During Donald Trump’s first official term, the JVP—then in opposition—staged a massive protest in front of the U.S. Embassy in Colombo against the conspiracy launched to overthrow the Venezuelan government. JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva, Bimal Ratnayake, Nalinda Jayatissa, and Wasantha Samarasinghe participated in the protest. Following the demonstration, the JVP handed over a letter to the U.S. Ambassador. The letter is reproduced below.
The Government of the United States,
Through: The Ambassador of the United States of America
The Embassy of the United States of America in Sri Lanka,
Colombo.
We, the JVP, as the political party representing the progressive masses including intellectuals, professionals and artists in Sri Lanka, write this letter to raise our collective voice in condemnation of the arbitrary act by the US administration of interfering in the internal affairs of Venezuela.
We strongly condemn the act of attempting to topple the legally elected President in Venezuela and the attempt to arbitrarily install a puppet instead. We feel that the goal of the international community should be to help Venezuela without destructive meddling from outside its borders. Let Venezuelans resolve their own domestic political issues without foreign forces meddling in their internal affairs.
It should be mentioned here that millions of people, including US security personnel and citizens have paid with their valuable lives within the last decades due to the interventionist policy of various US administrations including the present one. Dozens of countries have been driven to complete destruction due to the invasions, coups and various undemocratic actions lead by US governments.
Guatemala, Cuba, Vietnam, Brazil, Argentina, Honduras, Haiti, Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria etc. can be mentioned here for your retrospection. We believe no other invader or a colonizer in human history had created rivers of blood and sorrow to the people than the rivers of blood your administrations have created all over the world after the WW2. Enough is enough. This world and the people of Venezuela need Peace.
It is worthwhile to note what former US President Jimmy Carter had stated. He had said ‘of the 92 elections that they had monitored, the election process in Venezuela was the best in the world’. Venezuela’s voting technology is said to contain several security mechanisms for audits and verification of results, which have been accredited by national and international observers including the Carter Center. We would also like to remind that the declaration of Juan Guaido as the interim president and backed by the USA has been rejected by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice in Venezuela.
As such, we feel that the claim by US government that the presidential election was rigged and corrupt has no basis.
We call upon the US administration to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of Venezuela but to let Venezuelans solve their own issues.
The JVP, as the principal political party of the progressive and left-oriented people in Sri Lanka, while advocating that the international community should help Venezuela to solve its economic and social problems, totally back the progressive people’s struggle against foreign intervention and expresses its solidarity with the heroic resistance of the Venezuelan people to protect the sovereignty of their Fatherland.
Long live sovereignty of Venezuela!
Long live Internationalism!
Political Bureau of the JVP
08.02.2019
The JVP government was in power when Trump abducted the Venezuelan president and brought him to the United States. While in opposition, the JVP threatened America with the warning, “Do not touch Venezuela.” That stance was a decision of the JVP’s Political Bureau. Yet now, with the JVP in power, America has invaded Venezuela. The JVP Political Bureau condemned this and immediately issued a statement.
After the statement was released, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath declared that it represented only the party’s position, not that of the government. He explained that political parties are entitled to hold their own positions. The statement issued by the JVP Political Bureau. Vijitha Herath is a member of that bureau, as is President Anura Kumara. How then could a statement be issued by the Political Bureau without their knowledge? Was the statement released without the approval of Anura and Vijitha? Or did Vijitha Herath, having given approval to the Bureau to issue the statement, later claim it was not the government’s position in order to appease the United States?
From both the Political Bureau’s statement and Vijitha’s remarks, it is evident that an internal conflict has arisen within the JVP over Venezuela. Trump’s abduction of the Venezuelan President appears to have triggered a crisis that has now surfaced within the party.
On the 25th, the JVP’s official website reported that President Anura Kumara had held discussions via Zoom with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer regarding American tariffs. However, U.S. sources stated that this story was incorrect. Meanwhile, Venezuela invasion, has pointed out that the JVP and the government are caught in a policy dispute at a time when Anura’s administration has failed to reach an agreement with the United States on tariffs.
