When Mahinda was at his peak after winning the 2010 presidential and general elections, an astrologer made a prediction. That prediction was that Mahinda would, meet his end one day by the hands of a woman. Mahinda was not upset by that prediction.
But at an unexpected time, then Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranaike’s ruling against Basil’s ‘divineguma’ made the Rajapaksa family furious. They decided to remove Shirani from the post of Chief Justice. Shirani did not succumb to the threats of the Rajapaksa dynasty.
Sri Lankan lawyers came forward to support her. The opposition, which was secretly attacking the Rajapaksa dynasty, also came to life. They also rallied around Shirani. Shirani became a heroic woman standing up against the Rajapaksa dynasty. The impeachment against Shirani went international. The Rajapaksas were dragged down by the hump.
Amid the impeachment of Shirani, the then US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Michele J. Sison; Samantha Power, an advisor to the then US President Obama; and Navaneethan Pillay, the Commissioner of the United Nations Human Rights Commission, jointly passed a resolution against Mahinda’s government at the Human Rights Commission. When the US and European countries passed the resolution with a majority vote, Mahinda’s government were on all fours.
Shirani, Michele J. Sison, Samantha Power, Navaneethan Pillay, these all are women. While these women were multi-barreling the empire of Mahinda and the Rajapaksa family, another woman was conspiring to bring together the opposition and present a common candidate to overthrow Mahinda’s government in the 2015 presidential election. She was Chandrika. She was the one who took out a group of powerful ministers from Mahinda’s government by making Maithripala the common candidate. That was the last multi-barrel rocket attack launched on the Rajapaksa empire. The Rajapaksa empire fell.
But a woman did not become president or prime minister. Even though Chandrika wanted to rule the country like Sonia Gandhi in India by making Maithri the president, Maithri marginalized Chandrika. In the end, Maithri was finished.
Astrologers started saying that a woman would reign again when the 2024 presidential election was just around the corner. Everyone was waiting in amazement to know who this woman was. But secretly, a woman was emerging after the struggle. She is JVP National List MP Harini Amarasuriya.
Harini was born in Galle. She is a woman from a family related to the Minister of Trade, H.W. Amarasuriya, who hailed from a ‘Walau’ background and was a political banner of the D.S. Senanayake government.
in this setting, she is a link in a U.N.P. family lineage. When Mrs. Bandaranaike became Prime Minister in 1970 the land acquisition bill was brought in, Harini’s father’s estate was taken over by the government. Harini’s family had to come to Colombo because the estate was taken over by the government.
She studied at Bishop’s College. While she was studying at Bishop’s College, she received a scholarship from the United States to study at a school in the United States under the student exchange project. Later, she received a scholarship from India to pursue a degree. This is how she developed relations between the United States and India.
Subsequently’ she worked for a non-governmental organization in Sri Lanka. This non-governmental organization is an American-funded non-governmental organization. While working there, she went to the University of Edinburgh to do a doctorate. After completing her degree, she joined the Open University as a lecturer.
The Federation of University Teachers’ Unions was formed through the Open University. Harini played a major role in it. The Federation of University Teachers’ Unions, or FUTA, took to the streets against the government, demanding an increase in the salaries of university lecturers and an 8% allocation for education.
Harini was a pioneer in it. It was during this time that she began working closely with university lecturers affiliated with the JVP. It was during this time that Harini recognized the JVP and the JVP recognized Harini. However, Harini did not want to join the JVP. The JVP was forming the National People’s Force to bring people like Harini into the JVP, people like Harini, who do not want to join the JVP but want to work with the JVP.
The JVP was overestimating that the JVP would win 13 seats in the 2020 general election. The JVP contested the 2020 general election as the National People’s Force, and Bimal Ratnayake was number one on the JVP national list. Professor Abeyratne was number two. Dr. Harini Amarasuriya was number three.
The results of the general election shattered the JVP’s dream of 13 seats. The JVP fell into a deep depression. Three members were elected. One of them was the national list member’s post. There were two names for the national list member’s post. One was Bimal, a rising star of the JVP. The other was Harini, who had been struggling to build the National People’s Force. At that time, Harini was not a well-known figure in the country.
The JVP decided to give the national list to Harini, not to Bimal or Professor Abeyratne. But Harini was not a prominent figure in Parliament. Harini’s parliamentary role was not an impressive one, to the point that JVP supporters question what the JVP gained by putting Harini on the national list. She came to Parliament and gave lectures.
It is said that women’s merits are in the dirt. After the struggle, Harini also participated in a foreign media conference held with international stars of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, including Harsha. That media conference was held at a time when Ranil became president after the struggle and the JVP was coming to the fore, struggling against Ranil.
The rise of the JVP did not begin with the struggle against Gota, but with the struggle against Ranil. Harini’s role depicted through media touched the hearts of the upper middle class and professionals in this country. After that, she started a campaign to unite women across the country in Jathika Jana Balawegaya, ‘We are women together’. She came to the fore with that campaign.
‘Harini is an asset to us just like Anura…’
Bimal Ratnayake said this recently. He went on to say that Anura won because of her.
‘Why did Bimal say that.,?’
Bimal said that because of the rumors that Bimal was leading the JVP to take the Prime Minister’s post from Harini. Somehow, Bimal lost his National List MP post in 2020 because of Harini. He lost the Prime Minister’s post in 2024. Now a minister in the Prime Minister’s cabinet have started issuing statements against Harini’s recent statement regarding Rohitha Rajapaksa’s satellite.
During 2010-2015, Basil Rajapaksa led government ministers to attack party secretary Maithripala’s statements in the same way. Maithri came out of the government unable to tolerate those arguments.
‘will Harini tolerate such arguments…?’
It could be too early to say that. But Harini is a joint Indo-American production. It is impossible to think that the JVP would want to burn its hands by putting it on Harini.
