Posters smuggled into Parliament by Minister:

Police officers eager to be in the good books of Govt:

Marapana’s statement sends shockwaves across the country

Public Order Minister Thilak Marapana’s statement over the private security firm Avant Garde in Parliament on Wednesday sent shockwaves across the country’s political circles.

Minister Marapana, in his statement, said the whole controversy surrounding the Avant Garde issue was a result of a lack of understanding regarding legislative measures on the floating armoury and police officers eager to be in the good books of the government.

Marapana’s statement puzzled not only the members of the Opposition, but also the members of the government. Over the past few months, the company’s conduct came under severe criticism from various sections and it was widely ‘marketed’ during the last Presidential and Parliamentary elections targeting members of the former first family.

The latest controversy surrounding Avant Garde was the detention of a large consignment of arms, imported by the company, at the Galle harbour, last month.

JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in a fiery speech in Parliament on Wednesday, went on to name some of the key figures of the government who had alleged affiliations with the private security firm. The JVP said they were behind the government’s ‘soft’ approach on the Avant Garde company and accused them of sabotaging investigations.

It was crystal clear that retired military officer Nissanka Senadhipathy, owner of Avant Garde, had close links with former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa who is presently facing several investigations on the anti-corruption front.

Although the company’s general operations were within the legal framework of the country, it capitalized heavily on the personal relations between Senadhipathy and Rajapaksa. For example, Avant Garde Maritime Services (Pvt) Ltd, a subsidiary of Avant Garde Security Services (Pvt) Ltd, entered into a joint venture with the Government Owned Business Undertaking (GOBU) of Rakna Arakshaka Lanka Ltd (RALL) to ‘provide infrastructure facilities for international maritime security services’. Rakna Lanka, needless to say, was the brainchild of the former Defence Secretary.

Heated Cabinet meeting

Avant Garde was the hot topic at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena. Some ministers, who were critical of the Avant Garde security firm in the past, were livid at Marapana’s statement ‘exonerating’ the company and its owner.

Soon after the Cabinet meeting began on Thursday morning, Ministers Rajitha Senaratne and Patali Champika Ranawaka fired salvos at Marapana over the statement he made in Parliament on Wednesday.

The ministers were of the view that JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s statement in Parliament over the controversy surrounding Avant Garde was damaging to the government as he mentioned the names of some key figures of the government, dubbing them as people who had ‘deals’ with the security firm. Senaratne said even the President and the Prime Minister had come under criticism as a result of the government’s inaction over the private security firm.

While speaking at the Cabinet meeting, Senaratne asked the President whether the latter had any problem about probing into the security firm.

At this point, President Maithripala Sirisena responded to Senaratne saying he had no issue about probing into the Avant Garde company and the criticism levelled against him had no real basis.

Ministers Patali Champika Ranawaka and Rajitha Senaratne strongly criticized Minister Marapana’s statement at the Cabinet meeting and even threatened to quit the government if the government failed to conduct a fair and transparent investigation on the matter.

Minister Ranawaka also supported Senaratne’s claims saying the minister had trivialized a major controversy and exonerated a company that was allegedly involved in many wrongdoings.

Both Senaratne and Ranawaka accused Marapana of giving legal assistance to the security company. They also charged that the Public Order Minister had changed his position over the company after the latter became his ‘client’.

“There were allegations that the company attempted to bribe various parties to cover-up their crimes. If there were no issues on the part of Avant Garde, why did the company attempt to bribe certain individuals?” Senaratne asked.

“We are the people who formed this government. We risked our lives. At one point, we thought we would have to commit suicide, if Maithripala Sirisena lost the Presidential election. Today, we can’t even face society, thanks to these lousy investigations,” the minister lamented.

Meanwhile, Minister Rauff Hakeem said the Cabinet was kept in the dark about the statement made by Minister Marapana in Parliament.

Minister Marapana, in response to the claims against him, said his statement was based on the findings and reports of the Attorney General’s Department.He said the Attorney General’s Department had no connection with the security firm and carried out its duties independently.

The minister also added that the company had paid taxes to the government and there was no legal basis to take action against its owner.

“I am a lawyer who appears for clients. But, the Attorney General’s Department does not have such commitments. My statement was based on the findings of the Attorney General’s Department. So, there is no point in blaming me over the Avant Garde issue,” Marapana said defending his position at the Cabinet meeting.

In response, Senaratne and Ranawaka said they were dissatisfied and disappointed with Marapana’s statement and the entire issue had reflected badly on the government.

However, President Sirisena promised to discuss the matter further at the Parliamentary group meeting of the ruling party. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had to leave the Cabinet meeting early as he had to prepare his Parliamentary speech outlining the mid-term economic plan of the government. The Leader of the House Lakshman Kiriella too left the Cabinet meeting early as he had another engagement in Parliament.

As the debate among Cabinet Ministers over the Avant Garde issue did not end, President Sirisena had to schedule a special Cabinet meeting to discuss the Avant Garde controversy. The special Cabinet meeting will be held next Wednesday to discuss the way forward on the matter.

A repetition

Meanwhile, when the Parliamentary group of the ruling party met on Friday, the Avant Garde issue became the most important topic. The Parliamentary group meeting was more or less a repetition of the Cabinet meeting on Thursday as Ranawaka and Senaratne fired salvos at the ruling party members who were protective of Avant Garde and its owner.

They said the government should take stern action against the company as the public was losing faith in the good governance policies of the government. They also stressed the need to conduct anti-corruption inquiries without political interference. They warned that the battle against corruption, a key rallying point for the common opposition at the last Presidential election in January, is gradually coming to a standstill. “This could,” they said, “plunge the government into a crisis”.

Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapakshe whose name was mentioned in connection with the Avant Garde controversy was not present at the Parliamentary group meeting and Public Order Minister Thilak Marapana tried hard to defend his position.

‘Lazy approach’

In addition to Senaratne and Ranawaka, UNP stalwarts such as Gamini Jaywickrema Perara, Arjuna Ranatunga and Ajith P Perera also voiced their concerns about the government’s ‘lazy approach’ on anti-corruption investigations.

Senior Cabinet member Gamini Jayawickrema Perera said they were ashamed to face their voters as no action has been taken against wrongdoers of the previous government. He urged the Prime Minister to treat anti-corruption investigations as one of the man priorities of the government.

The Cabinet meeting on Monday will be characterized with high drama as Ministers from the UNP and the SLFP are already preparing to express their views on anti-corruption investigations.

Senaratne and Ranawaka will exert pressure on Public Order Minister Thilak Marapana to step down from his ministerial portfolio as he also served as the lawyer of the Avant Garde company at one time.

Some UNP ministers are of the view that Senaratne and Ranawaka are attempting to ‘hijack’ the credit of forming a new government.

“Nearly 90 percent of the SLFPers voted for former President Rajapaksa at the Presidential election.

It was the UNP and minorities that voted President Sirisena into power. That credit cannot be stolen from the UNP. Senaratne and Ranawaka are acting as if they brought President Sirisena into power alone,” a senior Cabinet Minister of the UNP told the Sunday Observer yesterday, November 7. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, however, made an interesting remark over the Avant Garde issue on Friday when he addressed a pocket meeting in Kadigamuwa, a remote village in the Hambanthota district.

Rajapaksa praised Marapana’s position on the matter and said he was a ‘respected’ lawyer. “The Public Order Minister said some Police officers who wanted to gain brownie points triggered the Avante Garde controversy. He said it was similar to the Millennium City issue in 2002. We all know what happened as a result of the Millennium City revelation. When I look at other inquiries conducted against me, I see a similar trend. Some people are trying to gain points by levelling false allegations against me,” Rajapaksa said.

Inquiries into Police attack

The three-member committee, appointed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to probe into the attack on university students last week, commenced its work on Thursday.

The committee, headed by Dr. B.M.S. Batagoda, met at the Power and Energy Ministry in Colombo to discuss its road map. They also had a meeting with Prime Minister’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake to finalize the framework of the inquiry. At the meeting, the committee agreed to present an interim report on the incident within two weeks.

The committee has also sought an explanation from the Police on the circumstances leading to the attack. Senior DIG S.M. Wickremesinghe has been entrusted with the task of liaising with the committee members. During its initial interactions with the committee, the Police highlighted the issues it had to grapple with when dealing with protesters.

The Police said its anti-riot squad, which has expertise and experience in handling public protests, is not functioning properly due to administrative issues on the part of the Police Department. As a result, they said, they had to rely on ordinary police officers when dealing with protestors and their lack of experience could lead to various problems.

At the same time, the committee is expected to hold discussions with university students and experts to identify core issues faced by the students. They will also investigate to ascertain whether there was any hidden hand behind the protest. A senior spokesman for the government said the committee would meet from tomorrow, Monday on a daily basis to fast track its operations.

In addition to the three-member committee appointed by the Prime Minister, Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Commission too launched an inquiry into the Police action. Multiple parties, including the Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) sought the Human Rights Commission’s intervention in resolving the problem. The Human Rights Commission summoned several senior Police officers to ascertain the authority that gave orders to attack.

DIG Mathurata accepts responsibility

In a major development, Colombo District DIG Gamini Mathurata, making a statement before the Commission on Friday, accepted responsibility for giving orders to the Police to use minimum force to disperse the Higher National Diploma in Accountancy (HNDA) students who were protesting opposite the University Grants Commission blocking Ward Place.

DIG Mathurata also said that the police did not receive any order from the government in this regard and the Police acted on the commands issued by senior Police officers in the Colombo district.

A group of Senior Police officers led by Western Province Senior DIG Pujith Jayasundara and Colombo district DIG Gamini Mathurata, Colombo Central Senior DIG Champika Siriwardena and SSP Palitha Panamaldeniya were summoned before the Human Rights Commission to record statements in connection with the incident. A group of HNDA students were also present at the commission.

Colombo - North SSP Attorney-at-Law Ajith Rohana appeared on behalf of the Police Department and Nawa Sihala Urumaya Leader Attorney-at-Law Sarath Manamendra appeared on behalf of HNDA students when the matter was taken up before the Human Rights Commission.

Both parties presented several videos to support their positions and the HRCSL asked them to present a few more documents including medical reports and several other documents related to this incident.

Apart form the two inquiries, the National Police Commission, formed under the provisions of the 19th Amendment, has also launched an inquiry into the Police attack.

The Police Commission’s inquiry will specifically focus on the conduct of Police officers during the HNDA protest.

‘United opposition’ names Dinesh as its leader?

Several constituent parties of the UPFA and a group of Parliamentarians of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party held a special meeting in Colombo on Thursday to discuss the formation of a ‘United Opposition’ before the Local Government election.

The discussion was attended by UPFA Parliamentarians Dinesh Gunawardena, Dullas Alahapperuma, Kumara Welgama, Udaya Gammanpila, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Weerakumara Dissanayake, Dilum Amunugama, Prasanna Ranatunga, Ramesh Pathirana and several other MPs.

At the meeting they discussed the possibility of naming Dinesh Gunawardena as the leader of the United Opposition.

Interestingly, all the MPs who took part in the discussion were staunch supporters of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. It is still not clear as to where they want to ‘position’ former President Rajapaksa in this new alliance. This alliance, needless to say, will openly back former President Rajapaksa and campaign for a ‘Rajapaksa comeback’. According to some political observers, they are of the belief that naming Rajapaksa as the leader of the new alliance will expedite anti-corruption investigations against the former President.

Rajapaksa will remain as a Parliamentarian of the SLFP without publicly aligning himself with the new alliance.

It is learnt that representatives of this would-be United Opposition have already held discussions with former President Rajapaksa about the group’s future plans. They had told the former President that they could not form the ‘United Opposition’ without the blessings of the Rajapaksas.

I have to think twice – MR

When asked of his involvement in the ‘United Opposition’, President Mahinda Rajapaksa told the Sunday Observer that the SLFP was his lifeblood because he is a born SLFPer who had stood by the party through thick and thin without abandoning or betraying it during various upheavals in its history.

“I never contemplated on leaving or betraying the party which carried me to the highest pedestal in the country,” he said.

Rajapaksa said if the SLFP decided to go it alone at the forthcoming Local Government elections he would be compelled to rethink his position because he was always on the side of the common opposition.

Rajapaksa said he was fully aware that the SLFP could not win elections by contesting alone.

He said that was one reason why he believed the SLFP should contest in coalition with the common opposition. “The only way to win the Local Government elections is to form an alliance with political parties of the opposition.

Otherwise the UNP will have a certain edge over the opposition,” he added. The former President’s statement indicated that he was still on the ‘fence’ over his active involvement in the new opposition coalition.

But, it is crystal clear that the former President has no plans to retire from politics in the near future, as predicted by some soon after the Parliamentary election in August.

Minister smuggles anti-government posters to Parliament

It is also important to understand that there is another group of SLFP MPs who bat for both sides. While openly being with President Maithripala Sirisena, they maintain under-the-radar links with the group supporting former President Rajapaksa. This was clearly visible when a group of opposition Parliamentarians staged a protest in Parliament against the police attack on HNDA students.

They decided to ‘smuggle in’ some posters to Parliament and former Western Province Chief Minister and UPFA Parliamentarian Prasanna Ranatunga was assigned to fulfill this task. Although Ranatunga was able to prepare the posters, he had no way of smuggling them in to the House as there were strict security measures.

As the final resort, he sought the assistance of a ‘SLFP Minister’ who willingly accepted the task. The anti-government posters were actually brought into the House by a Minister of the national unity government. This speaks volumes of the sense of split loyalty among Parliamentarians of the UPFA.

President gets new Private Secretary

President Maithripala Sirisena’s Private Secretary Palitha Palpola has been removed from the position with immediate effect. Sources from the Presidential Secretariat said Palpola had been removed due to an administrative lapse. Palpola is no stranger to the country’s political circles.

He has held important positions in the public and private sectors, and worked as the Private Secretary to former Minister Gamini Dissanayake. Palpola served as Dissanayake’s private secretary when the latter was the opposition leader. He also worked as the Director of the Mahaweli Centre and the Director General of the Mahaweli Authority. Sources from the Presidential Secretariat said A.N.R. Amaratunga has been appointed as the new Private Secretary to the President. Amaratunga, a veteran civil servant, served as the Private Secretary to President Sirisena when the latter was the Minister of Health.