'The Files' had been public knowledge for years. No one had seen them, but many believed in their existence. Brimming with incriminating evidence about politicians high and low, The Files were regarded as the reason the simmering discontent within the ruling coalition, the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), and its main component party, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), remained bottled-up.
Then, Maithripala Sirisena, minister of health and general secretary of the SLFP, left the government to become the opposition's 'common candidate'. And President Mahinda Rajapaksa himself confirmed the existence of The Files.
"I have their files and documents which will be very detrimental to their wellbeing," a visibly irritated Rajapaksa told a public gathering on 24 November. "I will not use them against those who had left, betraying the party, but I warn them not to throw stones from inside glass houses." The warning came at a time of extreme flux, when Colombo was awash with rumours about impending crossovers. When the expected deluge materialised as a slow (and two-way) trickle, The Files – and the consequent fear of exposure – were held responsible.
The full story behind Sirisena's crossover is yet to be revealed, but that which is known is pure theatre. For months there had been conflicting reports about the identity of the opposition's common candidate. While public attention was focused on leading opposition figures, the plan to engineer an inner-party rebellion in the SLFP was being hatched in total secrecy. Rumours about a Sirisena candidacy surfaced, but many, including President Rajapaksa, seemed not to have given them credence.