Ranasinghe Premadasa gets up

The group that battered Premadasa that day

What happened to those who opposes..?

(Upul Joshep Fernando)

State Media Minister J.A. Ranasinghe told a wonderful story at the Emergency Regulation Debate, held in May in which Premadasa was assassinated. He told that there was a night Shampain party at a house in Rosmid place of Colombo seven on the day of Premadasa’s assassination. He told that he felt petty for the residents of this house celebrating the assassination of the leader of this country how died on the Road. A.J. Ranasinghe was referring to the Bandaranayake family. Not only Bandaranayakers, SLFP too celebrated this incident by lighting crackers. Leading media Institutes published that crackers were lit in South on the day of the assassination of President Ranasinghe Premadasa. The Bandaranayakers had Shampain and SLFP supporters lit crackers sine they knew that if Premadasa lives they will never be able to raise their heads. One year passed from the death of Premadasa. The SLFP went to Cambell park in the 1994 May rally displaying a portrait of Babu with a garland over his neck and lighting lamps by shouting “Babu may attend Buddha hood”. Babu was the assassin of Premadasa. Bandaranayakers, SLFP and Leftists had a rancor about Premadasa. Because the label that Leftists parties and SLFP had pasted on UNP as a the party of the capitalist class had been changed by Premadasa. S.W.R.D. Bandaranayake while forming the SLFP divided the politics of this country by a line. He described UNP as the party of capitalist class and those who had everything. He described SLFP as the party of the poor class and bottom level people. It was Premadasa who deleted this line in 1977. He told that the UNP is the party of the common men and SLFP is the party of Barons. He changed the fight of the poor against the Riches of SLFP as he changed the fight of the bottom-line men against the Barons of UNP. Anura Bandaranayke who could not tolerate this, scolded Premadasa using undue words. This is how Premadasa retaliated to Anura in 1977 in the Parliament.

“ A Prince of a Palace who heirs Crown thorns says that I am a boy who sold pan cakes in Keselwaththa. This is the boy who sold pan cakes in Keselwaththa. If I got the opportunity to sell pan cakes in Keselwaththa it was my luck. I am proud. I would like to tell that Prince that one day I will flat his Palace to build an “Udagama” to settle people who are considered by them as law level and are living in shanties”.

Premadasa built an objection towards SLFP among common people, among villagers and among oppressed people. J.R. nominated Premadasa for the 1988 Precedential Election to win by using this objection. J.R. ‘s game worked out. Mrs. Bandaranayake got totally upset when she realized that it was Premadasa who is competing with her who tried to oust her and her family from politics , who disgraced her and her family. She could not tolerate getting defeated from him. She fell in to the weal chair with poor health by being unable to sustain this defeat.

The world media published Premadasa’s victory as a victory of a small man by defeating Barons . This is how The New York Times published his victory on 21st December 1988….

“ Ranasinghe Premadasa who was a poor man had come to the top of politics which was inherited by Barons and became the President through an urban Labour Movement. He was born in a shanty. His family was ascending from a suppressed clan. Eventhough the pressure of clan is not severe in Sri Lanka which is high in literacy when compared to India, Premadasa came to politics from outside which was inherited by Barons and Landowners”.

India Today on 15th January 1989 published that a person from a suppressed clan had become to the Presidency in Sri Lanka for the first time in the history of 2500, which was inherited by land owned very important people.

It was not easy to Bandaranayakers and SLFP to destroy the image that Premadasa had built locally as well as internationally as the Friend of the poor. SLFP with the assistant of VIP class in the UNP such as Laith and Gamini brought a No confidence motion against Premadasa under the grounds that he is not mentally fit enough to hold the post of Presidency, to destroy his image. Mahinda Rajapaksha who was a Parliamentarian then organized a walk to Katharagama against him.

He was the person who insulted him most. He mocked Premadasa that his hidden part was bitten by a Wasp when he was being bathed by seven virgins. It was he is who got the mothers of disappears during the insurrection to break coconut in front of the Katharagama Dewalaya expecting to destroy Premadasa. It was Mahinda who went before the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations complaining that Premadasa was killing people.

But Premadasa did not shake. He told the no confidence motion was a plan of conspirators. It was difficult to SLFPers , Leftists and VIP class of UNP to destroy his image. Ultimately it was Prabakaran who undertook that contract. There were two reasons. One was planning to kill Kittu with India who was his left hand. The second was creating a clash between Prabakaran and his associate Mahaththaya. Premadasa got along with Mahaththaya during the peace discussions. He built up a friendship with Mahaththaya saying him that both of them came from the same small level. Premadasa used Mahaththya against Prabakaran. When Pottuamman’s intelligence unite came to know about this secret pact, Prabakaran arrested him and planned to destroy Premadasa. It was by assassinating Premadasa’s most opponent Lalith Athulathmudali and showing that it was a contract of Premadasa. When Ranjan Wijerathne, Brigadier Wijaya Wimalarathne, Naval Chief Clency Fernando , Dencil Kobbakaduwa were assassinated by Prabakaran SLFPers , Bandarnayakers and Rajapakshers told that it was Premadasa who assassinated all these key figures. Prabakaran’s target was correct. Bandaranayakers, SLFPers and VIP class of UNP making us of the assassination of Lalith, damaged the image of Premadasa who got shocked by this and said in his last meeting…

“ The truth will win one day. We know that those who did unjust had never met good. It was not yesterday and day before that you tried to destroy me. You know that I am an average man who immerged among you. This country was governed by Barons . You know that I changed this system. You felt jealousy of that. I don’t mind if you kill me by shooting me if you have a grudge over me. But I request from you not to destroy my image that had been protected from my childhood. The truth will come to light one day.”

These were his final words. Premadasa was assassinated the next day. Everyone thought that Premadasa’s Security took him to a safe place after the bomb blast. The leader of the country was missing for some time. It was Doctor Jayalath Jayawardena who identified his body at the mortuary of the Hospital from his watch. Even after his death Bandaranayakers , Rajapakshers and SLFPers did not allow him to rest in peace. They told that he blasted a sympathetic bomb to cover up the dissatisfaction of the assassination of Lalith and that bomb took his life due to a mistake. It was 26 years ago. Today Ranasinghe Premadasa’s son Sajith Premadasa has come to the race of the Presidency. It is the leader and SLFPers who lit crakes when Premadasa was assassinated and who today pressurized the UNP to nominate Sajith as the Presidential candidate. It is the youngest of Bandaranayake family , Chandrika that destroyed Premadasa’s image then who has come forward to get the votes of SLFP for Sajith’s victory. Chief Editors of press including Victor Ivorn who claimed that Premadasa blasted the bomb by giving a signal from his handkerchief coming to the middle of the Road, Non-Governmental Organizations that spread Premadasa objection throughout the country and Civil Societies have come forward for Sajith’s victory. Today Sajith is competing with Rajapaksha family that battered Premadas most.

“The truth will come to light”.

Premadasa did not make this comment with no purpose. It was mentioned in an article in Guruda Vigrahaya published on 24.03.2011.

“ Premadasa got down a Buddhist Monk to his residency in the night before few days of his assassination who had send him a message that Premadasa was undergoing a bad period from whom he used get astrological advises.

“ Hamuduruwane what should I do..Premadasa asked.

“Gentleman there were kings who gave up the kingship and went to the jungle to lead a spiritual life” the Monk responded.

“So you instruct me to go to the jungle and lead a hermit life?. Premadasa asked.

What you should do at this time is to give the kingship and go abroad. That is the only way of protecting your life.

“If I give up the kingship and go my opponents will be victorious, Premadasa spoke with angry.

“ I told you a way of protecting your life. If you give up the kingship today after another 20 years people will come back to take you to the Throne on their shoulders. On that day the whole country will seek for a Premadasa…”

These were the word of the Buddhist Monk. But Premadasa did not carry out his instructions.

It is 26 years after the assassination of Premadasa on 16th November 2019. Again the country had started asking for a Premadasa.

-  Gurudha Vigrahaya -