More than four years after the event, the 2019 Easter attacks continue to be the focus of public attention in the country as Parliament last week conducted a two-day debate on the attacks, a sequel to the broadcasting of a documentary by the British television network, Channel 4 several days earlier.
The attacks which destroyed several churches and tourist hotels and cost the lives of over 250 persons including tourists were carried out by Islamic extremists. However, the unresolved questions revolve around whether there was a lapse by security authorities and about who masterminded the attacks.
Already many investigations and inquiries have probed the incidents. They include a Committee of Inquiry and another Presidential Commission appointed by then President Maithripala Sirisena, a Parliamentary Select Committee and Fundamental Rights applications heard by the Supreme Court.
Ironically, the Presidential Commission of Inquiry appointed by then President Sirisena concluded its inquiry and handed over its findings at a time when President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had assumed office. It recommended that criminal proceedings be instituted against Sirisena for alleged negligence.
In a concordant finding, in response to the Fundamental Rights applications filed by interested parties, the Supreme Court held that former President Sirisena and several others pay compensation of varying amounts to the victims of the attacks, for not carrying out their duties in a responsible manner.
While these inquiries all focused on the lapses of the security authorities at the time that enabled the attacks, there was little detail available publicly about who masterminded the attacks. It was in this context that the Channel 4 documentary made explosive claims with significant political implications.
The main allegations in the Channel 4 documentary was that the attacks were orchestrated using an extremist Islamic group by Sri Lanka Military officials. This, it was claimed, was to create a climate of fear in Sri Lanka that would enable the Sri Lanka PodujanaPeramuna (SLPP) to win elections.
The documentary quoted a whistle blower who was a former aide to parliamentarian Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan who specifically mentioned military officer Suresh Sallay. It is to be noted that the credibility of the documentary rests on these claims, none of which were substantiated with evidence.
Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has issued a detailed statement rubbishing the claims in the documentary. The Ministry of Defence has done likewise, releasing a formal statement which disputes the claims made in the program and points out various inconsistencies contained in the broadcast.
Nevertheless, with such claims being made in the documentary and opposition parties responding to them calling for further inquiries, the debate in Parliament was an opportunity for many to express their views on the issue. While this did occur, it was sharply divided on party lines.
Former President Maithripala Sirisena took the opportunity to state that, since several inquiries had indicated that he was negligent in his duties in his role as President and Minister of Defence, the blame heaped on him should be revisited in light of the claims made in the Channel 4 documentary.
However, Sirisena ran into a verbal onslaught from Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) parliamentarian and former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka. Sirisena rose to respond to Fonseka and the interaction descended to a personal dispute rather than any meaningful discussion on the Easter attacks.
From a Government perspective, the debate was aimed at clearing the air about misconceptions regarding the attack. This was done by State Minister of Defence Pramitha Bandara Tennekoon who also noted that certain details regarding the attacks cannot be made public for security reasons.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe has already taken a decision to conduct two inquiries into the Easter attacks in the wake of the disclosures and claims made in the Channel 4 documentary. This will take the form of a Parliamentary Select Committee and a separate probe headed by a senior judicial officer.
The latter Committee of Inquiry is headed by Supreme Court judge S.I. Imam and includes Air Chief Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody, a onetime Commander of the Air Force, and President’s Counsel Harsha Soza. This Committee has already begun its preliminary activities leading to the probe.
There were several factors that led to the President’s decision. These includes calls for a transparent process by the head of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and also the screening of the Channel 4 documentary at the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva.
However, the most pressing concern for President Wickremesinghe this week upon his return from his visits to Cuba and the United States are the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). High ranking officials of the IMF are now in Colombo for negotiations with the government.
These officials met with President Wickremesinghe on Tuesday. Their discussions were aimed at evaluating Sri Lanka’s progress in implementing the economic reforms proposed by the IMF as part of the Extended Fund Facility accorded to the country, the second tranche of which is due shortly.
The Government expects that, if discussions are concluded to the satisfaction of the lending agency, a staff-level agreement related to the disbursement of the second instalment of the US $ 3 billion Extended Fund Facility will be signed. Such a facility will be vital for the economy, officials say.
It is understood that the IMF has been satisfied with the progress made by the country since the disbursement of the first tranche of financial aid. They especially noted that the Domestic Debt Optimisation (DDO) process, a socially and politically challenging exercise, has been completed.
The IMF, it is understood, has expressed some concern about the shortfall of Government revenue in comparison to expected targets. This shortfall, in the region of about US$ 300 million, is considered significant but is not anticipated to be a stumbling block to the disbursement of the second tranche.
President Wickremesinghe, soon after concluding his discussions with the IMF will be visiting Germany where he will be addressing the ‘Berlin Global Dialogue,’ where he is scheduled to make the opening remarks at the Leaders Dialogue session on the first day of the conference.
During his four-day visit to Germany President Wickremesinghe will also hold talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on bilateral issues. He is also scheduled to hold discussions with several political and business leaders in Germany as well as meeting with the Sri Lankan based there.
Upon his return to the country, the President will be focusing on preparations for the Budget which he will present in Parliament on November 13. This will be watched with great interest as 2024 is likely to be a year of economic recovery as well as being the year where a presidential election must be held.
The debate on the second reading of the budget will be held from November 14 to 21 and the voting on the second reading is scheduled to be held on November 21. The vote on the Third Reading will be held on December 13. These votes have attracted much speculation in political circles.
That is because there was discussion in the corridors of power that, with several groups of parliamentarians breaking ranks with the main faction of the ruling SLPP, there was an attempt to defeat the Government at the vote on the Budget and thereby forcing an early general election.
However, leading stalwarts of the Government have dismissed such speculation as being confined to the imagination of disgruntled elements in the opposition. They point out that the no confidence vote against Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella was defeated with 113 MPs voting against it.
This demonstrated that the Government still retained a simple majority in Parliament despite many abstaining from voting. In a more critical issue such as the vote on the Budget, it could easily muster enough votes to ensure the smooth passage of the Budget through Parliament, they said.
Also providing confidence to the President was a discussion he had with SLPP Leader Basil Rajapaksa prior to his visit to the United States and Cuba. This frank exchange of views about the current political climate will be helpful in ironing out minor differences of opinion with the government.
These developments relating to the Easter attacks and the latest claims regarding the incident, negotiations with the IMF and the upcoming budget point to several weeks of hectic political activity both for the Government and the opposition which will be observed and analysed with much interest.
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