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Former Gen. Secy says party faced Herculean task in rebuilding
SLFP 69 today
By Shamindra Ferdinando
One-time SLFP General Secretary Prof. Rohana Lakshman said yesterday that in spite of setbacks suffered over the past couple of years, the party was determined to re-organize ahead of future elections.
In an interview with The Island, on the eve of the SLFP’s 69 anniversary on Sept. 2, Prof. Lakshman said that they faced daunting challenges amidst continuing turmoil.
Pointing out that the SLFP had 126 elected members in the 144-member UPFA parliamentary group in 2010, The Island asked Prof. Lakshman to explain the deterioration of the party to such an extent within five years.
Prof. Lakshman said that political parties always rallied around the SLFP at every presidential election during the conflict and the after the successful conclusion of the war in May 2009. “For the first time, we had to accept the leadership of another party, the SLPP, at the 2019 presidential election,” Prof. Lakshman said, asserting that what befell the SLFP couldn’t be blamed on one specific reason.
The academic said that an explosive mixture of reasons contributed to the crisis in the wake of President Maithripala Sirisena accepting the leadership of the SLFP close on the heels of his victory at the presidential election. Prof. Lakshman said that in the aftermath of the 2915 August general election the party struggled to cope up with an influential section loyal to former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa deciding to operate independently. Identifying themselves as the Joint Opposition, the group played the role of the main Opposition at the expense of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), with a much lesser number of MPs, though accepted as the Opposition, Prof. Lakshman said.
“A part of the UPFA/SLFP joined the UNP led government whereas the JO formed the SLPP in 2016 and by early 2018 was a formidable force that threatened both major political parties at times.”
Referring to the first Treasury bond scam perpetrated in late Feb 2015, Prof. Lakshman alleged that the coalition never recovered from the massive daylight robbery. The second scam in March in the following year simply overwhelmed the government, Prof. Lakshman said, adding that debilitating setback suffered by both the UNP and the SLFP at the 2018 Feb Local Government polls weakened them beyond measure.
The failed bid to move a no-faith motion against Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe in April 2018 sharply divided the party with a section of the parliamentary group challenging the leadership, Prof. Lakshman said.
The dissident group called the ‘Group of 16’ caused irreparable damage to the party, Prof. Lakshman said, adding that their move further weakened the party struggling to overcome the Local Government polls defeat amidst the emergence of the SLPP.
Responding to another query, Prof. Lakshman said that President Sirisena made a last ditch effort to take control of the situation by appointing Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister having sacked Wickremesinghe.
Had that operation succeeded, President Sirisena could have turned around the situation as the general election was scheduled to take place on January 5, 2019, Prof. Lakshman said. If not for the UNP-TNA-JVP successfully moving the Supreme Court against the formation of the new government, the general election would have taken place before the presidential election, Prof. Lakshman said.
The academic said that the SLFP today was in a much better position than the UNP. “We won 14 seats, including one on our own in Jaffna, whereas the UNP ended up with one National List slot. We were forced to contest Jaffna, Nuwara Eliya and Kalutara on our own because the SLPP violated an electoral pact. We were to receive one third of the nominations. But, we received 33 nominations and two National List slots.”
Prof. Lakshman alleged that the SLPP had been unfair by the SLFP but the SLFP was confident they could work together though some members of the dominant party caused quite a disturbance in the run-up to the parliamentary election.
The then President brought in Prof. Lakshman as the General Secretary of the party in the wake of ‘Group of 16’ causing a split. Prof. Lakshman was brought in at the expense of Duminda Dissanayake. However, about six months later, President Sirisena brought in Dayasiri Jayasekera as the General Secretary, while Prof. Lakshman functioned as the Acting President of the SLFP during the presidential poll campaign.
Asked whether party leader Sirisena would step down as promised in the run-up to the general election, Prof. Lakshman said that the former President would state his position. Prof. Lakshman said that he couldn’t comment on the former President’s pledge therefore a clearer picture would emerge at various party forums.
The academic acknowledged that the SLFP was facing an uphill task. There was no point in denying the herculean challenge faced by the party in the aftermath of losing the leadership to the SLPP and sharp reduction of its parliamentary representation.
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PCoI on Easter Sunday attacks:
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Attorney General Dappula de Livera, PC is not bound by recommendations made by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (P CoI) into the 2019 Easter Sunday carnage, or presidential directives in that regard, according to authoritative sources.
They said that the AG couldn’t under any circumstances initiate legal proceedings until he had received the full PCoI report.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa received the PCoI report on Feb 1. The President’s Office delivered a set of PCoI reports to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on Feb 23, a day after the report was presented to the cabinet of ministers. The Island raised the matter with relevant authorities in the wake of a section of the media reporting the PCoI recommending punitive measures against former President Maithripala Sirisena, Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, IGP Pujitha Jayasundera, Chief of State Intelligence Senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardena, Chief of National Intelligence retired DIG Sisira Mendis and All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) leader and Samagi Jana Balavegaya MP Rishad Bathiudeen et al over the Easter Sunday carnage.
Sources pointed out that due to the inordinate delay in sharing the PCoI report with the AG, the department hadn’t been able to take preliminary measures required to initiate the proceedings. Sources said that a team of officers would take at least six weeks or more to examine the report before tangible measures could be taken.
With the AG scheduled to retire on May 24, 2021, even if the AG Department received the P CoI it would be quite a tough task to initiate proceedings ahead of retirement, sources said. However, in terms of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution enacted in last October, both the AG and the IGP could receive extensions beyond 60 at the President’s discretion.
Dappula de Livera received an Acting appointment as the AG a week after the Easter Sunday carnage whereas his predecessor Jayantha Jayasuriya, PC, was elevated to Chief Justice.
Responding to another query, sources said that the Attorney General two weeks ago requested Secretary to the President for a copy of the P CoI. However, the AG was yet to receive one, sources said. In spite of the AG not receiving a P CoI copy, the AG had instructed the IGP to obtain a copy of the report when he requested the police to complete investigations into the Easter Sunday carnage. The AG issued specific instructions after having examined police files pertaining to the investigations.
The IGP, too, hadn’t received a copy so far though some sections of the report were in the public domain.
Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage displayed at a live political programme on Derana a copy of the P CoI report he received at the cabinet meeting earlier in the day.
Sources said that the Attorney General’s Department couldn’t decide on a course of action in respect of the Easter carnage on the basis of a section of the report. In terms of the Commission of Inquiry Act (Section 24), the AG enjoyed significant powers/authority in respect of investigations; sources said adding that the Department urgently required both the P CoI report and police investigations report. The Attorney General’s Department has raised the delay in receiving a P CoI report amidst the Catholic Church attacking the government over the same issue.
Sources said that ministerial committee appointed to study the P CoI report couldn’t decide on how to proceed with the recommendations and the matter was entirely in the hands of the AG. Sources pointed out that the delay on the part of the government to release the report had received the attention of sections of the international media, including the New York Times. Public Security Minister retired Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera having met Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith at the Bishop’s House on Dec 8, 2020 said that the AG would get a copy of the P CoI report once the President received it. Minister Weerasekera said that the CID had handed over the relevant files after having completed investigations into eight blasts. Referring to the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) report on the Easter Sunday carnage, the former Navy Chief of Staff said that all such documents would have to be brought to one place and considered before initiating legal proceedings. Acknowledging that there could be delays, lawmaker Weerasekera said that on the instructions of the Attorney General a 12-member team of lawyers was working on the case. The minister vowed to expose the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday attacks. Investigations continued while some of those wanted were overseas, the minister said.
The minister acknowledged that the Attorney General couldn’t proceed without the P CoI report. Minister Weerasekera reiterated that once the President received the P CoI report, it would be sent to the Attorney General. The minister said that there were documents two to three feet high that needed scrutiny. The minister assured comprehensive investigation. The minister said that investigations pertaining to eight blasts had been completed and the reports handed over to the AG. However, the Attorney General had found shortcomings in those investigations.
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By Saman Indrajith
The Presidential Commission of Inquiry on the Easter Sunday bombings had failed to identify the mastermind of , the JVP said yesterday.
Addressing the media at the party headquarters in Pelawatte, JVP Propaganda Secretary MP Vijitha Herath said that the PCoI report had levelled accusations against former President Maithripala Sirisena, former IGP and head of intelligence for their dereliction of duty, shirking of responsibilities and not taking action to prevent the attacks and negligence. There were reference to the causes of the terror attacks and actions to be taken to avoid such attacks and the influence of extremist organisations. “However, there is no mention of the mastermind of the attacks, the handlers of the attackers and those whose interests the carnage served. It is also not mentioned whether there has been any foreign or local organisation behind those attacks. As per the PCoI report the attack took place as a result of culmination of extremism.
“According to the PCoI the extremist activities were a result of the prevailing political situation then. The entire nation was waiting to see who was responsible and who masterminded those attacks. The PCoI has failed to identify the true culprits responsible for the terror attacks. The report says that the leader of the suicide cadres killed himself in the attacks and it was a puzzle. That means those who are actually responsible for the attacks are still at large. The report does not provide exact details of the sources of the attacks. The PCoI had sittings for one year and five months. It summoned various persons and got their statements but it has failed to shed any light on the terror attacks. Everybody knows that the top leaders of the government and heads of security and intelligence establishments failed in their duties. Ranil Wickremesinghe was the second in command and he too is bound by the responsibility but the PCoI report fails to identify him as one of the persons against whom legal action should be instituted. The PCoI has treated Wickremesinghe and former President Maithripala Sirisena differently. We are not telling that this report is a total failure but we cannot accept this as a complete report. The PCoI handed over its report to the President on Feb 1. After 23 days it was sent to Parliament. Now, a copy of the report is there in the parliamentary library for the perusal of MPs.”
Herath said that the PCoI did not have powers to take punitive action. “It only has powers to name those responsible and recommend action to be taken against those named.
