By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy The Island

The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) yesterday (21) alleged that the Election Commission (EC)was playing politics with the electoral process by interfering in a high level CID investigation into the alleged involvement of ACMC (All Ceylon Makkal Congress) leader and Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) Vanni district candidate Rishad Bathiudeen with those involved in the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

The EC consists of Mahinda Deshapriya (Chairman), Prof. Ratnajeevan Hoole and Nalin Abeysekere, PC. SLPP Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris questioned the basis the EC, in a letter signed by all three Commissioners, requested Acting IGP C.D. Wickramaratne to suspend the investigation pertaining to the alleged involvement of the former minister.

At the time of Easter attacks, Bathiudeen was on the cabinet of President Maihripala Sirisena, having contested the last parliamentary polls in August 2015 on the UNP ticket.

Responding to another The Island query, the former External Affairs Minister, who heads the SLPP National List, said that they were quite surprised by the contents of the EC’s letter. The EC, on behalf of the SJB candidate had requested the Acting IGP to suspend investigations till August 10, 2020, to allow him to spearhead the polls campaign.

Pointing out that the EC wanted Bathiudeen allowed to campaign freely in several districts as his party fielded over 30 candidates on the SJB ticket, Prof. Peiris compared the EC missive with that of General Secretary of ACMC.

The SLPP Chairman said that the ACMC released the EC’s letter dated July 15 to the media as part of its campaign to counter growing accusations regarding the former minister’s alleged involvement. Referring to a recent statement attributed to Police Spokesman SSP attorney-at-law Jaliya Senaratne in a front page story of The Island that dealt with the current status of the Easter Sunday investigation, Prof. Peiris said the politician was being probed whether he knew what Zahran Hashim was planning.

Prof. Peiris said the EC exposed its partiality by quoting a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) report to clear the former minister and also justify its request to the Acting IGP.

The EC informed the Acting IGP that it would be writing to the Secretary to the President and the Attorney General regarding its intervention on behalf of the leader of a political party contesting the general election.

Prof. Peiris said he was quite amused by the EC warning to the Acting IGP that obstruction of Baithudeen would distort Sri Lanka’s democratic traditions and freedoms. The SLPP Chairman asked whether the EC really considered such an important police investigation an obstruction to a particular politician under investigation over a heinous crime. SLPP National List nominee said that Bathiudeen’s younger brother Riyaj was in police custody over his alleged involvement with Zahran’s gang. Didn’t a former intelligence officer recently tell the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (P CoI) how Riyaj helped Zahran to flee Sri Lanka to India in 2018?, the former Colombo University law professor asked.

Prof. Peiris said that the EC was working overtime to lose whatever was left of its credibility. The former External Affairs Minister said that the EC taking up cudgels for Bathiudeen should be examined against the backdrop of its failure to inquire into member Prof. Hoole, in an interview with Jaffna based television channel undermining the SLPP. The EC didn’t even bother to reply to its complaint let alone probing it, Prof. Peiris alleged, pointing out that the outfit subsequently ignored Constitutional Council member attorney-at-law Javid Yusuf taking a political stand against the government on civil society movement stage on the eve of the forthcoming national poll. The SLPP Chairman emphasized that some of those responsible for ensuring a level playing field were obviously busy backing the Opposition.

Addressing the regular SLPP briefing at its Nelum Mawatha Office on Monday (20), Prof. Peiris alleged that the independent commissions were nothing but a fraud. Alleging that EC member Prof. Hoole openly backed two candidates, Prof. Peiris said that the powers enjoyed by the President were transferred to Commissions in terms of the 17th and 19th Amendments enacted in 2001 and 2015, respectively. Prof. Peiris said that the SLPP required a two thirds majority to address the crisis caused by the setting up of those purported independent commissions. The parliament needed a two-thirds majority to introduce laws meant to tackle extremism, the former Vice Chancellor of the Colombo University said.

The SLPP Chairman said that a powerful parliament would be able to address the major crisis resulting from the previous government co-sponsoring three resolutions in 2015, 2017 and 2019 in Geneva at the expense of the Sri Lankan State, its armed forces et al. The former minister said that those in the parliamentary polls fray already accepted defeat; hence the SLPP didn’t expect a strong Opposition in parliament.