-By LeN Political Correspondent
(Lanka-e-News -02.June.2025, 11.10 PM) In a political plot thicker than roadside kadala soup, Colombo’s mayoral race has taken a sharp turn into the absurd. The latest drama stars Pradeep Charles, an outspoken SJB organiser in Colombo, activist from the Aragalaya generation, and someone not known for mincing words. This week, Charles did what most politicians dare not do: he walked straight into the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC)—with documents in hand—accusing his own party's candidate of being unfit for office.
The man at the centre of the controversy? Riza Zarook—known in some corners of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) as “The Parking Lot Prince.” Zarook is the SJB alliance’s nominee for Colombo Mayor, a close ally of MP Mujibur Rahman, and—if Pradeep Charles is to be believed—a man with a trail of unpaid parking revenues stretching longer than a traffic jam on Galle Road during monsoon season.
And just like that, the opposition’s moral high ground finds itself submerged in a puddle of its own political contradictions.
Pradeep Charles isn’t your run-of-the-mill party man. He earned his stripes on the streets, campaigning against Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s regime during the now-iconic Galle Face uprising. He was seen marching with students, waving placards, and even refusing state perks—until now.
On Tuesday morning, he arrived at CIABOC headquarters in Colombo, suited, booted, and holding a neatly filed dossier thicker than a Sajith Premadasa manifesto. Its contents? A full breakdown of alleged financial misconduct by Riza Zarook, involving millions in unaccounted parking revenue supposedly siphoned off through a third-party company called AR Enterprises—allegedly controlled by a “close associate” of Zarook.
In Charles’s words:
“You can’t appoint someone who owes the public money to be the Mayor of the public. That’s like asking Hitler to chair the UN Human Rights Council.”
It’s the kind of analogy that makes headlines—and headaches—for party leaders.
If Colombo’s politics were a Netflix series, Riza Zarook would be the ambitious supporting character who suddenly becomes central in Season 3. Originally from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)—a party known more for internal splits than civic miracles—Zarook made a politically strategic leap to SJB just in time for municipal nominations. Think of it as a well-timed dive into safer political waters.
Zarook is seen as close to Mujibur Rahman, a senior SJB MP known for his decorum and urban voter base. No one is pointing fingers at Rahman personally—least of all Pradeep Charles, who took pains to say:
“Mujibur is a gentleman. He’s not the problem. But someone needs to explain why his friend is.”
The accusations centre around AR Enterprises, a company allegedly contracted to collect parking fees across Colombo. Millions were collected, yet—according to whistleblower documents—the money never made its full journey to CMC coffers.
Zarook denies direct involvement, of course. Sources close to him describe the allegations as “politically motivated” and “timed for maximum embarrassment.”
Which, let’s be honest, is usually when the most accurate political leaks happen.
It’s impossible to discuss the Colombo mayoral chaos without invoking Sajith Premadasa, the Opposition Leader and STAB’s spiritual (and literal) leader. By allowing Zarook’s candidacy, Sajith has now been thrust into a crisis that smells faintly of potholes, political patronage, and public parking slips.
Charles was unambiguous:
“Sajith Premadasa should be leading a clean opposition. Instead, we’re nominating people with baggage heavier than a Katunayake tourist returnee. It’s a betrayal of everything we fought for during the Aragalaya.”
Sajith’s silence has been deafening. Insiders claim he’s caught between a rock and a hard place—a.k.a. between the loyalty of long-time Colombo organisers and the need to keep fringe alliance members like STAB happy. Toss in a few whisperings about behind-the-scenes deals with the UNP and even SLPP and independents, and the optics become uglier than a government tender board meeting.
STAB, the youth-centric alliance within the SJB orbit, was initially seen as a breath of fresh air—idealistic, principled, and refreshingly free of uncle-nephew politics. But Zarook’s nomination has triggered a full-blown identity crisis.
Party spokespeople insist they vetted Zarook. One even suggested:
“There is no proven wrongdoing. Allegations are just that—allegations.”
But the bigger concern is not what’s illegal—it’s what’s utterly tone-deaf. For a party still flying the anti-corruption banner, selecting a man under investigation for mismanaging city revenue is the equivalent of lighting a cigarette in a petrol station.
It’s not every day that a party organiser goes full whistleblower. But Charles has tapped into something powerful—public frustration with political recycling.
He’s said to be receiving quiet support from grassroots activists and even rank-and-file SJB members, many of whom are still reeling from their party’s earlier flirtations with ex-Rajapaksa defectors.
“We fought to remove corrupt leaders. Now we are giving them new seats at the same table?” Charles asked incredulously.
Social media is divided—some calling him a traitor, others a hero. But one thing’s clear: he has forced a conversation that Colombo’s opposition hoped would quietly pass in the din of national headlines.
CIABOC is, predictably, “reviewing the documents.” A well-worn phrase in Sri Lanka that loosely translates to: “We’ll look into it until the political winds shift.”
But this time, public attention may prevent the usual bureaucratic burial. Several activist groups, including those who supported the Aragalaya movement, are said to be monitoring CIABOC’s response, even threatening a legal intervention if the allegations are ignored.
One lawyer close to the case told us:
“If money collected from citizens for parking was diverted unlawfully, that’s a violation of public trust. If a mayoral candidate is linked to it, that’s not a small matter. That’s a crisis.”
Colombo’s municipal council may not carry the glamour of national elections, but make no mistake—it is politically symbolic. Controlling the capital is akin to having the remote control for public narrative. And whichever party wins the mayoralty gets to showcase governance on their terms—ahead of what is widely expected to be a brutal general election in 2025.
That’s why alliances are shifting, and principles are wilting. There are whispers that SJB is willing to collaborate with UNP independents, and even a “soft partnership” with select SLPP factions is on the cards—if only to block the JVP/NPP from gaining control.
If it sounds like everyone is willing to sleep with everyone else just to keep the other out of the room—that’s because they are.
For Sajith Premadasa, the clock is ticking. Will he defend Zarook and risk moral backlash? Or will he cut Zarook loose and risk internal rebellion?
For Pradeep Charles, the path ahead is even murkier. He may be hailed as a whistleblower today, but party machines have a way of isolating their own truth-tellers. Will he be the SJB’s conscience—or its next casualty?
And for Colombo’s citizens? It’s another reminder that no matter who claims to clean up politics, the same old mud has a way of sticking to everyone’s boots.
The lesson here isn’t just about one mayoral race or one candidate with shady parking receipts. It’s about the ongoing crisis of credibility in opposition politics.
If the anti-corruption parties start resembling the corrupt ones, who’s left to believe in? And if the brave few who dare to speak up are cast out—then what was the Aragalaya even for?
Colombo deserves better. Not just from mayors—but from movements.
And until then, perhaps it’s time we all just parked our expectations somewhere safe.
-By LeN Political Correspondent
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by (2025-06-02 19:27:27)
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