Australian National Kumar Gunarathnam to Contest Presidential Election
The JVP breakaway group, the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) says that its leader-in-Exile Kumar Gunarathnam will contest in the upcoming Presidential Election. Mr. Gunarathnam is now a Australian national.
He was allegedly abducted in 2011. The Australian embassy in Colombo intervened to get him released and re-join his family in Australia. He has now changed his name has entered the country for first time since his alleged abduction. His opponent charged him for stage managing the abduction and on the pay role of the government. FSP has rejected the allegation.
Related news item published by the FSP web site:
”The Frontline Socialist party disclosed that they are preparing to put forward a common leftist candidate on forthcoming presidential election. Upon on request , Mr Pubudu Jayagoda the secretary to the party propaganda said that, ” already we had discussions with few leftist parties and have to discuss with several other parties in near future on this matter.” He further explained that there is a recent proposal being discussed within the party central committee suggesting Mr Gunarathnam should be the presidential candidate for the election.
Speaking on this issue another party politburo member Duminda Nagamuwa said that due to the governments’ suppressed tactics Kumar Gunarathnam had to live in exile since his abduction on 2011. He also adds that ” elections of this country means a war of two companies. The company spends more, and who cheats the people most always win. This is what normally happens. But we think, we should use this event, in order to convey the leftist ideology to the society. We try to fill this gap by representing a presidential candidate on this occasion. ”
by Shamindra Ferdinando-October 9, 2014
Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) leader Kumar Gunaratnam couldn’t even contest a Pradeshiya Sabha election let alone stand for president because he was an Australian citizen, authoritative sources said in response to speculation that he would come here to contest the next presidential election.
As Gunaratnam had obtained an Australian passport (N 1016123) bearing the name, Noel Mudalige, he had lost the right to exercise franchise at an election here, sources said.
The FSP recently claimed that some left-oriented political groups had requested the party to field Gunaratnam/Mudalige at the forthcoming presidential poll.
The breakaway JVP faction said that it intended to clear the way for its Australia-based leader to return to the country soon.
Gunaratnam/Mudalige’s elder brother, Ranjitham was killed during counter-insurgency operations against the JVP during the then President Ranasinghe Premadasa’s administration.
Former Australian High Commissioner in Colombo Robyn Mudie happened to reveal FSP leader’s new identity in a letter sent in early April 2012 to the External Affairs Ministry following the Australian national’s alleged disappearance after secretly returning on September 4, 2011.
Ms Mudie made the revelation in the wake of Gunaratnam being appointed as the top man in the 18-member Central Committee of the newly formed party, which is yet to secure recognition from the Election Secretariat.
The other of the FSP Central Committee are, Senadeera Gunatilleke, Dimuthu Attygalle, G. Kularatne, Champika Sudasinghe, Shantha Wijesinghe, Pubudu Jagoda, Chameera Koswatte, Duminda Nagamuwa, Ravindra Mudalige, S. K. Subasinghe, Sunil Jayaratne, Sujith Kuruwita, Jude Silvapulle, Indrananda de Siilva, Samansiri Fernando, Indika Weerakoon and Jaminda Siriwardene.
Political sources alleged that the FSP was making a desperate bid to gain some political mileage. Kumar Gunaratnam had ceased to exits the day Australia had issued a new passport bearing a Sinhalese identity, therefore the ongoing bid to promote him as a candidate at the next presidential was surprising, sources said. Responding to a query, sources asserted that the FSP could use the next presidential poll to expand its influence at the expense of the JVP, which was also contemplating on fielding a candidate, though its first priority was to prevent incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa seeking a third term on legal grounds.
