Presidential candidate of National People’s Power (NPP) and Leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Anura Kumara Dissanayake said it was clear by the remarks made by Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa that the latter does not intend to follow democratic principles. “He has continuously behaved as if the law does not apply to him,” he said, adding that the best way to rectify many of the issues faced by the country was to establish a healthy and vibrant democracy. “That is our goal,” Dissanayake said. Below are excerpts of his interview with The Sunday Morning. How do you hope to address the national issue? We believe that attention must be paid to the development of the areas that were ravaged and affected by the war. First, we must release all land taken over by the State which was once owned by the people there. Next would be to release all those held in remand prison. Similarly, a special programme must be implemented to look into the missing persons. There is also a widespread discussion about the devolution of power, and the provincial council system has already been established. We must observe how best these provincial councils can function and have a broad discussion with all communities on how co-existence and harmony could be furthered among all our peoples. It is our policy that all communities must have equal share of the power devolved. Would you have the support of the Tamils, especially since the JVP was accused of attacking the Tamils in the 80s? There were military operations for decades in the North and the East. The people of those regions have been persecuted based on their ethnicity and culture. We have a political presence in the North and the East, especially after the war. The JVP is of the position that all Sri Lankan citizens must be treated equally regardless of ethnicity or religion. We have been engaged in a political discourse with the people in those regions. Ours is not a campaign of “divide and conquer”. We are leading a struggle to uplift the lives of all peoples in the country. It’s a common struggle. What is your plan to revive the economy? The main problem in our country is its economy. Economic policies differ from one country to another. There are three main factors taken into account when formulating a country’s economic policies; one – the geographical location of the country, two – the available natural resources, and the third is the available human resources. So with our geographical position, it is clear that we have the potential to become an economic powerhouse. We also have the resources to maintain primary industries. Likewise, our human resources have great potential. We will also pay close attention to the hardships faced by those living in the rural districts and villages. We have a political culture of exploiting the poor. We aim to uplift the poor and eliminate poverty. Initial steps would be to upgrade and develop agriculture as well as the fisheries sector. What would your foreign policy approach look like considering the JVP is anti-India and anti-West? After the Soviet Bloc collapsed in the 90s, the world economy transformed into an America-centric system, but now that has changed and there are a number of economic giants in the world – one of which is China. The Middle East, Russia, Europe, and India in South Asia have all become economic powerhouses now. Now, the world has transformed from having one economic superpower to having several. Our foreign policy would be to have bilateral ties with all world economies and ensure that we do not align with just one or the other. Why the sudden interest in LGBTQ rights? Is it merely an election ploy? We stand for the oppressed. People who are oppressed due to economic reasons, cultural, sexuality, gender – we represent all those who are oppressed and provide a voice for them. Would a JVP Government led by you look to form a coalition with other political parties to address national issues? If the JVP wins the presidential election, then the NPP will have a significant presence in Parliament. So our first goal is to win the presidential election. If we do succeed in this endeavour, then we will be able to establish a clean and strong Parliament. So we have no intention of joining hands with any of the other political parties who follow corrupt and cheap political agendas. Do you intend on securing the support of the independent presidential candidates to contest in unison? Yes. There is a corrupt, evil, and destructive political camp currently in Sri Lanka. There may be two separate political parties but both the Sajith (Premadasa) and the Gotabaya (Rajapaksa) camps follow the same destructive policies that this political camp has been following for the past several decades. So we want to form the strongest possible alternative force to challenge this political camp and topple it. The first step is to form the broadest alliance possible. We have already established the NPP but there are other alternative groups that are separated. We intend to unite all these alternate forces to defeat this destructive political camp. Is Mahesh Senanayake and his movement one of these alternative forces you hope to join with? Discussions are underway with many alternative candidates and their parties. It may be premature to reveal names just yet. If you win the presidential election, would you look at appointing an interim government immediately or wait for the parliamentary election? Constitutionally, after the president is elected, there are more than two months before the parliamentary election. This is the transitional period. Once that period concludes, the parliamentary election will be held and we will be able to establish a new Parliament. Do you think Sri Lankans are ready to look beyond the two main traditional political parties? If the people want governance sans fraud and corruption, a change from the current system of lawlessness, a development in the education and health sectors, then the people must choose me. If you are president, how will you address the human rights issues? First, we will make sure that our internal issues are resolved through domestic mechanisms. That is the most practical and right thing to do. But successive governments have failed to resolve this internally. In a country where the President has violated the Constitution, interfered in the judiciary, removed a Chief Justice, and conspired to form illegal governments, it is hard to deflect the attention of the international community regarding internal human rights issues in Sri Lanka. So the best way to rectify this situation is to establish a healthy and vibrant democracy in Sri Lanka. That is our goal. What is your view on the SLPP candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa claiming that he would free all military personnel who have been imprisoned due to various allegations? He has continuously behaved as if the law does not apply to him. Despite the President having power to pardon any crime, there is a procedure that must be followed, which is to first obtain a report from the Attorney General regarding this matter as well as to obtain a report concerning those who have been penalised. By making such a statement, Gotabaya has shown that he does not intend to govern according to the law or the Constitution but believes in a form of governance in which his whims and fancies become law and his wants and needs become the constitution. (SG)