Shenali D Waduge

JVP is undoubtedly the best organized political party in Sri Lanka. It is also the richest party in Sri Lanka. Its base includes the youth & adults & disenchanted voters of other parties. Prior to every election, the JVP take pains to support the ground campaigning of other parties instead of its own. Is there a particular reason for this? Is their role limited to playing mischief maker in parliament or simply as a whistleblower while propping a new party to the throne of governance? Leaving aside the ground support & the funds from foreign branches, who are the real brains that dictate how JVP functions politically? Is their instructions for JVP – not to win elections? Do they plan to fail” elections & only secure the votes to ensure they are in Parliament?

JVP successfully brought to power Chandrika Kumaratunga, Mahinda Rajapakse and the Sirisena-Ranil duo. JVP failed in its effort to bring Sarath Fonseka & Sajith Premadasa to power – was this intentional? Is there a particular reason for this? The ground campaign of all the above irrespective of their winning or losing was outsourced to the JVP. Their support base was used overseas across branches and islandwide to campaign for the contestant they were told should become winner. This next raises the question, why does JVP shy from taking the leadership mantle instead of helping others to come to power? Can JVP themselves provide answers.

Each time after falling out with the political parties they partnered, the JVP end up their foes until another election & instructions come to decide who they are to campaign for.

We saw the manner JVP supported Chandrika & attacked others

We saw the manner JVP supported Mahinda & attacked others

We saw the manner JVP supported Fonseka & attacked others

We saw the manner JVP supported Maithripala-Sirisena & attacked others

We saw the manner JVP supported Sajith & attacked others

Presently JVP is anti-Mahinda and now suddenly JVP has gone anti-Ranil

If anyone is confused to understand how JVP thinks or functions, it should be JVPers themselves!

Notice how the leadership & key players find enough and more reasons not to want to sit on the hot seat though they can produce list after list of complaints about governance & how they will do better.

Another puzzle is the manner that inspite of their organizing capabilities, their powerful slogans, their campaign capabilities the best they could achieve was 3 seats and that too thanks to the proportional representation system.

The only conclusion we can derive from this is that this party is playing a political role for other purposes.

From 1970s, the JVP has succeeded to tap the youth & brainwash their minds. The country’s human assets are heavily influenced by JVP and no action has been taken to curb this influence taking root within the educational system.

The JVP was used for 2 insurrections that eliminated the best of youth to the gun, while using the same youth to eliminate the best of Sinhalese in the military, police, academia, artists etc. Over 60 Sinhalese died because of the JVP. What could these youth have become had they been alive. What would these fallen soldiers, police, artists and academic be today, had JVP not killed them? The JVP destroyed many public property too – similar to the destruction seen during the last few days. Is there a pattern to the envy & jealousy they suffer as echoed in the recent statement by the JVP General Secretary.

Fronts of JVP (People’s Liberation Front)

Deshapremi Janatha Vyaparaya

Patriotic People’s Armed Troops (attacked SLAF in Pallekele)

Socialist Students Union – Samajavadi Shishya Sangameya

Jathika Jana Balavegaya (NPP) National People’s Power

Deshapremi Janatha Vyaparaya DJV (Patriotic People’s Movement) aligned to the People’s Liberation Front (1987-1989) was the militant branch of the JVP– banned in 1988 as a terrorist organization after throwing a grenade at the Parliament.

The DJV wore uniforms similar to soldiers of SLAF & targeted military bases as well as police stations.

The DJV opposed Indo-Lanka Accord. It brought the country to a virtual standstill with its posters & death threats & assassinations.

The DJV comprised undergraduates from University of Peradeniya.

Interestingly, where JVP & Tamil organizations get linked was in the supply of arms – the primary motivation for this was to get rid of the IPKF. JVP had even trained alongside Tamil militant groups.

DJV also received international funds – from whom & for what?

Patriotic People’s Army (PPA) – දේශප්‍රේමී ජනතා සන්නද්ධ බලකාය

Militant arm of the JVP/PLF

The PPA & DJV attacked civilians and Sri Lanka Armed Forces. PPA attacked army camp in Pallekele, John Kotelawala Defense Academy & SLAF Katunayake base. Death threats were issued calling for military personnel to desert & join them.

Socialist Students Union – Samajavadi Shishya Sangameya

SSU is a member of the Inter-University Students Federation & is the oldest Student union in Sri Lanka. In 1988 the SSU and the Patriotic Students Union was banned.

Jathika Jana Balawegaya – National People’s Power (NPP)

Coalition of 28 political parties, worker unions, women’s rights groups, youth organizations & ethnic communities & established in 2015 by Anura Kumara Dissanayake leader of the JVP. Anura Kumara is the leader of the coalition while General Secretary is Lakshman Nipuna arachchi. NPP ideologically centres around communism but is also supporting democracy & secularism.

The crimes of the JVP is unknown to most – not only the loss of human lives but the massive loss to public property – buses & depots, transformers, state centres – all gutted down. Were these damages valued – Did JVP pay for these crimes? Before pointing fingers at corruptions of others – shouldn’t JVP clean its house of guilt first!

Let’s look at how the JVP has fared in elections:

1994 General Elections Sri Lanka Progressive Front – 

90,078 votes / 1 seat

2000 General Elections – Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna 

518,774 votes (5.99%) / 9,128,823 total voted

Total seats = 10 (8 district / 2 national list)

2001 General Elections – Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna=Peoples Liberation Front

815,353 votes (9.0%) / 9,449,813

Total seats = 16 (13 district/3 national list)

2015 – People’s Liberation Front

544154 votes

Total seats = 6 (4 district / 2 national list)

2020 – Jathika Jana Balawegaya (established in 2015)

445958 votes (3.8%)

Total seats = 3 (2 district / 1 national list)

JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake contested Presidential Elections in 2020 & secured only 418,553 (3.16%)

Under the camouflage of a political party, advancing its ideology combining socialism & democracy, JVP is tasked to play a bigger role

1. Swaying Sinhalese away from ethno-nationalism
2. Swaying Sinhalese away from embracing & defending Buddhist history & heritage
3. Swaying Sinhalese away from preserving, protecting and promoting its traditions & cultures
4. Drilling envy, jealousy & hate into the minds of university students majority of whom come from poor/rural homes.
5. Brainwashing these poor/rural students who inherently suffer inferiority complexes by turning that into seeking revenge from those who have instead of inspiring them to take their talents to greater heights & doing well in life.

The success of the above 5 areas that JVP has been outsourced to do can be seen in the behavior of not only university students but even academia & adults that support not only their ideology but their line of thinking as well.

Is the JVP only tasked to carry out election campaign contracts & somehow pass the finishing line to place at least 3 in Parliament while their bigger role in social-education-cultural transformation continues?

Shenali D Waduge