Our Moves Will Not Be Advantageous To MR Faction – Anura Kumara Dissanayake

No member of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) would ever engage in politics with the intention of earning money through fraudulent or corrupted practices, JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said.

52Pointing out that he is always prepared to respond in public to any allegation made against him about having any assets in foreign countries, the JVP leader said that the JVP is embarking on a quest to rally the people towards the goal of forming a political force for the betterment of the people by 2020.

He also claims that one group of corrupt politicians cannot punish another group of corrupt politicians.

Following are excerpts of the interview:

by Ashanthi Warunasuriya

• One group of corrupt politicians cannot punish another group of corrupt politicians
• The current situation has become so bad that it can no longer be controlled only by protests
• We are struggling to prevent the environmental damage that is caused by the Uma Oya project

Q: Recently the ‘Yahapalana’ government celebrated its second anniversary. Everyone is talking about whether the new government has been able achieve its goals. But as an Opposition Party has the JVP been able to achieve its objectives during these past two years?

A: During the last Presidential election we promised the people in Sri Lanka that we would bring down the Rajapaksa regime. We also warned that the succeeding government too is going to be an untrustworthy beast. Therefore we took our message to the people in the country that they should organise themselves for their rights and freedoms. When we look at the conduct of the new government during the past two years, we can clearly see how correct we were in the beginning. Apart from that, during the past two years we were able to use our organising strength to rally the people to protest against infringing their rights. We have thus been able to build a strong and correct political movement in the country.

 

Q: The coalition government has now faced a severe crisis. Most of the critics pointed the finger at the union of the two opposing parties for being the main reason for the government’s failure.  How is the JVP seeing this problem?

A: The union of the UNP and the SLFP itself was a result of the crisis that erupted inside the government in the first place. The union of these two parties is clear proof that there is no socioeconomic or political difference between them. Especially, during the Presidential election and the General election that followed, one faction directly defended the Rajapaksa regime. After the elections, those who were in the defeated faction were faced with fraud and corruption charges. Therefore there was a clear need for many of them to curb these accusations. Meanwhile President Maithripala Sirisena was also yearning to strengthen his hold in the government. It could only be achieved by having a faction of SLFPers inside the government. Apart from this mutual power sharing agreement, the government shows no strong political policy. It is entirely built upon the sole purpose of sharing power and privileges amongst its members.

 

Q: Why is the JVP calling for the government to be removed?

A: We are not only calling for a change of the government, but also these socioeconomic policies that have been followed by all the governments in Sri Lanka for the past 69 years. That has always been our stance.

 

Q: You supported the good government to topple the Rajapaksa government. But by opposing the new government are you supporting the Rajapaksa faction once again?

A: Inside the political power sharing system in Sri Lanka neither the UNP nor the SLFP has ever performed the role of a strong opposition. Since 1974 up until 1994, the SLFP was incapacitated due to inside splits and disputes. But in 94’ they were able to secure power once again. If we take UNP their poor performance as an opposition party over the past years is clearly evident. Once again the power has been exchanged between these two parties. The only political strategy used by both these parties is to take advantage of an anti-government environment in the country by collecting Opposition forces to topple the government at the last moment. As the SLFP topples the government in 1994, the UNP takes the turn in 2015. Therefore it is clear that it is the same two parties who are exchanging power between them all the time. But we are hoping to for an anti-government, leftist and progressive people’s movement that could challenge this social order in an oncoming election. In this common cause, we hope to rally all the anti-governmental forces together. If not it would ways be the same repetition of the two party system. We must change this traditional political oligopoly. But I can assure that what we do is never going to be advantageous for the Rajapaksa faction to snatch the power back once again.

 

Q: But is the JVP carrying out its duty as a responsible Opposition? Many have accused the JVP of not being active inside Parliament as they used to do in the past?

A: An opposition would only have a role to play only if there is a good government. But even if the politicians have become hardened enough to bear up open accusations against them, there is little use of raising voice inside parliament. That is why we are inviting the general public of the country to come forward to form a system that could function under proper policies. The current situation has become so bad that it can no longer be controlled only by protests.

 

Q: Does that mean the JVP has given up on its yearning for a struggle?

A: We have not stopped our struggle. At present the JVP is the fore front of all the struggles to protect the rights and freedoms of the people. We are struggling to prevent the environmental damage that is caused by the Uma Oya project. We are also fighting to eradicate the mutilation of the market to protect the rights of the consumers. We have represented those who have lost their lands to the Moragahakanda project. We are fighting to bring justice to those who have stolen the EPF funds. We are protesting against the selling of the Hambantota port. Wherever the rights of the people are infringed, the JVP is there to cry out for justice. But it is clear that these protests alone cannot keep the struggle against the government alive.

 

Q: The local government elections are being delayed by the government. But why hasn’t the JVP spoken about it yet?

A: The local government elections must definitely be held. We have urged the government to hold the election under the existing electoral system.

It is taking too much time to form a new system. But the government is trying to use this as a scapegoat to postpone the elections. That is why they are playing different tricks to delay this procedure.

 

Q: Are you claiming that the government would face defeat if an election is held?

A: That is up to the people to decide. But for the JVP, winning the rights of the people is more important than arguing about the survival of the government in an election.

 

Q: Much is being talked about the election in 2020. The UNP has claimed that they would be fielding their own candidate. The same is said by the SLFP as well. What is JVP’s stance on the 2020 election?

A: We hope to form a strong force that could compete for power in the 2020 election. Inside the coalition government, both the UNP and the SLFP have faced a crisis. There are unofficial splits in both sides. There was a myth created by the UNP that the economy would perform well under their administration. But today it has become a sham. The majority of the people have become clueless as to what to do now. But this does not mean that the Rajapaksas are going to be able to come back into power. If we take Maithripala Sirisena, though he is the leader of the party, he is not yet the leader of the party members. Therefore the society has now started to yearn for a new political movement. Accordingly, we will build a center for this movement in 2020. We would like to request the people to decide whether to move on with the traditional face changing political system or to opt for a real change.

 

Q: At present there are many political forces in the country such as the Podu Jana Peramuna and Rathana thero’s movement. Can the JVP compete with these political forces?

A: All these political forces are joining one of the two main political factions at the last moment. It is natural to see these independent political movements in a post-election time period. But we are focused on forming a centre against this system. We cannot believe that these minor movements could pose a challenge to our cause.

 

Q: The country’s economy has now been subjected to much criticism. But the government has named this year as the ‘year to eradicate poverty’.  Do you believe that this year would be favorable for the people?

A: There is nothing new in this concept. The economic policy of Ranil Wickremesinghe is not a new policy. We have an advantage in the geographical location of our country. We have to formulate a new economic policy centered on that fact. No matter what they call it, the UNP is still fond of selling off state assets to foreign countries. They are using a new name every time to cover it up.

 

Q: You have accused the prime minister and the government for taking part in the Treasury bond scam. Does this apply to all the fraudulent acts?

A: Yes. Behind all these fraudulent and corrupted activities, the Prime Minister is playing a key role in covering them up. Otherwise he would have taken steps to punish the wrong doers by now. Especially in the treasury case it is clear who he is trying to protect. He has even bartered his political career to protect his stooges.

 

Q: But can you suggest that the Premier is protecting these culprits only by relying on surface facts?

A: Why not? These surface facts confirm his actions. There is no need to dig deep into this incident to understand what is going on.

 

Q: Certain media reports have claimed that you own properties in Ireland. How did you manage to accumulate such a wealth?

A: No one in our political party is engaged in politics to earn money. If anyone has such an intention, the doors of the party are not open to them. So we would like to ask these rumor mongers to work on allegations that could at least hold on a few days without making these lame allegations.

 

Q: But these reports have contained written records of such properties. What is your response to that?

A: I would like to challenge these accusers to meet me in public for a media discussion. Rather than writing in assumed names or anonymously in websites or unnamed FB pages, they could prove their case in public.

 

Q: Are you ready to face such a debate?

A: Definitely. Anyone who could make their case with responsibility could do so. We have never been afraid of accusations in the past. In the future there could be more of such allegations. Only the JVP has been able to protect its political chastity. It is only the JVP that can honestly fight against fraud and corruption. Certain groups in both the UNP and SLFP are trying to prove that the JVP too is in their camp. So we expect these accusations to get worsen in the future. But that is not going to discourage us.

 

Q: The COPE committee has said that it is planning to produce reports over 50 state institutions this year. What is your opinion on that?

A: Yes. Already these institutions have been listed and the dates have been allocated.

 

Q: Out of these institutions the EPF fund and the Lottery Board have faced serious accusations on corruption. Are these really true?

A: Yes. According to e CB reports the EPF fund has lost 14.9 Billion Rupees by acting a primary buyer in the Treasury bond scam. I hope the COPE investigation would be able to reveal the culprits who are behind this fraud.

 

Q: But neither the FCID nor any other law enforcement agency has been able to punish any culprit for any allegation so far. Why is that?

A: The corrupt cannot punish their own. This is a ring of corruption. Inside this ring are politicians, senior government officials, businessmen and even journalists. Every government in Sri Lanka has taken part in this ring. Our struggle is not to catch just a few thieves but to break this ring of corruption. So the people must not expect justice from corrupted politicians and officials.

 

Q: Why isn’t the Opposition raising its voice against the delay in doing justice to journalists such as Lasantha and Prageeth?

A: The government must take steps to reveal the culprits who are behind the corrupt deeds. Although there are strong charges against certain individuals for being involved in these murders and abductions, the minister in charge of Police has become their protector. Justice could only be achieved through a just rule. No regime that protects the criminals can punish them. That has been clearly proven from these events.

 

Q: What is the guarantee you could give that the JVP would never get entangled in this ring of corruption?

A: We can assure the people that such a thing would never happen. Our previous track record is our main character certificate.