After the Lanka Sama Samaja Party withdrew from Mrs. Bandaranaike’s United Front government in 1975, UNP leader and Opposition Leader J. R. Jayewardene, and Lanka Sama Samaja Party leaders N. M. Perera and Colvin R. de Silva met frequently and secretly to discuss how to overthrow Mrs. Bandaranaike’s government. These discussions often took place at the house of prominent businessman Upali Wijewardene, who was a relative of J. R. Jayewardene and Mrs. Bandaranaike.
J. R. Jayewardene put the idea into N. M. Perera’s mind that if the government went for a parliamentary general election, N. M.’s LSSP and Dr. Wickremesinghe’s Communist Party should join forces but contest separately.
J. R. is said to have promised:
“I will put weak candidates in the places where you and your alliance leaders are contesting and ensure your victory…”
Just as J. R. said, Vincent Perera was fielded in the Yatiyantota seat where N. M. Perera contested. J. R. was not interested in making Vincent Perera win, but was instead fulfilling the promise he had made to N. M. Perera. Knowing this, Premadasa allegedly worked to defeat N. M. Perera, holding meetings throughout the constituency to ensure Vincent Perera’s victory, without J. R.’s knowledge. N. M. Perera was defeated. Vincent Perera won.
After J. R. Jayewardene came to power and formed the government, N. M. Perera later met him. He said that he was contesting for the post of Chairman of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka and needed the support of the government and the Sports Minister. J. R. did not object and agreed. He instinctively understood that once N. M. took control of cricket administration, the left movement in Sri Lanka would effectively come to an end, which was something J. R. wanted.
In any case, N. M. worked very hard to secure Test cricket status for Sri Lanka. He later fell ill while serving as Chairman of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka.
During Premadasa’s time, cricket administration was not directly interfered with. Unlike J. R., he was not particularly focused on cricket. He made cricket governance more independent. After J. R.’s time, cricket board chairmen were appointed with government involvement, but Premadasa did not interfere in the election of the chairman of the Cricket Board. This is why Lakshman Jayakody, a senior opposition MP, was elected Chairman of the Cricket Board. Premadasa accepted this result and advised the Sports Minister to work amicably with him.
Lakshman Jayakody was a senior SLFP Member of Parliament when he became chairman. Although he criticized Premadasa and the government in Parliament, Premadasa did not mix politics with cricket administration.
Now, the current President Anura is reportedly preparing to directly intervene in cricket administration and appoint Iran Wickramaratne, an opposition politician, to the Cricket Board Interim Committee. This is not through an election like in the cases of N. M. Perera and Lakshman Jayakody, but through a government appointment.
The campaign to dissolve the Cricket Board chairman and restructure the board was initiated during Ranil’s government by Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. Sajith and Roshan were able to bring together members of the ruling party and opposition in support of this move. Eventually, a resolution was passed in Parliament to remove Cricket Board Chairman Shammi Silva and the board, making it a historic decision. President Ranil opposed the resolution. Anura Kumara and JVP MPs Vijitha Herath and Harini Amarasuriya did not vote in favor of it. While Sports Minister Roshan claimed there was a deal between Anura and Shammi Silva, Anura was also accused of indirectly supporting Shammi by exposing alleged corruption involving Arjuna Ranatunga, who was heading an interim committee.
Although hardline activists supporting the government expected Shammi Silva’s removal and reforms in cricket administration, Anura did not remove him. He even entrusted Shammi with responsibility for developing the Jaffna cricket stadium. Shammi continued to lead the Cricket Board for about a year and a half during this period.
“Then why did Anura want to remove Shammi at all?”
When the government was facing difficulties amid allegations of coal-related corruption and missing treasury funds, and when hardline supporters were publicly criticizing the administration, he reportedly chose to appease them by initiating changes in cricket administration. This was also seen as an attempt to respond to opposition criticism and shift public perception.
Anura reportedly selected Iran Wickramaratne, a senior opposition politician and member of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya Economic Committee, for the interim committee in order to politically weaken the opposition.
Similarly, lawyer Upul Kumarapperuma, who was also appointed to the cricket administration body, is a close associate of Anura. When he was made President’s Counsel during Ranil’s administration, the JVP launched strong criticism against him, which contributed to his electoral defeat. Although Anura could not give him a formal government position due to party opposition, he was later accommodated in the cricket interim committee. Like Iran, Upul is also a defeated candidate in the general election. The government has not clearly explained how defeated candidates are eligible for such appointments.
Another point is that during the 2024 presidential election, Anura and the JVP had strongly criticized Sajith’s economic committee and Iran Wickramaratne, accusing them of being part of a corrupt network. However, the government has not clearly explained how Iran was later cleared of those allegations.
Traditionally, when governments face crises, leaders such as J. R. Jayewardene, Wijetunga, Chandrika Kumaratunga, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Maithripala Sirisena, and Ranil Wickremesinghe have attempted to weaken the opposition by appointing opposition figures to government positions. However, Anura cannot fully follow this approach due to the JVP’s policy of not inducting politicians from other parties. Instead, influencing opposition figures through appointments to sports administration bodies is seen as a modern alternative strategy.
There is a perception among some sections of society that Anura lacks a strong team to manage the country’s economy and governance, while the Samagi Jana Balawegaya is seen as having such a team. The removal and appointment decisions involving Iran Wickramaratne are seen by some as an attempt to challenge and reshape that perception.
