Intimidation Of Election Commission By Dayasiri Jayasekara & SLFP/SLPP00
Prof. S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole
The Financial Times kindly gave space to me to respond to Dayasiri Jayasekara. The article was titled “Dayasiri claims behaviour of EC member raises impartiality issues.”
In the FT issue of 13 May, 2020, it is said that the Sri Lanka Nidahas Podujana Sandanaya (SLNPS) – the
coalition including the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and the Sri
Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), through SLNPS National Organiser and SLFP
General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara, speaking from the SLPP head
office – strongly criticised the Elections Commission as
partisan, and threatened to take action against some of its members
when the new Parliament is convened. This is electoral thuggery at its
worst.
In particular Jayasekara named me and accused me of levelling baseless
allegations against his members in the north. He said SLNPS offices in
the north were removed by the EC after I complained about them. However,
he claimed, the offices of TNA were not removed. “We do not see any
problem of TNA having an office in the north but the questionable move
was why Hoole decided to remove only the SLNPS office in the north,” he
added.
He is bluffing and bullying. The issue of offices being removed concerns
Mr. Angajan Ramanathan’s office in the Kachcheri. He had it as a
Coordinator’s Office but after Parliament was dissolved, he had to
vacate. The order to vacate had nothing to do with me but the complaints
came from many sources, including Jayasekera’s ally, the EPDP. EC
neutrally is not about looking the other way when election laws are
violated by anyone.
During election time, Angajan Ramanathan cannot use government property.
There was no issue of removing TNA offices because the TNA was not
unlawfully using government offices for electioneering. As a politician
representing the people, it is important to be accurate in statements.
Readers in judging Jayasekera’s charges against me must remember that
according to the International Crisis Group, “Dayasiri Jayasekara, made a
public intervention to arrange bail for several Sinhalese arrested for
the rioting” following the 21 April 2019 massacres.
Says an activist that witnesses place Dayasiri Jayasekera at the police station during curfew hours getting riotous thugs released on bail,
and says that many Muslims who voted for him expressed astounding
regret because of what they now regard as his anti-Muslim phobia.
And now Jayasekara threatens to remove me as an Election Commission
Member for doing my work as soon as the elections are over? Recently
Prof. G.L. Peiris has accused a member of the Election Commission of
being a saboteur (Island, 2 March, coinciding with the dissolution of
parliament). It seems that there are forces threatening EC Members with
sacking if they do not obey these forces. EC Members’ work is, among
other things, to prevent election cheating.
For instance, Angajan Ramanathan’s followers have been diverting
donations coming to the Jaffna Kachcheri for those adversely affected by
the Pandemic. These are diverted by high Kachcheri Officials to Angajan
Ramanathan. The above photo shows Angajan’s Vadamaraatchi Youth Front
leader handing out these donated goods from the GS’s premises. The table
stock-taking identity, KVD/J/350/04, shows the venue to be the GS’s
office. The photo is from his Youth Front’s Facebook, but was removed as
soon as the press got wind. When several complaints came to me about
wrongfully diverted donations, I passed them on to the Commission. A
high-level five-man inquiry team is in Jaffna now.
Now Angajan Ramanathan says he is sending me a letter of demand for Rs.
500 million for besmirching his “good name.” Good name? In the last LG
elections, the Point Pedro Government clinic gave out medicines in
sachets claiming to be from Angajan Ramanthan’s Youth
Front, the same one now claiming to give relief supplies. In that
instance, no action was taken. There are confirmed stories about EPDP
Yogeswary Patkunarajah the Mayoress of Jaffna being chased with a pistol
from which several bullets were fired. This was during the
2010 parliamentary elections. The case is ongoing. During the 2013
provincial elections, a close family member of his was charged with
threatening TNA candidate Thambirasa using a pistol. That is also an
ongoing police case. Jayasekera has strange bedfellows from thugs who
attacked Muslims to those allegedly going about brandishing pistols at
mayors of Jaffna.
