On November 6th, Arulanandan Philip Kumar, who served as Senior Vice President of the Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) for 37 years, along with R. Puvaneswaram, the Haguranketha Electoral Organizer for the Nuwara Eliya District, announced their resignation from all party positions and membership within the CWC.
In a letter addressed to the party’s General Secretary, Jeevan Thondaman, both leaders expressed concerns about alleged corruption within the CWC’s current leadership. They claimed the leadership has engaged in various profit-driven ventures under the pretense of improving infrastructure in the plantation areas, raising questions about the transparency of their financial practices.
During a press conference, Arulanandan Philip Kumar disclosed that valuable vocational training equipment at the CWC headquarters in Kotagala, intended to benefit youth in the plantation sector, had been sold without consulting party members or the executive committee. He alleged that the proceeds from this sale were taken for the personal benefit of the current leader.
Kumar further claimed that as a minister, Jeevan Thondaman had initiated multiple development projects in the plantation sector, allegedly receiving substantial commissions from these ventures. He also accused Thondaman and associates, including the party treasurer Marudapandi Rameshwaran, of misappropriating funds allocated to a project for expanding Keselgamu Oya to mitigate overflow issues impacting the residents of Bhagawanthalawa.
Additionally, Kumar alleged that valuable CWC-owned lands have been transferred to members of Jeevan Thondaman’s family. He also stated that Thondaman had reserved a large piece of government land in Kandapola, Nuwara Eliya, purportedly for estate workers, only to later sell it privately for financial gain.
Kumar and Puvaneswaram voiced concerns over the behavior of leaders from both the CWC and the Tamil Progressive Alliance, suggesting that these trade unions exploit plantation workers for votes while only visiting them during election periods.
In closing, they noted that many members of these unions and their families have aligned themselves with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, supporting his vision for a country free from corruption and fraud. The two leaders commended this shift, calling it a wise decision by the plantation community to seek new representation focused on integrity.
