In an interview with the Sunday Observer, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Member of Parliament says Party Chairman Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka and all others who have issues with the Party Leader or Party policies should resolve them through internal discussions. He also elaborates on plans for forming alliances with other parties to contest the upcoming polls.
Q: Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka had obtained an injunction order against being ousted from SJB’s Chairmanship. But wasn’t this issue supposed to be resolved through negotiation?
A: Although he obtained an Injunction Order from the Court, no such decision was taken by the party. He may have to take such a decision after being upset and making many statements. The Executive Committee was not convened recently. He was the one who spoke about things that should be discussed within the party. There may be various ideological problems within the party. He should have discussed and resolved them within the party.
Q: Are you saying he was unduly alarmed?
A: Not me. The whole country is talking about it. Whether or not he violated disciplinary rules should be discussed only after the Working Committee convenes.
Q: But he also has the right to go to Court before something happens?
A: That is his right. He used that right and went to Court. Our legal department will deal with it in future.
Q: Are you accusing Field Marshal Fonseka of secretly meeting President Ranil Wickremesinghe at State Minister Diana Gamage’s house? But he met the President in public on several occasions too?
A: I saw this on a certain website. The story seems to be legitimate. State Minister Gamage’s husband was Fonseka’s former secretary. There are still unofficial dealings between them. You should stand on one side. You cannot straddle both sides. If you are with President Wickremesinghe, you should be with him. If you are with the SJB, you should be with the party. The Executive Committee will discuss this in the future. We need not worry.
Q: You allege that Field Marshal Fonseka has bitten all the hands that were extended to him. Is it fair to accuse the Chairman of the Party like that?
A: I didn’t say that. This is a misinterpretation because he finally got angry with everyone who helped him. He fell out with the person who gave him the command of the Army. After winning the war, he fell out with the person who fed him the cake. He also bickered with the person who gave him the post of Field Marshal. When he lost, he was angry at the person who was appointed as a Minister from the National List. That way it is obvious he is angry with the person who gave him the Chairmanship.
Q: But this is not the only division in the Party?
A: Ideological differences within political parties are just natural. But they express their views within the party. According to democracy, everyone has the right to express their opinion. We also do not do politics independently. Politics is done within the party. We came to Parliament by contesting on the SJB ticket. Therefore, the issues of the SJB should be discussed within the Party and not outside. We should come out and talk about the people who have bankrupted the country economically, about those who protect the thieves in this country, about the unjust tax policy that kills people and makes them helpless.
Q: A few others in the party are also against progress aren’t they?
A: People who joined the SJB didn’t start politics in the Party. I started my political journey in the United National Party (UNP). Rajitha Senaratne is from another party. Most people who joined are from different political camps. They have different opinions about their personal ideologies. If you ask for my personal opinion on abolishing the office of the Executive President, I would say that there should be an Executive President. But the decision of the party is that it should be abolished in the future. I have to align my opinion with that of the Party then.
Q: Is this a hindrance to the party’s progress? Are you saying there is a conspiracy?
A: These are conspiracies. This is not an obstacle to victory at all. These events do not influence public opinion. The expression of people’s will is affected by the solutions given to the country’s pressing issues. The masses are suffering today and no one talks about them. There is no way for children to get even a pair of shoes to go to school. No one talks about how people in tenement gardens (Wattas) are eating today. These are the real problems.
Last year, the Government expected Rs. 100 billion from tax revenue. But Rs. 150 billion have been collected. Due to this, the graft can be reduced up to 24 percent. Some people are trying to make this an Indian colony. These are the things we should talk about.
Q: If a President emerges from your party, will the country be able to recover from the economic crisis?
A: If I say that he can do it alone, it is a lie. They must have a team. There should be a good leader. Any leader who comes to power must deal with international institutions; foreign investment should be brought in; exports and remittances should be increased; the tourism industry should be developed. This problem can only be solved by increasing State income. Therefore, the State’s income should not be dependent only on taxes, but income should be increased by other means. It cannot be done by a single person. It can only be done by a team. The best internationally recognised group that can do that is the SJB.
Q: It is also said that a broad alliance will gather around the main Opposition in the future?
A: Yes. After 1999, no party has won an election alone. Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa also had to form an alliance to win even though there was a wave in 2019. Therefore, we should gather a group of parties and individuals that matches our economic, social and cultural philosophy and compete in the upcoming elections as a broad alliance.
Q: The President requested that political differences be put aside to unite to build the country. Is the Opposition not ready for this?
A: You cannot protect thieves under the guise of rebuilding the country. People are asking for an economic environment where they can eat three meals. They also want those who looted the public to be arrested and the stolen money recovered through legal proceedings. Therefore, we cannot be prepared to protect thieves under the pretext of rebuilding the country. Therefore, the SJB will not gather anywhere where there are people who have been accused of being part of the Rajapaksa family.
Q: If the Opposition comes to power, what program will improve the living conditions of the people? Do you believe that people can be given a better quality of life?
A: The main source of income of our country is tea, coconut and rubber; they generate a lot of foreign exchange. To expand exports, President Ranasinghe Premadasa widened the garment industry and added US$ 13,000 million to the economy per year. The world has opened up to a new market. Although new markets such as Financial and Information Technology (FIT) have been created, Sri Lanka has not entered them. If we say that this country can be self-sufficient only through agriculture, it is a lie.
Even if all the fields in this country are utilised, our economy cannot be improved. Therefore, these problems can only be solved by building manufacturing capacity through exports, increasing Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), entering new markets and adding at least US$ 10 billion to our economy.
We will not be able to give oil again at Rs. 121 per litre. If it can be given at least at Rs. 250, if the VAT can be reduced to around 12 percent, if a LP Gas cylinder can be reduced to Rs. 3,000, if the unaffordable power bills can be reduced, that is what the people want. To do that, Government revenue should be increased very quickly. It can be done by the aforementioned method.
Q: Is your team ready to start this journey now?
A: Yes we are ready. Alliance building activities are being discussed. It will happen in due course. We are ready for anything, be it the Presidential Election or the General Election. Now the people are waiting to express their opinion at the polls.
Q: Do you believe you can win the next election?
A: Yes. We will surely win.
Translated by Jonathan Frank
