News

News

Sidelined JVP sounds warning
By Harinda Vidanage
The UPFA government was facing yet another crisis over the weekend with the JVP -- a key partner in the alliance -- deciding to warn President Chandrika Kumaratunga that the party was no longer prepared to protect an alliance which was failing to implement the national programme agreed upon before the elections.

Party sources said yesterday that at a meeting with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse on Friday night, the JVP expressed displeasure over the way the government was acting on various matters ranging from election pledges and agreements between the parties to appointments to state institutions.

The JVP which took up these issues at a politburo meeting on Thursday said its main grievance was that a special committee which was to decide on policy and recommend top appointments was now virtually defunct.

They said the committee headed by UPFA President Nandana Gunatilleke and General Secretary Susil Premjayanth had not even met after the general elections while the government was going ahead with various policies and making top appointments.

The sources said the JVP was also disturbed that it was not being briefed about the developments related to the peace process and had also been virtually denied access to the President over the past few weeks. They said the politburo had decided to send the strong warning letter to the President within the next few days though in an apparent compromise the Prime Minster on Friday offered to invite a JVP member to join his delegation on a visit to India while he promised fresh efforts to revive the work of the special committee.

The sources said the JVP would be expressing grave concern over appointments to state institutions, focusing mainly on those who had left the country before the elections and had now come back to get into top posts.

They said the JVP was particularly concerned about the appointment of Mundo Gas boss Ariyaseela Wickramanayake to the Livestock board. The appointment was made by President Kumaratunga at a time when the JVP was refusing to take up the Agriculture and other ministries till a dispute over subject and institutions was sorted out.

The sources said that while demanding the removal of Mr. Wickremanayake the JVP was also expressing strong objections to the appointment of defeated candidates to top state jobs.

The sources said that at Thursday's politburo meeting the JVP came under severe criticism from its grassroots members for failure to ensure the implementation of the national policies and programmes agreed upon by the UPFA. Some members charged that the UPFA was now virtually the PA and what happened to other socialist parties was now happening to the JVP which was getting to know of certain decisions only through the media.

The sources said the JVP would also protest that a UPFA review committee which was to closely monitor and assess the work of state institutions has not yet been appointed.

Top

Back to News