• IMF says DSA cannot be changed without Govt. presenting alternative revenue generation methods
• AKD says won’t allow racial politics in Sri Lanka; some elements in the south continue fearmongering
• Vijitha says AKD’s first official visit will be to India next month; Indians surprised, dates not finalised
• Chinese Ambassador visits north, hails JVP/NPP victory at polls saying ready to support Sri Lanka
• RW in India till this Friday on a private visit to deliver speech, expected to meet with several officials
• New Cabinet appointed without fanfare; first Cabinet meet discusses policies, agrees on rice imports
• No family members at swearing-in, Saroja’s husband watches on TV in hospital; no Muslims in Cabinet
• Appointment of 29 deputy ministers gathers criticism over lack of women; questions over NPP role in Govt.
• Low-key opening of 10th Parliament; AKD delivers speech without papers, delays in accessing copies
• Only 37 MPs return from last Parliament, 160 new faces and 43 Govt. MPs seated in Opposition side
• Jaffna’s Archchuna takes over seat, refuses to move saying out with old; Sajith moves to adjoining seat
• New MP from Gampaha arrives wearing shirt with top button undone, House staff point to dress code
• Rohitha hugs and greets Harsha; Vijitha reminded of Lord Buddha’s statues during tsunami by Rohitha
• Lalkantha makes his way to Chamindranee, greets and congratulates; Bimal greets Namal, Ravi, Dayasiri
• SJB’s National List chaos due to many vying for slots; Ranjith goes in; SLMC, ACMC, TPA to get seat each
• Battle continues for remaining SJB National List slot between Sujeewa and several including Kiriella
• RW gets shock treatment from Ravi when Sharmila sends Ravi’s name to EC for NDF National List slot
• Ravi, Sharmila maintain RW was aware of agreement with NDF on National List slot; RW loyalists deny
• SLFP, PA, New Alliance write to RW seeking National List slot for Faiszer; RW says only 1 slot left
• SLPP dissidents’ ‘trophy’ party push for Kanchana to secure National List slot; letter sent to Sharmila
• RW meets party seniors, decides to take disciplinary action against Ravi; Ravi says ready for anything
• UNP decides to go with ‘elephant’ at future polls; RW asks several confidants to draw up plans
• SJB’s drastic decline in votes, popularity results in calls for party reforms; Tissa goes public with call
• Suma declines National List slot from ITAK, says work from outside House; Ranjan, Allirajah’s plans out

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) last week made two important speeches that will chart the course of the new Government – the address to his new Cabinet of Ministers on Monday (18) and the Throne Speech delivered at the opening of the 10th Parliament on Thursday (21). Both speeches, while providing a clearer picture on the new Government’s path in the coming years, have earned the praise of many.

President AKD’s message to his Cabinet on the lines of being mindful of the fact that ‘power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely,’ given the past actions of successive governments witnessed by the masses, and that the Cabinet’s only responsibility was to the people and the movement (Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna [JVP]-led National People’s Power [NPP]) were seen as positive comments by the President.

In his Throne Speech, two key points that captured one’s attention were his statement that there would not be space for racial extremism in the country anymore and that the new Government would sign the deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to secure the next tranche under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme, indicating a continuation of the ongoing economic recovery programme.

On the statement on standing against racial extremism in the country, it seems President AKD has clearly taken a shot at some extreme nationalist politicians as well as extremist elements who have played an active role in the past to incite ethnic violence in the country. 

Calling on the people to be vigilant against forces that are against the country, Ven. Prof. Medagoda Abhayatissa Thera, a prominent figure in the nationalist camp, has said that divisive forces were still active and that the people should be watchful.

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Member of Parliament (MP) Namal Rajapaksa meanwhile called for national security to be given prominence when dismantling military camps in the north. 

Namal’s post on X stated: “According to reports, an army camp in the north has been withdrawn, for land to be released back to civilians and many more such camps are to be withdrawn in coming months. While the release of lands is not an issue if it is done in consultation with the security forces, it should not be done at the cost of compromising national security. Sri Lanka fought 30 years of terrorism and today all communities enjoy freedom at the cost of thousands of lost lives. It is of utmost importance that national security is maintained whether it is in the north or south.”

The JVP/NPP’s historic victory at the Parliamentary Elections that saw the north and south united for the first time in the country’s history in electing a government has provided yet another golden opportunity for Sri Lanka to finally heal and reconcile to help all Sri Lankans coexist in harmony. To that end President AKD has managed to build trust among the Tamil community by reopening closed roads and handing back lands of civilians occupied by the military in the Northern Province. 

During the period of the war, the military reportedly occupied 73,016.50 acres in the Northern Province and out of this, 9,571.36 acres of land (7,264.49 acres of State land and 2,306.77 acres of private land) were identified to be released. In the Eastern Province, a total of 12,236.69 acres were reportedly held by the military during the war and 3,638.38 acres (3,596.90 acres of State land and 41.48 acres of private land) were identified to be released. According to the military, private lands have been gradually released since the end of the war.

It would be illogical to continue to close down roads in the Northern Province and allow large extents of civilian lands to be occupied by the military 15 years after the end of the war. If the trend is to continue even 15 years after the end of the war, doubts could be raised about the Rajapaksas’ much-touted war victory and it would also undermine the country’s intelligence units that are tasked with being vigilant and dispelling any threat – foreign or local – on Sri Lankan soil.

Sri Lankans on the whole will therefore have to be mindful more of the extremist elements that are once again trying to gain their lost political ground through fearmongering.

Moving with IMF

Meanwhile, on the economic front, President AKD’s statement on securing the third IMF tranche resulted in many foreign news outlets claiming that the President had made a U-turn on the IMF. However, AKD also claimed in the run-up to the election that the JVP/NPP would not engage in any action that could harm the economic recovery programme.

President AKD, who met with the IMF delegation led by Peter Breuer, also urged the fund last Monday (18) to take a balanced approach with regard to Sri Lanka’s economic recovery programme.

The President reaffirmed that he was ready to cooperate with the IMF to restore Sri Lanka’s economy with the mandate given by the people but reiterated the need to provide relief to the masses.

The IMF yesterday (23) announced the conclusion of the review on Sri Lanka and the Staff-Level Agreement (SLA) reached with the Government. It is however learnt that the IMF had reiterated that any amendments to the programme within the agreed framework should ensure a proper Government programme to increase revenue.

The IMF made this fact known even to the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) during a meeting with SJB leaders at the Opposition Leader’s Office in Colombo 7 on Friday (22).

The IMF delegation had said that Sri Lanka’s Debt Sustainability Assessment (DSA) could not be changed and that the Government would have to record a 15.1% State revenue and a 3.2% surplus in the current account.

SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva said following the SJB discussion with the IMF that the fund had maintained that whatever changes to the programme could only be looked at after the presentation of the Government’s 2025 Budget next year.

He added that there would be no change to the existing IMF programme and that Sri Lanka would therefore secure the third tranche once the IMF Executive Board approval was received.

Economic achievements

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s outperformance on fiscal consolidation and revenue growth could possibly create some room for the Government to provide relief on taxation, Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) had stated last week.

“The 2024 outperformance on fiscal consolidation and revenue growth could possibly create some room for the Government to provide relief on taxation,” it said, further noting that a strong mandate in the elections was positive, as a strong two-thirds majority allowed the Government to make constitutional amendments.

However, SCB had added: “While a strong mandate is positive, we still need to watch for any policy missteps given the strong mandate.”

Meanwhile, the country’s top three private banks’ – Commercial Bank, Hatton National Bank (HNB), and Sampath Bank – Non-Performing Loan (NPL) ratios have improved between 3% and 5%, indicating an overall improvement in economic activity in the low-interest rate environment, according to their quarterly financial statements. 

Accordingly, the Q3 financial statements of the banks have shown an overall reduction in the Stage 3 loan ratios and impairment charges in the quarter that ended on 30 September.

“The support extended to customers to revive their businesses, concerted efforts on collection, and the overall improvement in economic activity enabled the bank to record superior asset quality compared to the industry,” the financial statement of HNB had noted.

The AKD Government will therefore have to understand that while these economic achievements were the results of mechanisms put in place by the former Ranil Wickremesinghe Government, the new Government will have to be cautious in its actions to ensure these achievements are not rolled back but built upon.

Indian visit surprise

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath last Monday (18) following the swearing-in of the new Cabinet of Ministers stated that President AKD was looking at making his first official overseas visit to India around mid-December.

Herath’s statement had come as a surprise to the Indians since there was no finalisation on when President AKD’s visit to India would take place. It is learnt that both the Indian side and the Sri Lankan side had been in discussion on whether the visit should take place in December or January 2025 when Minister Herath had made the statement to the media.

It is learnt that in the event President AKD’s visit to India does take place, it would be a very short one.

The Indians are caught in a tough spot it seems given that AKD’s first official overseas visit after assuming office being to India sends out a strong message locally and internationally, while the failure to finalise AKD’s December visit to India could be used by the Chinese to their advantage. 

Chinese making a play

Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong meanwhile visited the north last week – which is usually considered an area with Indian influence – and commented on the JVP/NPP’s historic win in the Northern Province at the recent Parliamentary Elections.

The JVP/NPP’s victory in the north following the divisions among the northern Tamil parties caught the Indians by surprise, no doubt. The Chinese however are looking at using this development to make further inroads into the north and consolidate Chinese influence there.

Qi’s press conference at the Jaffna Press Club during the northern visit last week had reportedly focused on the results of the Parliamentary Elections and he had claimed that the Tamil community’s choice to support the JVP/NPP in Jaffna signalled a shift beyond traditional protests, focusing on national unity and future cooperation.

“This development reflects a broader vision for Sri Lanka, where all communities, regardless of ethnicity or religion, are working together for a brighter, more unified future. China is pleased to witness this progress and stands with Sri Lanka in fostering closer ties for long-term success,” the Ambassador was quoted as telling the media in Jaffna.

The Chinese Ambassador’s comments, while indicating China’s changing engagement in Sri Lanka, should also be viewed as a warning sign to the Sri Lankan Government on being extra mindful on handling ties with neighbouring India.

RW in India

Former President Wickremesinghe meanwhile travelled to India last week and is expected back in the country this Friday (29).

During his visit to Madhya Pradesh, Wickremesinghe is expected to deliver a speech at the Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar higher education institution in Indore. The former President is also expected to meet with several members of the Indian Government during his visit to India.

It is evident that Wickremesinghe is trying to send out a message that he had met with the Indians before the President’s India visit.

New Cabinet culture

Meanwhile, the AKD Government started to take shape with the appointment of the new Cabinet of Ministers, heralding a new political culture in the country as the usual pomp and pageantry were not part of the swearing-in ceremony last Monday (18).

The swearing-in of the Cabinet was a simple affair with the members expected to receive portfolios and several JVP/NPP officials as well as activists and some State officials attending the event. Family members of new Cabinet members and the usual string of luxury vehicles that are witnessed outside the Presidential Secretariat were all absent this time around. 

In fact, news reports stated that surgeon Dr. Asitha Amarakoon had watched his wife, Saroja Savithri Paulraj, being sworn in as a Cabinet Minister on television in the theatre of the Matara Hospital. It is similar to President AKD’s son, a cabin crew member of SriLankan Airlines, taking flight on duty when his father was sworn in as the President.

However, there was criticism raised by members of the public and analysts over the non-inclusion of a Muslim national in the Cabinet of Ministers. JVP/NPP Colombo MP Dr. Rizvie Salih responded to these allegations saying that the party was of the view that the primary condition for leading a ministry should be a person’s qualifications, skills, and political acumen, and not their gender, race, or religion.

He further noted that he had full confidence that President AKD had appointed the right individuals to the right ministries. In a statement on social media, Dr. Salih said: “As someone with far more insight into their capabilities and contributions than the rest of us, his decisions are undoubtedly rooted in merit.”

First Cabinet meeting

Meanwhile, the first meeting of the newly-appointed Cabinet of Ministers was held last Tuesday (19).

It is learnt that the usual decision-making process followed at Cabinet meetings had not taken place at last week’s meeting and only a few key decisions had been made. The 22 members of the Cabinet had discussed matters related to governance and the approach of the new Government.

Health and Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa was appointed as the Cabinet Spokesperson.

One of the key decisions made by the new Cabinet was to import 70,000 MT of rice to prevent the further escalation of rice prices in the market.

All male deputies

However, the good words earned by the AKD Government following the appointment of the new Cabinet started to diminish a few days later, when the President appointed 29 deputy ministers on Thursday (21).

The failure of the Government to appoint any female members as deputy ministers was criticised by many, including the Opposition, with questions being raised over AKD’s failure to ensure gender equality as pledged during the Parliamentary Elections campaign. 

Questions were also raised on the role of the NPP in the new Government, especially that of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, who has been advocating for gender equality. 

Inaugural session

Another key event last week was the opening of the 10th Parliament of Sri Lanka on Thursday (21) at 10 a.m. It was also a simple affair without the usual fanfare. Even the reciting of the ‘Jayamangala Gatha’ was done away with.

There was however a change in the time for the President’s Throne Speech at the opening of the new Parliament. It was earlier announced that President AKD would present the new Government’s policy at 3 p.m. on Thursday. However, the Communication Department of Parliament later announced that the President’s speech would be delivered at 11.30 a.m. that day.

Another change witnessed was in the appointment of the speaker. Initial reports stated that senior JVPer Nihal Galappaththi was to be appointed as the speaker, but finally it was trade union leader Ashoka Ranwala who was appointed to the position.

It was believed that Galappaththi’s name would be nominated as the speaker since he was the most senior member of the JVP to return to Parliament and he was the first member of the JVP to enter Parliament.

Ranwala’s name for the post of speaker was proposed by Prime Minister Dr. Amarasuriya and seconded by Minister Herath. The posts of Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and Deputy Chairman of Committees were appointed unanimously.

The Speaker recognised SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa as the Opposition Leader.

The JVP/NPP Government meanwhile last Tuesday (19) appointed Minister Bimal Rathnayake as the Leader of the House while Minister Dr. Jayatissa was appointed as the Chief Government Whip.

The new Parliament has only 37 MPs from the last Parliament, with 160 new faces. Over 100 of the new MPs are from the JVP/NPP. The returning MPs include D.V. Chanaka, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Sajith Premadasa, Harsha de Silva, Harini Amarasuriya, Vijitha Herath, Harshana Rajakaruna, S.M. Marikkar, Mujibur Rahman, Rohini Kavirathna, Kavinda Jayawardana, Gayantha Karunatilleka, J.C. Alawathuwala, Selvam Adaikalanathan, S. Shritharan, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, Rishad Bathiudeen, Kader Masthan, K. Kodeeswaran, Imran Maharoof, Rauff Hakeem, Dilip Wedaarachchi, Hector Appuhamy, Rohana Bandara, Kins Nelson, Chaminda Wijesiri, Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, Hesha Withanage, Sujith Sanjaya Perera, P. Digambaram, Jeevan Thondaman, and Namal Rajapaksa (National List).

There are also several MPs who have returned to Parliament after several years – K.D. Lalkantha, Sunil Handunnetti, Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi, Nalinda Jayatissa, Wasantha Piyatissa, Namal Karunaratne, Wasantha Samarasinghe, and Samantha Vidyaratna.

Due to the large number of JVP/NPP MPs in Parliament, special seating arrangements had to be made to accommodate them. However, given that 159 MPs cannot be accommodated in the Government side (where seating is only available for 116 MPs), 43 JVP/NPP MPs were allotted seats in the Opposition side.

Chief opposition whip

However, the post of chief opposition whip is yet to be decided, with the main Opposition SJB looking at several contenders for the position.

It is learnt that the SJB is looking at proposing the names of MPs Ajith P. Perera and Gayantha Karunatilleka as well as Sujeewa Senasinghe, who is making a push for one of the National List slots of the SJB.

Delivering the speech

President AKD arrived in the House at 11.20 a.m. to deliver his Throne Speech at 11.30 a.m.

After arriving in Parliament, AKD was welcomed first by the Speaker and Secretary General of Parliament and afterwards by the Leader of the House and Chief Government Whip.

Unlike during previous years, the President did not have a thick bunch of papers for his speech. Instead, AKD addressed the Chamber pointing out his Government’s policies.

However, the one downside in this kind of speech delivery was the delay in distributing the President’s speech and its translations among invitees as well as the media. It took many hours for even the media to gain access to the President’s speech.

Parliament news

Be that as it may, the opening of the 10th Parliament saw many interesting moments. To start with, the JVP/NPP MPs arrived in buses to Parliament. The 159 JVP/NPP MPs were transported from the JVP Headquarters in Pelawatte to Parliament in buses.

One of the most interesting moments was witnessed when a new MP sat in the Opposition Leader’s chair in the Chamber and refused to move.

Usually, the eighth seat in the front row of the Opposition side in the Chamber is allocated to the Opposition Leader. However, this time around, the Opposition Leader’s seat was occupied by a new entrant to Parliament – MP Dr. Ramanathan Archchuna, who was elected through an independent list from the north.

When Parliament staff requested him to move to another chair after pointing out that the seat had been assigned to the Opposition Leader, he refused and asked where the Opposition Leader’s name was stated on the seat, adding that new precedents were being made as the old traditions were being done away with.

However, after the Speaker had recognised Premadasa as the Opposition Leader and the House re-convened after a short break for the President’s Throne Speech, Archchuna had returned to the Opposition Leader’s seat. Another member of the Parliament staff had been caught by surprise when he had walked to place Premadasa’s briefcase on the table in front of the Opposition Leader’s seat. The staff member had then made his way to Premadasa who was in another seat and handed over the briefcase.

After realising that there was chaos over the Opposition Leader’s seat, Premadasa had then sat in the seat next to the Opposition Leader’s seat – the ninth seat – and listened to the President’s speech.

Another issue where newcomers were concerned was when a new MP from the Gampaha District had tried to enter the Chamber with the top button of his shirt undone. Parliamentarians have a dress code to follow and men are expected to wear shirts that are fully buttoned. Seeing the MP, a member of the Parliament staff had pointed out that the top button had to be worn in Parliament and the MP had immediately buttoned the top button and entered the Chamber.

Meanwhile, the many media personnel who were in Parliament to get comments and voice cuts from MPs, especially the newly-elected MPs, had to spend time to figure out the new members. The large number of new faces in the House, it is learnt, had posed a problem for the media as well as Parliament staff members. 

Seeing media personnel approaching individuals and asking them whether they were MPs and, on some instances, being informed that they were ministry staff or relatives of new MPs, several Parliament staff members had told the media personnel that they too were having a problem trying to identify the new MPs.

However, inside the Parliament Chamber, many MPs from Government and Opposition sides were seen greeting each other and congratulating each other on entering Parliament prior to the commencement of sessions.

New MP Dilith Jayaweera was seen engaged in a light-hearted conversation with MPs Dayasiri Jayasekara and Kavinda Jayawardana. Jayaweera was also seen taking a selfie with Jayasekara and MP Sunil Watagala.

Leader of the House Minister Rathnayake was seen shaking hands and greeting MPs Namal Rajapaksa, Ravi Karunanayake, and Jayasekara. MP Dr. Harsha de Silva meanwhile received a hug from MP Rohitha Abeygunawardena.

It was also interesting to see Minister K.D. Lalkantha greet and congratulate one of his opponents in the Kandy District, MP Chamindranee Kiriella. Lalkantha’s comments about Kiriella during the election campaign had caused quite a stir as well.

Meanwhile, Minister Herath had wished Abeygunawardena saying that he had somehow managed to board Parliament. Abeygunawardena had laughed and said that despite natural disasters and even a tsunami, the Buddhist statues had not been destroyed.

Former Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena had watched the proceedings from the VIP box.

Following President AKD’s speech, a low-cost tea party followed where MPs and invitees were seen talking and exchanging pleasantries.

The weakest Opposition

However, the fall of key political parties that dominated Sri Lanka’s politics until now was witnessed at the recently concluded Parliamentary Elections.

The one-time main Opposition SJB has experienced a major downfall, with the party being unable to secure even 30% of votes in a majority of electorates. The party recorded over 30% of votes in the Colombo Central (36%) and Colombo West (30%) electorates. 

The SJB has also managed to poll over 25% and less than 30% in the Mahiyangana, Laggala, Walapane, Rakwana, Deraniyagala, Yatiyantota, Pelmadulla, Udadumbara, Beruwala, and Haputale electorates. The party had polled less than 20% of the votes in all the other electorates.

The SJB therefore becomes the one of the weakest Oppositions in the country’s history. It is the first time that the main Opposition party in Parliament has polled such low votes at an election under the Proportional Representation (PR) system.

Opposition alliance 

SLPP National Organiser Namal Rajapaksa has meanwhile reached out to a majority of the former MPs who were defeated at the election. This has included senior members of several Opposition parties. 

Namal, it is learnt, has proposed that parties in the parliamentary Opposition or even individual members should commence a dialogue to form a broad Opposition alliance.

It is learnt that Namal is looking at further expanding his dialogue with Opposition parties.

Historic defeat of a Govt.

While the SJB has been reduced to the weakest Opposition the country has witnessed thus far, the former Government side of former President Wickremesinghe has also made history as the only party to have experienced a historic defeat after governing the country.

The Wickremesinghe Government side that contested under the New Democratic Front (NDF) and its ‘gas cylinder’ symbol was reduced to just five seats in the House including two National List slots. Three seats were won by SLPP dissidents Anuradha Jayaratne and Rohitha Abeygunawardena as well as the Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s (SLFP) Chamara Sampath Dasanayake.

Former Minister Thondaman secured a seat from the Nuwara Eliya District after contesting under the United National Party (UNP) and its ‘elephant’ symbol.

No other Government-side party had faced such a defeat in the country’s electoral past. The ‘gas cylinder’ alliance failed to sustain the votes polled by Wickremesinghe at the September Presidential Election, with the two million-odd votes in September falling to around 500,000 votes at the Parliamentary Polls.

Clashes in SJB

However, following the conclusion of the Parliamentary Polls, clashes have emerged in the two key political alliances – the SJB-led alliance and the UNP, SLPP, and SLFP alliance under the ‘gas cylinder’ – over the National List slots obtained by each of them.

The five National List slots secured by the SJB-led alliance has over 10 individuals including former MPs vying to be nominated to enter Parliament.

‘The Black Box’ last week stated that the SJB leadership’s desire to send in new faces and professionals through the National List has pushed the names Ravi Jayawardena, Thisath Wijegunawardena, and Prof. Prasanna Perera as well as the SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara and Sajith Premadasa loyalist Sujeewa Senasinghe as possible candidates for the National List slots.

However, several other senior SJBers as well as senior SLPP dissidents in the National List have posed a problem to the SJB leadership in finalising the National List members. Among the SLPP dissidents vying for National List slots are former MPs Prof. G.L. Peiris and Dullas Alahapperuma, among several others.

Minority parties in the SJB coalition – the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC), and Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) – have also urged the SJB leadership to honour the agreement reached with them on granting a National List slot to each of the parties.

Meanwhile, a group of SJBers had called on the party leadership to consider appointing former MPs Eran Wickramaratne and Prof. Charitha Herath, who were defeated at the Parliamentary Polls, to Parliament through the National List.

By Tuesday (19) evening, the SJB leadership had reached a point where he had agreed that three of the five National List slots would be assigned to minority parties, the SLMC, ACMC, and TPA.

Nevertheless, there still remained a competition for two more National List slots. The two main contenders for the slots on Tuesday were Madduma Badara and Senasinghe. Former MP Lakshman Kiriella meanwhile had gotten the Malwatte Mahanayaka Thera to write to the SJB leadership asking for a National List slot to be given to Kiriella.

However, the SJB decided to name only Madduma Bandara to fill one of the National List slots and sent the relevant letter to the Election Commission. 

While Madduma Bandara made his way to Parliament, clashes continued within the SJB to fill the four remaining National List slots.

On Thursday, the SLMC announced that the party had proposed the name of M.S. Naleem to the SJB National List as its nominee.

The SJB then claimed that it would make its final decision on the four remaining National List slots on Friday (22). However, it is yet unclear who the party will be naming for its National List slots.

Rohini’s record

It is also interesting that SJB Matale District MP Rohini Kavirathna, who was being sidelined for a while by the party leadership during the former Parliament, set a record at the recent polls where the SJB is concerned. 

Premadasa polled the highest proportion of SJB preferential votes at the polls, which is 69% of the votes polled by the party. However, his vote bank has witnessed a drastic erosion from over 300,000 votes to around 145,000 votes at the recent polls.

The second place in the SJB’s preferential votes list is held by Kavirathna. Apart from being one of only two female SJBers to enter the new Parliament, she is also the only SJB MP to have recorded an increase in her vote bank.

End of generations

The Parliamentary Elections meanwhile also brought an end to several political generations. The family of the late UNP Minister A.C.S. Hameed has continuously played a prominent role in UNP and later SJB politics in the Central Province. 

Following Hameed, it was M.H.A. Haleem who filled the void created by Hameed’s demise. The six-decade family history in Parliament has also come to an end with Haleem’s defeat in the Kandy District at the recent polls.

Meanwhile, the Aluwihare family in the Matale District has also ended its political life, with Ranjith and Wasantha Aluwihare failing to win at Parliamentary Polls for a second consecutive time.

Call for change

The crisis within the SJB has divided its members into several groups. Some are calling for a change in the party leadership as well as a change in the Opposition leadership, stating that Premadasa was also unable to win elections like Wickremesinghe, while another group claims that Premadasa should be given more time.

However, all SJBers are concerned that the party’s vote base of 2,771,984 at the 2020 Parliamentary Elections that returned 54 MPs to Parliament has declined to 1,968,716 votes and has sent only 40 MPs.

Party National Organiser Tissa Attanayake was one of the first SJB seniors to go public with the call for party reforms.

‘Gas cylinder’ nominees

Meanwhile, the ‘gas cylinder’ alliance, like the SJB, is also facing clashes in finalising names for the two National List slots received by it.

While the initial contenders for the two slots were former Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Tiran Alles, Ravi Karunanayake, and Faiszer Musthapha, a group of SLPP dissidents had objected to Gunawardena being appointed to one of the National List slots.

Former Minister Kanchana Wijesekera’s name had also been included among the possible nominees through the National List. Wijesekera’s name was proposed by the SLPP dissidents’ party, the Podujana Eksath Nidahas Peramuna, under the ‘trophy’ symbol by General Secretary Dr. Ramesh Pathirana.

After holding a meeting between Wickremesinghe and coalition parties of the ‘gas cylinder’ alliance on 16 November, it was decided to meet the following Monday (18) to further discuss the alliance’s nominees to Parliament.

SLFP also seeks slot

Meanwhile, the SLFP has also staked a claim for a National List slot of the ‘gas cylinder’ alliance.

It is learnt that SLFP General Secretary Duminda Dissanayake had written to NDF (‘gas cylinder’ party) General Secretary Sharmila Perera that the SLFP was also seeking one of the two National List slots. Perera, it is learnt, had informed Dissanayake that since the NDF contested as an alliance with many other stakeholders, the SLFP should forward its request to the other parties as well.

Dissanayake, it is learnt, had then explained to Perera how alliance politics worked and noted that each party would write to the general secretary of the party that had formed the alliance and that this general secretary should then present the letter to the rest of the parties in the alliance.

The SLFP had decided to seek a National List slot from the ‘gas cylinder’ alliance since one of the three seats won by the alliance at the election was by an SLFPer – Chamara Sampath Dasanayake from the Badulla District. The other two seats were won by SLPP dissidents.

The SLFP maintains that the party should therefore be given a National List slot and that the UNP cannot seek a National List slot since it had not been able to secure any seat at the elections.

The SLFP has proposed that SLFP Senior Vice President, President’s Counsel Musthapha should be nominated through the National List.

Three letters for Faiszer

Apart from the SLFP, two more letters have been sent to Wickremesinghe last week backing Musthapha’s name to fill one of the NDF’s National List slots.

The other two letters were sent to Wickremesinghe by People’s Alliance (PA) General Secretary Lasantha Alagiyawanna and the New Alliance, signed by its Leader Nimal Lanza.

Altogether, three letters were received by Wickremesinghe supporting Musthapha as the National List nominee.

Thalatha and Ronald

However, when the scheduled meeting had gotten underway last Monday morning at the Flower Road office in Colombo 7, the UNP leadership had already discussed with a group of party seniors on the possibility of appointing either former MP Thalatha Atukorale or former Chairman of the Bank of Ceylon (BoC) Ronald Perera, PC as the party’s nominee to Parliament through the National List.

The SLFP was represented by Dissanayake and he had pointed out that the SLFP should also be considered when filling the two National List slots of the ‘gas cylinder’ alliance under the NDF.

NDF General Secretary Perera, who was also at the meeting, had insisted that the National List nominees had to be finalised and sent to the Election Commission immediately.

Wickremesinghe had noted that there was time to send in the names and that there was no hurry since the two slots had to be filled with the consensus of all parties in the ‘gas cylinder’ alliance. 

When Perera had continued to push for the names, Wickremesinghe and several other seniors had told her that she could not keep pushing since it was up to the coalition partners to decide and provide her with the two names. “You only have to sign and send the letter since the process of finalising the two members is up to the coalition parties,” one of the party seniors had said at the time.

Ravi’s move

While the NDF coalition parties were engaged in a discussion to determine the two National List members to Parliament and Wickremesinghe engaged in his usual time-buying exercises, they had heard of a letter that had been signed and sent to the Election Commission by Perera nominating Ravi Karunanayake to fill one of the National List slots.

Wickremesinghe had been taken by surprise upon hearing the news, while some party seniors who had continuously pushed him to get the UNP to contest under the ‘elephant’ symbol at the Parliamentary Elections had said “we told you so”. 

It was the belief of many UNP seniors that contesting under a political party – the NDF – claimed by Karunanayake as owned by him would give him the power to manipulate since it was the General Secretary of his party who would be the signatory. Wickremesinghe at the time was also reminded how Karunanayake had included his name in the National List in the first place.

Karunanayake, who had initially claimed he would contest under the alliance in the Colombo District, had gotten Perera to include his name in the National List the night before the conclusion of nominations without anyone’s knowledge. 

The inclusion of Karunanayake’s name in the National List was known only when Ronald Perera had signed the National List as a nominee. After seeing Karunanayake’s name in the National List, Ronald Perera had asked the UNP leadership whether Karunanayake was not contesting the polls. It was then that the UNP leadership and others had learnt that Karunanayake had included his own name in the National List.

Karunanayake’s latest move to get his name sent to the Election Commission to fill one of the National List slots of the NDF was similar to it.

When asked by the media, Karunanayake had said that his name had been nominated by the party to fill one of the National List slots. The UNP leadership, angered by his action, permitted UNP seniors to make public that the party had not endorsed Karunanayake’s name and that he had nominated himself in a surreptitious manner.

The Election Commission upon inquiry had informed the UNP seniors that Karunanayake’s name would be gazetted on Monday (18) evening along with two other names of National List members – Namal Rajapaksa and P. Sathiyalingam.

Urgent meeting

A hurriedly convened meeting of a group of UNP seniors was meanwhile convened on Monday evening at the Flower Road office with Wickremesinghe at the Chair. The meeting was attended by senior UNPers including Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene, Sagala Ratnayaka, Wajira Abeywardena, Thalatha Atukorale, Ronald Perera, PC, Nissanka Nanayakkara, PC, Dinouk Colombage, Firdhouse Ghouse, and Krishan Theodore, among others.

The meeting focused on the next course of action given that the NDF’s National List slots have now been reduced to one. A majority of the members at the meeting had noted that the actions of a UNP senior like Karunanayake was a black mark against the party where the alliance was concerned, given that many of the coalition partners had opposed contesting under a party presented by Karunanayake at the outset of the Parliamentary Elections campaign.

The meeting had also decided to initiate disciplinary action against Karunanayake over his arbitrary action.

Kanchana’s play

While the UNP was hit by Karunanayake’s move, Wijesekera, it is learnt, had canvassed for the remaining National List slot of the NDF by meeting with a group of young SLPP dissidents from the ‘trophy’ party who had contested at the Parliamentary Elections and failed to secure a seat in the House.

Wijesekera had assured that he would provide the required assistance and support for the ‘trophy’ party to regroup and continue with its political programme until the next national-level election.

Together with a group of SLPP dissidents, Wijesekera had also met with former Premier Gunawardena, who is also the Leader of the party formed by SLPP dissidents under the ‘trophy’ symbol, to call for his support to nominate Wijesekera as a National List member. Gunawardena however had remained non-committal.

Letter to Sharmila

Meanwhile, a group of SLPP dissident members of the ‘trophy’ party had also sent a letter to NDF General Secretary Perera to send Wijesekera’s name to the Election Commission as the MP who would fill the NDF’s remaining National List slot.

The letter was signed by ‘trophy’ party members Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, S.M. Chandrasena, Janaka Wakkumbura, Premnath Dolawatte, Jagath Samarawickrama, Ajith Rajapakse, Chinthaka Mayadunne, Kokila Gunawardena, Arundika Fernando, Madhura Vithanage, Manjula Dissanayake, Muditha De Soysa, Upul Rajapaksha, Shantha Bandara, and Premitha Bandara Tennakoon.

The letter sent by the group of former MPs last Wednesday (20) had indicated that Wickremesinghe had also been made aware of the request to send Wijesekera to Parliament.

However, it is learnt that two senior members of the ‘trophy’ party – former Premier Gunawardena and Prasanna Ranatunga – have maintained that former Minister Tiran Alles should be given the remaining National List slot in line with the agreement reached with him when the ‘trophy’ party was formed using his (Alles’) political party.

Special security

Meanwhile, several candidates who had contested in the Colombo District under the ‘gas cylinder’ symbol and their supporters had made their way to Karunanayake’s residence to protest against his nomination to Parliament through the NDF National List last Tuesday (19). 

Karunanayake had then complained to the Police and Police security had been provided to his residence on Parliament Road, Kotte.

A tense situation was also reported outside Sirikotha last Friday (22) when several of Karunanayake’s loyalists had confronted a group of pro-Wickremesinghe members who had arrived at the UNP Headquarters to urge the party leadership to act against Karunanayake.

Ravi meets RW

However, Karunanayake last Tuesday had made his way to the Flower Road office that was full of seniors of coalition parties of the ‘gas cylinder’ alliance.

Wickremesinghe, it is learnt, had expressed his disappointment at Karunanayake’s action. Karunanayake had responded saying that his name had been proposed to the National List slot that had been promised to the NDF and that the UNP leadership should be happy that the NDF slot had been taken by a UNPer.

Karunanayake had also asked Wickremesinghe whether he did not consider him (Karunanayake) as a UNPer and had pointed out the sacrifices he had made for the UNP. He had told Wickremesinghe that he could not be considered a UNPer only during hard times and then discarded even without being considered for the National List slot that was promised to his party, the NDF.

Wickremesinghe had also informed Karunanayake that the party would be initiating disciplinary action against him and Karunanayake had left after saying that he was prepared to face anything. 

RW’s committee

It is evident that the biggest sore for Wickremesinghe was that Karunanayake had given a dose of his (Wickremesinghe’s) own medicine to him through the NDF National List saga.

Wickremesinghe meanwhile appointed a four-member committee last Wednesday (20) to conduct an independent inquiry into Karunanayake’s appointment as an MP from the NDF National List.

Attorney-at-Law Kumar Dunusinghe, Attorney-at-Law Indika Weragoda, Prof. Withanage, and Attorney-at-Law Yasas de Silva are the members of the newly appointed committee. The committee is expected to submit the report to Wickremesinghe in three weeks.

Sharmila hits back

Members of the ‘gas cylinder’ alliance who had tried to connect with the NDF General Secretary had meanwhile learnt that Perera had admitted herself to hospital for a medical check-up.

However, Perera on Wednesday (20) issued a statement on nominating Karunanayake’s name to one of the party’s National List slots, noting that Wickremesinghe had been informed by the party that Karunanayake was being nominated by the NDF as a National List MP.

Perera claimed that the decision had been made unanimously by the NDF Executive and Working Committee during a meeting held last Sunday (17).

She had highlighted that the nomination aligned with the agreement signed with the NDF when the alliance had been formed with the UNP, SLPP dissidents, and SLFP and that Clause 5 of the agreement stated that one of the National List MP positions allocated to the alliance was to be filled by a candidate nominated by the NDF. 

Perera stated that “the NDF unanimously decided that it would be appropriate to award this opportunity to Karunanayake, a close associate of Athulathmudali and a long-time loyalist of our Party (NDF),” adding that the party’s actions were lawful and in line with the agreement, and that the party had not engaged in any unauthorised or unethical conduct during the process.

The only UNPer

Given that no UNPer who had contested at the Parliamentary Elections had managed to secure a seat from their electoral districts, the new Parliament does not have any representation from the UNP. However, with Karunanayake bulldozing his way into the House through the NDF National List, the UNP now has a member in Parliament.

Meanwhile, there was earlier another proposal by a group of UNP organisers to appoint party Deputy Leader Wijewardene to Parliament through the National List slot. Wijewardene has however maintained that he is not interested in entering Parliament through the National List after being defeated at the polls.

‘Elephant’ to the fore

However, the UNP leadership who met with party seniors prior to leaving the country to India last week had discussed the future of the UNP.

During this discussion, a majority of the UNP seniors had noted that the party needed to resurrect its ‘elephant’ symbol as the electoral symbol of the party and any alliance led by the UNP.

Wickremesinghe, it is learnt, had directed the party seniors to discuss and formulate a plan to move forward with the programme to resurrect the ‘elephant’.

Meeting SLPP dissidents

Meanwhile, several UNP seniors have proposed that the party also engage in a discussion with SLPP dissidents who had joined Wickremesinghe during the Presidential Election and afterwards contested under the ‘gas cylinder’ alliance with UNPers at the Parliamentary Elections.

This proposal by several senior UNPers was not approved by the rest of the members at the meeting. This group had pointed out that the UNP could ask the SLPP dissidents whether they would join the UNP or return to the SLPP fold. The group had further stated that getting the SLPP dissidents to the UNP should not be considered a party priority.

SLFP crisis returns

Amidst the defeat of SLFP leaders who contested under the NDF at the recent polls, the crisis within the SLFP – a party that faced a destructive leadership crisis – has resurfaced.

While the SLFP’s Dasanayake managed to secure a seat in Parliament, senior SLFPers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Mahinda Amaraweera, Duminda Dissanayake, Lasantha Alagiyawanna, Jagath Pushpakumara, and many others were defeated at the polls.

Former General Secretary of the SLFP Dayasiri Jayasekara, who also tried to secure power of the SLFP, managed to secure a seat from the Kurunegala District after contesting under the SJB-led alliance at the polls. 

Suma says no

Meanwhile, the northern Tamil political parties that saw a drastic decline in their vote bank at the recent polls, it is learnt, are looking at reviewing party performance to decide on the future courses of action.

The main Tamil political party in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), last week offered the single National List slot secured by the party to former MP M.A. Sumanthiran, who was defeated at the polls.

Sumanthiran however had declined the offer and ITAK instead nominated Dr. P. Sathiyalingam, who was also defeated at the polls, to fill the National List slot. 

‘One Shot,’ Allirajah out

Meanwhile, another positive feature of the recently concluded Parliamentary Elections was the defeat of an alleged political agenda of diaspora businessman Allirajah Subaskaran.

The recently launched political party, the United Democratic Voice (UDV), by actor-turned-politician Ranjan Ramanayake caused much controversy in the run-up to the recent polls over Subaskaran’s involvement in the party.

It was one of the UDV’s Colombo District candidates, Prasanna Adhikari, who exposed Subaskaran’s involvement in the UDV as well as his alleged political agenda by sponsoring several political parties in the south as well as in the north.