Kumar Gunaratnam: It’s all political says FSP
Granting Sri Lankan citizenship to Kumar Gunaratnam was not a legal issue, but a political consideration, Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) Politburo member Pubudu Jagoda said yesterday.
“The decision to grant citizenship to anyone is not a matter for legal institutions such as courts of law, but rather for executive arms such as the Cabinet and the subject minister,” he said.
“Even the Kegalle Magistrate’s Court and the Supreme Court have stated that this was not a legal problem, but a political one. Everyone is trying to create a strange image of Kumar Gunaratnam. He is a Sri Lankan by birth. Everyone is trying to treat him as a foreign national, who overstayed his visa,” Mr. Jagoda said. He said the crisis emerged due to the views expressed by various sources and not because of any action of the government.
While addressing the media, New Left Front Leader Dr. Wickramabahu Karunaratne said the problem was related to immigration and emigration. “There was a problem with former minister Wimal Weerawansa being in possession of several passports, which were later confiscated. But no passport was recovered from Kumar Gunaratnam.
“Both the cases are related to passports. But Wimal Weerawansa’s issue was resolved in a descent manner and he had been released in all cases. The government is trying to treat these two problems differently”, he pointed out.
Both Wimal Weerawansa and Kumar Gunaratnam were originally members of the Leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. While, Gunaratnam left the country during the 1988 insurrection, Wimal Weerawansa left the JVP to form his own party, National Freedom Front.
“It is a question of Ranil Wickremesinghe not treating everyone according to the same liberal democratic principles. The government had made a political issue out of the Gunaratnam’s issue. “If Wimal Weerawansa can possess several passports, Kumar Gunaratnam could be issued with five passports,” Dr. Karunaratne quipped.
Both the cases are related to passports. But Wimal Weerawansa’s issue was resolved in a descent manner and he had been released in all cases.the government is trying to treat these two problems differently