in Parliament seeking clarification on whether the CC was under the purview of the Executive or the Legislature.

Leader of the House, Attorney-at-Law Minister Susil Premajayantha had told Parliament in response that the CC remained under the Executive.

Former President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) President’s Counsel Saliya Pieris has noted that the claim by the Government that the CC is not subject to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court is not true. 

“Article 41J of the Constitution has made the CC subject to the provisions of Article 126 of the Constitution which is the Fundamental Rights jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. A seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court decided in 2002 that the Constitutional Council is not immune,” he stated in a post on social media.

He also noted that the claim that the CC was an extension of the Legislature was not true: “Merely because there are seven parliamentarians on it does not make it an extension of Parliament. It performs an Executive function. In fact, in the Constitution the chapter VIIA on the Constitutional Council is among the chapters on the Executive. Again, the Supreme Court has clearly decided on this matter earlier.”

“As regards the IGP, the Constitutional Council does not make its recommendation to the President. It is the President who nominates a person for approval of the Constitutional Council and the President makes the appointment. In relation to the IGP, the entire argument revolved around the issue that there was no proper approval obtained from the Constitutional Council prior to the appointment. The President’s powers of appointment and all other powers except the power to declare war and peace are subject to the Fundamental Rights jurisdiction after the 19th Amendment to the Constitution passed in 2015 by Parliament itself,” Pieris has added.

Previous incidents

Nevertheless, Parliament is now focused on several decisions made by former speakers and deputy speakers on the balance of power between the Legislature and the Judiciary.

One of the key decisions taken into account at present is that of the late Anura Bandaranaike during his tenure as Speaker of Parliament. Bandaranaike’s historic decision resulted in the upholding of the supremacy of Parliament and has been deemed as the first such ruling that upheld the supremacy of the Legislature over the Judiciary.

The historic decision was made when in June 2001, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court had issued a Stay Order restraining the Speaker from appointing a Select Committee to inquire into the conduct of the then Chief Justice consequent to an impeachment motion against the said Chief Justice being forwarded to the Speaker in terms of the Constitution and Standing Orders.

However, Bandaranaike announced that the Supreme Court had no jurisdiction to issue interim orders restraining the Speaker of Parliament in respect of the steps he was empowered to take under Standing Order 78A, that the aforesaid interim order dated 6 June 2001 was not binding on the Speaker of Parliament, and that there was no legal obligation to comply with the said order.

Another instance when Parliament supremacy was declared had taken place in 2013. In January 2013, a similar clash between the Legislature and Judiciary took place over former Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake. The Supreme Court had said at the time that Parliament did not have the power to probe Bandaranayake. 

However, BBC Sandeshaya on 3 January 2013 stated that then Deputy Speaker Chandima Weerakkody had said that Parliament was not bound to abide by the Supreme Court directive. Weerakkody had told BBC Sandeshaya at the time that no one could speak of the powers vested with the Legislature. 

Split over Deshabandu

However, the ongoing IGP saga has also resulted in a split within the Government as well as among members of the Wickremesinghe election campaign.

It is learnt that a senior member of the United National Party (UNP) has been engaged in a campaign against Tennakoon. This senior UNPer had made several calls to senior members of the Government asking that the Supreme Court directive should be carried out against Tennakoon.

Several members of the Government who had received telephone calls from this senior UNPer had been surprised by this stance. When asked why he was so opposed to Tennakoon, the UNP senior had claimed that Tennakoon was an ungrateful individual and that the Government should not lose the support of the Catholic Church and the Catholic voters by trying to protect Tennakoon.

Meanwhile, it is also learnt that a large portion of members in the Wickremesinghe election campaign also believe that Tennakoon should be suspended in line with the Supreme Court directive. A pro-Wickremesinghe Member of Parliament (MP) told ‘The Black Box’ that a large number of MPs in the Wickremesinghe camp were displeased that the President was trying to ‘save’ Tennakoon at the expense of the Government.

Justifying delay

Meanwhile, President Wickremesinghe last week made quite a controversial statement, saying that the country would have been thrust towards a deeper crisis if funds had been allocated to conduct the Local Government Polls at the right time.

Wickremesinghe and his Government have faced much criticism over the failure to hold Local Government Elections on time by indefinitely postponing the polls.

The President, while addressing a meeting held with former Local Government heads in Colombo, had detailed the challenges he had been faced with at the time. The economy had completely collapsed, he noted.

“The Local Government Elections occurred against this backdrop. However, there were insufficient funds to allocate for it. Many issues needed prioritisation over that election, such as allocating money for importing medicines and fuel,” President Wickremesinghe had said.

RW’s assurance

However, President Wickremesinghe on Monday (22) assured the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) parliamentarians that the Presidential Election would not be delayed and would be held as scheduled.

The President, chairing the Government parliamentary group, had noted that despite claims by the Opposition that he was trying to delay the holding of the Presidential Election, there would be no delays in the polls.

Wickremesinghe had further observed that funds had already been allocated to hold the Presidential Election and that those funds would only be utilised for the relevant poll.

Galle announcement

Wickremesinghe meanwhile finally made the announcement of his decision to contest at the upcoming Presidential Election at the ‘Victory through Unity’ rally in Galle yesterday (27).

A large number of Government ministers and MPs attended the rally.

Prior to the rally, Wickremesinghe had lunch with members of the Government attending the rally at the Lighthouse Hotel in Galle.

Meanwhile, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Ishak Rahuman, A.L.M. Athaullah, and Azath Salley also joined the rally in Galle.

Prasanna takes the lead

Meanwhile, amidst the ongoing crisis within the SLPP, it was senior SLPPer, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga who took the lead in inviting President Wickremesinghe to contest the Presidential Election by making a public statement about it at last Sunday’s (21) ‘Victory through Unity’ rally held in Kadawatha in the Gampaha District.

The day before, on 20 July, SLPP National Organiser Namal Rajapaksa had reiterated that the SLPP had not finalised its decision on the Presidential Election and that the party would support a candidate who would not sell State assets. It is in such a backdrop that Ranatunga had decided to break away from the SLPP stance by expressing support to Wickremesinghe.

It was ironic to see SLPPers attending the rally raising their hands and endorsing Ranatunga’s proposal on Wickremesinghe – a man whom the party has continuously opposed and criticised.

According to Wickremesinghe’s initial campaign plan, he was to announce his decision to contest at the Presidential Election on 21 July, which is when he completed two years in the office of the Executive President. Hence, there was much anticipation in political circles to see if Wickremesinghe would finally make the announcement.

However, Wickremesinghe responded by saying that he would announce his candidacy at the right time.

SLPP split intensifies

However, while Minister Ranatunga called on President Wickremesinghe to declare his candidacy at the Presidential Election in Gampaha, a group of SLPP state ministers and organisers of Gampaha decided to attend a meeting in Kurunegala that was convened by SLPP National Organiser Namal.

Namal presided over the Bingiriya Balamandala meeting of the SLPP at the same time as the Government’s ‘Victory through Unity’ rally in Kadawatha.

State Ministers Indika Anuruddha and Prasanna Ranaweera along with a group of SLPP organisers from Gampaha attended the rally in Bingiriya despite attempts by Ranatunga to get them to attend the Kadawatha meeting that was co-organised by him.

However, Ranatunga managed to get the major portion of the SLPP machinery in Gampaha for the Government rally in Kadawatha organised by him and SLPP MP Sahan Pradeep Withana. The meeting was attended by SLPP MPs Kokila Gunawardhana, Milan Jayathilaka, Upul Mahendra Rajapaksha, and Sisira Jayakody. A total of 28 Government ministers had attended the meeting.

Although State Minister Anuruddha did not attend the Kadawatha meeting, the Local Government head of his constituency – Divulapitiya – Indika Jayasinghe had attended Ranatunga’s meeting. Also, SLPP Local Government members from Kelaniya, Peliyagoda, and Gampaha had all attended the Kadawatha meeting.

Last Sunday’s rallies however showed that Ranatunga continues to hold the SLPP’s power in the Gampaha District, while only two leaders from Gampaha have extended support to Namal.

The widening split within the SLPP is increasing while the party seniors are contemplating the stance the party should adopt at the upcoming Presidential Election.

Indika’s admittance

Meanwhile, the speech delivered by State Minister Anuruddha at the SLPP Bingiriya meeting saw the SLPP admitting that several district leaders of the party were now supporting Wickremesinghe.

Anuruddha claimed that the series of rallies organised by the Government with the stated intention of creating awareness about the Government’s programmes had now been converted into an event to destroy the ‘Pohottuwa’ (SLPP). “What is being discussed at these meetings is how to form an alliance by sidelining the most powerful members of our party,” Anuruddha said.

He claimed that some SLPP leaders in Kurunegala, Kalutara, and Anuradhapura were being taken to form their (Wickremesinghe’s) own group.

He also noted that SLPP seniors should understand the concept of gratitude. “They (pro-Wickremesinghe SLPPers) should know they used Mahinda Rajapaksa’s image to win elections and not the images of their fathers,” the State Minister added.

Pacifying Prasanna

As the SLPP split continued to widen, Wickremesinghe, who was supposed to travel to Kataragama to attend the final perahera after concluding the Kadawatha rally, had changed his plans last minute and instead had made his way to SLPP MP Withana’s residence in Kadawatha.

It was Withana’s wife, sister, and several other family members who had been at home when the President had arrived. Wickremesinghe had told Withana and his family that even he could not get such a massive crowd to Kadawatha when he first contested in 1977. Withana had said that it was Ranatunga who had worked tirelessly to make the rally a success.

However, Ranatunga had smiled and then said that he was hurt that some people whom he had brought into politics were now attacking him from all sides. “I gave them nominations even when the party objected. Minister Susil (Premajayantha) was then the General Secretary of the party. He knows it very well,” Ranatunga had said.

President Wickremesinghe had pacified Ranatunga saying that he should not take notice of such incidents since they were common in politics.

Counting numbers

However, the incidents that took place last Sunday irked the SLPP seniors, especially since the split within the party was reaching a point of no return. 

Meanwhile, the SLPP Headquarters is currently engaged in counting numbers of SLPPers currently with the official SLPP and the numbers currently in support of Wickremesinghe. SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam has been assigned the task of making the lists.

It is learnt that Kariyawasam has informed the SLPP leadership that despite a considerable number of SLPP district leaders and organisers siding with President Wickremesinghe, a majority of the party machinery still remains with the SLPP.

However, SLPP seniors like Mahindananda Aluthgamage and Ranatunga maintain that a majority of the SLPP machinery is now in Wickremesinghe’s camp and even in the event of the SLPP deciding not to support the President at the Presidential Election, the SLPP base will be with Wickremesinghe.

Message to RW

It is in such a backdrop that the SLPP informed President Wickremesinghe that he should make arrangements to quickly get to his side the 20-25 SJB MPs whom he has claimed are ready to join him.

In response to claims by a group of Wickremesinghe allies that the SLPP’s affiliation to the President was preventing SJBers from joining him, the SLPP stated that it was ready to move out of the Government in order to enable Wickremesinghe to secure the support of the SJB MPs.

It is also learnt that the SLPP leaders have decided to remind Wickremesinghe that he has yet failed to provide a written request to the party requesting its support at the Presidential Election.

Basil’s balancing act

Meanwhile, SLPP theoretician Basil Rajapaksa has been trying to prevent the split within the SLPP over supporting Wickremesinghe at the Presidential Election. He has been engaged in discussions with several SLPPers in the pro-Wickremesinghe camp in a bid to prevent another breakaway group from the party.

Basil, it is learnt, had met with Ranatunga on Monday (22) in a bid to try and balance the latter after he showed his strength during the rally in Gampaha the day before. Ranatunga, during the meeting with Basil, had reiterated that the SLPP had to make the right decision and that it was to support Wickremesinghe.

Ranatunga was also seen at the SLPP Headquarters attending a meeting chaired by SLPP Leader, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR) on Tuesday (23).

SLPP district leaders meet

A group of 12 SLPP district leaders had meanwhile met on Monday (22) afternoon at a residence of a state minister located at Malalasekera Mawatha in Colombo 7.

The discussion had been mainly focused on the issue of the SLPP’s delay in deciding on its stance at the upcoming Presidential Election. They had discussed what they should do in the event the SLPP decided not to support Wickremesinghe and fielded a separate candidate.

One of the state ministers had then noted that they would also have to make a decision. “Given that a majority of the SLPP MPs are supporting Wickremesinghe, we might have to move out of the SLPP and take a stand,” the state minister had said, adding that around 75 SLPP MPs were of that opinion.

It is in such a backdrop that SLPP Leader MR was approached by a group of 30 SLPP MPs on Thursday (25) with a message that they had decided to support Wickremesinghe at the Presidential Election.

They had asked MR to make a wise decision on behalf of the party.

Imminent split

Meanwhile, a meeting of the SLPP was convened on Wednesday (24) at the SLPP Headquarters at Nelum Mawatha in Battaramulla. All SLPP seniors attended the meeting, including the pro-Wickremesinghe ministers.

The statements made by the senior SLPPers following the meeting was a clear indication of the growing tension within the party that has now reached an explosion point. 

Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said that the SLPP should support the most suitable candidate and that it was Wickremesinghe. However, Namal dismissed Wijesekera’s response, noting that there were several schools of thought within the party and that some believed Wickremesinghe should be supported. 

“Some say it should be President Wickremesinghe and they claim to have the majority support of the party. Then there’s another group that believes we (SLPP) should field a separate candidate and that they too have the majority. However, the party is yet to make a final decision,” Namal claimed.

Meanwhile, Minister Ranatunga made the most serious statement by saying that while the party had not split yet, there would be a split if the majority calls were ignored by the party. Ranatunga further claimed that there was no change in his stance that Wickremesinghe should be made president, which he had said publicly.

Namal’s accusation

Namal meanwhile accused President Wickremesinghe of dividing the SLPP.

Rajapaksa told reporters that the SLPP had given its fullest support to Wickremesinghe to form a Government and that in return, the President was trying to divide the SLPP. “It is his (Wickremesinghe’s) habit to split parties. It will be a surprise if he doesn’t try that with the SLPP also.”

Losing the chance

However, it is evident that the current crisis within the SLPP has placed the Rajapaksas in a precarious position within the party as well as in the local political scene.

While the SLPP is keen on maintaining its policies, the growing support base for Wickremesinghe within the party has posed a problem.

With the SLPP now heading towards a clear split, such a break would have an adverse impact on Namal’s political future. Namal has for some time been targeting the post of Opposition Leader of Parliament, which he believes could be his after the next General Election. However, in the event of a split within the SLPP, Namal will face quite a challenge in achieving this target as well.

No candidate from SLPP

It is in such a backdrop that a statement made by MR on Thursday (25) morning left many SLPPers confused.

Speaking with a group of SLPP youth members, MR had said that the party would not be fielding a candidate at the Presidential Election, when the youth had asked MR if the party would be doing so. “No. Who said so? We (SLPP) have not made any such decision,” MR had said.

Several senior SLPPers who heard about MR’s statement had noted that it was now becoming likely that the SLPP would refrain from fielding a candidate at the Presidential Election while also not extending support to Wickremesinghe. “This move could help the SLPP remain intact, at least for the time being,” a senior SLPPer told ‘The Black Box’.

It is learnt that businessman-turned-politician Dhammika Perera had been asked to meet with MR and Basil on Tuesday (23). Many SLPPers had believed that Perera was asked to come to discuss the Presidential Election and his candidacy.

However, while Perera had met with MR and Basil, there had been no discussion about the upcoming election or his candidacy.

The SLPP meanwhile has stated that the party will meet tomorrow (29) to make a final decision about the Presidential Election.

New conditions

However, it is learnt that a meeting of the Rajapaksa family had taken place on Wednesday (24), where several important decisions with regard to the party had been made. 

It is also learnt that three new conditions had been decided upon to be presented to President Wickremesinghe. Key among them was a proposal by Namal that the SLPP should be given the post of prime minister and that it should be held by MR.

The other two conditions were the appointment of a general secretary of the new alliance who is acceptable to both parties and that the Cabinet portfolios allocated to the SLPP should be decided prior to reaching an agreement.

The SLPP leaders had also discussed the quotas for the SLPP at future elections in the event a political alliance was formed.

Basil meets RW

Basil had met President Wickremesinghe on Thursday (25) where the discussion had focused on the new alliance between the SLPP and the UNP that is being mooted.

It is learnt that Wickremesinghe had proposed that the SLPP be given a quota of 30% in the Local Government Elections nominations list, 35% from the Provincial Councils list, and 40% from the General Election list. However, Basil had requested a 90% quota for the SLPP in the Local Government nominations lists, 70% from the Provincial Councils lists, and 70% from the Parliamentary Election list.

Since the meeting had concluded without reaching a final decision, Wickremesinghe is to meet with Basil today (28) to reach a final decision.

Given the requests put forward by the SLPP, it is evident that its leaders are trying to find a way out of a partnership with Wickremesinghe by asking for the impossible.

Basil is obviously looking at a win-win for the SLPP. If Wickremesinghe doesn’t agree to the conditions, it will be stated that the SLPP tried its best and if Wickremesinghe agrees, it will be a case of the SLPP winning its demands.

UNP dilemma

The ongoing clashes within the SLPP and President Wickremesinghe’s attempts to get the SLPP to support him at the Presidential Election amidst much complications has left the UNP in a dilemma.

The UNP has also been working on forming a political alliance and party seniors Ravi Karunanayake and Wajira Abeywardena have been pushing for the SLPP to join this alliance. Both Karunanayake and Abeywardena have been battling within the UNP to convince the party of the importance of the SLPP’s support for Wickremesinghe at the election. They have been pointing out that the SLPP’s contribution is essential for Wickremesinghe to win.

However, many UNPers have not been sharing Karunanayake’s and Abeywardena’s views and have been pushing back on the SLPP’s support. These UNPers have noted that the SLPP joining with the UNP could push away a segment of the UNP’s vote base which is still opposed to the Rajapaksas, especially the minority communities.

Nevertheless, the ongoing complexities within the SLPP have also placed UNP-SLPP alliance talks on rocky grounds, resulting in a dilemma for the UNP-led alliance.

A blessing

However, the New Alliance – formed by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) together with SLPP dissidents led by Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and Nimal Lanza – maintains that it would be a blessing in disguise if the Rajapaksas decide to refrain from supporting President Wickremesinghe at the Presidential Election.

The New Alliance members, especially Yapa, Lanza, and SLFP General Secretary Duminda Dissanayake, have pointed out that the withdrawal of the Rajapaksas and the SLPP would enable SJBers to support Wickremesinghe as well as not marginalise minority parties.

New Alliance under PA

Meanwhile, the SLFP-Yapa-Lanza New Alliance has decided to officially align under an SLFP-led alliance. It is learnt that the alliance will be formed under the People’s Alliance (PA – Podujana Eksath Peramuna) with the ‘chair’ symbol. 

While initial discussions had focused on reconstituting under the SLFP-led United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA – Eksath Janatha Nidahas Sandhanaya) under the ‘betel leaf’ symbol, the idea had to be put aside due to the ongoing litigation process in relation to the UPFA’s general secretary post. The litigation process has also resulted in the Election Commission including the UPFA under six parties that are facing temporary suspension due to legal issues.

Lanza recently said that all arrangements had been made to form the alliance under the PA.

The SLFP, after suffering a string of defeats, first managed to secure power under the PA when former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga contested under the alliance and won the Presidential Election in 1994.

SJB alliance 

The main Opposition SJB meanwhile is set to form a broad election alliance on 8 August. The SJB claims that numerous political parties and recognised political organisations, including certain breakaway groups from the SLPP, are expected to join this new alliance.

However, it is learnt that some minority parties that are currently in the SJB-led alliance are yet to confirm if they will be joining the new alliance being formed with mainly dissident SLPPers.

The SJB on an earlier occasion this year also tried to form a broad alliance but had to shelve the plans after minority parties did not agree with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was to be signed between the alliance partners.

Fonseka’s request

Meanwhile, SJB Chairman Sarath Fonseka last week declared his intentions of contesting the Presidential Election. Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe also declared that he would be contesting the polls.

However, it seems like Fonseka is still looking for takers. He had recently met senior SLFPers Minister Mahinda Amaraweera and State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna when they had all arrived at the chamber of the President’s Counsel appearing for their respective cases.

While waiting for their consultations, the trio had engaged in a conversation that had included the current developments in the political scene. Amaraweera and Alagiyawanna had then invited Fonseka to join with the New Alliance formed by the SLFP.

Fonseka had smiled and asked if he would be made the presidential candidate of the alliance. The request had taken Amaraweera and Alagiyawanna by surprise and they had looked at each other before saying that they were going in to meet the counsel for their consultation.

AKD pledges justice

Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and National People’s Power (NPP) Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) has meanwhile assured justice over the murder of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge and other such high-profile murders.

AKD told a public gathering in Japan last Sunday (21) that apart from fighting corruption, an NPP government would ensure that investigations were conducted over various emblematic cases.

Meanwhile, AKD said that various claims had been made over his overseas visits. The NPP Leader said that on his return to Sri Lanka he would make public the expenses for his overseas visits. AKD insisted that Government funds had not been used for his overseas visits.

He also challenged President Wickremesinghe, Tourism Minister Harin Fernando, and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara to reveal the expenses of their recent overseas visits.

Meanwhile, Fernando has responded to AKD’s statement regarding the expenses for foreign trips he had undertaken.

Files on RW

However, AKD made an interesting statement that caught the attention of many. The statement was that he had files related to corruption and fraud on President Wickremesinghe.

According to AKD, he has two files on Wickremesinghe. He explained that complaints against the President had been received by the Anti-Corruption Secretariat established during the ‘good governance’ regime.

AKD claimed that Wickremesinghe had shut down the secretariat after it started receiving complaints about UNPers.

A Tamil candidate

Meanwhile, a move that could have an impact on the final outcome of the upcoming Presidential Election has now been mooted from the Northern Province.

Several Tamil political parties and representatives from civil organisations reached an agreement last week to present a Tamil common candidate for the forthcoming Presidential Election. Such a move could result in a split in the votes of the Tamil bloc in the Northern Province.

It is no secret that President Wickremesinghe lost the Presidential Election in 2005 to MR due to the boycott on the poll enforced by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at the time.

The agreement was signed in Jaffna on Monday (22) by several parties including seven Tamil political parties and seven civil society representatives. The political parties include the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) led by Opposition MP Selvam Adaikkalanathan, People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) led by MP Dharmalingam Sithadthan, Tamil People’s National Alliance (TPNA) led by MP, President’s Counsel (PC) C.V. Wigneswaran, Tamil National Party (TNP) led by Attorney-at-Law N. Srikantha, and Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) led by Suresh Premachandran. The Tamil People’s General Assembly, which includes several Tamil civil organisations, also signed the agreement.

The Tamil common candidate was not named at the event last Monday. It is learnt that the parties involved in the agreement are to form a subcommittee composed of their representatives which will decide on the candidate, who will be announced once a final decision is reached. 

Wigneswaran explained his shift from endorsing President Wickremesinghe, citing the President’s failure to deliver on promises related to the devolution of power as the primary reason for his change in stance.

“The candidates from the south come and make various promises but fail to deliver on them. That is why we decided to put forward a Tamil candidate,” Wigneswaran noted. 

ITAK says no

However, the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) has decided not to nominate a candidate for the upcoming Presidential Election.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M.A. Sumanthiran has said the party will still hold discussions with the main candidates.

No TNA leader

Meanwhile, the TNA is still without a leader following the demise of Leader R. Sampanthan, with the parliamentary group yet to decide on Sampanthan’s successor.

Leader of the ITAK, the main constituent party of the TNA, S. Shritharan has confirmed that a decision is yet to be made regarding the new leader. “A decision is yet to be taken regarding the vacant leadership position,” Shritharan stated. 

He further elaborated on the process, explaining that the TNA’s Central Committee was scheduled to convene early next month to discuss and decide on the matter. “The Central Committee will meet in early August to make a decision on the leadership issue,” Shritharan added.