Monday, May 9, 2022 will go down as a black day in Sri Lanka’s political history when 77 houses of Ministers and 74 MPs were destroyed in riots across the country. Nine people including an MP lost their lives. Many others lost their properties in arson attacks. The victims are today frustrated with the country’s politics. Among them are educated professionals who can be of much use to the country. The violence also has discouraged other educated persons and intellectuals from coming into politics in the future.
“According to available information well-organised, politically motivated criminals gangs were behind this deliberate destruction which has taken the country 20 years backwards. Only those who can resist and withstand such thuggery will be left to run for the next Parliament”
This is how former Health Minister and Anuradhapura District MP Prof. Channa Jayasumana expressed his views. He however denied that it was his house that was destroyed in the violence, as some media wrongly reported but his Anuradhapura office in the city centre. He does not have a house in Anuradhapura.
“I was in Colombo at the time and a Cabinet meeting was scheduled for 4 p.m. This was after the incidents at Galle Face began. I never agreed with the assault on the Galle Face protesters since it was bound to lead to serious trouble. On the same day I informed the President that I was resigning as Health Minister. Following the Prime Minister’s resignation the Cabinet meeting abruptly ended. When I immediately informed top police officials about the violence that was likely to occur in Anuradhapura, they assured me that precautionary measures had been taken including the deployment of 40 military personnel. Despite this, around 8 p.m. the same day a helmeted, masked gang attacked my Anuradhapura office. As my mobile phone was connected the office CCTV I was able to monitor the situation. What I saw shocked me. The Army officers deployed to ensure security had left the place despite knowing full well that an attack was about to take place.”
Prof. Jayasumana said the first to be attacked in the Anuradhapura District was his office before the gangs attacked several other places. My office was completely destroyed.
“If the attack on my office had been prevented, other attacks could have been prevented. Unfortunately, the security forces did not fire a single tear gas canister to control the violence. The same situation occurred on April 1, although there were no arson attacks that day but only stone throwing”.
“In the Anuradhapura district, I conducted a program to check the eyes of the elderly and provide them with free spectacles. About 1,500 doctors who studied with me as well as my friends living overseas helped me in this welfare work. By last May 9 we had given eye glasses to nearly 18,000 poor people. Another large number of people were to be given spectacles after their sight was examined since we had about 7,000 more spectacles left in the office. All of them were worth around Rs. 4 million and it was destroyed in the fire.”
Born as the third child in a family of five, Prof. Channa Jayasumana was educated at Kalutara College. He graduated from the University of Peradeniya with a degree in medicine and underwent internship at the Nawalapitiya Hospital. In 2016, he became a professor of pharmacology. Having studied for his PhD in kidney diseases at the in Rajarata University he followed a course at the State University of California, USA. Dr. Channa became involved in politics as a university student and later contested in the General Elections of 2020. He was elected to Parliament from the Anuradhapura District with 134,000 preferential votes. He was appointed State Minster for Health the very first time he became an MP. Later he became Minister of Health.
“Our family were well known SLFP activists. My grandfather, T. Jayasumana was a founding member of the SLFP. My father Wimalasiri Jayasumana was a public servant. He was also a SLFP political activist in the 1980’s and was also the editor of Dinakara, the main SLFP newspaper.
Prof. Jayasumana’s father and mother Yasawathi Jayasumana, a teacher by profession, are no longer living. His elder brother works as an engineer. One of his two sisters is an accountant and the other an advanced level commerce teacher. Prof. Jayasumana’s wife Ruchi Jayasumana is a housewife. He is a father of three.
“We were able to identify from CCTV footage some persons and groups connected with this violence.
They were provincial level JVP and SJB members, university students working with the Frontline Socialist Party (Peratugami), thugs and drug addicts, five bhikkhus connected with the Ratarata and Bhikkhu Universities and one Catholic priest”.
Everywhere in the world Marxist political movements have ended with either loss of lives or loss among them.
“The people involved in this violence and destruction are Marxist groups. It is due to shortcomings in their ideology. This becomes clear when you look at the past 150 years of world history. The highest number of deaths happened in the name of Marxism.
That number is higher than those who died in the two world wars. It won’t be any difference in Sri Lanka, as proved by the events of 1987-90. What happened on May 9 was an extension of such destruction. It will end when those that follow Marxist movements engage in self-criticism and give up their Marxist ideology. Misguided belief in Marxism has led some bhikkhus to engage in arson attacks contrary to Buddhist teaching which is to practise non-violence, compassion and loving kindness. It is necessary to hold Dhamma Sangayana (Dhamma Council) to disrobe such bhikkhus.”
Prof. Jayasumana with his experience as a university student and teacher advises the younger generation never to join Marxist movements, which will only bring about disaster.
“I am disappointed. I think that people like us can longer do politics in this country in the current situation. My family wants me to resign from Parliamentarian like I resigned from the ministerial post.
Whether I join politics in the future or not, I will however not give up working for the good of the country with my knowledge and education.”