SL Elections 2024: Militarisation and Accountability Issues

Compiled by Sunanda Deshapriya.

1. The people of Sri Lanka went to polls twice within two months in late 2024. The presidential election was held on 21st September and parliamentary elections were held on 14 November 2024. National People’s Power (NPP) won both elections and established a government of “leftist, democratic and progressive forces” headed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD).
2. The Presidential and parliamentary elections saw an unprecedented level of involvement of ex-service personnel in politics. According to retired Major General Aruna Jayasekara, head of the NPP-led ‘Aditana’ (Determination) Tri-Forces Collective, National Peoples Power had the backing of 40,000 ex-military personnel.
3. After the elections, appointed to the parliament from the NPP National list, Major General Aruna Jayasekara was appointed to the post of Deputy Minister for Defence.
4. A retired Air Vice Marshal of the Sri Lanka Air Force Sampath Thuyacontha who joined the NPP early was appointed Secretary to the Ministry of Defence after the presidential election.
5. NPP also organised retired police personnel under the banner of the “Retired Police Collective”. Former Head of the Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Senior DIG Ravi Seneviratne assumed the leadership of the Retired Police Collective.
6. DIG Ravi Senevirathna (Retired) who headed the NPP police collective was appointed Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security after the presidential election.
7. Several retired Deputy Inspector Generals (DIGs) and former Director of the Criminal Investigation Department SSP Shani Abeysekera also joined the Collective. The collective claimed to have thousands of retired police personnel in its ranks.
8. The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), the runners-up in the presidential and parliamentary elections also organised ex-servicemen for election campaign. Two former army commanders and a navy commander were among the leading military personnel who supported the SJB. The National Conference of the “Dividena Ranaviru” (Life Sacrificing War Heroes) organization, affiliated with the SJB, took place in Colombo on the 10th of September. Numerous retired military officers from the army, navy, and air force, as well as police and civil defence forces, joined the “Dividena Ranaviru” organisation.
9. 2010 joint opposition presidential candidate and wartime Army Commander Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka contested the 2024 presidential election as an independent candidate and received only 22,407 (0.17%) votes.
10. Given the strong involvement and influence of ex-service personnel within the NPP, it is difficult to accept accountability for atrocities that took place in the last phase of the war in Sri Lanka including large-scale disappearance.
11. On August 27, 2024, AKD said that his administration would not seek to punish anyone accused of human rights violations and war crimes during Sri Lanka’s brutal 26-year civil war. He said he would instead focus on investigating alleged human rights violations and seeking an agreement with the victims’ families.
12. The NPP government opposed the UNHRC resolution of September 2024, which extended the mandate of the resolution 51/1 of October.
13. The position NPP government stated at the 56^th session of the UNHRC is the same as the previous Rajapaksa governments: “I once again emphasize Sri Lanka’s strong rejection of Resolution 51/1, and the external evidence-gathering mechanism established within OHCHR. This unproductive and unwarranted mechanism exceeds the Council’s mandate, contradicts its founding principles, and polarizes the Council, undermining the progress we have made domestically” the Sri Lanka Ambassador told the council.
14. President AKD delivered his policy statement at the Inauguration of the First Session of the Tenth Parliament on 21 November 2024. The words reconciliation and accountability were missing in his speech. Under the theme of Building National Unity his main thrust was anti-racism.
15. ” While we may hold diverse political opinions, I assure you with full responsibility that we will not allow a resurgence of divisive racist politics in our country. Similarly, no form of religious extremism will be permitted to take root…When racism becomes the cornerstone of a political ideology, the unavoidable outcome is the emergence of counter-racism from opposing groups. Racism in one part feeds and strengthens nationalism in another. This is a dynamic we have experienced throughout our country’s political and social history,” President AKD told the parliament.
16. No mention of the continuation of establishing a Truth Commission initiated by the previous government or new TRC initiative was made either.
17. In his speech President AKD referred to providing justice to victims of political crimes: “Let us remember that the public mandate we have received is steeped in these expectations and yearnings for justice. This mandate reflects the grief of families mourning their lost loved ones, the despair of friends of those murdered, and the cry for justice echoing throughout this country. “If we do not fulfil this duty, the public’s dreams of justice and fairness will wither away. I believe that without action, even the faintest hopes for justice will vanish in this nation.” But this was not a reference to war-related atrocities.
18. On a positive note, under the AKD presidency, the Palali-Achchuveli main road in Jaffna was reopened on 01 November 2024  after three decades of closure. The road initially closed due to the prolonged 30-year civil conflict, remained inaccessible even in the 15 years following the end of the war.
19. The AKD presidency decided to finalize returning the 8-acre land of the Katkolam Army camp in the north to civilians, a process started under Ranil Wickremasinghe’s presidency.
20. In an X post, President AKD said that he “met the parliamentary group of Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi, ITKA (‘Sri Lanka Tamil State Party’) on 4 November 2024 to discuss the longstanding challenges faced by the people of the Northern and Eastern regions. I am committed to working together for equitable solutions and lasting progress.”
21. On the other hand, the NPP government’s position on Power Devolution remains unclear, with the second most powerful person within the NPP setup JVP SG Tilvin Silva saying the Provincial Council system established under the 13 Amendment will be abolished in a new constitution, while President AKD has promised to implement the amendment.

The End.