The political culture that silenced Bharatha

Wasantha Priya Ramanayake - Translated by A. A. M. Nizam

After the 1982 Presidential election, an inauspicious period dawned on Sri Lanka Freedom Party. It was just like the dawn of a gloomy period. Persons who steered the election campaign for Hector Kobbekaduwa were locked up in prisons on Nexalite charges. They included Vijaya Kumaratunge, Ossie Abeygunasekera, Felix Perera and Renuka Perera. The main Nexalite charge was levelled against Vijaya Kumaratunge. It is said that the reason for that was a statement made by Anura Bandaranaike.

A youth arrested in this manner was given a condition if he wants to get released. That was to make a statement against Vijaya Kumaratunge. This youth rejected this condition vehemently and was prepared to remain in prison for any period of time.

He was none other than Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra. Ultimately everyone got released without any charges. From then onwards persons such as Bharatha, Renuka and others joined Vijaya and Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge in active politics in the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

Blue flags

During this period, SLFP organizations in the Colombo area were very much limited and sporadic and it was like funeral houses. The SLFP did not have aggregates of higher-ups as it is today. People even feared to talk against the UNP, let alone rising against it. Some SLFP parliamentarians had underhand dealings with the UNP leaders.

It was not possible to raise even a blue flag in the Kolonnawa area due to the domination of the area by Mallimarachchi and his minions.

Only leaders like A H M Fowzie and Haleem Ishak were able to stand against them.

But the young Bharatha Lakshman came forward to face this challenge. Later on persons such as Bharata Lakshman, Fowzie, Alavi Mowlana and Sumathipala got together and raised blue flags in Colombo.

Bharata Lakshman hails from a leftist family in Kolonnawa. His father was a trade union leader who represented the Sri Lanka Communist Party. As there is no need to sharpen the thorn of a tree, it can be believed that this son used his father’s leftist politics to steer the SLFP politics towards a radical path. Bharata got elected to Kotikawatte-Mulleriya Pradeshiya Sabha and later on to the Western Provincial Council as a member dedicated to left politics.

Unknown gunman

Hector Kobbekaduwa

Vijaya Kumaratunge

Ossie Abeygunasekera

When the SLFP leaders boycotted the Provincial Council perhaps due to threats against it, Bharatha fearlessly faced it through the Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya. Therefore, he had to fight with an unknown gunman who came to his house and got his life saved. From this time onward, until 1994, he was a leading character in Colombo who got wood and drew water for the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

Later on he performed his duty to the maximum level to ensure the victory of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. When some mean guys tried to create problems Mahinda, Bharatha courageously came forward on behalf of him. This is how people like Bharatha were in the right direction of their politics. President Mahinda Rajapaksa never forgot this. It was in gratitude and in recognition of the services done by Bharatha to the Party and to him personally, that President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed him as the Director General of Presidential Media on Trade Union Affairs.

Preferential vote system

Due to the vicious preferential vote system, people like Bharata will not be elevated to the level of Parliament despite their talent and service to the party. That is why his Parliamentary representation was confined only to one period. Under this system some empty headed personnel get the highest demand or reward. If the electoral voting system prevailed people like Bharatha would have even been in Parliament today. This is what President Mahinda Rajapaksa said about this system at the 53rd anniversary of the SLFP held in Galle:

“The Parliament became weak because of the prevailing election system. Under this constitution the mandate given to make a conspicuous change in the country has become diluted. We have been given the responsibility of changing this preferential vote system and introduce a new election process. The time has come to change the election process”.

(Lankadeepa September 3, 2004)

Murder culture

There is a saying that there is no tranquillity for the mother and the blue sky. The Executive President of this country is also like this. The sky is being blamed if it rains or if it remains bright. But when it is turning to the better side the Executive Power is like an enviable blessing.

All concepts emerged based on that. The work of everyone gets credited just like the clicking of a taxi meter. It is also sometimes like the pool of mud that gets the gaffe of everyone.

Even J.R. Jayewardene got imprisoned in this system which he proudly protected. Some time ago he opened the gates of Ward Place to persons like Wickremabahu Karunaratne and DEW Gunasekera who were imprisoned by him without any reason. He became politically isolated to the extent of opening the doors of their vehicles even by himself.

The murder of Lalith Athulathmudali is a good example for this. President Premadasa had no connection with that murder. But the popular opinion built up at that time pointed the accusing finger towards President Premadasa. Therefore, that funeral house became taboo to those who associated with him.

He used to emotionally tell everyone who visited his Sucharita Residence that his hands are not soaked with blood. Ultimately he had to appeal publicly at Kirulapone not to assassinate his character. Later he also got murdered. Only now he gets freed from the murder culture. Although the responsibility of both these murders got credited to the LTTE, still there is a question mark standing over it.

Therefore, it is dangerous to allow arms to be in the possession of even well-known acquaintances. Even Premadasa would not have faced difficulties those days if he had someone like Minister Basil Rajapaksa who has a political insight of viewing this kind of things without any bias and finding right solutions.

Political concept

He did not even have at least a person like Minister Rajitha Senaratne.

There is a saying that the people of our country do not remember in the day time what they ate in the morning.

By this saying it is meant that anything will be forgotten soon. Some people may think that Bharatha’s murder will also become like this. There is no shortage of people thinking that everything gets forgotten under this concept.

If this is a political concept it should be commonly applicable not only for the bad things but also to the good things as well.

Now the time has come to take decisions based on the President’s political wisdom and memory power. If it happens it will not be late. The scenario here is a conflict of the system rather than the question of Bharatha or Duminda.