Speaker says conspirators threatened to harm him

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Chairman of Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security, retired Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera, MP, yesterday (22) said that the government should conduct a thorough investigation into the overthrowing of elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, following Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena’s confirmation of US Ambassador Julie Chung’s direct intervention in what he called regime change project.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa relinquished office in the second week of July, 2022.

The former Navy Chief of Staff appreciated the Speaker’s decision to disclose the truth after the three-day debate and vote on the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against him on Thursday March 21.

The Colombo district lawmaker said that he expected the government to address the issues that had been raised by the Speaker, without delay and, particularly, ascertain the external hand in the ‘operation.’ President Rajapaksa gave up office following an intense protest campaign, launched on March 31, 2022, culminated with the overrunning of the President’s House on July 09, 2022.

Declaring that among those who sought to establish a new government in violation of the Constitution were powerful elements, Speaker Abeywardena said that he received invitations from foreign parties though he rejected them outright.

Referring to National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa’s declaration, in late April 2023, that US Ambassador had met Speaker Abeywardena at the latter’s official residence, on July 09, 2022, to ask him to succeed Gotabaya Rajapaksa, former Public Security Minister Weerasekera said that the Speaker never contradicted the MP’s claim.

“The Speaker could have done so in Parliament, or outside, but he maintained silence. In fact, the Speaker remained silent even after MP Chandima Weerakkody raised a privilege issue in Nov, 2023 over him (Weerasekera) alleging US involvement in the project. At the end, the Speaker had to confirm the accusations made by me and Weerawansa,” the former minister said.

MP Weerasekera said that he voted against the NCM as he felt that the Speaker hadn’t violated the Constitution and parliamentary procedures in respect of the appointment of the IGP and the enactment of the Online Safety law. He was among 117 MP s who voted against whereas 75 voted for. Weerawansa, too, ironically, voted for the NCM.

MP Weerasekera said that the outcome of the vote on NCM is relevant to the issue at hand. “What we really like to know is whether US Ambassador Chung arrived at the Speaker’s official residence, on the afternoon of July 09, 2022, to pressure him to take over the presidency,” MP Weerasekera said.

The retired Navy Chief of Staff said that the Speaker obviously had no qualms in declaring that the conspirators intended to destabilize the country the way they did to Libya and Afghanistan.

The former minister said that the Speaker’s disclosure that a threat was made to surround his official residence and harm him in the wake of his refusal to adhere to the conspirators’ proposal couldn’t be ignored as it established a direct link between the mobs and their leadership.

MP Weerasekera said that the government owed an explanation to the public. Responding to another query, lawmaker Weerasekera said that the Speaker should name those who pressured him to violate the Constitution.

In addition to MP Weerawansa, award-winning author Sena Thoradeniya, discussed the US role in a Galle Face Protest: System Change or Anarchy? launched last year.

Galle District SLPP MP Weerakkody, now aligned with the main Opposition SJB, last November repeatedly urged Speaker Abeywardena to deal with MP Weerasekera firmly as the latter caused unnecessary and extremely sensitive issues by condemning US Ambassador Chung. Weerakkody also found fault with Weerasekera for writing to State Defence Minister Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon regarding the US Ambassador’s intervention.

MP Weerawansa yesterday told The Island that finally the Speaker had confirmed the external factors and the direct role the US played in the project.

The Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government couldn’t ignore the Speaker’s declaration. Calling for a no holds barred investigation into the regime change operation, MP Weerawansa said that actually the external intervention, now confirmed by the Speaker, couldn’t be left uninvestigated.

Both Weerasekera and Weerawansa said that the Foreign Ministry should inquire into the Speaker’s accusations.

MP Weerawansa launched ‘09: The Hidden Story’ in April 2023 and a few months later released an English translation that dealt with the US role in the protest campaign that led to Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s removal.Within hours after the release of the book in April, 2023, Ambassador Chung denied the MP’s allegations.