By Methmalie Dissanayake Courtesy Ceylon Today

The new government came to power on the promise to introduce a new Constitution. However, the National Freedom Front (NFF), a constituent partner in the Joint Opposition, has been vehemently critical about this move.

Here, in an interview with Ceylon Today, NFF Kurunegala Organizer Kelum Jayasumana discusses the NFF’s opposition to the proposed new Constitution and several other issues.

Excerpts:

? The National Freedom Front (NFF) is conducting a series of seminars against the government. What is the response you get from the people?

A: We are receiving many favourable responses. The largest number of ‘war hero families’ live in the Kurunegala District. So I know how they feel about this government’s shameless which-hunt of their children who served the country during the war.

They are absolutely frustrated and live in fear as they don’t know what will happen to their children in the future.

Moreover, even retired Army soldiers have been taken into custody. The people, who were once celebrated as heroes that saved the country, are now being dragged to Courts like common criminals. So the ‘war hero families’ are worried because during the war the soldiers had to take some safety measures when fighting with terrorists. They did not take such measures for fun or out of anger with the Tamil people. The things that happen during a war do not happen in ordinary society.

This government is also well aware of it. But, they just hunt war heroes to satisfy certain foreign forces and the Tamil Diaspora.

We have also noticed during these seminars that even the ones who supported the government in 2015, are highly frustrated with the path this government has taken today.

? But, the government says this is a well-planned conspiracy by the NFF and the Joint Opposition (JO) to discredit the government. Can you comment?

A: We don’t need to discredit this government. They are discrediting themselves these days.

Our main concern is the way this government treats our security forces. Don’t get me wrong, the NFF is not against the right to grieve the missing children in the North. We know that every parent values their children. But, it was the LTTE that made them suffer like this. It was the terrorists who kidnapped and conscripted children, not our security forces. They were the ones who placed bombs in buses and public places and killed thousands of innocent people and soldiers.

But, this government, while going easy on the people who support terrorism, hunt our security forces. So tell me, will the citizenry accept what the government is doing?

Apart from that, the UNP ministers and the Prime Minister who are in power today, did not value the efforts of our security forces in 2002-2004. Even during the final stage of the war, they mocked our soldiers. They said that Thoppigala was just a jungle and the security forces acted without sense. People remember Ravi Karunanayake saying the forces were actually going to Pamankada when they were about to capture Alimankada (Elephant Pass).

Now, this government is even sealing offering boxes (pin keta) in temples. When the Asgiriya Chapter gives a red light to the government, they start exerting revenge from the temples connected to Asgiriya Chapter.

So it is not the JO and the NFF that discredit them, but they do it themselves.

But, we as a responsible opposition always do our part by creating awareness among the citizenry about the misdeeds of the government.

? There is a heated discussion between the NFF and the government regarding the constitutional reforms. What is the current status of this debate?

A: Even though the government keeps saying that they have no hidden agenda, we are not stupid enough to trust them.

This is the same Ranil Wickremesinghe who was the Prime Minister in 2002. We still remember how he signed the Ceasefire Agreement between the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE.

The day the government signed that agreement, Speaker of Parliament W.J.M. Lokubandara was asked whether there was such an agreement. At that moment, the government MPs told the Opposition that they did not know about such an agreement and it will not be signed in the near future. Later, the media revealed that the Ceasefire Agreement was signed by both the government and the LTTE. This is how Wickremesinghe works; this is how he behaves, secretly and without considering the majority. We have so many similar experiences about him. So how can we trust the assurances of Wickremesinghe?

He does not have real power given by the people. He did not have the majority in Parliament and the UNP and the SLFP together formed a ‘messy’ government. The citizenry did not give him power to change the Constitution in this way.

President Maithripala Sirisena promised during the election campaign that reforms which can be passed by Parliament will be introduced to the Constitution. But, what Wickremesinghe does is completely different from this. He wants to change the Constitution completely and divide this united country which we safeguarded after so many sacrifices, to fulfil the desires of a few groups.

And let us see what Wickremesinghe intends to do. Is he trying to save the country from the dengue epidemic? Is he trying to save foreign currency reserves? Is he trying to start new long-term development projects? Is he trying to attract investors to the country?

Is he trying to save the country from the cultural landslide which we face right now? No. He does not have any plan regarding crucial factors. Since the very beginning he only wanted to change the Constitution and devolve power. He does not see anything beyond that.

MP M.A. Sumanthiran implied their intention very clearly during a recent media briefing. He said the TNA does not need fancy words.

He said they only desire devolution of power and federal government.

The unitary nature of the Constitution rests on the Executive President and his power to dissolve Provincial Councils through the Governors. If the executive presidency is abolished, a Governor’s power is curtailed and the Concurrent List is done away with, the unitary State will be finished. Then the government will not be able to take any decision concerning the Provincial Council without the consent of its members.

This government is trying to neglect the majority in order to please separatists. We remember what former MP Tissa Attanayaka said about the UNP and the TNA signing a secret agreement. We think the government thinks that by fulfilling the needs of the TNA, India and the Tamil Diaspora, they can collect some funds to Sri Lanka. Even though the government is saying they have a huge international support, everyone can see they have no such thing. So they try to make money by selling the country and pleasing separatists.

Furthermore, you can see that everyone who supported a federal government such as Mangala Samaraweera, Dilan Perera and former President Chandrika Kumaratunga are now in the same group. How can we trust people like them who are trying to do any good to the country by passing a new Constitution?

? Even though the JO does not agree with the idea of introducing a new Constitution, we can see some members of the JO remaining in the Constitutional Reform Committees. Recently, a group of intellectuals also criticized that and urged the JO members to resign. What is your comment?

A: Well, the NFF firmly believes that the country does not need a new Constitution right now. We have so many problems in the country which should be immediately solved rather than wasting time on passing a new Constitution. Even the Mahanayaka Theras are of the same opinion.

But, you know that the JO consists of several parties who have different political ideologies. There are several parties which follow left-wing politics like the Communist Party and Lanka Sama Samaja Party. Furthermore, senior politicians like Vasudeva Nanayakkara still believes in Marxist theories like the right to self determination.

But, I can say that as a whole, the JO stands against passing a new Constitution at the moment.

? The government recently shut down the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC). This was a surprise move for many as the government had talked highly about the institution. What is your opinion regarding that?

A: Before this government came to power they cheated people saying that they will catch ‘thieves’ in former government in an instant. Now two and half years have passed but they are now struggling to find details about the ‘thieves’ they mentioned on the political stage.

Therefore, the people who voted for them have come to the realization that this government cheated them without shame to gain power. They cannot misguide the people anymore. That is why they shut down the ACC because they know the ACC cannot go on like this anymore.

? You are an active figure in social media. Social media played a role in both presidential and general elections in 2015. After two years, what are the differences you see in the behaviour of social media users?

A: As you said, social media played a crucial role during both elections we faced in 2015. But what I see now is everyone, even the people who supported this government and the President, is rapidly turning against them. It is because they now know the truth about this so-called government and that it cannot do anything for the sake of the general public.

People are suffering due to natural disasters like landslides and drought, as well as economic decline. There is no economic growth in the country now. This government does not have any vision and a plan to solve these problems. Social media users are well aware of such facts. That is what I see in social media.

? Do you believe that there is a chance to topple this government in the near future?

A: This government, if they conduct Provincial Council and local government elections at the proper time, will be able to gauge what people think of it. Actually, I think the government is already aware of the people’s sentiments. That is why they keep postponing elections and act against democracy. I think in the near future, people will take to the roads to demand democracy which this government is trying to take away from them.