Blackmail curbed JVP’s fervour - paper

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 May 2005, 14:02 GMT]
The abrupt climb down by the Janatha Vimukthi Perumana (JVP) over its threat to exit President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s coalition government if it signed a joint mechanism with the Tamil Tigers was prompted by unofficial threats of JVP leaders being arrested on the basis of recently gathered evidence about their activities, The Sunday Leader newspaper said this week.

Just before a top-level JVP meeting to decide how to respond to President Kumaratunga’s assertion that she would sign a joint mechanism with the Liberation Tigers, the party’s propaganda secretary, Wimal Weerawansa received a warning, the Sunday Leader said.

“He was told a police officer who had very recently received a promotion to deputy inspector general of police had, following investigations, submitted 35 documents which were now lying on the President's desk,” the paper said

“The message Weerawansa got was that the documents held details about the JVP's activities in the last six months and that if the Marxists made any move to quit the government, at least 10 JVP leaders could face arrest as per the evidence available in the papers.”

“Thinking this could perhaps be a strategic ploy by the President, Weerawansa wasted no time informing JVP Leader, Somawansa Amarasinghe and General Secretary, Tilvin Silva about the developments.”

“[But] digging deeper into the matter they found the warning could hold some truth in it since there were various rumblings about the promotion of this particular officer within the police force and also that it was made solely at the behest of the President herself,” the paper said.

At the meeting, the JVP politburo had fought amongst itself, trying to pin blame for antagonising the President. Eventually “it was almost unanimously agreed that it was Minister K.D. Lalkantha had started the ball rolling [in the conflict with the President],” the paper said.

Even JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe joined in, saying: “it all started because of Lalkantha. The JVP doesn't need to go down in history as the party that ruined this alliance. We need to show that it was all the President's doing.”

“Whatever happens, it is dangerous to think about quitting the alliance. We have to make any sacrifice and stick with the government," he reportedly went on.

An astounded Lalkantha had defended himself: “We formed this alliance based on certain principles. We accepted these ministries on certain principles. The people gave us the power thinking we could direct a wayward government on to the correct path. All I did was to try and attack the right people even verbally to do that.”

But Amarasinghe, soon joined by JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva, reiterated that Lalkantha's antagonistic statements were wrong.

JVP propaganda secretary, Wimal Weerawansa also criticised Lalkantha mobilising the trade unions against the Ceylon Eletricicty Board (CEB) restructuring proposals, enraging him.

"It's becoming more and more obvious that now this is not the JVP's voice but the President's and the opinions of her henchmen," Lalkantha said. “If this is the party's attitude towards the trade unions, then I don't want to stay in this position even a moment longer.”

Seeing Lalkantha's emotional state, Silva was quick to intervene, saying the party should not get emotional and try to figure a strategic way out of the problem The Sunday Leader reported.

Letting the cat out of the bag, Silva added, "The President currently has in her position 35 documents pertaining to the activities of our members. As soon as we quit the government, our leaders will be arrested. Everyone knows that Somawansa Amarasinghe can be arrested within 24 hours notice. So let's try not to log heads with the President."

There were more consequences. the JVP also decided to attend cabinet meetings from this point on, ending its boycott.

Weerawansa also pointed out the JVP would also have no choice but to agree to the proposals to restructure the CEB. “Let's agree to this. Let's try and win the President over that way and then try to rattle the joint mechanism proposals," he reportedly argued.

Amarasinghe agreed, asserting that the trade unions should not stand in opposition to the government and that they should be divided into public and private sector unions, told Lalkantha to step down from his position as convenor of the trade unions and also decided to remove the present Secretary of the Unions.

Trying to comfort Lalkantha, Silva said this was not something to get upset over but just a strategy to overcome the crisis.

Lalkantha was not appeased, telling the JVP leaders: “Don't betray our party's principles in such a low manner. The people are still with us. If we betray our policies like this, the same fate that befell NM and them will also befall us."