How long can we suffer this dance of the sugar plum fairies?

It is just mindboggling how the politicians of the Government can with a straight face expound their dreamy thoughts as reality on the people of Sri Lanka and get away with it. There is NO step that this Govt. has taken that is actually correct. Yet people slavishly believe they can do no wrong. What Planet may I ask these people think they are living in?

It is only the policy of divide and rule used so successfully by the British that is keeping this Govt. in power, as they are behind all the backroom tactics to spread dissent in all the opposition parties. It is the power of money, stolen from the people that is actually trying to divide them. We just need a visionary leader (not Sarath Fonseka who is primarily and always only a super soldier) to guide us out of the mess this Govt. has created and now continues to make worse, instead of learn from their excesses and take a U-Turn from some of their very destructive policies.

Then a family cabal rules with an iron grip only held together by fear. Their own people especially the ministers are bought for a few rupees in petty cash, to extol their virtues and hide the truth. The mesmerizing hold of money amongst many people in authority, is one that stops from rocking the boat lest their comfortable positions are made less so.

It is important that the Govt. realizes that it is only foreign remittances that keep them afloat, and has helped greatly in lightening the personal problems of the people due to this inflow that helps keep poverty and starvation at bay. There is only a limit to which this method of survival can fool the people into a false sense of security, and not agitate and demonstrate for their basic needs. Once this time expires, it is time for a change, and now is a better time than any in the past to reason with the populace that the ride of ‘Tom Foolery’ as got to end.

Let us do what we can to reach the public, explain why we believe the charade has had no patriotic intent, but has been nothing but a treacherous exercise in cleaning out the coffers of Sri Lanka for personal gain, having achieved NOTHING of economic benefit to the people. All the outer guise of progress is not due to the Govt. but due to the massive amounts of remittances now amounting to about 15% of the GNP, which when the multiplier effect is taken account of due to the money reaching people at rural level, has a real benefit many times that amount.

If the Govt. was not corrupt and the funds used wisely we could have had a much higher rate of growth that would have flowed faster to all sections of the population, and it has NOT been so, due to the policies of the Govt.

The goal post changes yet again – a litany of the SL Govt.’s duplicity

Why are we so unfortunate to have to deal with a bunch of cretins, a lame excuse for a Government? They succeeded beyond their wildest dreams to get the Resolution, sponsored by 40+ nations to pass. They then dispute the result by saying it was close, a loss by one vote. Only in Sri Lanka does one count an abstention as a vote for the Resolution.

The latest is the Government maintains that the LLRC exceeded its mandate. God knows what they expected if they only kept to their interpretation of its mandate. 

Nevertheless what is at issue is the disingenuous way this government changes the goal posts and carries on as if nothing has happened. They then maintain that either they have implemented to recommendations, unable to implement them as it is contrary to the constitution or failing it the recommendation was not part of the mandate. This obvious misleading stance is meant to confuse and obfuscate their responsibilities.

The people playing this game think they are exceedingly clever in this process. However it is obvious to the people who matter that it is a clear case of refusal to heed any dictat from overseas, an overriding principle of the government which they strongly and firmly believe is one which will carry them through all landmines laid across their path by the Western Powers.

This overriding arrogance defines the foreign policy, which I know for a fact led to the US resolution in the first place. So the game of political poker is one that is to pump up personalities and show the country to be run by media hungry and media savvy clique and the people who put them there as impressionable imbeciles.

It is annoying that so much time is spent playing this game of hide & seek. It kills time, meant to take the eye off the ball of affairs of state which are becoming more critical and important. They are needlessly deflected by this charade that is played in full view of a bemused world, that says What’s next? How farfetched is the latest statement? What about the real acts and atrocities now being carried out meant to deny the previous acts, which are the one’s under the microscope?

This shameless series of deliberate rejections of the rights of the United Nations, calls into question our membership in the august institution. This has been done to deny that the leadership committed any wrongdoing, and to portray all those who accuse the leadership as being in the lap of a Diaspora led mafia, all of which are firmly fixated in the figment of imagination of the gullible public, thanks to what has been displayed above as tampering with what is right and wrong.

Treachery – The worst form is when cloaked in an aura of Patriotism

Lately this country has been subjected to a humiliating climb-down from a lofty pedestal of pontificating arrogance from its leaders all the way to Geneva. Leaders, have no concept of Geopolitics and International Diplomacy. A bunch of amateurs at enormous expense, a record delegation, was sent to further embarrass and shame this country, to such a degree, that an unprecedented claim by the UNHC for HR that they were intimidating people and organizations was made on the members of the contingent while they were in Geneva.

I maintained earlier that some humility and a sense of reality using the existing Diplomatic Cadre of the country could have achieved a win in the form of the withdrawal of the resolution on the promise of intent. Our country’s diplomats are perfectly capable of achieving it without interference from government. However they were aghast at the antics and poor advice given to the President in using the people he sent over.

It is a result of playing to the gallery in Sri Lanka for local political and populist gain that they sacrificed all common sense in this small event in Geneva. I do not want to go into all the missteps they have made since the end of hostilities to patch up relations with all its supporters, but in reality they have done everything to antagonize those countries who assisted us directly in winning the LTTE war and which form our main trading partners. Now even India is being targeted for abuse, something our jokers in power are going to regret before too long.

You just don’t mess with India. We need India for a lot of things. It has to be on the back of India that this country grows, not Europe or China. China has done no favors in lending us money at usurious interest rates, that will hold our country forever in debt to them. At least when India gives us a line of credit and assists us with projects, there is an element of grant, as they see Sri Lanka as a definite part of their strategic interest, something which we do not treasure nor do we appreciate. Though I grant it India does not like to see a very prosperous Lanka!

These double standards that the superpowers adopt, are not at all relevant in how we play the game of international Geopolitics. They are not new, they have been in operation from the beginning, and until we are also in the same league we will just have to play second fiddle. It has nothing to do with how loud we shout and what threats we make, as all of that is on deaf ears out of the country and only heard by the gallery to which we give too much credit. They foolishly believe that their leaders are truly patriotic, safeguarding the interests when the opposite is true.

Just consider all the aspects of the peace dividend. We have not received anything of the sort, except for a little bite from Japan. Humility could have allowed us to rebuild the North by now, and begun all the infrastructure for business establishment,  development and large scale agricultural projects, including the revival of the Elephant Pass and Paranthan Salterns. Go there and you see nothing happening, just the land being divided amongst government stooges so they can sell it at a profit to some unsuspecting buyer in the future.

If this is not treachery of the first order then what is? Who is responsible for this? It is none other than the President of the Country as he holds all the cards and seems to play them only at his pace and not that of the country.

The person who won the war for him is now in jail, only increasing his popularity. What should have been done was to allow him his freedom to be a parliamentarian so that his weaknesses as a human will become patently obvious to all. In time people will realize that his forte was in that particular time and place to win the war and that he should live in happy retirement following his favorite hobby! Instead he is being made larger than life, and therefore a potential threat to democracy and the blame again is squarely on the President as all the charges on which he is incarcerated are politically motivated and not justifiable in law.

In fact the political gamble the President has taken to keep him locked up will backfire on him and time prove this. History will judge him for this. The lost opportunities of his administration will be what it will all be about, not the pyrrhic victory of the war. Many sycophantic journalists who try to influence public opinion are merely falling into this trap, unable to think clearly years ahead to how their writings and the leadership will be judged due to this simplistic approach.

This administration has failed in every sphere of their development. They have not achieved any tangible results. The harbor they built is a white elephant, the airport is also one. The highway is not up to international standards, the new power stations are a national disgrace, the roads are crumbling as this has been the gravy train upon which their power is in place. They have made millionaires out of hundreds of people to ensure their financial support.

The balance of payments is in a no win situation as are the foreign reserves. The education system and people’s confidence therein is shattered. All new projects and complexes are handed out to friends and confidants and those who pay the highest bribes and the story just goes on. As for law and order or more to the point, a lack of it, that requires a further discussion. More later!

Navi Pillay made an unprecedented accusation – one never before heard of!

The delegates themselves have been accused of Human Rights Violations while in Geneva! So now we have a real problem. She is due to come to Sri Lanka too.

Are we frightened to take this up with her, lest she can prove it? Inaction is tantamount to guilt, so we assume they are Guilty. What do we do about them? Hand them over to her or let her come and take them, while we watch? Mr President I am waiting for your comments on the issue as you have remained strangely silent so far.

The UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs Pillay of South Africa, has said that the Sri Lanka delegation that had come to Geneva to fight the case against the US resolution, had actually directly engaged in real threats to Journalists and NGO’s pointing to reprisals and attacks if they set foot in Sri Lanka. Some were on local journalists either covering the event or invited to speak at fringe events during the UNHRC sessions. Never has a Commissioner in history, made this accusation.

It is tantamount to saying that members of the Sri Lanka delegation, actually broke the laws of the country they were in, and due to a level of diplomatic immunity were not prosecuted for the crime they committed. I believe we must take this accusation seriously, as it is tantamount to an indictment against our delegates, showing them also to be no more than common criminals, thieves and bandits!!

It appears that we are either frightened or know this to be true, and that is why this direct threat has not been adequately covered in the Sinhala press for want of words to express dismay or protest. There is too much proof available to her for this to be another attempt at denial, the usual response when they get caught in a compromising position.

In my opinion, we sent amateurs to fight a case that was a serious one, and even Navy Pillay was able to show them for who they really are. A huge delegation, that even exceeded the number of members of the UNHRC were sent. As they were not qualified for the job in hand they spent their time shopping in the malls, spending money that SL govt. gave them generously to entertain delegates of the countries to the Council.

I have made this statement before and I repeat it again, that we must allow our diplomats to their job and not second guess what our options should be. It is only a seasoned diplomat who will be able to gauge the reactions of each country, and know in diplomatic parlance how to tackle the different items to benefit the country. It obvious that the bull in a china shop approach of a bunch of thugs from Sri Lanka, did the country no favors and was counter-productive in achieving the stated goals.

In conclusion, the President’s foreign policy  of using amateurs like Sajin Vaas to come to Geneva has really shown this country in poor light. I would go as far as to accuse the govt. of negligence in their dealings on this issue, and label this tactic as treachery against the people of Sri Lanka who deserve better from their appointed diplomats and elected leaders, something we are still waiting for. 

The Resolution is giving a headache to those who really believe this Dictatorship is bad for Sri Lanka

A comment on a posting in the Transcurrents web site – Advice re the LLRC vote

I note below a comment I wrote on an article published in the Transcurrents web site http://transcurrents.com/news-views/archives/9784 on 19th March 2012

The article was by a Sinhala Canadian Lawyer by the name of Viresh Fernando sent as an open letter to the Sinhala Canadians and headed, “Ruling Rajapkse dynasty must be held accountable for the atrocities they are responsible for” It asked the Sinhala Canadians to lobby their MPs to ask their Government to vote for the resolution.

I was merely pointing out that those who live overseas be they Sinhala or Tamil Diaspora, are actually far removed from the reality that those who live in Sri Lanka, both communities face. Those who come and vacation, or come regularly on business or due to family ties, still do not understand the mental frustrations of Sri Lankans living in Sri Lanka who have no option to leave, but have to make a go of it the best way they can within the Island.

In this great debate to vote or not, I point out that irrespective of the vote, the attitude of the Government will not change at all, and especially if they lose, it will be worse for human rights and fundamental rights, which though enshrined in the Constitution are broken with impunity, by those who rule, believing it not necessary to heed our laws when it comes to Governing the country.

I am a concerned Sri Lankan living in Sri Lanka so my views may slightly differ from that of the author. While I agree with you that the Resolution is extremely mild, only requesting that the LLRC recommendations be implemented and non binding, it is seen especially because of unprecedented State misinformation, to be an attempt by Rest of the World, (Western) aided and abetted by the Tamil Diaspora to interfere in the internal affairs of a sovereign state. Of course this may be legal in accordance with the international conventions the SL govt. has signed, but it seems to the local audience to be an attempt to obtain some revenge by the Tamil diaspora for their loss.

This attitude further prevents the opposition to the Government of which I am one, from being able to get any traction as the public of Sri Lanka are easily aroused by perceived intimidation. The way I see it, as part of my work in explaining the everything that is wrong in the present day of all acts of administration by the Government, it is all completely overshadowed by this non existent Resolution. People on the streets really do believe it is a LTTE plot to destabilize the administration.

So all the ills of the administration are clearly swept under the carpet, making my life extremely difficult and precarious. I am attempting to point out increase in cost of living, the corruption, the mismanagement, the robbing of all the country’s resources, the blatant daily abuses of Human Rights, the lack of a fee press, the intimidation and threats against people, but it is all not considered as important by those who are fooled by this reason.

In my opinion the overseas UNHRC resolution has strengthened the Rajapakse resolve and not weakened it. We in the opposition have no resources to fight the good fight, we have to risk our necks daily to speak one on one to try and explain to people the real story and it is a hard slog.

In fact you all be in Tamil or Sinhala Diaspora are our enemies in this fight NOT our friends. We who have to earn, live and fight the good fight at the ground with no relatives who send money to make life any easier are those who suffer from this state of play. If you want to help us, please refrain from putting pressure on the Govt. it is we who live here who actually feel it. The Rajapakses love what these resolutions are doing. In fact i have heard it said that they want to lose this resolution in the UNHRC so that they can strengthen their vice like grip on the political conscience.

You may have talked to the 3 wheeler about badu mila, but you know our psyche here complain about everything but do nothing. Try and get people to demonstrate against cost of living and you will have a hard time getting people on to the roads. The lotus eaters here still shy away from hard work. People are just apathetic.

There are thousands of jobs going abegging in Sri Lanka with no takers, because the wages offered are too low for people who can live on little and who need an overseas pay chek to get them out of their slumber. Like you said, all the best people and most energetic leave these shores as they do not feel well compensated here, there is a safety valve.

2 million people who work overseas (NOT counting the Diaspora who really have little intention of returning to settle) and remit earnings now amounting to $7B a year, equivalent to SL having a sovereign wealth fund of $500B props up this corrupt mafia who run this place.

If what you want is Regime change to get this country back to a civilized state, then you are going about it the wrong way. It has to be done internally, first by educating the people to think and not believe the blatant lies spouted out under Govt. grace. Then by empowering them that they can actually make a difference and then we can do it.

The odds are stacked against us at present, and you are increasing these odds and not reducing them. If the Sinhala Diaspora truly love this country, they really have to first make a commitment to wanting the same freedoms they enjoy in Canada for us in Sri Lanka. I am sorry that the Tamil Diaspora just cannot help up as their inbuilt prejudices cannot make them understand that it is not a race based issue in Sri Lanka and that it is simply Despotic Rule.

Next time you come to Sri Lanka you may look at a different angle, without saying there is no opposition. There is but our job is harder due to the international actions.

For someone so superstitious – it seems it has worked so far!

If one studies the recent history in Sri Lanka where Mahinda Rajapakse won a Presidential Election in 2005 after promising to pay Rs1B to Prabarkaran; it has all been his way up to now, the first half of 2012. In the end he managed to get away with only paying Rs800M and the balance was not paid. KP repaid this bribe and then some to save his life and live in the secret lap of luxury using the LTTE money!! How fortunate can you get?

The Tamil people could have been instructed to vote for Ranil Wickremasinghe, but were instead asked not to go to the polls. It was also a calculated move by Prabarkaran, as if they had in fact voted, the number of people in the area would have come to light, as being considerably less than the previous census, upon which the LTTE were basing their population strengths, which the current ongoing census will prove is a fraction of the earlier estimate.

Call this luck or superstition, but it has worked so far. How long will his good time last? Is it about to come to an end? I am not a person who believes in superstition and horoscopes, so I cannot even fathom out this logic. It maybe because I purely dwell on reason, and then believe only in justice in the end for one’s actions, in this life or the next, that I live my daily life, not fearing anyone or trying to con anyone.

The chance given to him in Marvil Aru where the LTTE prevented farmers from irrigating their lands, ended in Nandikanal with the elimination of the LTTE, something he was certain he could achieve with the forces given the proper resources of men and equipment. That belief in battle supremacy in winning, is one I commend him for, in the light of many who doubted this could not be done. I for one only believed it could be done with enormous sacrifice in terms of lives, but in fact when the final casualties of our soldiers are considered it was much less than I feared. I also believe that in the last year of the war, at least 30,000 LTTE and civilians were killed, but as it was difficult to distinguish between civilian and LTTE, it is regrettable but inevitable that these casualties are counted as one.

I also believed that it was foolish to maintain zero civilian casualties right through these 3 years despite all the evidence to the contrary, but even that seemed to have worked in his favor, as he actually has an electorate who believe in that statement intrinsically. As a result  he has used all the international condemnation, all the UN panel and other reports to benefit his cause, and this has proven right, when one looks at the results of all the elections since the end of the hostilities.

As far as it relates to General Sarath Fonseka, it appears in hindsight, that the General made a huge number of mistakes, which he continues to make, and Mahinda took advantage of this to cleverly show the General as a revengeful megalomaniac who would have lined up Mahinda and all his cohorts and had them shot, or personally have shot them. The fear of a bombastic Fonseka ready to wield dictatorial powers as was cleverly shown, was enough to send a shiver down even many UNPers who did not vote in the last Presidential Election, handing an easy victory to Mahinda Rajapakse.

The continuing winning streak in the Provincial Council Elections, and then all the Pradeshiya Sabha ones, showed how clever he has been in using the media to his advantage. He has not shown any fear of breaking all the rules of election laws in achieving his ends, and also turning into illegal tactics to achieve his goal, as the theme was victory at any cost.

He was lucky again that we were able to keep the Rupee strong despite the high inflation, due to the remittances and so was able to win during a period of growth and lowish inflation. He was able to defer till later all the home truths of having to pay for all his works and also for keeping the exchange rate artificially high all this time, in order to win the elections with a huge plebiscite.

He now has calculated that everything has got to return to the zero sum game, and so the subsidies have to be cut, and the cost of living will rise in 2012, when he will gradually be able to clear the decks with unpopular measures, and by mid or end 2013, things would return to a semblance of normality and good times so that he can go on his winning streak at that time in the Provincial, and then Local Government Elections before the General and next Presidential election.

This tactic may actually payoff, if he can call the people’s bluff. It is incumbent upon a strong opposition to show the people that this is all smoke and mirrors and the truth has been that the country has mortgaged itself to fund the lavish lifestyles of the ruling elite, and that only a fraction of the funds has actually gone for development. If that is obvious to the people then they have a future.

I am however not convinced they can carry on this charade for much longer, as all the action stemming from the LLRC report has been one of denial, defense and then attack the opposition, which in a short time the truth will be laid bare. 

Has the luck run out? Has reality set in? or as that famous saying ends, you cannot fool all of the people all of the time!!!

LLRC and the UNHRC impending Resolution to voted on Thursday the 22nd

I see the following stances taken by the respective sides within Sri Lanka and comment on their respective positions.

The Government

It is clear on the outside that the Govt. of Sri Lanka is taking measures to ensure that this resolution is defeated at Geneva, as they do not believe it requires a resolution for the implementation of the LLRC recommendations. It is also clear that there is an element of pressure from the respective electoral bases in the US Canada, UK, Norway, France and even India for this resolution to succeed and these electoral bases are seen by those in Sri Lanka as still with an LTTE mindset, namely a separate state being the only alternative. The flip side being that if there was no Tamil Diaspora then this resolution would not have been brought in the first place. I tend to agree with that point of view because there are violations that take place all the time and due to the aggrieved not having a voice in the country that is powerful enough to bring such resolutions, they are then left in abeyance.

The law in that sense does not apply equally to all. On the other hand I do not believe it is a reason in itself not to hold countries to account for International crimes to which they are signatories. We must remember that the LTTE was not a signatory so their crimes whilst being more heinous over a longer period are not held to the same standard. That is where I have a problem when the apologists for the government use the LTTE crimes as their point of comparison, and in that I have taken the position that it is treacherous to give the LTTE the same level of credibility as the Govt. of Sri Lanka.

The mushrooming organizations such as yesterday’s committee to save the nation that organized the Adishtana Pooja at the CMC grounds is all part of the campaign by the govt. to shore up sagging support for its other policies. It is easy to gather people for such events especially when the enemy is unseen. (foreign) I am of the opinion that whilst the brainwashed turned up out of choice the intelligent turned up with reserve not to seem unpatriotic, not willingly!

The main opposition UNP

The official line is that they are not involved in something that is of the govt. doing and not that of the Country as a whole. So it is not for them to comment on it, until a resolution is actually reached whereupon they will support the implementation of the recommendations of the LLRC. I believe that is the best line to take. Why should the UNP defend a Govt. that made so many mistakes since the end of hostilities to deal with this international allegation there and then and NOT drag the country to this state 3 years later, when we have more important matters of state to face. It is simply the govt. that should take all the blame for even the resolution being tabled, and it should not be for them to defend the Govt. for something that could have been avoided. Why the country is called upon to blame this on a western LTTE Diaspora conspiracy when it was expected all this time is beyond me, after the Govt. decided to pretend no crimes were committed?

Tamil National Alliance

They are toeing the Diaspora line, that the Resolution MUST be passed. This is the only way that there MAY be a likelihood of the Sri Lankan Govt. implementing at least some of the very limited recommendations without delay. It is not enough, but at least solace for their suffering. They have been able to persuade Tamil Nadu politicians who in turn have twisted the arm of the Indian Government to support the Resolution, instead of abstaining, as being the only way the Tamils in the North and East may receive some sort of fair treatment, which hitherto has been absent.

The TNA taking this stand has drawn a line in the sand, where the Sinhala people believe that anyone opposing the resolution is unpatriotic. This flies in the face of the TNA and majority Tamils in the North and East who support this alliance. This has polarized the two communities. There is an argument that it in itself is cause for a reopening of the past divisions in the country, whereas the TNA will argue that it is merely protecting the interests of their community and the premise used by the likes of the JHU is wrong, incendiary, without proof and most of all racist.

In Conclusion, I believe the Government of Sri Lanka MUST take full responsibility, along with the principal accused in the case, namely the President and the Defense Secretary who have done immeasurable harm to the country by their intransigence and should be held solely accountable. The Army Commander is receiving his own justice as another who is implicated for different reasons.

Conclusion

Ironically in this Charade of the UNHRC that has been dogged by their singular inability to be effective in reducing Human Rights Violations around the world, the only winner whichever way the vote goes is the Government of President Mahinda Rajapakse.

The losers in either case will be the people of Sri Lanka of all communities who have to undergo tyranny in the face of increasing odds, not assisted no less by the International Community. That is the irony and most of all the tragedy of this wasted effort.

Politics: The great depths to which the Sajith faction is digging its own grave

Yesterday in Bandaragama. 

What on earth members of the Sajith faction, maintaining that Mr Premadasa was to attend a meeting at a senior UNP ex MP’s residence, were planning is anybody’s guess. Ostensibly it was to plan a commemoration for the death anniversaries of both Dudley and DS Senanayake, as that excuse is safe. This lot seem to spend their energy commemorating the dead, instead of giving life to the living a lost cause if ever there was one to pursue.

Anyway the real reason was to discuss the methods by which they could form an alternative opposition to overthrow the Leader of the Opposition, by getting people of the DNF of Sarath Fonseka, the JVP and disaffected UNPers to join them to form a number that would exceed those of the UNP to be the effective opposition as the Leader of the Opposition would be drawn from them, with the largest presence in the Opposition benches in Parliament. They have now determined that constitutionally they will never be able to topple Ranil Wickremasinghe.

Now pause for a moment and imagine they actually were able to pull it off. Then there is no doubt that Sajith would be the leader of the Opposition, and the SF faction would only agree to it if Sarath Fonseka was named the Party leader. One would be living on cloud cuckoo land to think that these two unlikely characters could work together on a common platform, far more difficult than just dealing with intrigue within the UNP. In short these schemers do not realize how ridiculous their actions, suggestions, and plotting is as it will make matters worse. Nevertheless these are acts of frustrated politicians who believe they can beat the system in place overnight, if you heard their rhetoric at that place.

Anyway in comes Ajith Perera after the meeting commenced as his people at the meeting initiated a scuffle inside to try and dissuade them from changing the original theme for which the meeting was held. Ajith being informed by SMS that something was amiss, promptly turned up from a few doors away where he lives. Ajith Perera is the UNP organizer for Bandaragama, where the meeting was and he was not invited!! Ostensibly this was because he was overseas, but he had returned. He was able to intervene and get his people to back off and calm was restored, but not before he was able to impress on this faction that what they were doing was against the constitution of the party and they were all liable to be expelled!

In the meantime Maithri Guneratne, a co-conspirator, as he is now mush in the UNP, was able to ensure that their version of events was promptly given to the press. It was tough for Ajith to get his version to the papers with the same alacrity, but he was able to get it in to a few after much trying as it was near the deadline.

I believe it was only one Newspaper that carried both versions side by side or more correctly one on top of the other!! So that was how the saga was played out. The opposition leader while hearing this just smiled and said this is what I have been saying all along, they are neither suited to run a party, let alone a bunch of garden gnomes. His contempt for Sajith and his blatant anti party stance just grew and said to the people around him, I told you so. “He is just not fit for leadership yet and honestly if he acts like this he could never take over the UNP”.

Then today the joker in the media pack Lal Perera( it is a clear case of the pot calling the kettle black) had the gall to say that Mangala Samaraweera who was virulently anti UNP and Ranil, when he was on the other side, is ruining the party, when Lal Perera when he was on the other side, has said far worse things. However as he Lal is an insignificant person, his sayings are not on record when he was on the other side, where as Mangala as a senior had his words recorded by the media to now be used against him.

In this exercise to fool people into wrong conclusions, Ranil has been steadfastly silent on the matter. This is so as he firmly believes that Sajith and his friends are only digging Sajith’s grave at every step, pointing out that potential statesmen do not sling mud at anyone. His actions of late have been defiant, against all requests of his party to desist from making statements on certain subjects. He has made statements on the LLRC, which is the sole responsibility of the Govt. to answer.

The LLRC that was Govt. appointed, not an all party brief, and sole prerogative of the Govt. so they reported to the Govt. and made recommendations to the Govt. and it is the Govt. that should carry it out and whether or not one agrees with the recommendations or any part of the report, the least one can request is for the Govt. to carry out the recommendations they have already promised to do.

It is with the poor track record of the Govt. ignoring recommendations of commissions they have appointed, that the International Community have raised the issue at the UNHRC, to press them to implement the recommendations without further delay, a very justifiable argument that has been turned on its head.

Opposition Rally, May Day 2012 – A chance for a truly unified nation, finally!

 

The UNP had expressed a desire to show solidarity with the Tamil speaking region of the country, namely Jaffna peninsula, by holding their May Day rally in Jaffna. Initially, they wanted to hold it on their own and wanted to show the people that it is the only party in the Country that represents all the people of Sri Lanka, irrespective of race, religion, caste or income level. They wanted to show that all people under the Elephant symbol wherever they might live is the way to be inclusive as they have shown in all the past elections.

It became apparent to them that they have NO organization in Jaffna at all to assist their supporters who may come to Jaffna for this rally to show solidarity with them in the North. It is going to be an uphill task of breaking out of the TNA stronghold in the that has a vice like grip amongst Northerners, who believe that it is only the TNA who are there for them in the end in the fight against the Sri Lankan Govt.

Due to this inability to garner sufficient support, something I could have told them at the point of them even making a decision, they have now decided to have a joint opposition rally including the TNA and the other minor left wing parties. I personally believe that it is not a good idea, as I am not at all happy with the end rationale of the TNA, first as the political wing of the LTTE until they were crushed and now as the only voice of the Tamils of the North and East.

It must be remembered that the Govt. sponsored EPDP with Douglas Devananda and the paramilitary organization that they run, is responsible for much of the intimidation and the LLRC report in its preliminary findings, implored the Govt. as a first act to disarm these factions, none of which has been carried out to date.

In this backdrop, I believe though the Govt. has been very disingenuous in their statements of intent and resulting actions, showing they have no intention of coming to any  sort of accommodation with the Tamil people, they hold the Media card, when it comes to portraying the UNP as being in alliance with the TNA, which they most certainly are not. This is a morale loser for the UNP rank and file. So I do believe that this rally should either be cancelled or the UNP should go it alone despite the lack of resources to bring a large number of people North, due to the cost. Sajith Premadasa sensing this has already disassociated himself from this rally. To say in public that he is removing himself, means he is actually not working in tandem with the party he is representing, and should go his own way, breaking off from the party. I believe in these public statements if there is no unity, there is but one course of action, which is to expel him from the UNP forthwith.

I digress from the original explanation, but I feel it is important to put in perspective the sole direction that Sajith is adopting at every step to disassociate himself from the party, and therefore it is NOT congruent for him to be part of the team when he is going his own way, showing the public and people of this country that he DOES NOT agree with many of the policy stances of the leadership of which HE IS part. He must face facts, that his continued existence within the party is now not just called into question, but proven to be untenable.

Coming back to the original intention of the UNP which is a very noble one and in keeping with the party’s 65 year history, one has to first organize one’s own party support in the North, as an ALTERNATIVE to the TNA and the govt. will never be able to show them as an alternative, due to the very decisive statements that their coalition partners in the 18 party Alliance continue to make.

How can the Tamil people be convinced that the UNP are honorable in their intentions, to unify the country in ideology from its currently divided state? The ‘Gallery’ which is all the govt. cares about does not realize the extent to which the country is divided today. They are drunk with the rhetoric of the unified state which is only a myth in the imagination of a few people, but brainwashed into the disinformation campaign being carried out. I agree it is a highly favorable political act, but treacherous when it comes to the long term interests of the Nation.

How then can the UNP convince the all the Tamil people in the North and East that it is ONLY the UNP, which can actually improve their rights, quality of life, and ability to live in peace without fear? AND for the UNP to ensure that there will never be ANY chance of the LTTE like force rising from the ashes. The latter which is a distinct possibility if the Govt. continues this path of treachery advocated by a coterie of people including many in the media who, due to the extent of the LTTE butchery do not have an objective view of right and wrong, as well as justice and injustice, because of inbuilt prejudices, they do not realize they carry in their subconscious.

I trust therefore that a positive goal is drawn up to return the UNP to its former glory, by convincing first its rank and file that it is the only and largest party that befriends the interests of the Citizens of Sri Lanka. Then it is incumbent on them to spread the GOSPEL that it is only the UNP which can truly unify the country, something this Govt. will do its utmost by fear mongering to do otherwise. I trust the UNP leadership has the courage to do what is right, and also convince the people of the honesty and integrity of this intention as the ONLY solution.

The new dimension of treachery – One of Righteousness as a tool to hoodwink

Piety in Sri Lanka seems only for show. Rarely are gifts given anonymously. A donation be it publicly shown or anonymously given is still one of great merit, especially if this can enhance the quality of life of another living being. In my opinion it is more meritorious if it does not involve any show. After all if one believes in a supreme being it is he only who needs to know what you do, how you live and what you think and your reasons for helping one less fortunate. So no show is needed.

In politics, there is a need to be seen DONATING. Often it is for personal publicity. We see individuals who make it a habit to have each donation publicized in the press so many people can see. One such person is today apparently under investigation, as to the sources of his donations, to ascertain if there is some illicit source or unsavory one that is providing the funds. The state maintains that all such giving even if they are charitable, the sources of the funds must be disclosed, and to whom they are distributed. This giver has vehemently refused to provide accounts, saying that he receives funds from private well wishers and he distributes the self same funds to those we see in the papers, nothing more nothing less!!

Whilst that may be true, when a person in the public eye does this, transparency is called for even though the Govt. which is demanding this, is in an even worse situation and uses ill gotten gains, such as wholesale daylight robbery to give the proverbial 10% of illicit earnings as donations, to salve their conscience.

Such is the nature of giving and receiving, and I would hazard a guess that a lot of money that is given to temples in Sri Lanka are ill gotten gains, looking for some merit in the afterlife! And not really some earned income that is given for charitable purposes. I am not sufficiently well versed in philosophy to define this type of giving, though I will not fault the recipients for taking the funds, as they are none the wiser in knowing the sources of these funds, especially when they are given by highly influential people and some who are very wealthy.

We have a huge governance issue, as I have heard that LTTE funds have now been purloined by some Govt. highups and not handed over to the state as they should. Some of this money is finding its way to temples. Just imagine, extortion money from Diaspora, helping to build a Chaithya in some temple. My blood curdles at the thought. Anyway this is the result of our society failing to question, and taking at face value, that many people who are crooks get respect in our society as they are seen to be giving large sums to worthy causes. This happens the world over too

We are all fools! Let us hope not for too long

Whilst the country has been enraptured in Mahinda Rajapakse mania, where we just accept as deserving every new project building or even stadium named after the man there has been one lone voice which has been shouted out of existence for all manner of ills. It is no other than of Ranil Wickremasinghe, the villain, who everyone it seems loves to hate, and even those who admire him refuse to take the podium for fear of being hounded out.

Now everything that Ranil has said patiently for years has come true. He said it then and he says it now, that Mahinda a charlatan, under the disguise of patriotism, has been anything but, and like the proverbial pied piper is leading all the followers to ruin and destruction, because we have been completely blinded to the fraud that is being perpetrated at such a high level and with such high stakes, that no one dare even rationalize the extent of the fraud, by simply using the expletive, “Can’t be!”.

Ranil to his credit has not gone down to the level of just trying to defend himself from accusations. He has merely kept on to the message, to be careful, wary and not to trust what is being said, as the reality is very different from the make believe that in fact has now been proved to be the big con! He has merely pointed out the impossibility using all rational reasoning on all the claims that have been made by this administration especially with regard to the positives in the economy and who should claim credit for them.

If one goes back 40 years to the dark days of the 1970s when both Mahinda and Ranil were drinking in the same clubs and keeping the same company, when there were queues for every conceivable thing, only the lucky few who could indulge in some fun as they were the privileged, Ranil got to know Mahinda well. What was most apparent was his need then as much as it has become overbearing now, the craving to be accepted by all and acceptable to the right society. In short he was a snob, who wanted a status higher than that which he was born into.

Not to look down on people just because of their particular position, but even in the Rajapakse clan they were the lower order, as Nirupama Rajapakse’s grandfather was the real Rajapakse that people knew and not lowly DA. Just like that, Mahinda had a chip on his shoulder for not being of more noble birth, something Ranil had no reason to pretend or fear. In this same vein, where they rented Carlton from a relative, the Wickremasuriyas, and NOT own it even today, it is claimed as some sort of family seat. They may actually be living rent free as the owners are reluctant to demand a rent from the first family. Just come clean.