Consequent upon on 23rd July's local government elections, the analysis thereof has begun and the losers will have a long and hard introspection on whither to go. It is a good position to be in as otherwise complacency will set in.
The Government lost hugely in the North despite all the freebies and carrots dangled over the voter. Only in the island of Kayts and Delft where no one other than Douglas's mob were allowed in did the Govt. win and that is a Pyrrhic victory as it was almost preordained and therefore rigged.
The fact that the Tamil voter opted for the LTTE aligned TNA tells a lot about how badly the Government has handled the One Nation inclusivity of the North. You cannot subjugate a people with fear, distrust and gross violation of people's dignity. The govt. has a lot to learn, and this will add more ammunition against the governments treatment of the people in the North.
There are so few people there, I cannot for the life of me wonder why the govt. acts like a defender who has conquered rather than a gracious victor, in the Buddhist way of life. It is totally due to the racist ideology of the ruling family that sounds patronising that has led to this and not all to blame on the people. However the fear of the people have been aroused by the racist ideology and therefore the people believe there is a continuing threat and has allowed the govt. to do as they please and in fact even endorse the pernicious Emergency.
Yes there are guns still being found well hidden in the North. That does not mean an imminent threat, it is just that our soldiers have taken that long to find them being more interested in acting like a conquering army in their own land!! So something has got to give so we can ensure a peaceful and prosperous future for Sri Lanka. I somehow don't give this govt. much chance at that and hope someone more magnanimous pops up before too long as we will otherwise face another threat.
While the UPFA is smug in their belief that they are there forever it is good for now for the type of society they have created of thuggery and intimidation in all walks of life and in time will get to such a level of incompetence and breakdown of law and order that the people will throw the lot out in the next shot.
That is only when the UNP is able to get out of its self inflicted slumber and inward attacks and look forward to rebuilding the country with morality and ethics, the counters to the immorality and crime that is the present case.
I am hopeful that in time the people will realize the good and bad and vote for good but they have to understand how bad BAD really is before they are able to see the light!!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Is the Northern Voter completely communal minded?
With the UPFA wining Kayts and Delft, one is left to wonder how it was so far against the grain? Surely this was not rigged! With these being islands, one never knows, but I would like to believe that the votes were cast without intimidation and not compromised after that time.
With relatively little canvassing to get the overwhelming support of the reasonable turnout is a noteworthy event in itself, which will find the President who spent an unprecedented three days in campaign liking his wounds with Delft and Kayts for the crumbs given him.
I hope he does not have one of his temper tantrums and throttles Devandanda!!! The message is clear, we have one sole representative of the Tamil people, much as I personally dislike that fact. I blame the President 100% for creating this state of affairs, when he could have done so much to not to buy them with goodies but listen to them. He chose not to and pays the price, with his ego now in tatters!!
With relatively little canvassing to get the overwhelming support of the reasonable turnout is a noteworthy event in itself, which will find the President who spent an unprecedented three days in campaign liking his wounds with Delft and Kayts for the crumbs given him.
I hope he does not have one of his temper tantrums and throttles Devandanda!!! The message is clear, we have one sole representative of the Tamil people, much as I personally dislike that fact. I blame the President 100% for creating this state of affairs, when he could have done so much to not to buy them with goodies but listen to them. He chose not to and pays the price, with his ego now in tatters!!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
The fight for preferences - the worst of Sri Lankan elections
I will not go into explaining the whole election process, except to say that once a party is selected, then a person has to choose 3 preferences within that party. In the elections held in SL today, there were usually 29 candidates seeking election from a list, and depending on the voting pattern anything up to 15 candidates could theoretically get elected into the Pradeshiya Sabha.
It is important because how well you have scored in your preferences will determine how far up the pecking order you get. This results in unseemly brawls of candidates actually telling voters not to vote for their rivals in the same party, but to caste the vote specifically for the one or two of their choice.
In this election, most of the violence and the one reported death was as a result of the factions within each party. Whilst the Governing Coalition is known as the United Peoples Freedom Alliance, as it is made up of a huge number of parties, you would expect people to fight various figures in other parties of the Alliance as the Alliance collectively have put forward the names. However when people in the UNP the main opposition party also fights amongst their own candidates, then you have a serious loss of voter confidence in the feuding party and this leads to a liability in the future, when one seeks real power.
The only practical way to combat it is by using party discipline properly enforced, to ensure there is no infighting and by that also create a hierarchy in the list, so the preferences also are regulated to a degree, but gives the individual candidate express permission to canvass votes from the whole area and not just restricted to his immediate sphere of influence. I should be allowed without fear to canvass the whole district, It is up to the voter to give me a vote instead of someone else, based on my hard work. I should not be denied access as is the case in many of the poll related violance that takes place.
Let us all recommend some codes of practice to all who seek election and let us also request the Parties to severely censure and give a black mark to those who resort to violence. This kind of nasty poll related violence should be punished within the party too.
It is important because how well you have scored in your preferences will determine how far up the pecking order you get. This results in unseemly brawls of candidates actually telling voters not to vote for their rivals in the same party, but to caste the vote specifically for the one or two of their choice.
In this election, most of the violence and the one reported death was as a result of the factions within each party. Whilst the Governing Coalition is known as the United Peoples Freedom Alliance, as it is made up of a huge number of parties, you would expect people to fight various figures in other parties of the Alliance as the Alliance collectively have put forward the names. However when people in the UNP the main opposition party also fights amongst their own candidates, then you have a serious loss of voter confidence in the feuding party and this leads to a liability in the future, when one seeks real power.
The only practical way to combat it is by using party discipline properly enforced, to ensure there is no infighting and by that also create a hierarchy in the list, so the preferences also are regulated to a degree, but gives the individual candidate express permission to canvass votes from the whole area and not just restricted to his immediate sphere of influence. I should be allowed without fear to canvass the whole district, It is up to the voter to give me a vote instead of someone else, based on my hard work. I should not be denied access as is the case in many of the poll related violance that takes place.
Let us all recommend some codes of practice to all who seek election and let us also request the Parties to severely censure and give a black mark to those who resort to violence. This kind of nasty poll related violence should be punished within the party too.
Friday, July 22, 2011
In light of the US suspending most forms of AID to Sri Lanka until certain conditions are met
I am against all forms of aid conditional or not. Sri Lanka is a country that should be wealthy enough to run its own business with no special or conditional agreements with any other country or AID giving institution.
However we have bred a national of beggars from the bottom to the top to accept handouts for doing nothing. It therefore seems to believe that receiving funds from others is a God given right, which I dismiss as not necessary. An added problem is that the Government of Sri Lanka has engaged in many begging exercises, and accordingly depends on AID more than loans and investments on sound commercial terms to obtain funds. The begging may be from China and India as opposed to the US and Europe, but the principal remains the same.
It is therefore unfortunate that in addition to receiving AID Sri Lanka is engaged in massive borrowing in the International Markets to fund excessive and wasteful spending which will one day have to repaid to the lenders. I believe the Government is of the opinion that it is OK to commence huge development projects, as they will one day inevitably repay dividends back to the Country. I however strongly disagree with this logic as it is not like Lee of Singapore who took not a dime into his or his catchers' pockets in developing Singapore, so the money borrowed was spent extremely wisely with nothing wasted. In Sri Lanka on the other hand every road project has a cost overrun of more than half of the final cost, for a very shoddy road, due to the road construction materials themselves not up to expected and bid standards as per the bill of quantities. It is also a shame that these people who short change the country are not brought to book.
I believe therefore that such threats by US to cut off AID will do nothing to change the behaviour of the Government, which does not honestly believe that they are up to any wrongdoings. They will not change their ways one iota and instead wonder about further ways to get the backs up of the US, using Patricia Butenis, their battle axe as the easy target to engage in.
It is important that this issue of violations be tackled, and the Govt. attitude is changed immediately before we lose face in the International Arena, as I believe the reputation of the Country is greater than the individual customers who receive the AID or not. In order to preserve the Country's reputation it is important that all violations are accepted and resolved, if we are to prevent another war, as otherwise we will not even have China or Russia to back us up if the LTTE rears its ugly head,
SO LET THE PATRIOTS PREVAIL AND SOMEHOW PUNISH THE OFFENDERS WHO ARE IN GOVERNMENT SO THIS ISSUE DOES NOT GET OUT OF HAND
However we have bred a national of beggars from the bottom to the top to accept handouts for doing nothing. It therefore seems to believe that receiving funds from others is a God given right, which I dismiss as not necessary. An added problem is that the Government of Sri Lanka has engaged in many begging exercises, and accordingly depends on AID more than loans and investments on sound commercial terms to obtain funds. The begging may be from China and India as opposed to the US and Europe, but the principal remains the same.
It is therefore unfortunate that in addition to receiving AID Sri Lanka is engaged in massive borrowing in the International Markets to fund excessive and wasteful spending which will one day have to repaid to the lenders. I believe the Government is of the opinion that it is OK to commence huge development projects, as they will one day inevitably repay dividends back to the Country. I however strongly disagree with this logic as it is not like Lee of Singapore who took not a dime into his or his catchers' pockets in developing Singapore, so the money borrowed was spent extremely wisely with nothing wasted. In Sri Lanka on the other hand every road project has a cost overrun of more than half of the final cost, for a very shoddy road, due to the road construction materials themselves not up to expected and bid standards as per the bill of quantities. It is also a shame that these people who short change the country are not brought to book.
I believe therefore that such threats by US to cut off AID will do nothing to change the behaviour of the Government, which does not honestly believe that they are up to any wrongdoings. They will not change their ways one iota and instead wonder about further ways to get the backs up of the US, using Patricia Butenis, their battle axe as the easy target to engage in.
It is important that this issue of violations be tackled, and the Govt. attitude is changed immediately before we lose face in the International Arena, as I believe the reputation of the Country is greater than the individual customers who receive the AID or not. In order to preserve the Country's reputation it is important that all violations are accepted and resolved, if we are to prevent another war, as otherwise we will not even have China or Russia to back us up if the LTTE rears its ugly head,
SO LET THE PATRIOTS PREVAIL AND SOMEHOW PUNISH THE OFFENDERS WHO ARE IN GOVERNMENT SO THIS ISSUE DOES NOT GET OUT OF HAND
Thursday, July 21, 2011
A reinforcement of the earlier report relating to breaking all the rules with regard to holding free and fair elecions in the North
The elections due to be held on Saturday for about 65 local councils include most of the Northern Province, which is sparsely populated and all parties other than the state having little funds to fight the elections.
It is also true that there has been a lot of intimidation by the state using the resident Army to instill fear into the populace. People therefore do not act and react in a normal way when faced with such threats. It is also a fact that due to the distances to the polling stations, and the lack of identity cards for many of the people, they are reluctant to go a long distance and great expense and be told they are not registered or that someone else has voted in their name. No one is investigating this problem.
We must therefore alert the elections commissioner who appears to be a reasonable person, and somewhat enlightened when compared with the previous people who held this office, to act in the best interests of the position to conduct the election in as fair a manner as possible and report to the world the most blatant types of violations.
If he has the confidence to act in the best interests of the country and not to safeguard his position, then we may see some hope in the future. One must remember the President cannot sack the Chief Justice or the Elections Commissioner, though in this case the Chief Justice is in his pocket, and even the spouse of the Chief Justice of Sri Lanka is a Head of a corporation and therefore her position is somewhat seen to be compromised. Parliament however can by a simple majority such ether of these and as the Parliament is in the President's pocket, there is nothing the average mortal in Sri Lanka can do to prevent this type of imposition.
The effective outcome therefore is that most if not all the votes accruing to the Governing coalition received in the name of the EPDP Tamil faction of the ruling Alliance can amount to a hill of beans. This of course is no deterrent to the government not to carry out their plan with the North, which appears still to subjugate the people living there. If we are to avoid a situation again of a spontaneous uprising and another bloodbath of our own citizenry, all people who are truly patriotic Sri Lankans must act against this truly unpatriotic rulers who in the name of patriotism is raping this country, deceiving its people, lying to get votes, and once they are counted have not compunction but to rigg in a mass scale to show a result completely at odds with reality.
It is also true that there has been a lot of intimidation by the state using the resident Army to instill fear into the populace. People therefore do not act and react in a normal way when faced with such threats. It is also a fact that due to the distances to the polling stations, and the lack of identity cards for many of the people, they are reluctant to go a long distance and great expense and be told they are not registered or that someone else has voted in their name. No one is investigating this problem.
We must therefore alert the elections commissioner who appears to be a reasonable person, and somewhat enlightened when compared with the previous people who held this office, to act in the best interests of the position to conduct the election in as fair a manner as possible and report to the world the most blatant types of violations.
If he has the confidence to act in the best interests of the country and not to safeguard his position, then we may see some hope in the future. One must remember the President cannot sack the Chief Justice or the Elections Commissioner, though in this case the Chief Justice is in his pocket, and even the spouse of the Chief Justice of Sri Lanka is a Head of a corporation and therefore her position is somewhat seen to be compromised. Parliament however can by a simple majority such ether of these and as the Parliament is in the President's pocket, there is nothing the average mortal in Sri Lanka can do to prevent this type of imposition.
The effective outcome therefore is that most if not all the votes accruing to the Governing coalition received in the name of the EPDP Tamil faction of the ruling Alliance can amount to a hill of beans. This of course is no deterrent to the government not to carry out their plan with the North, which appears still to subjugate the people living there. If we are to avoid a situation again of a spontaneous uprising and another bloodbath of our own citizenry, all people who are truly patriotic Sri Lankans must act against this truly unpatriotic rulers who in the name of patriotism is raping this country, deceiving its people, lying to get votes, and once they are counted have not compunction but to rigg in a mass scale to show a result completely at odds with reality.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
The impending Northern Polls and the Government's commitment to get the result they want
The North as well as many Local Councils in the South go to the Polls on Saturday July 23rd. The Govt. is pulling out all the stops, spending limitless amounts of money, taking all their big whigs up there, and advertising their "Nagenahira Navodaya and Uthuru Vasanthaya" in every conceivable newspaper in all languages to speak to the voter that it is them they need to vote if they want development.
On top of that the TNA is being intimidated, and prevented from carrying out normal election activities by the heavy presence of the Security Forces there, as well as the EPDP being given the use of the whole of the Govt. machinery and at their disposal completely flagrantly abusing all the election rules, using the services of the state on their behalf. I hope and pray this does not result in election violence nearer to Polling day, and need I say that despite the rules about no election activity for the 48 hours prior to the opening of the polling stations, they would indeed ensure that they will have sole ability to break their own regulations and keep their cutouts and use their machinery to bribe the voters right up to the last minute. Once the polls close they will ensure that the count is rigged and the results are particularly favorable to them.
The Northern voter is not as easily bought over by the bullshit of this ploy, so it will be easy to see how successful this will be, as the TNA are just hoping they would use sense to give them the vote despite the heavy Government coercion.
I am no fan of the TNA and do not feel they represent the rights of the people of the North, neither do I feel the government does. The tragedy of this is due to the interference of the government in preventing other political parties to operate to build a power base, we are left with the two worst alternatives to fight it out for a lesser of two evils.
What conclusion would you come to that despite the full force of the state the TNA is able to put up a good showing. Then it means that they now represent the interests of the North and we may have to listen to their grievances whether we like it or not and make a suitable accommodation to take into account what the elected representatives say. If there is a wipe out for the EPDP, then we will hear the much touted all canard, that the people have spoken and endorsed all the policies of the Government. If you ask anyone in the North what the government policies to the North are, other than the subjugation of the peoples they will not be able to come up with any better reason.
The claimed legitimacy will thus become the clarion call in international fora to strike down all the international pressure that is being exerted, and the government will also get the rest of the local power base to back this up and there will be no other way to question their legitimacy. This is a very frightening thought. This will allow the imposition on already traumatized people, another set of rules and guidelines, some alien to them. How would I feel if I was them? mad as hell! In order to prevent me from taking up arms they have made sure the security situation will never get out of hand.
We are setting them up for another mission against the country and authority, which we can ill afford. The current opposition should have campaigned hard for legitimacy and as a counterweight tot he Govt. but for many reasons they were unable to organize the campaign they needed to make a difference to the result. What with the potential for rigging, the UNP did not want to spend money they do not have, just to get all the hard work changed by blatantly engaging in forbidden election practices.
If the TNA gets legitimacy with a mandate, they will then use it to the fullest in ways that we will not be able accept, due to their demands being unreasonable and we will be back to square one waiting for the resumption of further Eelam Wars. The fault rests with the Government which does not understand the true dynamic. they think they do, however once the truth of what has happened comes out the legitimacy of the state will be called into question, especially in International Fora, giving the Eelam Rump amongst the Tamil Diaspora, a further fillip. We don't want that. The govt. seems to relish that so they can reach to the gallery back home, playing into the fears to the Sinhala natural lack of trust and insecurity relating to the Tamils being given some legitimate rights.
The answer to all this is very simple. The elections should be held in the first week of January 2012, and there should be complete freedom to conduct election activities and all interested parties should be made welcome. It is only then that all the political parties can galvanize their supporters from all over the country and try to win the hearts of the Northerners and come out with a rainbow coalition of parties and elected representatives, that, whilst none have a complete majority, nevertheless, is reflective of the complexities of Northern Politics.
On the assumption that these are not rigged, we will then get a better opinion on identifying the issues and steps taken to tackle the issues one at at time in a methodical manner. We will have support from the international fora for this and if funds are required, donors are more willing to make contributions knowing that the system has changed for he better.
On top of that the TNA is being intimidated, and prevented from carrying out normal election activities by the heavy presence of the Security Forces there, as well as the EPDP being given the use of the whole of the Govt. machinery and at their disposal completely flagrantly abusing all the election rules, using the services of the state on their behalf. I hope and pray this does not result in election violence nearer to Polling day, and need I say that despite the rules about no election activity for the 48 hours prior to the opening of the polling stations, they would indeed ensure that they will have sole ability to break their own regulations and keep their cutouts and use their machinery to bribe the voters right up to the last minute. Once the polls close they will ensure that the count is rigged and the results are particularly favorable to them.
The Northern voter is not as easily bought over by the bullshit of this ploy, so it will be easy to see how successful this will be, as the TNA are just hoping they would use sense to give them the vote despite the heavy Government coercion.
I am no fan of the TNA and do not feel they represent the rights of the people of the North, neither do I feel the government does. The tragedy of this is due to the interference of the government in preventing other political parties to operate to build a power base, we are left with the two worst alternatives to fight it out for a lesser of two evils.
What conclusion would you come to that despite the full force of the state the TNA is able to put up a good showing. Then it means that they now represent the interests of the North and we may have to listen to their grievances whether we like it or not and make a suitable accommodation to take into account what the elected representatives say. If there is a wipe out for the EPDP, then we will hear the much touted all canard, that the people have spoken and endorsed all the policies of the Government. If you ask anyone in the North what the government policies to the North are, other than the subjugation of the peoples they will not be able to come up with any better reason.
The claimed legitimacy will thus become the clarion call in international fora to strike down all the international pressure that is being exerted, and the government will also get the rest of the local power base to back this up and there will be no other way to question their legitimacy. This is a very frightening thought. This will allow the imposition on already traumatized people, another set of rules and guidelines, some alien to them. How would I feel if I was them? mad as hell! In order to prevent me from taking up arms they have made sure the security situation will never get out of hand.
We are setting them up for another mission against the country and authority, which we can ill afford. The current opposition should have campaigned hard for legitimacy and as a counterweight tot he Govt. but for many reasons they were unable to organize the campaign they needed to make a difference to the result. What with the potential for rigging, the UNP did not want to spend money they do not have, just to get all the hard work changed by blatantly engaging in forbidden election practices.
If the TNA gets legitimacy with a mandate, they will then use it to the fullest in ways that we will not be able accept, due to their demands being unreasonable and we will be back to square one waiting for the resumption of further Eelam Wars. The fault rests with the Government which does not understand the true dynamic. they think they do, however once the truth of what has happened comes out the legitimacy of the state will be called into question, especially in International Fora, giving the Eelam Rump amongst the Tamil Diaspora, a further fillip. We don't want that. The govt. seems to relish that so they can reach to the gallery back home, playing into the fears to the Sinhala natural lack of trust and insecurity relating to the Tamils being given some legitimate rights.
The answer to all this is very simple. The elections should be held in the first week of January 2012, and there should be complete freedom to conduct election activities and all interested parties should be made welcome. It is only then that all the political parties can galvanize their supporters from all over the country and try to win the hearts of the Northerners and come out with a rainbow coalition of parties and elected representatives, that, whilst none have a complete majority, nevertheless, is reflective of the complexities of Northern Politics.
On the assumption that these are not rigged, we will then get a better opinion on identifying the issues and steps taken to tackle the issues one at at time in a methodical manner. We will have support from the international fora for this and if funds are required, donors are more willing to make contributions knowing that the system has changed for he better.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
The power of visual Media to affect change
We must note that visual media is a hugely important tool that can affect Governments and Countries and crosses borders. Note the recent Channel 4 documentary entitled "Killing Fields...." which was shown in the UK and later in Australia. We in Sri Lanka know the fallout and the reactions on both sides of the fence sparking immense debates about the rights and wrongs of the broadcast.
The problem is with the viewing public who are swayed by the visuals and are not willing to look behind some of the rationale and logic behind such broadcasts. With that in mind countries take decisions on knee jerk reactions. For example it is implied that certain Australian Cricketers have reservations on visiting Sri Lanka having viewed this. That is wholly inappropriate as they are either lily livered or been threatened or cajoled by money to make this step. What I mean is when one looks at the yet not accepted common practise in Australia of shooting and killing Aboriginal people for sport and the cruelty exacted on them pails in comparison to the sickening scenes of the acts of a few in the Sri Lanka Forces or Tamil Tigers, as both parties to the conflict have been equally brutal in their acts.
Using that example I am therefore implying that the visuals in 2011 seem to overpower the facts of history and legacy of war and violence throughout, and only seem to pick on the latest in isolation. Forgetting that this extract is merely a small incident in a world of mass grotesque violence, to which most races have had a hand in. Whilst I am against comparison of violence, and say brutality wherever it occurs needs to be investigated and punished, one must look at the overall picture without the parties to this intervening. In Sri Lanka case both the LTTE supporters such as the Diaspora and the Sri Lankan Army supporters in the form the of the current Government are hell bent on a huge campaign of misinformation to hoodwink the public, and by doing so clouding their complicity in this crime. Both should be punished and the govt. of Sri Lanka sadly is still around to take the accusation, where as the LTTE has disappeared and some of the Diaspora in these countries are also guilty of some of the massacres and killings but have not been identified due to the lack of the sincerity of the host governments, in ignoring the killers within their presence and trying to find those outside of their boundaries. I must emphasize again that the Government of Sri Lanka is tainted to a degree with crime as they should be held to a different standard than a terrorist outfit.
If we are able to better identify this issue in a manner of my explanation, whereas mine is quite amateurish in its explanation, the sentiments are nevertheless genuine and desirous of a genuine and just resolution, so that the mud that still sticks and does not seem to go away is cleaned up once and for all, so that all communities in Sri Lanka can get on with their lives, realizing that many in the Diaspora, no matter what is told cannot erase the rationale for their existence no matter how hard they try to understand the real issues which they may appreciate only if they live long enough in Sri Lanka today.
This then goes back to the original theme of what I wanted to get clarity on, that it is important that those who have the power to show such powerful images that can affect people's thinking one way or another have a very important responsibility in acknowledging that what they may innocently do may affect peoples and community in a different and unsatisfactory way to what was originally intended.
In the rush to fame, money, influence, sensationalism, and ratings, the innocent protagonists may suffer the fallout and using the words "too bad" to explain away that fear is not good enough. It is contingent upon the broadcaster to take account of time lapse in order to judge if the viewing is timely or not. In this case it should have been aired soon after the end of the war and not at this stage when people are making great strides to mend fences and they are the sacrificial lambs the ones we need to protect. The implicated government seems quite easily able to discard this like water of a ducks back and in fact use it to their own ends by blaming it on a western and Diaspora inspired campaign against the country and rally the people of the country to further strengthen their grip on power. This latter act is the furthest that the producers intend, but nevertheless is the product of their tunnel vision.
The issue of National Reconciliation is a the biggest challenge facing Sri Lanka today if it is to get into the ranks of the first world and it seems that this sort of western inspired media spots make this objective that much harder when in fact they should be assisting us.
I am "A non partisan concerned citizen who is committed to peace in Sri Lanka for the long term and who believes the Government is is dictatorial and anti democratic in its dealing with this issue and many others."
The problem is with the viewing public who are swayed by the visuals and are not willing to look behind some of the rationale and logic behind such broadcasts. With that in mind countries take decisions on knee jerk reactions. For example it is implied that certain Australian Cricketers have reservations on visiting Sri Lanka having viewed this. That is wholly inappropriate as they are either lily livered or been threatened or cajoled by money to make this step. What I mean is when one looks at the yet not accepted common practise in Australia of shooting and killing Aboriginal people for sport and the cruelty exacted on them pails in comparison to the sickening scenes of the acts of a few in the Sri Lanka Forces or Tamil Tigers, as both parties to the conflict have been equally brutal in their acts.
Using that example I am therefore implying that the visuals in 2011 seem to overpower the facts of history and legacy of war and violence throughout, and only seem to pick on the latest in isolation. Forgetting that this extract is merely a small incident in a world of mass grotesque violence, to which most races have had a hand in. Whilst I am against comparison of violence, and say brutality wherever it occurs needs to be investigated and punished, one must look at the overall picture without the parties to this intervening. In Sri Lanka case both the LTTE supporters such as the Diaspora and the Sri Lankan Army supporters in the form the of the current Government are hell bent on a huge campaign of misinformation to hoodwink the public, and by doing so clouding their complicity in this crime. Both should be punished and the govt. of Sri Lanka sadly is still around to take the accusation, where as the LTTE has disappeared and some of the Diaspora in these countries are also guilty of some of the massacres and killings but have not been identified due to the lack of the sincerity of the host governments, in ignoring the killers within their presence and trying to find those outside of their boundaries. I must emphasize again that the Government of Sri Lanka is tainted to a degree with crime as they should be held to a different standard than a terrorist outfit.
If we are able to better identify this issue in a manner of my explanation, whereas mine is quite amateurish in its explanation, the sentiments are nevertheless genuine and desirous of a genuine and just resolution, so that the mud that still sticks and does not seem to go away is cleaned up once and for all, so that all communities in Sri Lanka can get on with their lives, realizing that many in the Diaspora, no matter what is told cannot erase the rationale for their existence no matter how hard they try to understand the real issues which they may appreciate only if they live long enough in Sri Lanka today.
This then goes back to the original theme of what I wanted to get clarity on, that it is important that those who have the power to show such powerful images that can affect people's thinking one way or another have a very important responsibility in acknowledging that what they may innocently do may affect peoples and community in a different and unsatisfactory way to what was originally intended.
In the rush to fame, money, influence, sensationalism, and ratings, the innocent protagonists may suffer the fallout and using the words "too bad" to explain away that fear is not good enough. It is contingent upon the broadcaster to take account of time lapse in order to judge if the viewing is timely or not. In this case it should have been aired soon after the end of the war and not at this stage when people are making great strides to mend fences and they are the sacrificial lambs the ones we need to protect. The implicated government seems quite easily able to discard this like water of a ducks back and in fact use it to their own ends by blaming it on a western and Diaspora inspired campaign against the country and rally the people of the country to further strengthen their grip on power. This latter act is the furthest that the producers intend, but nevertheless is the product of their tunnel vision.
The issue of National Reconciliation is a the biggest challenge facing Sri Lanka today if it is to get into the ranks of the first world and it seems that this sort of western inspired media spots make this objective that much harder when in fact they should be assisting us.
I am "A non partisan concerned citizen who is committed to peace in Sri Lanka for the long term and who believes the Government is is dictatorial and anti democratic in its dealing with this issue and many others."
The missed opportunities in Mother Lanka from 2005
It is just once in history that a Government gets a chance like the one the Rajapakse Presidency has got to change the course of a country's future for the better. This opportunity must be used to correct the past wrongs which less powerful leaders could not impose due to their lack of an overwhelming mandate to change the constitution and all forms of executive power to almost as they please.
It is just a reflection of the person who has just been an average Politician with no record of any achievement worthy of a second mention, that he has not been able to rise to the occasion, and instead wears the badge of defense in his actions which is reflective of insecurity, to prevent magnanimous gestures that in the short term may sound political suicide, but which in the long term earn him respect and admiration in transforming an intractable problem into one that has been satisfactorily resolved.
The current obsession with media misinformation, which may have had its merits during the final course of the war, belittles the man and does not enhance his reputation. Misinformation usually works when one has a less educated citizenry and to that end most religions also took advantage of the ignorance of the people and their illiteracy to instill beliefs which have little place in a thinking world.
It must also be appreciated that the less educated one is then, one is more able to instill dogma. However it is also possible to instill dogma into well educated and wealthy people when it is a right wing dictatorship, that is not threatening their personal wealth and status. This appears in my opinion to be the situation in Sri Lanka.
It is my opinion that today's rule in Sri Lanka is just by a handful of people who exercise power, and the majority of people do not have a say in what is done or being consulted. The treatise commonly referred to as the Mahinda Chinthana is used as a pretext for doing as they please as the document is in itself very vague and covers a broad spectrum of goals. Its objectives can be easily explained away in some of the actions that are being performed and and the uninitiated who have not read it anyway will just accept that it is by popular mandate that these questionable actions take place.
I agree it is not the goal of the official opposition to pick on each and everything they do and oppose the action for the sake of it. It is more important first to study the action, explain why it is wrong and then come out with an alternative that is an improvement.
The level of bribery and the inability of the public sector to rise up, means that the chances for an early growth in the economy which is sorely required will not take place. It is important to have this growth immediately, as the window of opportunity is only a further 5 years, before which Sri Lanka becomes a geriatric nation having to undergo far more serious societal problem arising therefrom.
Hence my urgency in ensuring accountability NOW, as we do not have much time left, and it is important using the current demographics to do this now as in 7 years we would have missed the growth bulge.
HOW DO WE GET THESE THIEVES TO REALIZE THEIR FOLLY? IT IS SO UNPATRIOTIC
It is just a reflection of the person who has just been an average Politician with no record of any achievement worthy of a second mention, that he has not been able to rise to the occasion, and instead wears the badge of defense in his actions which is reflective of insecurity, to prevent magnanimous gestures that in the short term may sound political suicide, but which in the long term earn him respect and admiration in transforming an intractable problem into one that has been satisfactorily resolved.
The current obsession with media misinformation, which may have had its merits during the final course of the war, belittles the man and does not enhance his reputation. Misinformation usually works when one has a less educated citizenry and to that end most religions also took advantage of the ignorance of the people and their illiteracy to instill beliefs which have little place in a thinking world.
It must also be appreciated that the less educated one is then, one is more able to instill dogma. However it is also possible to instill dogma into well educated and wealthy people when it is a right wing dictatorship, that is not threatening their personal wealth and status. This appears in my opinion to be the situation in Sri Lanka.
It is my opinion that today's rule in Sri Lanka is just by a handful of people who exercise power, and the majority of people do not have a say in what is done or being consulted. The treatise commonly referred to as the Mahinda Chinthana is used as a pretext for doing as they please as the document is in itself very vague and covers a broad spectrum of goals. Its objectives can be easily explained away in some of the actions that are being performed and and the uninitiated who have not read it anyway will just accept that it is by popular mandate that these questionable actions take place.
I agree it is not the goal of the official opposition to pick on each and everything they do and oppose the action for the sake of it. It is more important first to study the action, explain why it is wrong and then come out with an alternative that is an improvement.
The level of bribery and the inability of the public sector to rise up, means that the chances for an early growth in the economy which is sorely required will not take place. It is important to have this growth immediately, as the window of opportunity is only a further 5 years, before which Sri Lanka becomes a geriatric nation having to undergo far more serious societal problem arising therefrom.
Hence my urgency in ensuring accountability NOW, as we do not have much time left, and it is important using the current demographics to do this now as in 7 years we would have missed the growth bulge.
HOW DO WE GET THESE THIEVES TO REALIZE THEIR FOLLY? IT IS SO UNPATRIOTIC
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Women being harrased when using public transport in Sri Lanka
Surprise surprise, a report by the Transport Ministry today reinforced the well known issue of female harassment. It is shameful how women are treated by the males who travel and it seems quite acceptable and macho for men to do simple but offensive acts like pinching a woman's bottom or other sensitive parts to annoy and get a kick.
Should I be calling them perverts? What else? This kind of practice must stop and we can only begin this by teaching young people to respect women.
It may be a little known fact, but boys now tend to ring all numbers and when a women answers, tries to chat her up, a complete stranger and with this attention women get suckered into the mass lying that goes on in this field, leading to meeting and later being cheated by the lies that are exchanged.
In this instance the young girls MUST be taught not to answer and put the phone down immediately without engaging in a conversation with these boys. This is the start of more insidious practices and I dare say the parents of the kids do not even know that this goes on under their very noses.
So lets agitate for a better understanding of the sexes and make sure all the men are sensitive to these facts at a young age and taught to respect the elders.
Should I be calling them perverts? What else? This kind of practice must stop and we can only begin this by teaching young people to respect women.
It may be a little known fact, but boys now tend to ring all numbers and when a women answers, tries to chat her up, a complete stranger and with this attention women get suckered into the mass lying that goes on in this field, leading to meeting and later being cheated by the lies that are exchanged.
In this instance the young girls MUST be taught not to answer and put the phone down immediately without engaging in a conversation with these boys. This is the start of more insidious practices and I dare say the parents of the kids do not even know that this goes on under their very noses.
So lets agitate for a better understanding of the sexes and make sure all the men are sensitive to these facts at a young age and taught to respect the elders.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
The Laxman Kadirgamar commemorative lecture - Liam Fox on July 9th 2011
Liam Fox the current British Defense Secretary who is the Cabinet Minister of Defense the portfolio currently held by President Rajapkse in Sri Lanka, gave the postponed Laxman Kadirgamar speech in Colombo yesterday recalling his friendship with him, especially as it pertained at the time to the resolution of the LTTE issue which never happened in the end.
Either way he elaborated about various issues in history relating to the discussions he had had with LK on the Tamil issues and then subsequently with Bogollagama after a long hiatus to the day of his lecture.
In the end in light of the loss of many of our freedoms today, he concluded with the wishes that we in Sri Lanka can dare to hope for a better future for our citizens, a poignant wish! I also hope that sense will prevail amongst all the citizens of Sri Lanka to realize the loss of their freedom and the need for a more accountable and less intrusive state with the freedoms of speech and expression enshrined in the constitution to be renewed with the removal of the state of emergency.
Just because constant cashes of arms are being unearthed in many places in the North we should not be spooked as to how clever these arms had been hidden in underground bunkers in places one would least expect them to be found. That in itself is not indication of the security of the state being at stake.
However well we can secure our borders we must never fail to realize how easy it is for India to destabilize Sri Lanka much in the way they were able to do in the past. With about 500 RAW agents in Sri Lanka now and the ability to harness armies of LTTE sympathizers from South India, we must keep our relationship with India intact and not make any unnecessary comments that may irk them.
In Conclusion, we still have a long way to go in reconciling the warring factions and getting people in Jaffna to truly and ungrudgingly accept the status quo if they are able to see that there is progress to reconcile and the state removes some of the more insidious memories of their status of occupation in the North. We must do all in our power to prove our government wrong with the normal people of the country emerging from a racist history and looking forward to be citizens of the new technological world devoid of need for claiming land and territory as we have to be everywhere and be permitted to go anywhere in this island.
Either way he elaborated about various issues in history relating to the discussions he had had with LK on the Tamil issues and then subsequently with Bogollagama after a long hiatus to the day of his lecture.
In the end in light of the loss of many of our freedoms today, he concluded with the wishes that we in Sri Lanka can dare to hope for a better future for our citizens, a poignant wish! I also hope that sense will prevail amongst all the citizens of Sri Lanka to realize the loss of their freedom and the need for a more accountable and less intrusive state with the freedoms of speech and expression enshrined in the constitution to be renewed with the removal of the state of emergency.
Just because constant cashes of arms are being unearthed in many places in the North we should not be spooked as to how clever these arms had been hidden in underground bunkers in places one would least expect them to be found. That in itself is not indication of the security of the state being at stake.
However well we can secure our borders we must never fail to realize how easy it is for India to destabilize Sri Lanka much in the way they were able to do in the past. With about 500 RAW agents in Sri Lanka now and the ability to harness armies of LTTE sympathizers from South India, we must keep our relationship with India intact and not make any unnecessary comments that may irk them.
In Conclusion, we still have a long way to go in reconciling the warring factions and getting people in Jaffna to truly and ungrudgingly accept the status quo if they are able to see that there is progress to reconcile and the state removes some of the more insidious memories of their status of occupation in the North. We must do all in our power to prove our government wrong with the normal people of the country emerging from a racist history and looking forward to be citizens of the new technological world devoid of need for claiming land and territory as we have to be everywhere and be permitted to go anywhere in this island.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
How rotten can state TV be in its broadcast of cricket? PATHETIC
It is or is it surprising that we in Sri Lanka have not made a stink about the TV advertising on Channel Eye that invariably cuts a ball or two of the first part of an over and barely shows where the ball is hit at the end of the over, so that they can cut to the advertising. I have never in all my years of TV watching seen such ridiculous behavior on the part of the TV administrators to continue this practice.
Once is enough but to continue this in every game means that the technicians and directors in charge of this aspect of the channel don't seem to care a toss about the match or viewing public and only the volume of ads that they are able to put into the time slot so as to maximize their remuneration or that of the channel.
Now that the government has BANNED TV rights to sports by any other non government channel our choices are limited, except for those who are able to afford cable or satellite channels! Such is the regard the state has for the sinhala speaking or poor TV viewing public, and the totally brain dead consumer and public now having got used to accepting what is being fed to them without a whimper.
Such is the state of the nation where the State has succeeded overwhelmingly to beat up the public to accepting all the conditions placed on them with nigh a word of protest in any form of media or letters to the paper that I have seen.
Good luck fair friends in your cozy apathetic behavior to being pummeled by an uncaring State which you so willingly support and continue to accept as being your savior of the last resort. That is exactly according to the master plan of keeping the citizenry in blissful ignorance by removing all thought and reason from the mind of the public.
Once is enough but to continue this in every game means that the technicians and directors in charge of this aspect of the channel don't seem to care a toss about the match or viewing public and only the volume of ads that they are able to put into the time slot so as to maximize their remuneration or that of the channel.
Now that the government has BANNED TV rights to sports by any other non government channel our choices are limited, except for those who are able to afford cable or satellite channels! Such is the regard the state has for the sinhala speaking or poor TV viewing public, and the totally brain dead consumer and public now having got used to accepting what is being fed to them without a whimper.
Such is the state of the nation where the State has succeeded overwhelmingly to beat up the public to accepting all the conditions placed on them with nigh a word of protest in any form of media or letters to the paper that I have seen.
Good luck fair friends in your cozy apathetic behavior to being pummeled by an uncaring State which you so willingly support and continue to accept as being your savior of the last resort. That is exactly according to the master plan of keeping the citizenry in blissful ignorance by removing all thought and reason from the mind of the public.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The Rs 20 Billion white elephant of an Army HQ
It is absurd that the Army requires Rs20 Billion for a new Headquarter when even some of the most expensive hotels built to date have not warranted such expenses and in any case the hotel will yield a return to the Country. While I am not against a decent HQ for the Army to be under the modern technology, even fighting future wars with UAVs just as technology is making the use for space and paperwork less important, the future HQ should be small and purposeful and not overloaded with personnel and departments.
It is important to realize that the information age will get all field commanders from the respective camps together without the need for them to travel to the HQ, so internet based communications will be the order of the day in future. I honestly believe not more than Rs5B is needed and the rest is waste and for people to squander the money of this country for personal use.
If we concentrate the mind and build one for Rs 5B we can have a HQ that is relevant to the times we live in. In other countries all this is being reduced, while in Sri Lanka we are increasing the size of the non productive sector.
While I write this the bill to approve this mad spending is going through Parliament, and with an excessive majority the government has they will not budge one inch from their declared objectives. I am sad that whatever the top brass say we just cow down like lambs to slaughter and are unable even in the opposition to face facts and tell them how unpatriotic this expenditure is. In our way of thinking if we ask for a reduction in estimate we are branded as unpatriotic. That is how low the level of debate has got down to in the country.
I hope MPs will have the courage to question this additional wanton waste of state resources to give the top brass in the Army a level of comfort that is certainly not deserved, when we still have students walking barefoot to schools which have not enough desks and chairs to accommodate them and which are acutely short of teachers to teach some of the basic subjects.
It is important to realize that the information age will get all field commanders from the respective camps together without the need for them to travel to the HQ, so internet based communications will be the order of the day in future. I honestly believe not more than Rs5B is needed and the rest is waste and for people to squander the money of this country for personal use.
If we concentrate the mind and build one for Rs 5B we can have a HQ that is relevant to the times we live in. In other countries all this is being reduced, while in Sri Lanka we are increasing the size of the non productive sector.
While I write this the bill to approve this mad spending is going through Parliament, and with an excessive majority the government has they will not budge one inch from their declared objectives. I am sad that whatever the top brass say we just cow down like lambs to slaughter and are unable even in the opposition to face facts and tell them how unpatriotic this expenditure is. In our way of thinking if we ask for a reduction in estimate we are branded as unpatriotic. That is how low the level of debate has got down to in the country.
I hope MPs will have the courage to question this additional wanton waste of state resources to give the top brass in the Army a level of comfort that is certainly not deserved, when we still have students walking barefoot to schools which have not enough desks and chairs to accommodate them and which are acutely short of teachers to teach some of the basic subjects.
Sangakkara'a Lecture at Lords irks those who are implicated
It was very brave for Kumar Sangakkara to call a spade a spade. It was done however at the most hallowed ground of Cricket at the MCC headquarters at Lords, amidst a distinguished gathering.
It was a very long one hour talk, the contents of which I have read, and it is amazing how well written/delivered it was, of a man of far more experience and integrity than he is given credit for. I would like to speculate on what he would go on to do once his cricketing career is over, as he is like no other cricketer on the face of the earth, as he has talents that put his cricketing prowess to obscurity.
This article is not intended to be about Sanga, but about the woeful state of cricket in Sri Lanka, which has got to change if cricket is to have the success it deserves, and we are able to tap the talent of our youngsters and take the game to another dimension. The wonton waste in cricket Sri Lanka is shameful, including the billions spent on 2 new cricket grounds that are gathering dust already. Just go to the place and see the mess the insides of these new pavilions and common areas. The stench is unbearable as the authorities as usual do not have the funds to maintain it and manage it as the amounts given for them are in someone's pocket and not used for the purpose they were given and no one is able to manage this mismanagement especially now that the Interim Committee has changed yet again, and so takes no responsibility for the actions of the past.
What is more when the authorities including the Sports Minister are implicated in the scandal, he promptly asks for a review of his actions, to find fault in the legalese of the contract he has signed with SL Cricket where he is forbidden to express anything about his position or cricket without express permission of the authorities lest they be implicated in scandal.
It will be interesting to see what happens here as he may have broken the written rule but made a far more important moral statement. If he is sacked from the team for breaking the rules which the greedy vultures running cricket may do at a moments notice, he will be given honorary MCC membership at Lords and invited to be a permanent member of any country side he wishes to play in.
Anyway Cambridge or Oxford will give him a scholarship to study law and play for the University, something he would prefer to do anyway later, but if he is forced to do it earlier, it is only a benefit for the legal profession and a tragedy for international cricket.
No worries Sanga it is the good name of SL cricket that will suffer and not yours and the jokers who make the decision will have to eat crow at some date.
It was a very long one hour talk, the contents of which I have read, and it is amazing how well written/delivered it was, of a man of far more experience and integrity than he is given credit for. I would like to speculate on what he would go on to do once his cricketing career is over, as he is like no other cricketer on the face of the earth, as he has talents that put his cricketing prowess to obscurity.
This article is not intended to be about Sanga, but about the woeful state of cricket in Sri Lanka, which has got to change if cricket is to have the success it deserves, and we are able to tap the talent of our youngsters and take the game to another dimension. The wonton waste in cricket Sri Lanka is shameful, including the billions spent on 2 new cricket grounds that are gathering dust already. Just go to the place and see the mess the insides of these new pavilions and common areas. The stench is unbearable as the authorities as usual do not have the funds to maintain it and manage it as the amounts given for them are in someone's pocket and not used for the purpose they were given and no one is able to manage this mismanagement especially now that the Interim Committee has changed yet again, and so takes no responsibility for the actions of the past.
What is more when the authorities including the Sports Minister are implicated in the scandal, he promptly asks for a review of his actions, to find fault in the legalese of the contract he has signed with SL Cricket where he is forbidden to express anything about his position or cricket without express permission of the authorities lest they be implicated in scandal.
It will be interesting to see what happens here as he may have broken the written rule but made a far more important moral statement. If he is sacked from the team for breaking the rules which the greedy vultures running cricket may do at a moments notice, he will be given honorary MCC membership at Lords and invited to be a permanent member of any country side he wishes to play in.
Anyway Cambridge or Oxford will give him a scholarship to study law and play for the University, something he would prefer to do anyway later, but if he is forced to do it earlier, it is only a benefit for the legal profession and a tragedy for international cricket.
No worries Sanga it is the good name of SL cricket that will suffer and not yours and the jokers who make the decision will have to eat crow at some date.
Monday, July 4, 2011
the lawlessness in the land is out of control as it is by those in power
If you go to any town or village in Sri Lanka, the residents will say that theft and drug dealing is a huge problem in their areas and when they find the culprit and hand them over to the police, it is only a matter of time when that person is released by the OIC ( Office In Charge) of the police station on the orders of a local politician to whom he has to pay homage.
This activity today is sadly not the exception in Sri Lanka but the rule and it hits home to me as I live in a village and I am daily told of these problems and villagers are in fear of reporting them to the police as they know the culprits and know that they are part of the underworld team of the local politician.
Why I ask do they vote for this politician? Well their answer is that he promises to do things and technically he is a local thug who can make things happen, even though he makes his money from underworld or other illegal activities.
It is now believed that whatever party comes to power, the same thing will occur. In order for us to stop this rot we must in future ensure that we elect politicians with better morals and standards to these high places, but it seems few with these abilities are able to harness the funds to get elected, as underworld money is easy to come by and therefore easy to spend on political campaigns in hoodwinking the elector.
Elections for the Pradeshiya Sabhas of at least 64 areas will take place on July 23rd including my local area. The rot has started and the infighting amongst thugs has also started. It is a dirty fight, all for votes. The elector is again sold a story that they seem unable to disbelieve as we seem to be a nation in hope that we will all benefit from this promise, and if it comes true then that will be great.
Those who do not make wild promises don't get elected because there is no hope for the elector in an honest man as he has not raised their level of selfishness to voting levels.
How do we have a democracy under such blatant abuse of power and the power of lying endemic in our society? I don't have an answer to this question. If you have any ideas please share them with me.
I ache for my country to get ahead in a moral and social self, but with the current practices see little hope of this wish being fulfilled!
This activity today is sadly not the exception in Sri Lanka but the rule and it hits home to me as I live in a village and I am daily told of these problems and villagers are in fear of reporting them to the police as they know the culprits and know that they are part of the underworld team of the local politician.
Why I ask do they vote for this politician? Well their answer is that he promises to do things and technically he is a local thug who can make things happen, even though he makes his money from underworld or other illegal activities.
It is now believed that whatever party comes to power, the same thing will occur. In order for us to stop this rot we must in future ensure that we elect politicians with better morals and standards to these high places, but it seems few with these abilities are able to harness the funds to get elected, as underworld money is easy to come by and therefore easy to spend on political campaigns in hoodwinking the elector.
Elections for the Pradeshiya Sabhas of at least 64 areas will take place on July 23rd including my local area. The rot has started and the infighting amongst thugs has also started. It is a dirty fight, all for votes. The elector is again sold a story that they seem unable to disbelieve as we seem to be a nation in hope that we will all benefit from this promise, and if it comes true then that will be great.
Those who do not make wild promises don't get elected because there is no hope for the elector in an honest man as he has not raised their level of selfishness to voting levels.
How do we have a democracy under such blatant abuse of power and the power of lying endemic in our society? I don't have an answer to this question. If you have any ideas please share them with me.
I ache for my country to get ahead in a moral and social self, but with the current practices see little hope of this wish being fulfilled!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
The Government is actively raping the Environment
Any one who objects to some the government practices and in this context I refer to environmental damage is threatened by the goons on behalf of the big whig involved in the massive rape of forests reserves and the latest being the buffer zones.
It is a no brainer that in the Sri Lankan context when you give an inch they take a mile. By choosing tourist establishments carefully to put their environmentally friendly hotels, they are trying to tell the public that all environmental safeguards will be met. I don't believe this hogwash for a moment, as whatever they may say to be granted the privilege of breaking the current laws, they will eventually go against the spirit of the freedom given to them to try and make a buck. It is inevitable that in the case of attracting tourists to view game, they will artificially create a situation to attract animals, by either putting paddy in a strategic place so the elephants come, and salt may do the same thing and begin a system of attracting species by unnatural means.
As it is in Uda Walawe unscurpulous operators are selling food by the elephant fence to people to feed the elephants. If you drive along this fence which goes along the main road to Thanamalvila you will inevitable see at least 3 elephants waiting at the fence to be given bananas or papaya. This is a wholly unnatural thing, to attract elephants to the area. This is the same thing that will be resorted to just like what is done in Kenya in similar circumstances. Ostensibly for tourist dollars, but at a price I do not believe is worth it as the benefit to the communities in the vicinity of the National Parks is minimal.
This government while paying lip service to protect the environment does not give a damn about the environment. Just ask any Environmental Lawyer about this fact and they will tell you almost all the rape of the environment is carried out by politicians or their goons, and so escape prosecution.
It is sad that in every sphere in this country the current dictatorship is acting against the interests of the country and the people who live in it are completely oblivious as to the real issues that are of concern.
It is a no brainer that in the Sri Lankan context when you give an inch they take a mile. By choosing tourist establishments carefully to put their environmentally friendly hotels, they are trying to tell the public that all environmental safeguards will be met. I don't believe this hogwash for a moment, as whatever they may say to be granted the privilege of breaking the current laws, they will eventually go against the spirit of the freedom given to them to try and make a buck. It is inevitable that in the case of attracting tourists to view game, they will artificially create a situation to attract animals, by either putting paddy in a strategic place so the elephants come, and salt may do the same thing and begin a system of attracting species by unnatural means.
As it is in Uda Walawe unscurpulous operators are selling food by the elephant fence to people to feed the elephants. If you drive along this fence which goes along the main road to Thanamalvila you will inevitable see at least 3 elephants waiting at the fence to be given bananas or papaya. This is a wholly unnatural thing, to attract elephants to the area. This is the same thing that will be resorted to just like what is done in Kenya in similar circumstances. Ostensibly for tourist dollars, but at a price I do not believe is worth it as the benefit to the communities in the vicinity of the National Parks is minimal.
This government while paying lip service to protect the environment does not give a damn about the environment. Just ask any Environmental Lawyer about this fact and they will tell you almost all the rape of the environment is carried out by politicians or their goons, and so escape prosecution.
It is sad that in every sphere in this country the current dictatorship is acting against the interests of the country and the people who live in it are completely oblivious as to the real issues that are of concern.
Friday, July 1, 2011
The lies become even more unbelievable - The murder of an MSD officer
An MSD officer attached to the Administrative Branch of the MSD on Union Place opposite Dialog HQ was murdered last night about midnight. His body was found near a lamp post on Cotta Road in the morning. He had just been on a course in Kalutara on shooting skills. The body was found a long way from the bus stop.
In order to hide this story it was said he was sitting on a wall near the 190 bus stop as he lives in Meegoda and the bus takes him there. He was said to have fallen and got entangled !!!!
I will not waste the readers time in their explanation of how his body got entangled, but is just too ridiculous and how they would know exactly how this happened is in itself beggars belief. What is more there are no 190 buses at that time of night with earliest being around 5am. So he would not be sitting on parapet waiting for the bus at that time.
We sadly live in a country today where even murders are defined as accidents and so do not undergo any investigation. Lets hope those who know the truth will at least blog the facts behind which politician had him bumped off. There appears to be 200 times more murderers in the parliament than in the country at large as defined by per capita of population.
In order to hide this story it was said he was sitting on a wall near the 190 bus stop as he lives in Meegoda and the bus takes him there. He was said to have fallen and got entangled !!!!
I will not waste the readers time in their explanation of how his body got entangled, but is just too ridiculous and how they would know exactly how this happened is in itself beggars belief. What is more there are no 190 buses at that time of night with earliest being around 5am. So he would not be sitting on parapet waiting for the bus at that time.
We sadly live in a country today where even murders are defined as accidents and so do not undergo any investigation. Lets hope those who know the truth will at least blog the facts behind which politician had him bumped off. There appears to be 200 times more murderers in the parliament than in the country at large as defined by per capita of population.
The scandal of the quiet sale of the CCC property to FOREIGNERS
News just reached me of the surreptitious and stupid sale of the CCC property near the Beira Lake valued at over Rs10B to foreign companies for development.
This is a disgraceful betrayal of the Mahinda Chinthana policies where they fervently promised not to sell an inch of land to overseas interests. What is more this was done with no tender procedure and with so much secrecy relating to the bribes paid and the pockets lined that it is contrary to all accepted practice in this regard.
There should have been an open auction and transparent negotiations on such a valuable property. In fact I am totally against the sale of this property to anyone as I would have liked this to be a park for the benefit of those who live in Colombo, which would inevitably enhance the quality of life of those who live there. No doubt the sellers are those who have no intention of living in Colombo, as they would not be permitted a future here once the extent of their robbery becomes public so will be living in luxury in foreign lands and will not bother about what happens to the future of Colombo sans any open spaces as is coveted in the quality of life index of any city.
SO THERE YOU GO COLOMBIANS THE RAPE OF WHAT IS LEFT JUST TOOK PLACE FROM UNDER YOUR NOSES BY YOUR SUPPOSEDLY CONCERNED GOVERNMENT
This is a disgraceful betrayal of the Mahinda Chinthana policies where they fervently promised not to sell an inch of land to overseas interests. What is more this was done with no tender procedure and with so much secrecy relating to the bribes paid and the pockets lined that it is contrary to all accepted practice in this regard.
There should have been an open auction and transparent negotiations on such a valuable property. In fact I am totally against the sale of this property to anyone as I would have liked this to be a park for the benefit of those who live in Colombo, which would inevitably enhance the quality of life of those who live there. No doubt the sellers are those who have no intention of living in Colombo, as they would not be permitted a future here once the extent of their robbery becomes public so will be living in luxury in foreign lands and will not bother about what happens to the future of Colombo sans any open spaces as is coveted in the quality of life index of any city.
SO THERE YOU GO COLOMBIANS THE RAPE OF WHAT IS LEFT JUST TOOK PLACE FROM UNDER YOUR NOSES BY YOUR SUPPOSEDLY CONCERNED GOVERNMENT
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