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‘JVP
will bring new blood and spirit into politics’ The guru-gola (teacher-pupil) acquaintance began 40 years ago - in 1964 when Mr.Kumarasiri was contesting the Hakmana parliamentary seat in the deep south, and had picked the father of Rohana Wijeweera, Don Andris Wijeweera as the polling agent for the Kottegoda polling area. Mr.Kumarasiri described the JVP founder's father -a small time boutique owner from Kottegoda - as a lovable and popular man in the area. Impersonation was the main threat that Mr. Kumarasiri faced. Polling agents were kidnapped as a prelude to the stuffing of ballot boxes. And even though police protection was sought, on the day of the poll, the senior Mr.Wijeweera was kidnapped, taken to a desolate spot and beaten up. He was left bed ridden after the attack and died shortly, leaving the family destitute and dependent on sustenance that came in the way of a monthly stipend made by another veteran communist S.A.Wickremasinghe. Mr. Kumarasiri went on to win the seat and became the second youngest member of that Parliament at 27. Speaking to The Sunday Times this week, Mr. Kumarasiri said, "I first saw the young Wijeweera when he came to see his father in hospital - an early victim of political violence in Sri Lanka. He was only four or five years at that time, but even then one could see the determination and hatred in his eyes." Years later, it was Wijeweera's mother who approached Mr.Kumarasiri to inform him that her son had got through his higher education exams while at school, and qualified to enter university, but she was unable to afford to send him there. It was around that time that that Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow was opening its doors for foreign students, mainly children of Communist Party (CP) members. The local CP was asked to make some nominations for the university and Mr.Kumarasiri was the secretary of the committee that made the selections. Hence he informed Wijweera's mother to get her son a pair of longs and a shirt and get ready to go to University in Russia. It was a full-scholarship, the University paying all expenses. "He was studying medicine. He was a very clever chap. Brilliant," Mr.Kumarasiri recalls. "Students studying at the Patrice Lumumba University were given a ticket to visit their home country each year, but Wijeweera did not avail himself of this facility. Instead, he chose to stay back during the holidays to study Marxism," he said. This was also the time of the split in the International Communist Movement, Russia and China parting ways, and the repercussions led to a split in the Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) Community Party as well. Mr.Kumarasiri broke away and formed what was known as the Peking-wing of the CP, while S.A. Wickramasinghe, headed the Moscow-wing. "On the day when all our party members were meeting in my house, the postman arrived and among the letters was one from Russia. The letter was opened in the presence of the party's hierarchy. It was from Wijeweera, and it was signed by 33 other Ceylonese students pledging their support to the China wing. I was happy, and everyone in the room started applauding," he recalled. At the end of three years at Patrice Lumumba University, Wijeweera returned to Ceylon for the first time since he left, not having completed his medical studies. He was met at the airport by Mr.Kumarasiri, and he stayed in his home for about three weeks. When Wijeweera went to the Soviet Mission seeking a visa to return to the Soviet Union, his application was turned down -obviously because of his affiliations with the China wing of the CP, says Mr. Kumarasiri. "Wijeweera was very upset, but I appeased him and asked him to start work in the CP office. He was an ambitious and clever man and he used the framework of the CP to form the foundation for his own party," he said. By that time there was more trouble brewing in the Peking-wing CP as well, with more impending splits and Mr. Kumarasiri said Wijeweera was aware that he was unhappy in that set up. "I remember sitting with him in the hall of our house, and we discussed various issues for nearly five hours. He offered me the leadership of the JVP saying that everything for the launch of the new party was in place, and what was lacking was a recognised leader, a symbolic leader." However, this offer was turned down by Mr.Kumarasiri who did not agree with Wijeweera's methods of revolution. “He believed in the one day revolution but I was against this. I explained to him that there were revolutions in China and Russia but they took years to succeed. I also said that we can’t be the carbon copy of any revolution but we have to create one of our own.” “He also wanted to attack the towns from the village. This too I did not agree with because the working classes were needed to make a revolution a success as the working classes were the vanguard and not the peasantry. "The third point on which we disagreed was the attack on police stations. I said the police was just one of the limbs of the state – a weak limb- and by only attacking the Police it was impossible to capture power politically. “Wijeweera respected me and he respected my views but he did not listen to what I said. If he did, things would have turned out differently,” Mr.Kumarasiri said. His parting words to the JVP founder that fateful day were, “ If you succeed, I will be happy. If you don't I will be unhappy." That was the last time Mr.Kumarasiri saw Wijeweera, who subsequently went on to lead two bloody insurrections against the State, and failed both times. Despite playing no role in the 1971 insurrection, Mr.Kumarasiri was taken into custody and jailed for a year. He was described by some top politicians in the then United Front government as the "guru" behind the "kerella." During repeated attempts made to get Mr.Kumarasiri released, the then Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike too had turned down the requests saying that that speeches and writings by him had incited the youth to armed struggle. The present leader of the JVP - Somawansa Amarasinghe was occupying the cell next to Mr.Kumarasiri when he was in prison." He was a young man at that time. He was among the group of young men who were to attack "Rosmead Place", the residence of then Prime Minister Ms. Sirimavo Bandaranaike and take the Prime Minister hostage," he said. Mr.Kumarasiri did meet Amarasinghe during the half hour exercise breaks during jail time but other than exchanging pleasantries, they rarely discussed anything of substance. Twenty-two suspects were charged in the Rosmead Place inquiry with conspiracy to overthrow the government and attempt to kidnap the Prime Minister. Amarasinghe was among them and was found guilty and jailed for two years. Wijeweera's political guru admits that the JVP made mistakes by killing both friend and foe in the past, but believes their presence in a government would infuse much needed "new blood and spirit" into today's politics. "I am very happy they have come to terms with Chandrika (President Kumaratunga) and formed an alliance. They are honest and they will be an obstruction to corruption that is rampant today," he says. |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
Now
living in retirement, watching the passing scene is veteran Communist
Party politician Premalal Kumarasiri - the earliest of confidantes’
of the founder of the Janatha Vimuthi Peramuna (JVP), Rohana Wijweera
whom he calls his "golaya" (pupil).
