Pledging our troth to the late Thondaman's Thottam

A whopping 350,000 votes hang in the balance with a probable split within the CWC. When Thondaman's body was lying in the CWC office apparently there were political fireworks upstairs with two CWC factions clashing over Thondaman's legacy.

"The UNP will get the CWC's support now that Thondaman is gone," said Raja Seneviratne, the General Secretary of the Lanka Jathika Estate Workers Union (LJEWU), a union that has always been green . His rationalisation : It is traditional for the workers union to vote for the UNP.

But, others are not sure at all. Local Government Minister Alavi Moulana says, "CWC members have already told President Kumaratunga that they will support the Peoples Alliance at the polls in December".

So where does the truth lie? With Seneviratne, Moulana or somewhere in between ?

The hot topic at the moment is whether Arumugam Thondaman has the ability to hold various forces together.

A former Director of the Janatha Estates Development Board and the author of 'The Plantation Raj' Malinga H. Gunaratne, speculating on the future of the CWC said, "if they fail, the CWC will disintegrate and the LTTE will find it a very fertile feeding ground".

Though the main parties are assuming the support of the CWC, the bottom line is that the votes of the plantation workers do not belong to nor are they owned by any political leader. These votes will go to whom they think will champion their cause.

"You cannot call it a UNP or a PA block vote. The plantation worker does not vote on communal lines," says Mr. Gunaratne.

A tug of war is brewing between the two major contenders for the CWC votes, with the UNP stating that the CWC was elected to parliament through the national list of the UNP and the PA arguing that the CWC will continue to support them as it has in the past.

"The CWC is in dire straights following the death of Minister Thondaman," says Dr. Pakiasothy Saravanamuttu, head of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, adding that it is questionable whether the grandson Arumugam Thondaman will be strong enough to keep up the act.

A week after the death of founder and leader of the Ceylon Workers Congress, Saumyamoorthy Thondaman, the political arena has not yet been able to come to terms with what his death means especially with Presidential elections round the corner. And the CWC itself appears as yet undecided about its next move.

Though an official statement has not been issued by the CWC confirming its support, Government Ministers say there is no question as to whom the CWC will support since they have been supporting the PA from the time it came to power. They are smug in the view that the CWC will be faithful to the last wish of their leader Mr.Thondaman, by continuing to support the PA Government.

"He would have still been a champion fighting on the issues relating to the plantation workers but if not for the UNP he wouldn't have been able to deliver," said a spokesman for the UNP, Dr. Karunasena Kodituwakku, pooh poohing that PA boast.

The UNP already feels that it has been able to establish its identity in the plantations, due to politicians such as Karuppiah Velayuthan, Provincial Council Member Uva Province and V. Puthrasigamani, Provincial Council member Nuwara Eliya District Working Committee of the UNP.

Political analysts debating on the future of the CWC with a lost solitary leadership say that being born among the plantation workers Thondaman understood their grievances and struggled to fulfil their needs through his political career.

With the leadership which kept the unity of the party gone, the future of the CWC is bleak. Time is running out with the date for handing over of nominations set for November 15. They will have to make hasty decisions which can have an effect on the long term life of the CWC.

Political analysts also state that Minister Thondaman's death will result in the segmentation of the plantation sector.

"There won't be a direct impact on the political situation immediately, but there could be long term effects" said Dr. Jayadeva Uyangoda, political scientist, commenting on the repercussions his death would have on the political scenario.

With all sorts of tempting bait being extended to attract the CWC membership, so far the two main political parties have not shown their hand.

"Several discussions were held among the CWC and the PA but no offers were made, as the CWC had so far laid down no conditions during these discussions," Transport Minister A.H.M. Fowzie said.

Following the victory of the PA Government in the forthcoming elections, which the PA feels is a 'fait accomplit' they plan to negotiate trade union problems of the estate sector so as to continue the bonding process.

If the government of the day permits the LTTE which was assiduously kept away from the plantations by Thondaman from gaining a foothold, it is the Sinahlese people who will build a monument to Thondaman in the months to come, says Mr. Gunaratne adding that the political agenda in the south as to who is going to win and who is going to live will be determined by the LTTE.

"That's at least one thing Thondaman predicted," he said.

Written by Rajpal Abeynayake with reports from Nilika de Silva, Faraza Farook and Tania Fernando

'JVP will stick to its promises, unlike others'

Nandana Gunathilake, the JVP presidential candidate is a member of the Southern Provincial Council and first came into politics in 1984 while studying for his Agriculture Degree. He was campaigning for the JVP while at the university but had never really got deeply involved with the party. However two years later in 1986 he joined the JVP and took up permanent membership. Although he had completed his second year at the university he gave up his university education and turned to full-time politics.

Nandana Gunathilake is the second candidate the party has put forward for a presidential election , the first being Rohana Wijeweera.

Q: At the last elections the JVP made a last minute withdrawal and called on their voters to support the PA. After that episode why has the party decided to contest again?

A: I think it is important that we put the record straight. We decided to contest on the lines of the abolition of the executive presidency. In fact the JVP from 1978 todate is one party which has carried out a massive campaign for its abolition . In 1994 we said if there was any candidate who will pledge and give in writing not to us, but to the people, that the executive presidency will be abolished, we will withdraw. Chandrika Kumaratunga came forward and made that promise to the people. On that promise we withdrew from the elections. Obviously our votes went to the Government. So it should be noted that the JVP did not support the PA instead we acted upon our word by withdrawing A good number of our votes did go to her. In reality that was what Chandrika Kumaratunga wanted so badly. That is why she acted so swiftly on our proposal. But we all know how well the President kept her promise to the people.

Q: The JVP has put forward you, a relatively little known candidate. Reports say the party has come to a secret agreement with the Government to put forward such a candidate. Is it correct?

A: I categorically deny such statements. The JVP will never stoop to such low levels. Our party leadership is different from other parties, it consists of a party leaders committee. I agree that a person like Tilvin Silva, Wimal Weerawansa or Somawansa Amersinghe was what the people expected to be nominated but that impression was created by the media. It is for this very reason that the party wanted to nominate me . The JVP Politburo unanimously decided to elect me as the presidential candidate. There is a reason for this. The party's main priority is to abolish the executive presidency. This is our policy, it is not to give victory to one person.We have to work towards this victory and to achieve our policy we are not interested in the title. So the problem of who the candidate is does not arise. Our main aim is to get the required votes to achieve this and to come to an agreement with other parties specially the Left parties. It is because of this that we held discussions with other parties. Already the Muslim United Liberation Front and Nava Sama Samaja Party has extended their support. We are still discussing with left parties.

Q: But didn't any PA leader approach the party?

A: No. The JVP will never extend its support either to the PA or the UNP. We have not done it in the past and will never to do it in the future.

Q: What is your main theme for the Presidential election campaign?

A: The main pledge is to abolish the executive presidency .This is what we will tell the people. It is only the JVP with the support from two left parties that can and will abolish the presidency. I was elected for this purpose .So we will tell the people that to abolish the executive presidency they have to elect the JVP. The reason is very clear. Chandrika Kumaratunga gave the people the promise and went back on her word. The people lost all hope and trust. The Government is prolonging the executive presidency solely to extend its term of office. The UNP had made it very clear that it will not abolish the executive presidency. The party says that certain amendments will be brought and the system will remain. The truth is that both parties need this system, mainly to carry out their economic policies which they will do with an iron fist. We can clearly say that both parties will never abolish the executive presidency. We will tell the people that we need their support. 'Give us the power and we will keep the promise'. The JVP has never gone back on its word. We said that the Provincial Council members will not take a salary, we kept our word. Similarly we are against the preferential system.The JVP is a party which will do what it says and we say what we do.

Q: But the People's Alliance says that the main reason for the non abolition of the executive presidency is due to the lack of a 2/3rds majority in Parliament?

A: These are just arguments. If the Government is genuine in their efforts there are other steps they could take to achieve this. The 1972 constitution was made by appointing a Parliamentary Constitutional Committee. The law cannot be above the peoples interest and welfare. The law is for the people. Of course the law can also not be applicable to the people. Whether the JVP is elected to power, it will be decided by the people. Since the abolition of the executive presidency is a main aim, we will try to get the required support. If we don't get it to bring the amendments, using the power of the executive presidency we will dissolve parliament and go for a general election. Through this we will even be able to bring in a new constitution, but all this can be achieved through the abolition of the executive presidency. All this is possible only if the JVP is elected.

Q: But your party has been against the executive presidency, why are you contesting the Presidential elections?

A: We are contesting the elections solely to achieve one thing, which is the abolition of the executive presidency.

It is a fact that the majority of people have now come to accept that this system is not applicable to our country. The system has ruined our country.A fine example would be the Indo Lanka peace accord, President Jayewardene used his full powers. There were people who influence the accord but he took all the decisions. Another is the ban on parties including the JVP, this was his decision. It was not only President Jayewardene but president Premadasa and now president Chandrika Kumaratunga are following suit. She showed her power by dissolving the North and East Provincial Councils. The seriousness of it is that no one can take legal action against those who use the power of the executive presidency. So far no political party has genuinely taken an interest to remove such dictatorial powers through the system. Even at this election There is no other party other than the JVP which is willing to abolish it. It is true we are against the presidency but we want to change the system. The main reason for the party to come forward is to abolish the system. The JVP comes forward at the Presidential elections only to abolish the executive presidency.

Q: Vasudeva Nanayakkara another Presidential candidate too has pledged to abolish the executive presidency ?

A: The best thing Mr. Nanayakkara can do at present is to support the JVP candidate. The reason is that apart from the PA and the UNP everyone has accepted that the other strong party is the JVP. If he is genuinely interested in abolishing the executive presidency he should support us and not break the votes and go back to the same system. We have proved to be a strong Left party.

Q: Has the JVP assessed the situation at village level. What is the outcome and what type of people are you expecting to vote for you ?

A: Judging from the past elections we cannot say that we will get a better response from the village. We get equal support from both the city and the village. There has been a balance. A study of the statistics show the voter percentage in the coastal belt has increased.

Q: Can you give an estimate of votes the party will hope to get at the presidential elections ?

A: It is difficult to give an estimate but we know that the party will get a good percentage. This is due to two factors. Firstly the people are fed up with the government for the unfulfilled promises. It is the same with the UNP. The JVP has the support from the MULF and the NSSP where a substantial number of votes can be expected.

Q: Have you assessed your position in the North and East ?

A: If a free and fair election is held in the North and East we are positive of getting a good number of votes. We have already drawn up a plan to campaign in those areas, We have opened a branch office in Trincomalee and have party organisers in Batticaloa. Campaigning will be done mainly in these areas with meetings and distributing hand bills. We are comfortable in the North and East. What's more, during the last elections when the party said not to vote for the JVP, they still voted for us.

Q: Vasudeva Nanayakkara has put forward some demands. will your party agree to these demands?

A: Mr. Nanayakkara had told it to a newspaper but he has not approached the party. There is a procedure one follows when such matters are discussed. Officially he has not put forward any demand and the party does not wish to discuss the elections with Mr. Nanayakkara.

Q: But if he does put forward the proposals how will the party react?

A: The question is what will these demands be. How can Mr. Nanayakkara put forward demands when after the Provincial Council elections he spoke out against the government. Until then he was with the government supporting several projects directly and indirectly. Only when the Government was losing its popularity has he spoken against it. How can a 'strong' Leftist work to safeguard a rightist Government.

Q: Is it true that the JVP is currently holding talks with several Trade Unions including the July strikers, Pensions Union?

A: We are discussing with them on a general basis. Apart from the two Left parties who have pledged their support, we are conducting talks with other parties as well. This we will do till the elections. But we are not totally dependent on the votes of the July strikers and pensioners and similar unions. It will be important only to a certain extend. They have to decide whether they will vote for the PA or UNP there might be some who will vote for the JVP. The reality in politics is that one does not change the party one has been supporting for generations overnight.They will give demands to the government and threaten to vote for another party, but this changes when they go back to their villages. At the same time there will be a handful who will vote for us.

Q: We understand Chitrangani Wijeweera met the Government's hierarchy prior to the Southern Provincial Council elections. Is she planning to enter politics ?

A: We all know what her position is. She has five children to bring up in a normal environment. Thus she is compelled to discuss certain issues pertaining to her children's welfare. She has no intention of joining any political party. Even if she was approached by the Government for the benefit of the government, she will not join the PA.

Q: Will the JVP make a request to her to join the party?

A: We will never do such a thing. We know that she is not interested in politics. She is the widow of our leader. We will not try to win votes through her.

Q: How do you assess the PA performance in the past five years?

A: When we look at the 1994 election manifesto of the PA the government has not fulfilled anything. It promised job opportunities for the youth. The cost of living is increasing. The government gave false promises knowing very well that it can never fulfill them. They never attempted to give a true picture, fearing that they would lose the votes. even after coming to power they were unable to carryout the promises and do any development work. The popularity of the party has dropped. The government is only interested in selling our national assets and ruining the country. The only things left are the paddy fields, forests and rivers. These too will be gone very soon.

Q: What has the UNP been able to do as the main Opposition?

A: The UNP has failed as an Opposition. The UNP has not shown any signs of a strong opposition specially for a party having such a long history. If the present party members were strong they had all the time and opportunity to correct their past mistakes and come out as a dynamic opposition. This is mainly due to the lack of political leadership qualities in the leader. He, on many occasions, has shown that he is weak in politics. When there were ample opportunities for him to capitalise as an opposition he has missed all of them. We cannot forget the leadership qualities president Jayawardene, and president Premadasa or even of Gamini Dissanayake and Lalith Athulathmudali. They would have been crafty but they possessed all the qualities of good leaders. They might have been doing something wrong but they were strong as leaders.

Q: What has the JVP done in the past five years ?

A: For the past five years the party carried out an intense membership drive. A large number of our members were killed but through this we have been able to build the party and once again enter mainstream politics. The first few years were not easy. We took a risk in carrying out political work. We went to the people and explained our policy. We can say that the JVP has come a long way and been able to build a strong foundation. We have kept our promises and not collected our salary from the Provincial Councils.

this was done on principle. There is no other party which did this.

The money is for the people. We have not been able to do big projects but with our limited resources we have come through.

Polio girl alleges rape

By Ayesha R. Rafiq

The Colombo Fort Magistrate recently remanded a suspect who is alleged to have raped and made pregnant a polio victim.

The 24-year-old alleged victim from Polgahawela is said to have been struck down by polio when she was one-and-a-half years old and for 13 years could not even move without difficulty and has never attended school.

As her father is dead her mother worked as a labourer. When she was reportedly offered a job by a male relative to work in a shop from 7.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m., she took up the offer.

The mother had alleged that one day when she was returning home she heard her daughter screaming asking someone to let go of her.

When she had run inside the house she had seen the male relative who offered her the job at the shop running away from the house.

The daughter had then told her that he had allegedly come home about three or four times when the mother wasn't at home and had allegedly raped her. She said that he had first come on the pretext of wanting some water to drink and had then raped her. The daughter had said when she told her aunt about the matter she had allegedly told her to keep quiet about it as no harm would come to her. The suspect had allegedly threatened to kill her if she told her mother about it.

Some time later the mother had taken her daughter to a clinic as she was not feeling too well and was told that her daughter was four months pregnant and was asked to admit her to hospital in the eighth month, as the girl being a polio victim the baby would have to be delivered by Caesarean section. On a complaint made to the police the suspect had reportedly admitted the crime to the police and was ordered to pay Rs. 1000 monthly as maintenance to the alleged victim. However he did not pay the money and the police had allegedly refused to take action if he neither showed up nor paid the money.

The suspect had later been apprehended by Inspector Indrani Abeygoonesekara on a complaint to the Women and Child Abuse Desk and was produced before the Fort Magistrate on November 1. He was further remanded until November 15.

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