{"id":106957,"date":"2020-09-24T16:06:45","date_gmt":"2020-09-24T23:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=106957"},"modified":"2020-09-25T16:16:32","modified_gmt":"2020-09-25T23:16:32","slug":"erasing-the-eelam-victory-part-c-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/09\/24\/erasing-the-eelam-victory-part-c-12\/","title":{"rendered":"ERASING THE EELAM VICTORY Part 17 C 12"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

JVP was given\na new lease of life when the UNP came to power in 1977. Under the previous SLFP\ngovernment JVPers were brought before the Criminal Justice Commission, (CJC) a\nspecial tribunal set up through a special Act of Parliament. JVPers were\ncharged with waging war against the lawfully elected government, breaking the\npeace, loss of human life, possession of arms and explosives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CJC had\nbeen permitted to accept evidence that would otherwise have been inadmissible\nunder the Evidence Ordinance<\/a>. The UNP\ngovernment of 1977 declared that this was a violation of justice. The UNP\ngovernment repealed the Criminal Justice Commission Act and all the JVP\nconvicts including Rohana Wijeweera, became free in 1978. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once they\nwere freed, JVP started its usual activities, such as meetings. The police\nchallenged the JVP at every possible turn. \nWhen the police intervened at the Tissamaharama JVP mass rally in 1978\nJVP complained to JR and Premadasa.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP was\nallowed to register as a political party in 1981. The first\nelections the JVP contested were DDC elections. \nJVP contested four seats in the District Development Councils election\nin 1981, and won two.  The seats were Colombo,\nGampaha, Galle. I was unable to find out what the fourth was  , probably Matara. JVP participated in the\nDistrict Development Council (DDC) elections of 1982 too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP then started to  regularly contest the two major national\nelections, General and Presidential. JVP made sure that it had a presence,\nhowever small, in each election. Rohana Wijeweera contested the Presidential\nElections in 1982 and obtained 4.16% of the votes cast.   He received more votes than Colvin R. de\nSilva<\/a>.  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next significant election, for the\nJVP, was the General election of 2000. The General\nelection of 2000 clearly showed how well the JVP had recovered, when it won 10\nseats in the parliament, said Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri, as opposed to the one\nseat it secured at the 1994 election, and recorded 6 per cent out of the total\nvalid votes,. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP\nfurther broadened its voter base at the following election in 2001, with 16\nseats and 9.10 per cent of the vote. There was every sign at this juncture of\nJVP emerging as a serious threat to the existing hegemonic two-party system,\nespecially with its growing ability to attract the support of the semi-urban\nmiddle classes, said Dewasiri.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But at the 2015 general election JVP only got\n4.87 % and six seats.  One reason was the\nrush to Hansaya. The Joint Opposition openly stated that the JVP was there to\nsupport the Yahapalana government. The Joint Opposition called them \u2018Rathu\nAli\u2019. Verit\u00e9 Research however had ranked four of the six JVP MPs among\nthe top five MPs for their work ethic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The General \nelections of 2010 and 2015 showed a link between JVP and UNP. It would\nbe pertinent to mention that the UNP-led coalition, that backed former Army Commander\nGen. Sarath Fonseka and Maitripala Sirisena at 2010 and 2015 presidential\nelections, respectively, included the JVP, said  Old\nSoldier <\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP  cuddled up to the UNP. the UNP and JVP are\nnow almost conjoined. JVP often provides the  \ncrucial support to decide between victory and defeat and survival for\nthe UNP government in parliament,   concluded \nOld Soldier\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the\nPresidential election of 2019, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, head of JVP, only got\n3.16% of the total votes. This is the lowest percentage JVP has got so far,\ncommented analysts. He was supported by 29 organizations  including civil society organizations, at a\nmedia briefing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP only\nobtained 3.84% of the total vote at the General election of 2020. This election\nshowed that the JVP support base was shrinking said Island editorial.    Analysts observed that a sizeable segment\nof UNP votes had gone to the JVP, which means the true JVP vote is less than\neven 3.84%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the six\nseats JVP had in the 2015 Parliament, JVP could retain only three of them in\n2020.These were in Colombo and an ]adjoining urban centre\u2019  at Gampaha. JVP lost badly in the areas that\nconstituted the heartland of its militancy such as Matara, Galle, Hambantota\nand Moneragala. The present-day JVP leaders have lost their hold on the\nWijeweera belt, which stretches along the southern littoral, said the Island\neditorial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These\nelection results  show that voters still\nhaven\u2019t forgiven the JVP for atrocities during the 1971 and 1987-89\ninsurrections, said critics.<\/strong> <\/strong>JVP   replied <\/strong>we are far\nahead of the rest. We fielded the best qualified candidates with unblemished records\u201d.<\/strong>\nOur movement is honest, free of corruption and committed to working for the\nbetterment of the country. The people know that, but that is still not enough\nfor them to vote for us. .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The JVP has\nmanaged to survive as a political party with parliamentary representation only\nbecause of the proportional representation system. JVP  would not have had a snowflake\u2019s chance in\nhell of making it to Parliament under a first past the post system, said\nChandraprema, bluntly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the 2020\ngeneral election, the JVP formed a new party, the<\/strong> Jatika Jana\nBalavegaya. This is  nothing more than an\n\u2018alias\u2019 for the JVP . The three seats won by this JJB were taken by Anura\nKumara Dissanayake, Head of the JVP , followed by  Vijitha Herath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another\nnew thing in the 2020 election was that a set of University  academics got together and  urged the public to vote for   the JVP \nBalavegaya. Several of them came from leftist parties and were open\nsupporters of Separatism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These\nacademics made a strong appeal for the \nJJB which they called NPP. Only the NPP has a sound plan to save this\ncountry, they said.” The NPP was formed with the hope of saving the\ncountry from its present predicament and people should extend their support by\nvoting for it..” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academics stressed the need for electing honest, capable candidates as MPs to solve the problems and threats the people were faced with. .” The NPP has experts and academics who have drafted a credible programme for Lanka\u2019s economic future.\u00a0 NPP has the only Parliamentarians with an unblemished record of financial integrity, incorruptibility and devotion to their tasks in the last three decades have been MPs elected from the JVP,\u00a0 they chorused.\u00a0 The academics said that The NPP will be a strong voice and the only real force standing both inside and outside parliament for a democratic polity and against dictatorship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

JVP is not a\npopular party.  The JVP have huge floats  of \nKarl Marx and Lenin  in their May\nDay processions to hide the fact that \nthey have very few supporters marching with them. Bu it is determined to\nkeep going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP has its  memorials. This is not well known.60 students at  Sri Jayewardenepura University were\nkilled,  including two female students in\nthe  1987-89 insurgency. An exhibition\nand a musical program were held to commemorate them in 1992 and in 2008. A\nmemorial too was erected. The chief guest at the event was the mother of one of\nthe victims, medical student Wenura Edirisinghe.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP has\nabsolutely no economic  or development plan\nfor the country. They never had. This is seen over and over again in their\nnumerous, verbose, utterly  empty utterances.\nSometimes it is nonsense. Here is an example. When JVP  was asked what its development plan was, JVP\nreplied,  \u2018We need to\ngive priority for education and create a new structure with education. That is\nthe way out of all miseries. Education is the base for that.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP gets much attention in Parliament and on\ntelevision today, because Its leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake keeps speaking\nand speaking  , holding audience\nattention,  using  long sentences,  in \nslow measured tones. His statements are without exception  completely empty . I once listened to him give\na speech at a function. He spoke for \nsome time and avoided saying anything of substance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\nare indications that JVP have not abandoned their  terrorist tactics. Gamini\nSamaranayake  drew attention to the JVP\ncontrolled Inter-University Student Federation, IUSF. This name is only a\ncover, he said. The IUSF is a \u2018terrorist movement\u2019. The IUSF was very active during\nthe Yahapalana period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP supports separatism. JVP\nsaid  in 2015 that seats in the new parliament must accommodate\nfair representation for the ethnic and religious minorities. DJV had links with\nthe international community which supported devolution , said Sampanthan.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analysts \nhave shown connections between JVP and LTTE . JVP was the Sinhala twin\nof the LTTE said Rohan Gunaratna. The  original JVPers,  such as Victor Ivan,   have consistently taken a separatist or\nanti-national stance. For years Ravaya argued that the LTTE couldn\u2019t be\nmilitarily defeated and did their best to demoralize troops and sabotage the\nefforts of the security forces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nNPP programme calls for devolution of political and administrative power to the\nregions, The Tamil and Muslim minorities in this country have been in distress\nfor decades and been taken for endless rides by the two main parties. The NPP\nis a trustworthy ally  The NPP demands\nrelease of political prisoners, protection of Muslims from injury and insult,\nestablishing a new Truth and Reconciliation Commission, empowering the\nCommission on the Disappeared to deliver justice to families of victims,\nreleasing military occupied lands, terminating ethnic based colonization and\neconomic upliftment of war affected areas. said Kumar David, speaking on behalf\nof the JVP  in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

in 2011 it was reported that JVP had 13 international branches in UK, US, Italy, France,\nCyprus, Sweden, South Korea, Australia, \nJapan, Saudi Arabia, UAR, Qatar and Oman. This did not surprise those  suspicious of the JVP .Many consider JVP to be\na  tool used by foreign handlers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nalin de Silva observed on two\nseparate occasions, in 2004 and 2010 that JVP was a western tool. JVP was being used\nby the western forces, he said. \nJVP is an agent of the west and is attempting to create trouble in the\ncountry, he declared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wimal Weerawansa said  in 2010, that JVP is run with the help of\nfunds given by some foreign embassies. JVP\nwas getting huge sums from US and Norway to support Fonseka in Presidential\nelection ,he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP are \noutrageous hypocrites, said \u2018Old Soldier\u2019. They may  mystify some with their verbosity, but who\nand what do they represent? Could they be working as a proxy for a shadow\norganization,  he asked in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP\nhas its admirers. The JVP has come a long way since its two armed insurrections\nand the passing of the leadership from the old school and discredited past of\nSomawansa Amarasinghe to the younger generation of Anura Kumara Dissanayake,\nsaid JVP admirers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP bashing\nshould end   said K. Siriweera  writing to Island\u201d. In parliament,  at political meetings and  elsewhere, JVP members are criticized for\nincidents that took place in the  1971-89\nperiod.  Anura Kumara Dissanayake and his\ngroup were not involved in these criminal acts. Further they have shown\nexcellent behavior since they came into the political scene. It is sickening to\nsee politicians who are involved in anti social activities shout about events\nthat happened decades ago to demonize a group who are thousand times better\nthan them, concluded Siriweera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JVP admirers\nare in a minority. \u2018Old Soldier\u2019 has summarized what most  of the public think of the JVP .  The JVP has a blood soaked, murderous and\ngenocidal history, he said.. The JVP\nbrutalized a generation twice, once in 1971 and then in 1989-90. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their favourite method of murder was by\nslitting the throat. Their preferred way was not with a knife but with a blade,\nslowly, enjoying the agony of the victim. They\nthen hanged the head of the murdered on a pole, gate, and fence or placed it on\na wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After their first abortive attempt in 1971,\nthey brought the country to a virtual halt in 1989-90 by placing \u2018death notice\u2019\nchits in work places and murdering innocents all over the South. They attempted\nto destroy the state by attacking the armed forces and police, the state\nadministrative structure and staff, including the judiciary, health services,\neducation, transport and national infrastructure amongst other things.\nApparently this was their way of showing their opposition to the invading IPKF\nand the LTTE\u2019s campaign of terror. They did not however threaten or attack  IPKF or LTTE ,but turned on the Sinhalese\npeople exclusively, continued Old Soldier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The JVP believes that by swamping the people\nwith other issues, the people will forget its gory year of murdering that\ndehumanized a peaceful Sri Lanka . Sri Lanka \nmust never forget how the JVP ordered the closing down of hospitals and\nmade death threats to the doctors and staff if they attempted to work. They threw\nthe entire health system into disarray. It caused the deaths of hundreds if not\nthousands of seriously ill patients adding to the 60,000 deaths they were\nresponsible for by murder, said Old Soldier <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though Wijeweera died, some leaders escaped.\nThey got back into society. They pretend to follow democratic politics fooling\nmany but not all, and biding their time. They have survived by cunningly\nplaying one political party against the other. [The behavior \nof their  supporters]\nprotesting and blocking roads and government offices almost daily and making it\nalmost impossible for universities to function, should give more than a glimpse\nof what will follow,  ended Old Soldier,\nwriting in 2019. ( Concluded) <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS JVP was given a new lease of life when the UNP came to power in 1977. Under the previous SLFP government JVPers were brought before the Criminal Justice Commission, (CJC) a special tribunal set up through a special Act of Parliament. JVPers were charged with waging war against the lawfully elected government, breaking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kamalika-pieris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106957"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106957\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}