Will renew the struggle against the privatization of free education through moves such as the establishment of a private university in the country: DR. NALINDA JAYATISSA

Nine influential members of the 23-member Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Central Committee have teamed up with the dissidents following the ideological conflict within the party, sources said yesterday.

The members who defected included parliamentarian Ajith Kumara and Chameera Koswatte, Pubudu Jayagoda, G. Kularatne, S.K. Subasinghe, Dimuthu Attigale, Dimuthu Bandara Abeykoon, Duminda Nagamuwa and Waruna Deeptha Rajapakse.

Most of these members held key positions in various JVP- affiliated organizations but the party is yet to take action against them.

Mr. Subasinghe headed the farmers’ wing of the party while Ms. Attigale headed the women’s wing. Mr. Kumara was in charge of the party’s unit that stood for the rights and welfare of expatriate workers while Mr. Koswatte headed the Socialist Students’ Union.

Meanwhile, the Central Committee has officially removed Mr. Koswatte from the post of Students’ Wing National Organizer and has appointed its Western Provincial Councillor Nalinda Jayatissa to the post.

Dr. Jayatissa told a news conference that he would renew the struggle against the privatization of free education through moves such as the establishment of a private university in the country. He said though private universities were always a threat to the free education; successive governments had acted on several occasions to establish private medical colleges in the country.

When asked whether Mr. Koswatte would be removed from the membership of the party, he said the party would take a decision on this matter soon.

“We will announce it to the media at the right time,” he said. Meanwhile, the internal crisis of the JVP took another turn yesterday after the announcement that central committee member Chameera Koswatte who joined the dissidents had been removed from his post as the national organiser of the Socialist Students' Union, which is affiliated to the party.

JVP western provincial council member Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said that Mr. Koswatte was removed by the central committee.

In response to this, the dissidents said that Mr. Koswatte had been appointed to the post at the convention held at the Maharagama Youth Centre in March, 2008, and, therefore, he could not be removed by the central committee.

Dissident member Pubudu Jayagoda said that Mr. Koswatte could be removed only at another convention.

Source: Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka