Columns

• Party secretary says a stable government will enable implementation of key policies
• SJB secretary claims party confident of massive victory, says government popularity on the wane
• Trump’s massive victory in US election good news for government
• US Justice Department claims Iranian suspect in Trump assassination attempt plotted to target Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka

By Our Political Editor

The month-long campaign by political parties and groups ends at midnight tomorrow for Thursday’s parliamentary elections.

The first result after the vote count, Election Commission Chairman R.M.A.L. Ratnayake, said yesterday, could be expected at around 11 p.m. on Thursday night. He said he hoped the counting would be over, and all results declared by Friday evening. That is if there are no prolonged recounts. Police strength for polls duty will be 63,145 and 3,200 Special Task Force commandos, Police spokesperson DIG Nihal Thalduwa said.

Barring three districts where the ballot paper will be on a single column, all others will have two rows in view of the larger number of candidates. A total of 8,879 candidates—5,522 from recognised political parties and 3,357 from independent groups—are contesting, according to statistics prepared by the Election Commission. The highest number is from the Colombo district with 689 candidates from political parties and 70 from independent groups.

Uvindu Wijeweera, son of slain then JVP leader Rohana Wijeweera (third from right) leads the Next Generation group contesting parliamentary elections.

A victory for the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna  (JVP) backed National People’s Power (NPP) with an absolute majority appears a certainty. What remains in question, however, is how many seats the NPP will win though a two-thirds majority seems beyond reach. This is despite a fragmented opposition and the lack of public enthusiasm over the elections. The presidential election saw a voter turnout of 79.46 percent whilst the last poll, the Elpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha, recorded 66.18 percent. Whether it would average between these figures or exceed remains a question. More so since the NPP rallies have been attracting large crowds. That a poor turnout would be to the detriment of the opposition parties.

“We are waiting for strong representation in Parliament. We expect that our win will exceed 120 seats,” said Dr Nihal Abeysinghe, General Secretary of the NPP. He told the Sunday Times, “We can get a stable government established. We can then get on with our plans and policies already enunciated by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.” Dr. Abeysinghe is an NPP candidate for the Kalutara district. During his campaign meetings, President Dissanayake has said he hopes to get a two-thirds majority.

For him, the main issue with the election of a new Parliament is to implement what he says is a new political culture. He has lamented that for the past 76 years since independence, it has not been possible to do so. According to more than two sources, he had voiced concern over recent utterances by opposition politicians underscoring a serious reality—that the government leaders were too sensitive. This is particularly about remarks from former President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Recently he called upon the President to reveal details of the dialogue with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and questioned why a team was coming to Sri Lanka. He has also challenged the reality of the pre-presidential election promises and amateurism in governance. He claimed that the NPP government was adopting the economic policies he pursued when in office. Dissanayake had in fact told confidants of the former president that Wickremesinghe was trying to make things difficult for the government. In the complaint was a note of caution that they may be forced to act against a onetime trusted friend and ally.

Legal snags

One of the President’s main priorities, for which he would require more than an absolute majority, is the introduction of a new constitution. Herein lies another issue. Despite promises during his election campaign, President Dissanayake will not be able to withdraw some of the entitlements of former presidents without a change or amendment to the Constitution. One such case is their salary and pension. Article 36(2) of the Constitution states that “Upon the assumption of the office of President, the holder of such office shall become entitled to the receipt of such salary and allowances and thereafter, of such pension as may be determined by Parliament. Any subsequent amendment, repeal or replacement of this Article, and any subsequent law or any provision thereof inconsistent with shall be charged on the Consolidated Fund.”  The constitution debars a decrease in the payment of these emoluments. Article 36(4) states, “Parliament by resolution increase, but shall not reduce, the salary, allowances or pension entitlement of the holders of the office of President.”

K.T. Chitrasiri, a retired Supreme Court Judge, is now chairing a committee that is probing, among others, former presidents’ different entitlements, allowances and privileges, official quarters, vehicles, staff and security personnel. According to the Cabinet Office, the committee was asked to “submit a Report with appropriate recommendations to limit the irrational entitlements, allowances and privileges which are causing an unnecessary burden to the General Treasury on a rational basis or to introduce other suitable alternative methodologies.” How the government will overcome this election pledge remains a knotty issue.

Another priority area for President Dissanayake is the anti-corruption drive. Without the glare of much publicity, the task is being undertaken by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Other agencies of the Police are also involved. This is under the guidance of Ravi Seneviratne, retired Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) who is now Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security. He is being assisted by Shani Abeysekera, a retired Senior Superintendent of Police who was head of the CID. He is now head of a new Central Criminal Intelligence Analysis Bureau. The two former police officers have been at the eye of a long-drawn controversy over their alleged role in the Easter Sunday massacres of 2019. Calls for their removal have been growing.

Most measures on the economic front await the outcome of the parliamentary elections and the swearing-in of a 25-member cabinet. One of the first tasks thereafter will be the presentation of a Vote on Account after Parliament meets on November 21 to cover the first three months of the government in office. It is pertinent to note that Thursday’s polls may not lead to Parliament ending up with 225 seats. This is if political parties take time with their national list slots. An example is the nomination of Ranil Wickremesinghe in 2021. He had lost the 2020 parliamentary elections and resisted pressure to be named under the United National Party (UNP) national list slot. Another is the case of Ven. Athureliye Rathana Thera of Apey Jana Bala Party. He was sworn in as a national list MP in 2021.

Good news, both for the On Account Vote and the next budget, is from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington D.C. An IMF delegation is due in Colombo on Thursday (election day) for talks with the government to finalise its fourth tranche of US$ 350 million. Sources familiar with the talks said a staff-level agreement would be reached in Colombo. The finer points for the agreement have been ironed out during online talks between Colombo and the Washington-based institution ahead of the planned third round of talks. The credit for the achievement goes to President Dissanayake.

Fragmented opposition

The opposition political parties have remained even more fragmented since the presidential election. The main planks of their campaigns have been rejected by the voters. Hence, the key contender, the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB), has had to mostly direct criticism at polls platforms on the non-fulfilled pledges of the NPP. The remarks have been shot down by cabinet spokesperson Vijitha Herath. He declared that the government’s programme of work was for a five-year term. Despite the low visibility of the campaigns by opposition political parties, efforts by individual candidates have gained more public attention. This has come in the form of posters that have adorned the walls and lamp posts in different electorates. However, compared to previous general elections, their size has been largely smaller underscoring the cash crunch they are facing. Not surprisingly, a political grouping has pruned down its district-level meetings due to the same reason. In some electorates, candidates have been conducting ‘pocket’ meetings in their homes.

SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara expressed strong optimism about the chances for his party. He told the Sunday Times, “The public response for us has been very good. I spoke to many candidates. They tell me that they are confident of victory. They say that the popularity of the JVP-NPP is on the decline. Most of them have been on house-to-house canvassing. We stand a very good chance. Things have changed since the presidential election.”

A newcomer to the political scene is Uvindu Wijeweera, son of the slain JVP leader Rohana Wijeweera. He and others are contesting 17 districts under a group named Second Generation or Deveni Parapura.  Their spokesman, W.N.P. Sumanasekera, said they had plans to serve in the opposition. “It will not to be one that will pull the government by its feet. Instead, it will be one which will guide them, ” he said.

Other than the SJB, other political parties are also fighting to win slots in the new Parliament. Besides the New Democratic Front (NDF), they include the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and the Sarvajana Balavegaya. Unlike in the past, political campaigns in the north have not seen any calls for boycott of the elections. The main tussle, as reported in these columns last week, is between the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) and the Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA).

Abraham Sumanthiran, Vice President of the ITAK, said yesterday that they were confident of winning four seats in the Jaffna district and at least up to 15 seats in the Northern and Eastern provinces. This, he said, is based on responses received from grassroots-level bodies.

The NPP government has declared they will not give ministerial portfolios to those outside their party, but Sumanthiran said “We are not worried about that. We will still pursue the reconciliation process. We will not go after portfolios.”

People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) Executive Director Rohana Hettiaratchchi made an interesting disclosure yesterday. He told the Sunday Times that for the first time there had been no complaints about the abuse of state resources. “Taking into consideration that 8,879 candidates are in the fray, this is very significant. There were such complaints during the presidential election,” he said. Even incidents of violence were 25 cases, relatively marginal compared to the number of candidates. Otherwise, the campaign period has been peaceful, and we hope the voting will also go the same way,” he said.

On the external front, there appears to be some good news for Sri Lanka. That is the victory of Donald Trump, at last Tuesday’s presidential election in the United States. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake lost no time in sending him congratulations on the X, the former Twitter. The last occasion when he was president, Trump withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council in 2018. His UN envoy Nicki Haley described the UNHRC as an “organisation that is not worthy of its name.” Reports indicate that he would follow suit during his new tenure too.

As Trump triumphed to victory, the post-election discourse in the US, among other matters, centered on most mainstream media missing the mood of the country. This is by describing Trump’s electoral battle with Democrat Kamala Harris as “neck and neck” or “head and head.” There were widespread complaints that they were far removed from the voters’ sentiments. Eventually, Trump received 320 electoral college votes with counting still going on as against the 220 by Harris.

The mood is better reflected by Sewell Chan, Editor of the Columbia Journalism Review, in its latest issue. The Columbia School of Journalism is one of America’s oldest journalism schools founded by Joseph Pulitzer. One of the highest awards in conferred on US journalists is the Pulitzer Prize. Here are excerpts that speak of the media dilemma:

“The day after the election, CJR outlined what’s likely to happen in Trump’s second term….. In rising to the occasion, we do not pretend that all is okay with the press. One week before the election we examined all the reasons liberals are angry with the mainstream media, on top of the perhaps more familiar charges of bias that come from the right. Critics are already asking whether the press adequately covered the discontent that propelled Trump to victory in both the popular vote and the Electoral College; whether it continues to uncritically amplify falsehoods; whether it has gotten better at reaching Americans who feel left out, left behind, or looked down upon; whether reporters are up to the job of covering a deeply divided society with profound regional, urban/rural, educational, class, gender, racial and ethnic cleavages…….

“….We remain committed to serious thoughtful criticism of the press. We will continue to ask hard questions about the media’s ability to be fair, relevant, engaging and accessible amid a fragmented information environment and an ongoing blizzard of misinformation and propaganda……… The backsliding of American democracy is part of a global phenomenon with establishment parties and incumbents under siege everywhere from Poland to Turkey to Brazil to the Philippines to India. We will focus on threats facing journalists working worldwide to cover illiberal democracies and authoritarian regimes….”

Plot to attack Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka

In another major development in the United States capital Washington D.C., the Justice Department has laid bare a plot to assassinate Donald Trump, who was only last Tuesday elected President. The suspect Farhad Shekari, is described as the mastermind in the plot to attack Israelis (and even American) tourists visiting Arugam Bay. The website of the Justice Department and how they have reported on the matter is given below.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-murder-hire-and-related-charges-against-irgc-asset-and-two

Friday, November 8, 2024

For Immediate Release

Office of Public Affairs

Iranian Asset Farhad Shakeri Employed Multiple Associates in the New York City Area to Surveil and Murder a U.S. Citizen of Iranian Origin Who Has Publicly Opposed the Iranian Government

Shakeri Was Tasked by Iranian Regime with Surveilling and Plotting to Assassinate President-Elect Donald J. Trump

The criminal complaint

“Farhad Shakeri, 51, of Iran; Carlisle Rivera, also known as Pop, 49, of Brooklyn, New York; and Jonathon Loadholt, 36, of Staten Island, New York, were charged today in a criminal complaint in connection with their alleged involvement in a plot to murder a U.S. citizen of Iranian origin in New York. Rivera was arrested in Brooklyn, New York, and Loadholt was arrested in Staten Island, New York, yesterday. Shakeri remains at large and is believed to reside in Iran. Rivera and Loadholt made their initial appearance in the Southern District of New York yesterday and were ordered detained pending trial.

“There are few actors in the world that pose as grave a threat to the national security of the United States as does Iran,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department has charged an asset of the Iranian regime who was tasked by the regime to direct a network of criminal associates to further Iran’s assassination plots against its targets, including President-elect Donald Trump. We have also charged and arrested two individuals who we allege were recruited as part of that network to silence and kill, on U.S. soil, an American journalist who has been a prominent critic of the regime. We will not stand for the Iranian regime’s attempts to endanger the American people and America’s national security.

“The charges announced today expose Iran’s continued brazen attempts to target U.S. citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump, other government leaders and dissidents who criticize the regime in Tehran,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — a designated foreign terrorist organisation — has been conspiring with criminals and hitmen to target and gun down Americans on U.S. soil and that simply won’t be tolerated. Thanks to the hard work of the FBI, their deadly schemes were disrupted.  We’re committed to using the full resources of the FBI to protect our citizens from Iran or any other adversary who targets Americans.

“Actors directed by the Government of Iran continue to target our citizens, including President-elect Trump, on U.S. soil and abroad. This has to stop,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. “Today’s charges are another message to those who continue in their efforts – we will remain unrelenting in our pursuit of bad actors, no matter where they reside, and will stop at nothing to bring to justice those who harm our safety and security. I want to thank the career prosecutors of this office, and our law enforcement partners for their ongoing work in this and related investigations.  They are truly the best of the best and work tirelessly to keep our country safe.

“According to the complaint and other public statements and filings, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran (the Government of Iran) is actively targeting nationals of the United States and its allies living in countries around the world for attacks, including assault, kidnapping, and murder, both to repress and silence dissidents critical of the Iranian regime and to take vengeance for the January 2020 death of then-Commander of the Islamic  Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Qods Force (IRGC-QF), Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad. The IRGC is an Iranian military and counterintelligence agency under the authority of Iran’s Supreme Leader, comprised of components including an external operations force, the IRGC-QF, and has been designated as a foreign terrorist organisation by the U.S. Secretary of State since April 15, 2019. The IRGC has publicly stated its desire to avenge the death of Soleimani, and, among its activities, the IRGC plots and conducts attack operations outside Iran targeting U.S. citizens residing in the United States and abroad.

“Shakeri is an IRGC asset residing in Tehran, Iran. Shakeri immigrated to the United States as a child and was deported in or about 2008 after serving 14 years in prison for a robbery conviction. In recent months, Shakeri has used a network of criminal associates he met in prison in the United States to supply the IRGC with operatives to conduct surveillance and assassinations of IRGC targets. Two members of Shakeri’s network are his co-defendants, Loadholt and Rivera. At Shakeri’s instruction, Loadholt and Rivera have spent months surveilling a U.S. citizen of Iranian origin residing in the United States (Victim-1). Victim-1 is an outspoken critic of the Iranian regime and has been the target of multiple prior plots for kidnapping and/or murder directed by the Government of Iran. In exchange for Shakeri’s promise of $100,000, Rivera and Loadholt repeatedly sought to locate Victim-1 for murder.

“During their efforts to locate and kill Victim-1, Shakeri, Loadholt, and Rivera shared messages about their progress and photographs relating to their scheme. For example, in or about February 2024, Rivera and Loadholt messaged about an incoming payment from Shakeri, and then travelled to Fairfield University, where Victim-1 was scheduled to appear, and took photographs on campus. In or about April, Shakeri sent Rivera a series of voice notes discussing their efforts to locate and kill Victim-1. In one voice note, Shakeri told Rivera that Victim-1 spent most of her time in particular locations of her home, and told Rivera that “you just gotta have patience … You gotta wait and have patience to catch her either going in the house or coming out, or following her out somewhere and taking care of it. Don’t think about going in. In is a suicide move.” On several occasions over the last several months, consistent with this instruction from Shakeri, Rivera and/or Loadholt have surveilled a location in Brooklyn that they had identified as associated with Victim-1.

“In addition, according to statements made by Shakeri in recorded interviews with law enforcement agents, the IRGC has also tasked Shakeri with carrying out other assassinations against U.S. and Israeli citizens located in the United States. In particular, Shakeri has informed law enforcement that he was tasked on Oct. 7, 2024, with providing a plan to kill President-elect Donald J. Trump. During the interview, Shakeri claimed he did not intend to propose a plan to kill Trump within the timeframe set by the IRGC. He also stated he was tasked with surveilling two Jewish American citizens residing in New York City and offered $500,000 by an IRGC official for the murder of either victim. He was also tasked with targeting Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka.

“Shakeri, Rivera, and Loadholt have all been charged with murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; and money laundering conspiracy, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

“Shakeri has also been charged with conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organisation, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison;  providing material support to a foreign terrorist organisation, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and sanctions against the Government of Iran, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

“The FBI New York Field Office is investigating the case. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection New York Field Office and Drug Enforcement Administration New York Division assisted in the investigation.

“Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob H. Gutwillig and Michael Lockard and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Isaacson for the Southern District of New York, Trial Attorneys Dmitry Slavin of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, and Christopher Rigali and Leslie Esbrook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

“A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”

The Associated Press (AP) news agency also moved a Washington datelined story that included references to the planned attacks on Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka. So did CNN and several other leading US media outlets. There has been no response so far from the government in Teheran or their Embassy in Colombo. It is now clear that the travel warning on the US Embassy website about visits to Arugam Bay for US citizens came in the light of these developments.

So did a warning from Israel’s security council for their nationals. It was copied by three US allies – Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It is also clear that the arrests in the US has considerably diminished any possible threats since the alleged perpetrators have been rounded up and the plot bared.

The 26-page indictment reveals that Shakeri, according to US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), along with others, were arrested in Colombo on or about January 22, 2019, by the Sri Lanka Police Narcotics Bureau (SLPNB) with the seizure of approximately 92 kg of heroin. This comes as proof that Shakeri had been operating from Sri Lanka. There are also references to his links to the Maldives. Some of other references in the indictment include:

Shakeri participated in voluntary telephonic interviews with FBI agents. (He represented that, at the time of the interviews, the stated reason for participating in the interviews was to attempt to obtain a sentence reduction for another individual (“Individual-I”), who is serving a sentence in U.S. prison, by aiding law enforcement on this individual’s behalf) located in Tehrari, Iran. During these interviews, he stated, the following: a. Through his work in the Iranian oil and fuel business, he met an individual, a co-conspirator not named as a defendant herein, who Shakeri described as a senior member of the “sepah” or the Revolutionary Guard, referring to the IRGC (“IRGC Official-I “).

According to Shakeri, IRGC Official-I was referred to by others as “Majid Soleimani,” but he did not know if that was his real name or if IRGC Official-I had a familial connection to Qasem Soleimani. IRGC Official-I, after learning that Shakeri had lived in New York, asked him about investigating Victim-I. b. Shakeri had met with IRGC Official-I on more than approximately one dozen occasions. He explained that these meetings generally were arranged by an intermediary, a co-conspirator not named as a defendant herein (“CC-3″), who indicated when and where he should meet IRGC Official-I. The meetings took place in different restaurants in Iran, and generally took place in Tehran. Prior to each meeting, IRGC Official-I required Shakeri! to leave his phones outside the room in which they met. However, he explained that IRGC Official-I sometimes directed Shakeri to use his (SHAKERI’s) phone to take pictures of images displayed on IRGC Official-I’s phone, so that there would be no record of communications between them.

A Teheran-datelined AFP report said yesterday Iran’s foreign ministry described as “totally unfounded” US accusations of a plot by Tehran to assassinate president-elect Trump.

“The foreign ministry ‘rejects allegations that Iran is implicated in an assassination attempt targeting former or current American officials,” the AFP report said quoting spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei as saying in a statement.

These developments notwithstanding, all eyes will be on the outcome of Thursday’s elections. The public awaits with new hope.