Where is JVP heading for?

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) or the People’s Liberation Front as it was known earlier, has been the most controversial political party in Sri Lanka’s history. Ever since it was set up nearly four decades ago, the JVP has unsuccessfully attempted to gain power through two insurgencies.

The JVP first attempted to capture power in 1970 through the bullet by attacking several police stations and threatening the then Government of the late Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. The Government had no option but to kill hundreds of insurgents who believed in an arms struggle.

However, after the UNP took office on July 21, 1977, the then President, the late J.R. Jayewardene pardoned the remaining hardcore JVP activists serving jail sentences, including its leader Rohana Wijeweera and deputy Upatissa Gamanayake.

When Wijeweera contested the 1982 Presidential elections, many people felt that the JVP had given up their gun culture and entered the democratic mainstream. But that was only for five years as they again resorted to their old habit of using arms and ammunition. The JVP terror which was experienced in 1987/89, saw thousands of many eminent people and innocent civilians being killed.

People have nor forgotten how the JVP posed a severe threat not only to the then Government at that time. They also disrupted day to day civilian life which was often crippled by unofficial ‘curfews’ declared by the JVP.

Many innocent people who spoke against the unlawful activities of the JVP were brutally murdered.

When the 17-year-old UNP regime ended in 1994, the JVP again began to grow as a democratic political party. Though they took up arms against a legitimate Government twice, some people believed that the JVP had finally kept faith on the ballot. Hence, the popularity of the JVP gradually increased and the party emerged as the third political force here.

The JVP reached its peak as a democratic political party in 2004/05 when they formed a successful alliance with the SLFP and several other political parties.

They also influenced former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga to call for a snap General election in 2005 and contested under the UPFA ticket. Thanks to some unexpected voting from SLFPers, the JVP secured a record 39 seats and were given four key Ministerial portfolios.

This was where the JVP initially went wrong as some of their leaders such as Somawansa overestimated their strength, inspired by the overwhelming response they received at the last General election.

The JVP had a galaxy of orators who could talk to the hearts of the common masses. Above all, there were a few who could really read the pulse of the people in the provinces. Heading that list of JVP leaders was Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa who spoke the bitter truth to the hearts of the rural masses.

Unfortunately, some JVP leaders misunderstood this and conspired against the increasing popularity against Weerawansa and a few JVP Parliamentarians who were moderate and did not blindly believe the outdated JVP preaching.

It was at this point that Weerawansa and ten others felt enough was enough and decided to act as an independent team in the Parliament. That prompted the JVP leaders to forget the democracy they had been preaching and return to their ‘jungle game’. They resorted to thuggery and intimidated the dissident MPs. The vehicles belonging to some of these MPs were allegedly hijacked by JVP thugs.

That shattered the remaining hopes of the 10 MPs who wanted to compromise and go back to the party they loved more than their lives. This gave rise to the recent birth of the National Freedom Front (JNP), which also had former JVP MP and Presidential candidate Nandana Gunathillake who earlier quit the party in disgust.

The remaining JVP leaders such as Somawansa Amarasinghe, Tilvyn Silva, Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Lal Kantha could not bear the diminishing popularity of the JVP after the departure of Weerawansa and other party stalwarts.

As a result, the breakaway group of the JVP Parliamentarians with a genuine desire to protect the country from terrorists and achieve economic prosperity, faced numerous threats from their own party.

The latest blow to the JVP came when their Gampaha District Parliamentarian Ms. Anjan Umma left the party in disgust and decided to act as an independent member in Parliament last week. She too was harassed and intimidated allegedly by the desperate JVP leaders who are fast becoming unpopular.

Ms. Umma could not attend Parliamentary sessions for three months due to JVP threats and she would have lost her seat had she not attended Parliament on that day. Having made a complaint to the police unit at the Parliament, Ms. Anjan Umma had to run for safety and live in an undisclosed location. She had no other alternative against the JVP thuggery.

The woman MP said that she had no freedom of decision making according to her conscience in the JVP and therefore she had decided to act independently in Parliament. She said that the two vehicles which belonged to her were in the possession of the JVP and asked the police to get them back. She was staying with a friend of hers as she feared the JVP could come to her house and threaten her.

Her husband, daughter and nephew are still ardent supporters of the JVP and one could well visualise how the JVP would treat an ordinary party member if he or she wishes to quit the party. Is this the five-star democracy that Somawansa and his men have been crowing about?

If the JVP is sincerely interested in protecting our country and eradicating terrorism, they should not either directly or indirectly support opportunist political parties with vested interests. Irrespective of their different political goals, all political parties should stand as one in the battle against terrorism. Once terrorism is wiped out, they could settle their scores in the political arena.