Sajith Premadasa, whose father Ranasinghe Premadasa had previously served as head of the United National Party (UNP) and had served in the roles of president and prime minister, is the leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).
The SJB is itself a breakaway group from the UNP which formed to contest the 2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary elections separately.The decision to form a splinter organisation and separate itself from the UNP enabled the organisation to avoid the UNP’s dire fate as the 2020 elections saw the UNP only garner a single seat via the national list.
Position on 13th Amendment
Whilst touring the North-East, in Nallur Premadasa told the Tamil public that he would implement the 13th Amendment “in full”. However, he does not clarify what he means by “maximum,” or whether this includes police, administrative, and legal powers. This was swiftly followed by officials in his party who sought to pacify concerns within his Sinhala nationalist base and claim that the commitment was simply to “reactivate the provincial councils”.
“The government will be committed to fully implement the current constitution, including the 13th amendment to the constitution, until the passage of the new Constitution. Reaffirm the commitment to provincial councils by not retracting the powers granted to them, and instead, strengthen the developments made at the provincial level,” reads Premadasa’s manifesto.
Such a position has garned him the backing of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) central committee but there appears to be dissent amongst ITAK's senior membership over this decision. ITAK's leader-elect, Sivagnanam Shritharan told reporters that he did not support the decision of the central committee to back Premadasa at the upcoming polls.
Read more here: ITAK in disarray as senior leaders continue to divide party
The 13th Amendment was brought in after the Indo- Lanka agreement of 1987, which calls for a merged North-East and the devolution of police and land powers to the province. This proposal has been consistently opposed by Tamils on the island as simply inadequate as a solution for the problems they face as well as Sinhala nationalists who maintain that it concedes too much to Tamils. Following Premadasa’s claim that he would implement the 13th amendment, Udaya Gammanpil, leader of the an ultra-nationalist Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, lashed out against the decision claiming that with such a move “a terrorist movement more powerful than the LTTE can be born, with the blessings of the international community”.
Premadasa has also sought to garner the favour of the anti-Tamil Sinhala nationalist base and has previously stressed that he would “not permit space for separatism”.
Embrace of war criminals
Beyond opposition towards devolution for Tamils he has embraced a number of noted war criminals including appointing Sarath Fonseka as the party's chairman. Fonseka resigned from the post this August as he launched a bid to run in the election as an independent candidate. Fonseka stands accused of overseeing the bombing of hospitals, the execution and torture of surrendees and disappeared civilians amongst a litany of human rights abuses against Tamil civilians and militants in 2009.
Several other senior military figures accused of war crimes have also joined Premadasa's party.
For example, former Chief of Defence Staff Major General Sathyapriya Liyanage was appointed as the head of the SJB’s Anti-corruption Unit. Liyanage is accused of overseeing the Mullivaikkal genocide over a decade ago as the head of the army’s Task Force 3 during the Sri Lankan military’s 2009 offensive. Tens of thousands of Tamils were killed as the military shelled hospitals, deployed rape and sexual violence, and executed those who attempted to surrender.
Retired Lieutenant Colonel Rathnapriya Bandu also joined the SJB under Premadasa's leadership. Ironically, Bandu has been appointed as the head of SJB’s committee for national unity, peace, and harmony at home and abroad. Bandu previously served as a Squadron Commander with Sri Lanka’s Special Forces before becoming the Joint Commanding Officer of the Civil Security Department for Jaffna, Kilinochchi, and Mullaitivu.
Premadasa also welcomed Daya Sandagiri, the 14th Naval Commander of Sri Lanka, to the party. Sandagiri has a controversial history; in 2006, then-president Mahinda Rajapaksa stated he would appoint a Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) to investigate military procurement deals entered into by Sandagiri, who had recently stepped down as Commander of the Navy and was Chief of Defence Staff at the time.
Additionally, Premadasa welcomed former Army Commander Daya Ratnayake to the SJB, another official who oversaw military operations during the Tamil genocide and has repeatedly denied that any war crimes took place.
Whilst presenting himself as an anti-establishment figure, Premadasa differs little in policy from the Rajapaksa when considering his deference to Sinhala Buddhist nationalism and defence of Sri Lankan war criminals. In October 2019, he defended Shavendra Silva, stating:
"No matter what pressures, I will protect Shavendra Silva and he will continue as the Army Commander,” declared Premadasa.
“He is one of the heroic field commanders who spearheaded the national effort to eradicate terrorism,” said Premadasa at the time. “As a country we will always stand with the war heroes that brought an end to 30 years of terrorism,” he added in his tweet.
He has repeatedly opposed initiatives for an international investigation into war crimes claiming that Sri Lankan soldiers had sacrificed their lives deserved the respect of the entire country and should not be subjected to any international investigation into war crimes.
Staunch Sinhala Buddhist nationalist
Premadasa has also vyed for suport from Sinala Buddhist nationalists by claiming that he would safeguard the island's "territorial integrity" and has recieved an honorary title from the Sangha Council “in recognition of his service to the nation and the Buddha Sasana”.
In the run up to the 2019 election, Premadasa attempted to rally support amongst hardline nationalists by claiming that he would be tough on security. "I will not allow any form of terrorism. We will eliminate all forms of terrorism" he told a crowd in Galle Face Green.
Read the profiles of other candidates: Who are the candidates standing in Sri Lanka's elections?
