Sleazy Jayawardana runs with pro-LTTE Catholics and hunts with the Tigers.

“ Politically neutral Catholics see Dr. Jayawardena as a cheap stunt man who is posing as a “holy man” for his personal and political gain.”

by Ranjith Soysa

(November 16, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena, UNP MP, likes to present himself as a goody-goody champion of human rights. His latest is to rush to Delhi and raise the issue of displaced Tamils based on what has been told to him by the Bishop of Mannar. He has this notion that if he runs from capital to capital, from Geneva to Delhi, he can move the world on the instructions he gets from his Tamil Bishops. However, his embarrassed UNP colleagues remark cynically that the only human rights cause that he has championed so far is that of his own self. From time to time he has this tendency to champion human rights issues each time he feels neglected by the media. His biggest failing is his craving to be in the limelight using the wrong cause. His fellow-UNPers comment behind his back that his initial “J stand for joker.

The only positive side to this comic acts is that he is not taken seriously. In fact, he has been marked down a long time ago as a dangerous to the UNP not because he is serious but because he is nut case that can damage the Sri Lankan polity, peace, religious harmony and clean politics. When he was a minister in Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government he was exposed as a corrupt minister who gave contracts to his sister and family members without going through the normal tender procedures. It was reported that a part of the cuts of the contract were pocketed by him. He protested no doubt. But the sting remains, with “Mr. Clean” of the UNP, Ranil Wickremesinghe, doing nothing about it. Ever since then he is seen as a slimy, money-grabbing exploiter of the poor people.

In the UNP circles he is also known as a “bootlicker” of whoever is willing to promote him. He is also best known for writing advertisements to promote himself. But most of all he is known as the agent of the pro-Tiger wing of the Tamil Catholics. Being a Catholic himself he runs around the world – on Tiger funding – lobbying for the Tamil Catholic Bishops of Jaffna who are actively promoting Tiger politics.

Jayawardena’s latest stunt of releasing a pro-Tiger statement in Delhi points directly to his links with the Catholic wing allied to the Tigers. In his statement he gives cites the Bishop of Mannar as the authority on the displacement of over 150,000 civilians. Neither the good Bishop nor his tale-carrier, Dr. Jayawardena, has expressed their concerns about 100,000 Muslims driven out of Jaffna by the horrendous ethnic cleansing of the political protégé of the Catholics, Velupillai Prabhakaran.

Besides, the Bishop of Mannar is notorious for being an active Tiger supporter who secretly, without telling the Catholic authorities in Colombo, allowed the Holy image of Mary to be smuggled to Tiger territory, This deprived the human rights of the majority of Catholics in Sri Lanka, most of whom are Sinhalese, to worship the Holy Image in Madhu. Presumably, Dr. Jayawardena’s mouth was filled with pittu stuffed by the Catholic bishops, to speak out in defence of the Catholics deprived of their sacred image.

But this did not prevent him from taking the Sri Lankan authorities to court for not letting him pray at the Madhu Church as and when he pleases. He never dared to take the Tigers to court when these terrorists took command of the Madhu Church and blocked the free movement of devotees. This legal action against the Secrity Forces is also a move instigated by the Church to embarrass the Security Forces which liberated the Madu Church from the Tigers who were holding the priests, the Church premises and the devotees hostage. This area was a part of Tiger territory then and their objective was to hold on to territory at any cost, even if it meant depriving the devotees to exercise their human right to worship.

Politically neutral Catholics see Dr. Jayawardena as a cheap stunt man who is posing as a “holy man” for his personal and political gain. This pro-Tiger fanatic is also an embarrassment to the UNP. He is also using the respected Catholic religion, like the Bishop of Mannar, to cover up for the sins of the Tigers and the divisive politics of Churchmen marketing Christianity.
Ranil Wickremesinghe, the leader of the UNP, has turned a blind eye to his pro-Catholic, pro-Tiger politics. He should know by now that with sleazy friends like Dr. Jayawardena he needs NO enemies.

In a bizarre turn, Dr.Jayawardena is reported to have told some of his Catholic associates that the path to heaven can be found through Prabhakaran, the “Sun God.” He has stated that there is some truth in Rev. S. J. Emanuel, the former Vicar of Jaffna, saying that Prabhakaran is as good as Jesus Christ. However, it is not certain whether he has committed some of the money he pocketed when he was minister to finance a publishing project on this controversial issue.

Indian National Congress activists and anti-terrorism groups expressed shock at recent utterances of the Sri Lankan politician Dr Jayalath Jayawardana who urged Indian intervention to save the beleaguered Tamil Tigers in Kilinochchi. They said that Dr Jayawardana`s Press Release issued in New Delhi stating that the Tamils in the north are starving and India should intervene to save them is contrary to the reports issued by UN bodies and various INGOs on the humanitarian situation.

`Is the UNP, of which Dr Jayawardana is a member, endorses his call?` Satish Kumar of Delhi Free Thinkers` questioned. `Dr Jayawardana is trying to save the LTTE, which is facing defeat in the battle front. We in India feel that the UNP should support the government`s efforts to liberate the Tamil masses from the LTTE grip and to restore their democratic rights. In India we all join when there is a national issue,` he pointed out.

Dr Jayawardana`s press release, which was published in Tamil newspapers like Erasorthi of the DMK and websites like OneIndia, said that the people in the north are living like slaves without food and other essential items and stated that Sri Lankan government has refused to allow the NGO community, social workers and priest access to the LTTE controlled areas.

He also said that the military operations in general and air raids and artillery attacks in particular have resulted in the displacement of over 150,000 civilians. He added that Bishop of Mmannar has confirmed this personally to him. The Indian media highlighted his press release and said that as Dr Jayawardana is a Sinhalese MP belonging to a national party, his statement should be taken very seriously.

However, the Indian analysts are of the view that Dr Jayawardana has distorted the facts and completely ignored the fact that the military operations were against the Tamil Tigers, `a bunch of terrorists who massacred thousands, including our beloved former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi`. They also expressed doubts whether the UNP would back the anti national utterances of Dr Jayawardana and pointed out that the timing of Dr Jayawardana`s attack on Sri Lanka Government coincided with the visit of President Mahinda Rjajapaksa to New Delhi.

They also pointed out that Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said in New Delhi that the civilians were not harmed and the Government has a policy of zero tolerance when it comes to civilian casualties. `The fight against the LTTE is continuing systematically and the troops make every effort to avoid civilian casualties. In Iraq or Afghanistan, there are hundreds of civilian deaths and in Sri Lanka situation is well in control,` Indian analysts pointed out.

`What we want to know is the UNP leader Mr Ranil Wickremasinghe is endorsing Dr Jayawardana`s pro`LTTE stance?` they asked. `Mr Wickeramasinghe never made such public statements in India.`

Recently, Dr Jayawardana was in Switzerland trying to get the UN and INGOs to pressure Sri Lanka to stop the war. His attempt was described as a last ditch attempt to prevent the fall of Tamil Tiger bastian Kilinochchi to the rapidly advancing security forces.

It was reported that, Dr Jayawardana met the head of Swiss Tamil Forum, which is a front organization of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). When UNP MP John Amaratnga raised this at a UNP Parliamentary Group meeting, Dr Jayawardana objected to it, but did not deny the meeting with the LTTE leader in Geneva. Mr Amaratunga said that Dr Jayawardana`s statements abroad were detrimental to the prospects of the UNP. - Sri Lanka Guardian