A leading member of the Organisation for the Protection of the SLFP Attorney-at-Law Rajika Kodithuwakku said that their organization will go all out to support National Democratic Front (NDF) Presidential Candidate Sajith Premadasa at the upcoming Presidential Election. In an interview with the Sunday Observer Kodithuwakku said the 12 SLFP MPs in the Central Committee do not speak for the whole party. “The SLFP is a huge tree with 183 electoral organisers, 1,300 Pradeshiya Sabha and Urban Council members and 8,100 candidates who contested the previous election,” he said, adding, “Of the 183 SLFP electoral organisers, 181 asked the President not to support the SLPP Presidential Candidate. They wanted the President himself or somebody else from the SLFP to contest the upcoming Presidential Election and that was the party stance. However, a few SLFP MPs who had pinned their hopes to be MPs at the next Parliamentary Election prevailed upon the President to support the SLPP Presidential Candidate.”
Excerpts from the interview:
Q: Has the Organisation for the Protection of the SLFP decided to extend its support to NDF Presidential Candidate Sajith Premadasa?
A: Yes. We have already taken the final decision to extend our support to Sajith Premadasa. Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga might officially sign an MoU with the NDF Presidential Candidate. Right through, we opposed the decision taken by the SLFP to support SLPP Presidential Candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa. We maintained the view that if we really want to protect the SLFP, we should necessarily defeat Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Of the 1.5 million SLFPers , nearly one million are opposed to the SLFP’s decision to support Gotabaya Rajapaksa. If Gotabaya Rajapaksa wins, we suspect that they would capture the power of the SLFP. In addition, democracy will also be denied to the country, leaving no room to rebuild it. There is the danger of establishing a military rule in Sri Lanka. Therefore, we had been telling the country that we should extend our support to the other camp if we are to defeat Gotabaya Rajapaksa. However, we should support the candidate who has the potential to secure victory. Sajith Premadasa is the only candidate who can throw a challenge to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, but, as SLFPers, we are not going to join hands with the UNP. That is pretty certain. We also met Sajith Premadasa and he assured us that he would personally take responsibility to protect the SLFPers. That is why we decided to extend our support to him.
Q: Is there any truth in the media speculation that your organization, along with former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, has decided to get onto the political stage of NDF Presidential Candidate Sajith Premadasa?
A: It may be quite possible. Actually, this is a sort of ‘political war’. When both sides are firing at each other, we can’t be the target to end up dead. Therefore, it is logical for us to represent the other political camp, NDF. It should be clearly understood that our dealings are only with the NDF and we have nothing to do with the UNP.
Q: Why is your organisation opposed to the unanimous decision taken by the SLFP Central Committee under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena to support Gotabaya Rajapaksa?
A: When you say SLFP, it doesn’t mean only the 12 SLFP MPs in the Central Committee. The SLFP is a huge tree with 183 electoral organisers, 1,300 Pradeshiya Sabha and Urban Council members and 8,100 candidates who contested the previous election. Of 183 SLFP electoral organisers, 181 asked the President not to support the SLPP Presidential Candidate. They wanted the President himself or somebody else from the SLFP to contest the upcoming Presidential Election. This was the party stance. However, a few SLFP MPs who had their aspiration to be MPs at the next Parliamentary Election prevailed upon the President to support the SLPP Presidential Candidate. We saw how these SLFP MPs were treated after they decided to extend support to Gotabaya Rajapaksa. That is why Dayasiri Jayasekara said that if he is hooted he had his supporters armed with clubs to treat them well! We repeat that the SLFP means not the mere 12 MPs themselves. While the entire party opposed, the 12 SLFP MPs decided to support Gotabaya Rajapaksa. That is why the SLFP’s countrywide Pradeshiya Sabha and Local Government members opposed the SLFP’s decision and held press conferences pledging their support to NDF Presidential Candidate Sajith Premadasa. At present, over 80 SLFP electoral organisers who opposed the SLFP’s decision have rallied around us to support Sajith Premadasa.
Q: SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara said that this Organisation for the Protection of SLFP is there not to protect the SLFP but to buttress the UNP. Your response?
A: It is a very wrong statement. If Dayasiri Jayasekara could be a UNP Parliamentarian for about 17 years and later join the SLFP and justify it, we also have the same democratic right to justify our stand. Dayasiri Jayasekara has his interest in his next parliamentary seat but we have no such thing. We will only have our agreement with NDF Presidential Candidate Sajith Premadasa to ensure his victory. After the Presidential Election, we will be back in the SLFP again. Now these SLFP MPs wanted to show that they were hooted at by the UNPers as well as former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga’s supporters. If Dayasiri Jayasekara says our organisation attempts to align the SLFP with the UNP, we will in turn question him as to whether they coalesced with the SLPP to safeguard the SLFP. President Maithripala Sirisena has said that Sajith Premadasa is an able politician who can work for the betterment of the people. We have only two options to select: democracy or non-democracy. Therefore, as defenders of democracy, we decided to support Sajith Premadasa.
Q: How do you respond to the comment by SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara that the UNP has engineered a conspiracy to buy over SLFP electoral organisers and people’s representatives?
A: Now people like Dayasiri Jayasekara threaten us, because we are the only group which attempts to enlighten the people that the decision taken by the SLFP is wrong. The majority of the SLFP Local Government members also endorse the stance taken by us. Nearly 189 candidates who contested the Local Government elections have joined us. Therefore, these SLFP MPs should address their conscience to verify how right their statement is. I gave up the President’s Coordinating Secretary post and Kesbewa SLFP Electoral Organiser post due to the decision by the President to join the Rajapaksas. Right from the beginning, we maintained the stance that it is wrong to join hands with Rajapaksas because they will be our disaster. It has already been proved now.
Q: The SLFP MPs in the President’s camp say most of the electoral organisers in your organisation have been expelled from their positions. How do you respond to this allegation?
A: It is wrong to make such statements. For example, we have Provincial Councilors and a large number of candidates who contested the Parliamentary Election from the SLFP ticket. SLFP electoral organiser posts were given to those who have some political maturity and knowledge. These kinds of statements are made to undermine our organisation and we would respond to it properly in future elections. The SLPP took the Elpitiya election as the springboard for the campaign of the SLPP Presidential Candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa. However, the SLPP failed to get even 59 percent votes obtained by Mahinda Rajapaksa at the 2015 Presidential Election and the SLPP could secure only 52 percent votes. Whatever comments were made, the SLFP could secure 12 percent of the votes at the recently concluded Elpitiya Local Government election. It is obvious, whatever comments are made by these SLFP leaders, the SLFPers at village level will not give up their party. They are well aware of the threats and hatred created against the SLFPers by the SLPP supporters over the past four and a half years.
Q: There are media speculations that your organisation is planning to bring former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga to the SLFP leadership. Is there any truth to this?
A: We need leadership. It is not only former President Kumaratunga but whoever comes forward to protect the SLFP, we would stand with them. I think mostly former President Kumaratunga has that ability. If she comes forward, lots of things will change. Even Parliamentarian Kumara Welgama has given his full blessings to our organisation and he has not changed his stance.
Q: You have stated that there is a conspiracy to give SLFP leadership to Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Could you elaborate?
A: That is true. If Gotabaya Rajapaksa becomes the President, SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara will issue him a backdated letter, giving him the SLFP membership. Then he would officially become the SLFP leader. Even Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said that he is not a member of the SLPP. Then Rajapaksas would turn the SLFP into a branch of the SLPP. That challenge is before us.