Introduction

The force behind the attempt to split the JVP is the government of Mahinda Rajapakse says General Secretary of the JVP Comrade Tilvin Silva. In an interview he held with ‘Lanka’ Sunday newspaper Comrade Tilvin Silva says Mahinda Rajapakse government used Wimal Weerawansa to manipulate the JVP according to their whims and fancies and to get information regarding the party.

Why is there talk about a JVP split?

First of all I must tell you that the JVP has not split. Also, no one can split the JVP. There were many, throughout our party’s history, who tried to split the JVP. Since the inception of our party in 1965 there were various attempts to split and divide our party. After the repression in 1971 an attempt was made to split the party. It didn’t materialize. There was another attempt when the party re-commenced its political activities. This too failed. There was another attempt after the party was proscribed in 1983. This too failed. We know that even at present the enemies of the country and the party desire to split our party. However, it has not been possible to split our party. They will never be able to split this party.

When one or two people leave the party we don’t consider it as a slit in the party. We consider it as the party is being made more systematic, a purification of the party. 

Didn’t Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa play an important role in the party? Isn’t his departure a blow?

There’s a saying in science that ‘if what you see on the surface is true there is no need for science!’ If you look at it on the surface you’d think that Wimal Weerawansa has made a big contribution to the party. In fact, we don’t deny it. While he worked for the party he made a considerable contribution to the party and played an important role. However, what is important is, however forceful Wimal Weerawansa is, he is only one individual in the party. Ours is a party; a huge organization. Hence, we are confident that the party will not be much affected even if a person like Wimal Weerawansa leaves the party or the party has to remove him on a certain issue or due to some of his shortcomings.  For, the party works as an organization. As some erroneously assume Wimal Weerawansa is not the JVP. We have never built our party depending on individuals.

If the party had to cease its functioning it had to be on the 13th of November, 1989 when Comrade Rohana Wijeweera was assassinated; when all members of the Political Bureau of our party except Comrade Somawansa Amarasinghe were killed.  Even after such a catastrophe this party could not be stopped as this is a political movement that has been created for the requirement of the society; a massive organization. Hence, even if a few people leave the party there won’t be much of a difference to the forward path of the party.

Even if Wimal Weerawansa did some work for the party and was a noticeable leader in the propaganda field the whole party doesn’t depend on that. Our party possesses a colossal organizational strength. This is where Wimal Weerawansa and his group went wrong. They thought they were the party. But now they have realized that they are not the only ‘people’ in the party.

Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa accuses that the party follows a “Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde” policy; that the party has dealings with the UNP.  

   The JVP has never had any dealings with the UNP, nor does it have any. Also, not a single member or a leader of the JVP is with the UNP. I would say with quite confidence that the JVP doesn’t have a “Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde” policy.

However, among the serious allegations against Wimal are leaking information regarding the party and consciously attempting to create a group within the party. This of course is an attempt to follow the “Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde” policy. Wimal’s modus operandi was to attempt to create a hostile group within the JVP. In the latter stages Wimal tried to tether the JVP to Mahinda Rajapakse. Hence, it was Wimal Weerawansa who has followed the policy of “Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde; not us.

This is why he had to abruptly abandon this policy and take a stand. We would like to say with a high sense of responsibility that the JVP has never had any dealings with the UNP or the enemies of our country and would never do so. However, there is a grave conspiracy here. These allegations are brought against the JVP and certain leaders of the party with the knowledge of Wimal Weerawansa fulfilling the interests of the President or others trying to link the JVP with the UNP.

This is not new to us. Even in the past the enemies of the JVP tried to link the JVP with the UNP. We are reminded of those who slandered us between 1977 and 83/84 periods saying that the JVP was a tail of the UNP.  However, the world got to know what sort of a party the JVP was. Even now what Wimal Weerawansa and his group are doing is fulfilling the needs of the reactionaries. It is only the opponents of this country, the reactionaries who want to prove that the JVP is with the UNP or with western reactionary forces. Hence, what Wimal Weerawansa and his group are fulfilling is the interest of those reactionaries. It was only the JVP that fought against the western conspiracies that are against our country; that acted to defeat the UNP; that created a situation so that the UNP would never come to power.

However, Wimal Weerawansa attempts to show that he did all that by himself and the party did nothing. All we can do is to be sorry for Wimal Weerawansa.

If there were such conflicts why did the party wait until Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa make the statement in the Parliament to tell the view of the party to the world?

This should be clarified. We have been discussing, in our party organizations, regarding Wimal Weerawansa’s shortcoming for a considerable period. His shortcomings were criticized. When our party organizations meet we carry out criticism and self-criticism. We self- criticize our own shortcomings if there were any. We also forward criticism of what we have observed regarding the party and members. The same process was adopted regarding Wimal as well.

Specially, we had come to know that Wimal was not working according to the party but was adopting a more liberalized style of work and using institutions created by the party and their resources for his separate political agenda. We were discussing this in the party. After we have discussed it in the party we presented the allegations against Wimal at the Central Committee of the party held on the 26th February.  The allegations were forwarded by Comrade Somawansa Amasinghe.  Subsequently, other members of the Central Committee too forwarded their criticisms. We had a lengthy discussion on the allegations. Wimal answered certain allegations and for some he didn’t have any answer.  As such, he couldn’t establish his innocence for many of the allegations. Hence, it was necessary to continue the discussion. We asked him to forward his responses to the charges. Then he stopped attending organizations. 

He didn’t attend a Central Committee meeting; didn’t attend Political Bureau meetings. As he didn’t attend any meetings of organizations, on a decision taken by the Political Bureau, I, Comrades Lal Kanthe and Chandrasena Wijesinghe, all members of the Political Bureau, got him down to our office at Pelawatte and questioned him as to why he didn’t attend any meetings of the organizations. He said he couldn’t come to the organizations as he couldn’t face them. We asked him to attend sessions of the organizations to resolve his issue.

That’s how it was. However, he didn’t attend any sessions of the organizations. Then we decided to continue to have a personal link with him as he abstained from attending sessions of the organizations. I was given this responsibility. I kept in touch with him. During this period I give several messages to Wimal. However, he didn’t say anything to me nor did he ask anything from me. I must specially emphasize regarding his story that he was expelled from the party at a Central Committee meeting held on the 21st. It is a baseless lie. Our party has not taken such a decision regarding Wimal. If Wimal’s telephone could be checked it could be seen that I had taken a call to him at 5.00 p.m. on the 21st.  We wanted to get lyrics from Socialist Arts Union (SAU) for a few songs for the April Heroes’ Commemoration Day meeting as Wimal was in charge of SAU. Hence, it was through Wimal that the message was sent to SAU. Also, on 2nd April, before I went abroad I spoke to Wimal over the phone and left some messages.

We had scheduled two propaganda meetings for Eastern Provincial Council election at Ampare on the 20th April and at Kantale on 22nd of April.  I asked him to come for these two meetings. As I was unable to participate at the April Heroes’ Commemoration Day celebrations I asked him to participate and get on to the stage. I utilized the method we usually use to give messages.

However, Wimal, without considering any of this, has acted according to his own agenda. It was to seize institutions created by the party and their resources and leave the party with a few individuals he had won with his lies and act as a separate unit.

He took a decision and made a statement in the Parliament t when he knew the ongoing inquiries in the party against him were disadvantageous to him. As in the tale ‘cart before the horse’ when he couldn’t face the criticism, did not have any answers to the questions and wanted to avoid the issue being discussed he makes the statement in the Parliament to evade the situation.

This too is a grave blunder. Anyone would know that if Wimal had a problem, if he had any doubt that he had been expelled he could have talked to the party; he could have talked to Comrade Somawansa Amarasinghe. Or he could have talked to me. If so we would have called the Central Committee. The Political Bureau could have been called. We could have discussed his issue. He goes and tells his ‘woes’ to Mr. W.G.M. Lokubandara without talking to us. The Speaker of the Parliament cannot solve an internal question, a disciplinary question and an organizational issue of the JVP. Crying in front of Mr. Lokubandara would not solve his problem. He had collected a few young Parliamentarians who had been sensitive for his crying, gone to the office of the Patriotic National Movement (PNM) where a welcome party had been prepared, linked up with individuals who are not in the JVP to hold a lecture for the group, hold a media conference and attempted to take signatures from the group of Parliamentarian to get their salaries individually. This is all a part of a conspiracy. It is evident that Wimal and certain people have had a programme.  Crying in the Parliament is one stage of the programme.    

Didn’t the party hold a separate media conference as a separate group?

There aren’t groups such as Wimal’s group, Somawansa’s group or Tilvin’s group in our party. There are only members of the JVP in our party. However, Wimal, arousing the sympathy of certain Parliamentarians, has conspiratorially tried to win them over (We say this with responsibility) stating that he had been unfairly treated by the party. Then he makes his speech in the Parliament on the 8th.

Certain Parliamentarians who were moved by his lamentation surrounded him and asked what it was all about. When he lied to them that he had been sacked by the party, those MPs who were moved by his lies wanted to have a discussion to solve the issue. Wimal grabs this opportunity to take them for a press conference. These Parliamentarians who have shown their faces to the press conference are in crisis now. Wimal, with his conspiracies, has ruined the political future of several young Parliamentarians of our party. 

Most of these MPs are in difficulty, unable to go to their constituencies, meet masses and face their families. We tell them that we have no problem regarding them and to come and work with us. Accordingly, comrade Sujatha Alahakone came back to the fold of the party. She realized the wrong and she held a media briefing. We are confident that several others too would realize their folly and come back. There are one or two individuals who are with Wimal in the conspiracy. Only they will remain with Wimal.

Seizing of vehicles belonging to JVP Parliamentarians too was reported with this incident. What have you got to say regarding it?

 Only property belonging to others could be seized.  Bringing in vehicles belonging to our party cannot be defined as ‘seizing.’ These are vehicles belonging to our party. We bought thirty odd vehicles with permits our Parliamentarians were entitled to. All these vehicles were bought with party funds. Not a single Parliamentarian has given a single cent for the vehicles. Hence, those vehicles belong to the party. On the day the vehicles were handed over to our Parliamentarians I, with Comrade Anura Dissanayake, had a discussion with our Parliamentary comrades. We told them that the vehicles were bought with party funds so that they could conveniently attend to the needs of the public. However, they went to attend the media meeting after the address by Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa on the 8th leaving these vehicles behind in the Parliamentary complex without any protection to them.

As such, comrades who were in the Parliament at that time thought they should bring the vehicles back to our head office. That’s how Comrade Jayanthe Wijesekera mediated in bringing the vehicles to the head office and parked them in its compound. If the vehicles were seized would we get a person like Comrade Jayanthe to do it and would we park the vehicles at our head office? When the police arrived the vehicles were parked there. They were not seized vehicles. They were our vehicles. They had made a complaint to the police and got Comrade Jayanthe Wijesekera remanded.

They say the JVP doesn’t understand politics; that they are patriots and only they have a feeling for the country and they are the people who would carry out the imperialist struggle. Now, these so-called patriots, who say they would carry out the struggle against imperialists, get Comrade Jayanthe Wijesekera, who had single handedly hoisted the lion flag in the Eastern Province in Trincomalee after pulling down the ealam flag, remanded. These elements are aware that Comrade Jayanthe Wijesekera is a main target of the tiger terrorists.

Life is not safe in the remand prison. It is easy to understand their petit objectives by remanding a person like Comrade Jayanthe Wijesekera. Getting Comrade Jayanthe Wijesekera, who, unlike Wimal, had actively worked to preserve the unitary status of Sri Lanka, its sovereignty and struggled against imperialism and risked his life to hoist the lion flag, remanded (They got the government to use its influence to remand him.) by making false accusations that he seized vehicles and attempting to keep him in remand for two weeks without allowing him to be bailed out indicates what their reactionary objective are. It is very clear that what appears is not what is intended.

Certain media had reported that residences of certain Parliamentarians were attacked.

These of course are fabrications. When their wrongdoing is being exposed to the country, stories such as theft of vehicles, they and their houses were attacked are being created to win the sympathy of the masses. We don’t need to attack any of them as they are on the verge of a political death. We wouldn’t like to dirty our hands by attacking them. However, we would like to say that these accusations too are a part of the conspiracy.   

Those who conspired to take out a group from the party have to hold them fast without letting them go back. For this they have to manipulate news. Hence, they create ‘news’ from time to time. The masses in this country need not be deceived by these fabrications. What we have to say is that a few individuals of the group, while being party members, tried to drag the party towards opportunism; conspired to drag the party towards Mahinda Rajapaske. These individuals stepped out of the party taking a few others with them only after this conspiracy failed. 

However, now they have realized that our party not only couldn’t be broken nor could it be shaken. Wimal’s attempt failed. Those who went with him moved by his tears would realize their folly. We are prepared to accept them. However, there are a few issues regarding Wimal. The party will have to take a decision regarding him. No decision has been taken yet. As such, Wimal still has the opportunity to come before the party, his organization, answer all allegations against him and give the party an opportunity to take a decision regarding him. Then the party will take the necessary step. That’s how he could salvage his reputation if there is anything left out of it.

There was talk that the government and several ministers were prepared to solve the issue. What do you say regarding this?   

Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse’s government is the force behind this move. They wanted the JVP in their pocket; to win the JVP for their agenda. Instead of accepting a few ministerial posts we presented a policy programme of 20 proposals. Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse tried to manipulate the JVP according to his requirement through Wimal. He wanted to manipulate the JVP so that it would not be an obstacle for his agenda. He used Wimal to know what the party was doing and act accordingly. We have a suspicion that they tried to control the JVP internally through Wimal. Only when this failed they intervened and took Wimal out. They thought the party would break up or crash when Wimal was removed. However, now Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse should realize that an individual cannot do anything for the party. Even now the government is behind the process.

Who gave security to those Parliamentarians who went behind Wimal and held a press conference? It was Presidential Security Division (PSD) that gave them security. Comrade Sujatha Alahakone said there were three from the police and three from PSD at her home even while the press conference was going on. They have been given security from PSD, found places for them to reside and given pages of space in government backed newspapers to publish their articles. Hence, it is obvious who is behind this scenario.

It is very clear that Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse has tamed Wimal Weerawansa. Wimal, who has been tamed, would be manipulated to do certain things at the bidding of Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse and his party. He would support the government. However, the JVP would not get caught in those conspiracies.

Even before these incidents took place there was a discussion in the media in connection with what took place. Do you consider them too as part of the conspiracy?         

Yes of course. The charges leveled by the party against Wimal are serious. When he realized this he, instead of coming before the party organizations and facing the charges, tried to create another view in the society to prevent the charges being leveled against him.

It is very clear. The head line in ‘Divayina’ that was published the day after we leveled charges against him was that there was a conspiracy to assassinate or discredit the leaders of the national movement and a group within the party was involved in it. He started getting news published to conceal his faults and stop any action taken against him.  Then there was a baseless fabrication as a news item in ‘Dinamina’ stating that Comrade Anura Dissanayake had conspired with a diplomat of a western country at UNP Parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake’s residence to drive away a stalwart from the party. The name of the writer of the news article was not mentioned.

We have taken action against ‘Dinamina’ for publishing that fictitious news item. Hence, it is very clear that Wimal was creating opinions through the media to conceal his folly and the conspiracy. When all his attempts failed he made the statement in the Parliament. It was Wimal who acted conspiratorially in the party.

Will this situation have an effect on the provincial council election for the East? 

Not at all. We have a strong programme for the East. We have a suspicion that one of Wimal’s intentions was, on behalf of the government, to sabotage our campaign. It could be possible that Comrade Jayanthe Wijesekera, a strong character in the East, was remanded leveling false charges against him to sabotage our campaign. All this is done to appease Mahinda Rajapakse. 

The statement on disarming of Pilleyan is connected with this issue. Doesn’t the JVP consider disarming Pilleyan would be a support for the tiger organization?

Those who try to understand politics lightly confronts this problem. Also, those who look at politics through Mahinda Rajapakse’s glasses too have the same problem. We clearly state that Pilleyan and his group turning aside from tiger organization and fighting against tigers is good. If the government uses armed Pilleyan in the war against tiger organization to defeat tigers - we agree with it. We don’t oppose Pilleyan being armed for that purpose. We also agree for providing security for Pilleyan for that purpose. However, we oppose using Pilleyan, who should be used to defeat tiger organization, to win an election instead.

At an election all parties that participate in the elections should be disarmed. One party cannot be allowed to be armed. If Pilleyan and his group has a problem regarding their security when involved in election campaigns without arms they should be given the highest security they could be given and get them to participate in the campaign without arms. Only Security forces should be armed. These organizations should not bear arms.

One may argue that disarming Pilleyan at this juncture would be an advantage to tiger organization. What we say is postpone the election in the East and defeat tigers first. 

If there is a fondness to bring victory to Mahinda Rajapakse by indirectly allowing Pilleyan to carry arms and encourage rigging of elections, we have nothing to do with that. It is not our politics.

Under these circumstances how would the future programme of the JVP unfold?

There is no deviation in the path the JVP is taking. We are in a very definite position politically. There are certain grave issues faced by this country at present. The main issue is the national question. This should be solved. For this terrorism should be defeated, democracy established and equal opportunities should be given to all. Also, western conspiracies and Indian intervention that have targeted Sri Lanka making use of the national question should be defeated. The attempt to make Sri Lanka another Kosovo or a Sudan should be prevented.

However, it is apparent that Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse cannot do this. Mahinda too seeks refuge in devolution. Also, there is an economic crisis within the country. This government doesn’t have solutions for that. Fraud and corruption is rampant in the country. This government cannot change that. Democracy is at death’s door.  As such, a new patriotic front is essential to find solutions for these issues and take our country forward. This is the task – of building the front of the patriots and progressives – that we have undertaken now. The enemies strived to prevent the creation of this new, broad front of the patriots and progressives being built by the leadership, mediation and contribution of the JVP. This too would have been behind Wimal’s action. Genuine patriots or progressives don’t believe in an independence struggle without the leadership or mediation of the JVP. They don’t believe that any change could be brought about to this country without the participation of the JVP. 

Genuine patriots and progressives are with us. Hence, the JVP has launched a political journey that would win over genuine economic prosperity, national independence and genuine peace. We have inaugurated this journey with vigour.

We assure to the people in this country that we would, before long, bring in victories to our Motherland.