NPP administration will not undermine India’s security interests: AKD
Promises good economic and political relations with China
A National People’s Power (NPP) administration will not do anything that will undermine Indian security; however, it will maintain economic and political relations with China, the NPP delegation to India told Indian officials, NPP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said on Thursday (15) night.
In his first interview since his return to the country, Dissanayake said the Indians had invited the NPP to visit their country in December.
“However, we had other commitments in December. One of those was visiting China at the invitation of the Chinese Communist Party. We told India that we maintain full transparency in our external relations,” he said.
He said that the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration’s privatization drive has attracted both Indian and Chinese investors, and this has indirectly led to a showdown between the two major powers.
“The government has decided to privatize Sri Lanka Telecom, and the two main contenders are Chinese and Indian interests. It’s the same with Lanka Hospitals. It is the government that wants Amul to buy NLDB,” he said.
From the J.R. Jayewardene administration onwards, successive governments followed disastrous foreign policies that made Sri Lanka a battleground between major powers, Dissanayake said.
“JRJ invited Americans to Sri Lanka at a time India was with Soviet Union (Russia). This angered India. Then, other governments tried to balance China and India by selling each country valuable national assets and giving each country contracts not conforming to the tender process,” he said.
The NPP adheres to a non-aligned foreign policy, Dissanayake said. Engaging all stakeholders transparently is the key to avoiding misconceptions and triggering hostilities. States operate in an information-sparse environment, which often leads them to operate on assumptions. The NPP believes in transparency and engagement in foreign and domestic affairs because of that very reason.
“We know that some individuals who frequently attend embassy functions are spreading misinformation about us. We don’t really have the time to attend all these functions. However, in recent months, diplomatic missions have reached out to us because they think we will win elections, and we have used these opportunities to explain what our policies really are,” he said.
He said that their political opponents are very worried about their Indian visit because it dispels the narratives they have built about the party.
“One of the claims made was that the NPP has no international connections or standing. Anyone who can think logically can understand that states engage with political actors that have power. India, China, the US, and many others are now engaging with us because they think we will win elections. Some people believed Ranil knew foreign leaders personally and that they would bail the country out.
How has that worked out? States act on strategic considerations. We have said this from the beginning. However, some of our political leaders thought it was a good idea to put many of their eggs in the ‘NPP has no international standing’ basket. Now this has been proven obviously wrong, and they are panicking,” he said.
Dissanayake added that they are well aware that the two main parties and their affiliates will do everything in their power to thwart an NPP win.
“This is not like Ranil replacing Mahinda or Ranil replacing Gota. A lot of crooked elements are afraid of us coming into power. They will do anything to stop us, and already we are seeing strange political bedfellows emerging,” he said.
