The Tilvin factor

Mesthree Tilvin Silva, popularly known as Tilvin Silva, is neither an MP nor a member of a local Government council. Yet, he holds immense behind-the-scenes influence over the National People’s Power (NPP) Government by virtue of being the General Secretary of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the ideological parent of the ruling coalition. His recent remark that Provincial Council elections cannot be held this year due to a lack of funds attracted severe criticism and compelled many to question his authority to make such a statement.

Silva has been functioning as the General Secretary of the JVP since 1995 and supervises the organisational activities of the Marxist-oriented political party, apart from being in charge of its financial resources as well as publicity networks. Though the NPP is a broad coalition of academics, professionals, and civil society groups, its central organisational apparatus and principal political party is the JVP, whose founder, Rohana Wijeweera, originally entered politics through the Communist Party of Sri Lanka.

It appears that Silva’s influence within the affairs of Government mirrors the role of general secretaries in Communist-led states around the world. Currently, there are five Communist-led states: China, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and Cuba. The leaders of all these nations function as General Secretaries of their respective Communist-style political parties. Chinese President Xi Jinping is the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, while his Vietnamese counterpart, To Lam, who visited the island on a state visit last month, holds the same position in the Vietnamese Communist Party. Nevertheless, unlike China and Vietnam, Sri Lanka is a democracy, and its Head of State is directly elected by voters at a Presidential election. In the aforementioned Communist states, by contrast, the Head of State is primarily determined by the politburos of the respective political entities.

Undoubtedly, Silva’s contribution to the growth of the JVP/NPP as the leading political force in the country has been colossal. In contrast to other mainstream political parties such as the SJB and SLPP, the JVP has a full-time General Secretary, which ensures its organisational effectiveness as well as the smooth functioning of all political and membership-related activities. It was the shrewd political acumen of stalwarts such as Silva that enabled the left-leaning political coalition to capture unprecedented political power two years ago, despite the JVP having been virtually eliminated from the political landscape during the 1988/89 insurgency. Silva is held in high regard by the rank and file of the JVP, as he worked tirelessly to rebuild the party virtually from scratch after the deaths of many of its top leaders in 1989.

However, since gaining power in 2024, apart from looking after the party machinery, the long-time JVP frontliner has exercised a considerable level of influence over the administrative affairs of Government in a largely invisible manner. In fact, critics have claimed that Silva is running a shadow Government from Pelawatte, undermining the authority of the President and the Cabinet of Ministers. This situation could possibly lead to friction between the Executive branch of Government and the JVP politburo, which is seemingly shaping the direction of the country away from public view.

In a constitutional democracy, power is supposed to be checked through accountability. Ministers can be questioned in Parliament, sued in court, or investigated by independent commissions. As the JVP General Secretary holds no official State office, he cannot be questioned in Parliament or held legally accountable for Government decisions, even though he wields significant influence behind closed doors.

It would be in the best interests of the country and the NPP administration to ensure that the direction of the Republic is determined by democratically elected representatives. The undue and unwarranted influence of unaccountable shadow operators in the running of Government affairs is an affront to the sovereignty of the people.