Former President’s Covert Diplomacy Exposes Ambitious Political Plans
Malwatu Prelate’s Rhetoric on Politicians’ Honesty
The Rise and Fall of a Military Icon-Turned Politician
Behind-the-Scenes Scheme to Delay Election Revealed
Uncertainty Surrounds the Future of the Rajapakse Dynasty in Politics
Revelation comes right
As the nation eagerly awaited the outcome of the presidential election, a clandestine political manoeuvre unfolded in the shadows, aiming to delay the pivotal event. Behind closed doors, undisclosed gatherings convened, hinting at a resurgence in discussions about abolishing the executive presidential system, with key figures from a specific civil organization purportedly orchestrating the scheme. Former President Maithripala Sirisena emerged as the driving force behind these manoeuvres, publicly acknowledging the proposal to abolish the executive presidential system, as reintroduced by Mr Karu Jayasuriya, President of the People’s Movement for a Fair Society.
While ostensibly centred on reforming the antiquated executive presidential system, our analysis reveals a deeper motive – the postponement of the upcoming presidential election. Our stance against such machinations remains unwavering, rooted in our steadfast advocacy for the fundamental right of the people to vote. Amidst a backdrop of government claims of financial constraints and thinly veiled attempts to delay elections, we uphold our commitment to safeguarding the electorate’s voice, countering both overt and covert attempts to undermine the democratic process.
Involvement of a Chief
In addition to this, we revealed another special event that happened simultaneously last week through the ‘inside politics’ column. That was a statement made by that strongman to a party leader of the Tamil National Alliance who went to meet a strongman in the Parliament. There, he had stated that the proposal to abolish the executive presidential system is to be submitted to the parliament in the future and that the support of the Tamil Alliance should be arranged for it. We had reported last week that at that moment, this Tamil Alliance representative informed his fellow party leaders as well as party leaders, and they also objected to it.
Only Rajitha and Maithri like it
In addition, we reported that Mr. Karu Jayasuriya spoke to the General Secretary of the SJB, Mr. Ranjith Maddumabandara about this and planned to hold a conference to abolish the executive, and invited Maddumabandara to participate in it. At that conference, when many parties including SJB protested the proposal and said that this is not the opportunity to abolish the executive, Rajitha Senaratne was the only one who spoke in favour of it, saying that what the people want at this moment is food and not the abolition of the executive, and if the executive is abolished, they will raise their hands. We also mentioned how it was said.
Accordingly, only Karu, Rajitha and Maithripala commented in favour of the proposal to abolish the executive. The leaders of Pohottuwa, the main party of the government, including the main opposition party SJB, and the Tamil-Muslim minor parties representing the opposition were of the position that it is not appropriate to abolish the executive at this time and that if it is done, it can be done after the presidential election is held. When we made these disclosures for the right of the people to vote, we should express our special thanks to these parties representing the opposition for standing up for it.
Three powerful attacks
In this way, the government’s proposal to abolish the executive and postpone the presidential election received three more massive attacks last week. The first attack was from the Mahanayake of the Malwatu chapter, the Reverend Thibbotuave Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thero. This is how the media reported the statement he made in the presence of a group including the Director General of the Interim Secretariat for Truth, Unity and Reconciliation, President’s counsel Asanga Gunawansa who came to meet him.
Malwatu Prelate Calls for Integrity
As long as there are extremist rulers in this country who behave to increase their votes as soon as an election comes, there is no use in talks like ‘Interim Secretariats for Truth, Unity and Reconciliation’, and the rulers of the country must be honest if the commissions are to work, said Reverend Mahanayaka Thibbatuwe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala.
He pointed out that the abolition of the executive presidential system, which has come to the fore before every election, is also such a lie. He demanded transparency from the politicians
The Prelate said this last Monday (19) when a group including the Director General of the Interim Secretariat for Truth, Unity and Reconciliation, President’s Advocate Asanga Gunawansa visited Malwatu Maha Vihara and received blessings.
Mahanayake Thero pointed out that he became Mahanayake twenty years ago, that is in the year 2004. He said that the newspaper reports published during that period provided written evidence that the politicians of this country had behaved in such a way that they did not listen to anyone.
Malwatu Maha Nayaka Thero said that he believes that the government is trying to establish such an office on the eve of an election to please the international community and get some aid.
When the representatives presented their views, Malwatu Prelate said the following.
Election time is coming. It is doubtful whether there will be time to establish commissions on reconciliation. In the past, many things were done to create national unity in the country. Politicians divide the united people. They work all the time waiting for votes. Tamil politicians are trying to increase the number of votes by alienating the people of the north and east from the people of the south. The Sinhalese politicians in the south do politics by making statements that alienate the Tamil people in the north. By talking about creating national unity, the only thing we are doing is creating divisions.
It will not help that such offices were established while extremist politicians were in the country. If these commissions are to work, the rulers must be honest.
Demand Transparency from Politicians
I was appointed Mahanayake in 2004. Since then, they have been talking about national unity and reconciliation, reports on this can be seen if you go through old newspapers. Nobody listens. Just like trees and rocks.
They are now talking about abolishing the Executive President system. Since when does this mean? As soon as a presidential election approaches, we talk about this. After that, there is no sound. So there is no point in talking about these things.
What you say is not useful. Politicians lie and deceive people. We were always deceived. Recently, commissions were appointed for many things. What has happened to the country from them? Government officials are also not working properly. If the politicians and government officials do their job properly, there will not be so many problems in this country.
Our national and religious unity exists among the rural people. At that time Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim studied together in the same school. What did the politicians do? They created separate schools for each race. This resulted in the loss of the bond between nations.
Most of the politicians in this country have no idea about developing the country except how to get votes. I have a suspicion that the establishment of this commission is also a deception.
The former Sinhala businessmen in Jaffna cannot do business there today. We know the problems that arise when a temple is built in the north. These fires are fueled by politicians and a few people who follow them. The majority of Sinhalese and Tamil people prefer peace. I think that the government is trying to please the international community and get some aid to establish this office.” he said.
The second one from Wijayadasa
The second incident was a statement made by Minister of Justice Wijayadasa Rajapaksa on the Hiru channel’s program based on the presidential election. When the journalists asked Wijaydasa about the attempt to postpone the presidential election by abolishing the executive presidential system, Wijayadasa, as the Minister of Justice, clearly said that it is impossible at the moment. Wijayadasa said that the time was not enough for that and said that he informed the ministry officials to stop the work related to it. Also, Wijayadasa told the country that he is not for Mr Karu Jayasuriya’s plan to abolish the executive presidential system. Accordingly, it was clear through his statement that Wijayadasa, who was the government’s justice minister, was not in the operation despite the government’s suggestions.
President’s remarks
In this way, when the proposal to abolish the office of executive president was continuously attacked by the opposition and the government, the influence had become strong to the point where the president could not make a statement in this regard. Accordingly, the President had taken steps to make a specific statement in this regard at the meeting of the ruling party MPs held a few days ago. There, the President said that abolishing the executive presidential system is a long process and there are no shortcuts for it. The President, who said that the presidential election will be held this year as scheduled, also said that money has been allocated for it.
However, even though the President has declared that there is no attempt to postpone the presidential election, it is clear that a road map has been prepared for it through the special disclosures we have made. However, due to the revelations we made, it can be seen that the proposal to abolish the executive presidential system had to be withdrawn due to the strong opposition from within the society. Accordingly, we are humbled by the success of our media mission to protect people’s right to vote.
Information received on Saturday
Another major topic that heated the political arena last week was the Chairman of Samagi Jana Balavegaya Mr. Sarath Fonseka went before the court and obtained an injunction against SJB. He is requesting that he not be removed from the party’s chairmanship and other positions. Allowing Fonseka’s request, the court imposed a 14-day restraining order on SJB.
In this way, Fonseka went to court last Monday morning and obtained an injunction against the party, but party leader Sajith got the information about Fonseka’s attempt on Saturday night itself. There a person very close to Sajith gave a call and informed Sajith that Fonseka is ready to go to court on Monday against SJB and is preparing to take an injunction against the party. There, this friend reported information to Sajith at length about how the related discussions were held at the house of State Minister Diana Gamage, the relationships that existed at the top of the government, the place where the plan started, the place where the plan was implemented and the people involved. Accordingly, Sajith, who had listened to the information very carefully, immediately called the Party General Secretary Ranjith Maddumabandara and took steps to inform him of what Fonseka was going to do and how to prepare for it.
Daya’s arrival caused a stir
Sarath Fonseka has been in some conflict with SJB for a long time, but it came out publicly when former army commander General Daya Ratnayake joined SJB. Even before that, even though the party had officially announced that Sajith would run for the presidential election, it was seen how Fonseka went beyond the party’s opinion by saying that he would run for the presidential election. It was noted that Fonseka, who issued statements on many occasions, criticized the party leadership in certain places.
On many of those occasions, Sajith did not try to take strict action against Fonseka despite complaints from party members as well as seat organizers and party members to take strict action against Fonseka. However, due to the public statements he made against Daya Ratnayake, many people pointed out to Sajith that Fonseka had crossed the line at this point. Therefore, Sajith was heavily influenced from within the party to immediately remove Fonseka from the positions he holds in the party. Accordingly, Sajith had decided to present Fonseka’s issue to the party’s working committee and take a final decision through it.
Treatment to Fonseka
Over the past few years, Sajith has defended Fonseka more than once in the face of strong opposition from within the party. When the Samagi Jana Balawega was started, many people chose Mr Kabir Hashim, who is a party senior and a strongman, as the party’s chairman. There, while a minority proposed Fonseka’s name for the post of party president saying that Fonseka had not been given just place in politics, Sajith was firm in his decision that Fonseka should be given the post of party president. There were many protests from within the party saying that Fonseka is a dangerous character and that Fonseka does not know how to behave in a party, but Sajith stood up for Fonseka and gave him the post of party president.
After that, during the last general election period and the presidential election period, Sajith publicly said that he would be the defence minister of his government and hand over the operation to catch thieves to Sarath Fonseka amid many objections. There, many members of the army and many party and opposition politicians spoke to Sajith saying that Fonseka is a hate-mongering figure and that such a person should not be entrusted with the responsibility of the Defense Minister, but Sajith ignored them and said that he would dedicate himself to achieve maximum political justice for Fonseka.
After bringing former Army Commander Daya Ratnayake into SJB, Fonseka expressed strong opinions against Sajith and SJB, even though Fonseka had been given such justice within the party. Accordingly, there was a stronger opposition to Sajith against Fonseka than ever before, and all of them asked Sajith to remove Fonseka from the party.
Fonseka meets Sajit
Fonseka was not unaware of the objection. He also understood that this incident needed to be resolved in light of the ongoing opposition from both within the party and among party members. As a result, the first thing Fonseka did was meet with party general secretary Ranjith to discuss the issue. Following that, Fonseka met with Sajith four times and requested him not to take the incident too far. But Sajith had informed Fonseka that there was nothing he could do at this time and that he would present the incident to the party working committee and take appropriate action based on the decision. Fonseka decided to go to court against SJB to defend his position after Sajith informed him of it.
An attack from MPs
However, this information, which was received by Sajith on Saturday night, came to the knowledge of the members of the party by Sunday. Accordingly, on Monday, against Fonseka, the youth members of the party, Members of Parliament, S.M. Marikkar, Harshana Rajakaruna and Thushara Indunil were seen issuing statements with strong attacks. There, Marikkar said that going to the houses of the ministers of the government and discussing with them and working against the party is a bad thing. Marikkar asked Fonseka not to play dual roles while negotiating with the President, and if so, to leave all the positions of the party to the party and join the government. In addition, Thushara Indunil said that even though Fonseka is a field marshal, due to this behaviour, he has now become an ordinary soldier.
Warriors are queuing to join
However, it can be seen that Fonseka’s going to court and obtaining injunctions against the party that gave him the positions has now become a silver lining in a black circle for SJB. With Fonseka’s decision, many former chiefs of the security forces spoke to Sajith last week and declared that they are ready to work together. They informed Sajith that until now this group was unwilling to do politics with the party because Fonseka was in the party. Accordingly, this time we are ready to inform the country of another extraordinary piece of information from the ‘inside politics’ column. It means that in the future, a huge number of war heroes whom the whole country loves have expressed their desire to join SJB. This war hero is a person who contributed from the battlefield for the victory of the war. He also held the highest position in the army after the war. A character with an illustrious history. At this moment, we are ready to reveal only that a large group of war heroes have agreed to join the party together with him.
Where does Fonseka stand now?
Marking this journey, last Friday another famous war hero, Major General Satyapriya Liyanage, who worked as a Chief of Staff, also joined SJB to work together with Sajith.
Accordingly, many have thought that Fonseka’s future in SJB’s political journey is over after the court case was filed against the party.
Accordingly, what will Fonseka do from now on? Will he do politics with SJB anymore? Will Fonseka continue to deal with Ranil? Or will he join JVP? However, in a statement to the media recently, Wasantha Samarasinghe, a JVP member, said that no steps will be taken to include Fonseka in the National People’s Force.
Also, from the information we have, many leaders of the UNP have already informed Ranil not to include Fonseka in the UNP. In this way, it is said that the UNP leaders have informed Ranil that Fonseka should be kept out and used as a trump card to create conflicts within the party. In addition to this, Namal said in a public statement last week that if Fonseka is ready to accept Pohottu policies, then he is ready to take him to Pohottuwa. Accordingly, it is impossible to say now where Fonseka will end up if he is thrown out of SJB.
Dhammika President-Ranil Prime Minister
The government has made various efforts to postpone the presidential election just as it postponed the local government elections by taking various detours, but by now it seems that all of them have turned into a sledgehammer because the government is now in an impossible position to avoid the presidential election. According to that, although it has been confirmed that the two main candidates, Mr. Sajith Premadasa and JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake will run for the presidential election, there is great uncertainty regarding the candidate of the government. Because of this, various games, conspiracies, and rumours have been seen crossing the line from the government’s side. This time we are preparing to reveal to the country through the inside politics column the details of several such games played within the government based on the presidential candidacy.
At present, the names Mr Ranil Wickramasinghe and the name of Mr Dhammika Perera have been proposed by the government to run for the presidential election, but an incident happened last week that confirms that no final decision has been taken so far. Accordingly, last week, a message from the President’s side to Mr Dhammika Perera that an agreement should be made between the two parties based on the upcoming election. It is said that it has been proposed to give Dhammika the presidential candidacy and Ranil to appear as the prime ministerial candidate. In this regard, the inside politics column has informed that there has been an exchange of views between Dhammika and Ranil through a third party, and both parties have agreed to discuss further. It is also known that there has been an exchange of ideas about giving powers to Ranil as the Prime Minister. As Dhammika is abroad these days, it is not known if he has responded to those messages.
Sajith Prime Minister Ranil President
We are ready to reveal the news of the government giving another special message to a senior member of the SJB last week based on sharing the presidency and Prime Minister Ship. The message said that after going to a general election, SJB leader Sajith becomes the prime minister and after forming the government, the constitution can be amended and executive powers can be given to Sajith, and then the presidential election should be held under that government and the presidency should be given to Ranil. It has been learned that the government has informed SJB seniors that both parties can join together.
The inside politics column has all the information about who brought this proposal, who was the SJB senior who gave the proposal, where it was discussed, etc., but we are not ready to reveal any more information about it at this time. From the information we have, we are only ready to mention that this is a trick presented by the government. But there is great doubt whether this proposal will go ahead in the background of Sajith’s public declaration on several occasions that he will not enter into any deal with the President who has been ruling for one and a half years with the Rajapaksas who bankrupted the country.
Resistance from within
However, according to insights from the inside politics column, another senior member of the SJB has raised concerns regarding the potential risks associated with this proposal. This senior figure has highlighted the possibility that if Ranil and Sajith ally, it could prompt the Pohottuwa party to join forces, leading to societal backlash over perceived alliances with individuals accused of corruption. Given the existing strong societal opposition against the government, the SJB senior argues that Sajith aligning with the President and Pohottuwa would only exacerbate this opposition. Furthermore, the senior contends that regardless of their current popularity, individuals collaborating with the government or Pohottuwa will ultimately face rejection by the people, citing Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka as a pertinent example. Despite Fonseka’s previous popularity within the SJB, his engagement with the President and subsequent legal actions against the SJB have led to internal disdain within the party. Therefore, the senior suggests that MPs advocating for such alliances risk future political repercussions, regardless of their stature. Consequently, the inside politics column is prepared to unveil further insights into the potential ramifications of this proposal in the days to come.
Basil arrives in early March
When the government is sending various messages all around like this, what is Pohottuwa getting ready to do? Whatever proposals are presented by the President’s side, the pot has become the decisive factor on the government’s side. Basil Rajapaksa, the mastermind of Pohottuwa, does not know this either. Because of this, the inside politics column has heard that Basil, who is currently resting in Los Angeles, USA, is doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work aimed at the upcoming presidential election. Basil, who went to America last December, was ready to return to Sri Lanka in January and join active politics. But although there were still a few days left for February to end, Basil was not to be seen coming to Sri Lanka. But the latest information we have says that Basil has decided to return to Sri Lanka in early March and start active political activities again.
However, it was not just that Basil was in America recently. Regularly speaking to Mahinda-Namal and Sagara, exchanging views on the current political situation and giving necessary political advice had become a constant part of Basil’s daily routine. Also, even though he was in America, Basil was seen preparing for the presidential election by conducting opinion polls, making political calculations, and playing game after game. According to Basil’s calculation, he has informed the seniors of the party that the chaos regarding the candidate within the government should be allowed to grow further. Basil thinks that the heat will intensify by May, and then the politicking of the pohatuwa should begin.
Mahinda still has 25% of the village
On the other hand, it is also news that Basil has received the results of several opinion polls conducted so far. The results show that Pohottua still has a 20% – 25% vote percentage at the village level. It has been reported from the results that the voting base is based on the Mahinda factor, and in order to develop it further and move forward, Mahinda’s leadership should be contested under the Pohottuwa symbol in the upcoming elections. It is said that the results indicate that if Ranil contests under other alliances or other points, this voter base will be further dispersed. Also, the polls conducted by Basil have revealed that if Ranil-Sajith-Pohottuwa joins forces, a significant anti-government vote will be added to the JVP. According to that, it is known that Basil’s calculation has been made that if Pohottuwa does not contest the elections on his own, not only Pohottuwa but also the politics of the Rajapaksas will be over.
7 from the bud to Sajith
After SJB leader Sajith Premadasa signed an agreement with Mr Radhakrishnan, Mano Ganesan, and Palani Digambaram, many parties have started behind-the-scenes negotiations to unite with SJB. Ministers of the government, well-known sportsmen, popular artists, and war heroes who were honoured in the country were present in these discussions with the SJB seniors. This time we are preparing to reveal through the inside politics column another Samagi Sandanha political discussion that ended very successfully last week.
7 MPs who were elected to Parliament for the first time from Pohottuwa participated in these discussions. All these seven are popular people who are skilled in different professions, but they have been in the dark about the politics of Pohottuwa in the past. Accordingly, all these seven people had been talking very closely with Sajith and started negotiations to join SJB. Last week they confirmed that they will join politics with Sajith after successfully concluding those discussions. Here they had presented one condition to Sajith. They said that they should do politics together with the Samagi Jana Balawega directly, not with an alliance formed under the leadership of Sajith. After Sajith agreed to that, the group confirmed that they would conduct future politics with SJB. According to this, there is an agreement between Sajith and the group regarding the period of joining SJB.
Sirisena’s Secret Talks in America
In a recent revelation through the inside politics column, details emerged regarding former President Maithripala Sirisena’s clandestine visit to the United States. It was disclosed that Sirisena, following persistent efforts by the American Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung, managed to secure a meeting with officials from the American State Department. The discussion, initiated at the inquiry of US authorities, centred around Sirisena’s expressed interest in forging a new political alliance. Despite his request, the US State Department allocated a lower-level official, Ms. Afrin Akhtar, Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, for the meeting. Additionally, a subsequent meeting scheduled for Sirisena was abruptly cancelled by American authorities, purportedly based on a confidential report assessing Sirisena’s political standing.
However, the true nature of Sirisena’s agenda in America diverged from his initial claims. Contrary to his assertion of seeking an alliance to support the incumbent president, Sirisena conveyed his intention to contest as a presidential candidate under an alliance with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), rather than aligning with the current administration. Furthermore, Sirisena utilized the opportunity to highlight not only the shortcomings of the president but also the government’s failings to American officials. Notably, he criticized the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party during these discussions.
This revelation corroborated recent events, notably a statement made by Kumara Welgama, a former stalwart of the Sri Lankan Freedom Party. Welgama disclosed that an intended political alliance under Chandrika’s leadership had collapsed, attributing its failure to Sirisena’s insistence on contesting as the presidential candidate within the alliance. Thus, last week’s developments shed light on Sirisena’s aspirations to vie for the presidency within an SLFP-led alliance, signalling the collapse of the forming of the alliance.