KELUM BANDARA Courtesy The Daily Mirror

PM openly humiliated by Cabinet Minister

President goes after petty cash issues, ignores major scandals such as e-visa fraud

Challenges President to submit Auditor General’s report on e-visa scam

SJB will be in opposition for 30 years if Sajith Premadasa remains leader

Says President’s closest buddy is involved in it

The United Republican Front (URF) leader  Patali Champika Ranawaka, speaks to Daily Mirror on the way forward for Sri Lanka in the midst of U.S. reciprocal tariffs, the perceived moves by the  government and its silence on major corruption issues.

Excerpts:     

QThe reduction of U.S. tariffs on Sri Lankan goods is seen as an achievement by the government. Do you recognize it?

It is a kind of an achievement because Sri Lanka is on a competitive footing with the countries such as Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia and India as well. But there is a hitch. The White House declaration – executive order by President Donald Trump – outlines  that the countries like Sri Lanka had agreed or were on the verge of agreeing on  meaningful trade and security arrangements during tariff negotiations. It means there are things agreed with – already signed or to be signed. The government should reveal these things. When President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited China, he signed 15 MoUs. We do not know what they are. He signed seven MoUs with India. Everyone is in the dark.  When they (the government leaders) were in the opposition, they fought for the Right to Information Commission (RTI).  When MoUs were signed with India, the Foreign Affairs Minister cited the RTI as the place to get information. But, RTI remained defunct.

The U.S. allies like Japan and South Korea made additional trade deals. For example, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and the U.S. are a bloc virtually called Asian NATO. Every time the U.S. waged any war, Japan paid the bill including for the one in Afghanistan. Still, Japan had to open up its market for rice and vehicles  from the U.S.  They are forced to buy U.S. gas and oil, which could be $ 150 billion per annum. They are forced to invest $ 500 billion in the U.S. That is how Japan was treated in tariff negotiations.  The U.S. lifted sanctions on Myanmar in return for rare earth mining.  

Q Do you suspect that the Sri Lankan government has made some strategic compromises to the U.S.?

I do not know. I may suspect the LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) sector. It is a difficult thing for the government. The last government led by Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe offered it to a China – Pakistan consortium.  In the short run, he even signed an agreement with India to purchase LNG. If the U.S. asked Sri Lanka to buy LNG, even the previous agreement reached by Mr. Basil Rajapaksa with U. S. firm New Fortress Energy might be opened up.   The government will be fixed if the U.S. asks for LNG purchases. Another is oil purchases from the U.S. We cannot use U.S. crude oil because our refinery is somewhat different. Still, they might ask us to buy refined products such as diesel and petrol. Like for Pakistan, they might ask for exploration of our graphite, oil and gas resources. I welcome U.S. involvement in upstream development of the petroleum sector. We discovered such resources 15 years ago. Nothing has happened after. We do not know the terms. The U.S. might even ask us to sign a security agreement. The government must reveal what kind of agreements it signed or is going to sign. The government is trying to conceal these things from the general public. Yet, they will come out because President Trump is inclined to open up his mouth. That is his nature.

Q In your view, why did the government want to keep the RTI Commission defunct all this while?

They want to hide things. When there was a request made under RTI, the government even declined to reveal the names of those serving in the President’s Media Division (PMD). It is undemocratic and against the Constitution.  

Q What is your analysis of the government’s way of handling political situations?

The government is having a few strategies. One is to establish the JVP as the only party in the country.  

Q Is it heading in the direction of one-party rule?

Yes, it was asserted by JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva. After he visited China, he said 18-20 years are needed to develop the country. The Chinese lesson is that there should be no opposition in the country if it is to develop. The ruling party is slowly and gradually taking control of all social organisations at grassroots levels including youth organisations, Dayaka Sabhas of  temples.

They said earlier that though they took over the government, the state was not theirs.  They are now trying to capture the state – the party state

Q Will it be successful in your view?

I do not know. It depends on the democratic institutions of this country.  They are now trying to control the powers of the non-JVP Members of Parliament including the Prime Minister. That is very clear.

Q How do you substantiate your argument?

We can see how the Prime Minister is openly harassed. Her credibility was totally tarnished because a senior minister contradicted her in Parliament.

QYou mean to say that divisions within the government are becoming prominent now?

Yes. It is going to happen soon. The IMF programme is the obstacle. It will last till 2027. Till then, the President will press ahead with what Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe initiated.  The current policies related to education, electricity, petroleum and casino are against what they professed when in the opposition. They were critical of these policies then. They are buying time till 2027.  After that the party – the JVP – will try to capture the state by crippling the opposition. Opposition members will be jailed or crushed.  The democratic institutions must resist this trend now.

Today, the parliamentary opposition is stifled.

QWill it trigger a public backlash then?

I do not know. When Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa came to power in 2019, he commanded the support of 6.9 million people. At the 2018 local government election, his party got five million votes. He improved it by another two million votes  after that.  Now it is a different scenario.  The JVP started off with 400,000 votes. In 2024, they increased the base by an additional 6.4 million votes and won. It is like a pyramid turned upside down. People who voted for Gotabaya Rajapaksa sided with the JVP.  However, at the latest local authorities’ election, one-third of people who voted for the JVP earlier, abstained or cast their ballots differently. In case of elections to the provincial councils at this moment, they know their vote share is only 30 percent. So, they need time to strengthen the party.

First, they cast aside  non-JVP members elected under the Malimawa symbol (compass). In the formation of the local government administrations, they were particular to select JVP members only.

Next, they will crush the opposition on petty-cash cases. They are not going after big scams like the Central Bank bond scam, e-Visa fraud and e-passport issue. We see serious crimes being committed in the energy sector.  Yet, they go after petty cash issues.

On July 12, 2024, the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) submitted a report to the House asking for the Auditor General’s report on e-Visa scam. This report is still missing. Why? That is because the first buddy of the President is implicated. I am challenging the President to reveal the Auditor General’s report. This is a Rs. 4 billion fraud. There is no action being taken regarding the unlawful release of containers. It is a clear violation. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has now become an arm of Pelawatte (The place where the JVP is headquartered). The CID is still unable to get a statement from Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe implicated in a court case.

Q Against the backdrop, what are you going to do in politics?

We are going to form an alliance outside Parliament. We will give chances to new people who are professionally qualified.  

QWhy are you leaving out traditional parties?

We are not talking about parties but individuals.

Q What do you think of the traditional parties which are now in the opposition?

If Mr. Sajith Premadasa remains the leader, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) may remain in the opposition for another 30 years. SJB has very good leaders, though. They are not given a chance to lead.

Q Economic indicators remain positive under the current government. What do you think of its economic performance?

We have something called ‘potential output’. The country is growing, with or without the government, if other things such as capital market, labour market, electricity and weather factors remain intact.

Therefore, any growth below five percent can be seen as natural growth, according to former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank W. A. Wijewardane. It is a natural growth.

Q Why isn’t there a growth rate of more than five percent?

That is because the government is doing nothing. Remittances from workers will be around $ 7 billion. Earnings from tourism will be around $ 4 billion. That is a positive sign. These are temporary gains. These are vulnerable sectors. Mr. Wijewardane said Sri Lanka should have a nine percent growth rate. I think it is unachievable. Unless, otherwise, we are going to be bankrupt again.

Q There are no corruption allegations against the Ministers of this government. Do you recognize it?

Who knows that there is no corruption? Why don’t they reduce fuel and electricity prices? They curtailed renewable energy output for the benefit of diesel, coal mafia only.

Corruption is taking place in a different way. When the President visited some countries, he declared expenses related to air tickets only. Who sponsored? We learn later about a 35-year tax concession for a company operating from that country. This is corruption in a different way. The President is still not investigating the e-Visa fraud.