What kind of Court in the PSC? – it has not produced one iota of evidence

In the CJ impeachment process, there have been 117 MPsign a motion they have not seen. The order paper in Parliament yesterday, 4^th December 2012, contained the 14 charges that led to the impeachment motion, and the setting up of the PSC, but there has been NO evidence from the PSC to these charges or corroborating these charges.

All that the lawyers representing the CJ can do is refute the charges with whatever evidence they can summon. Isn’t it the duty of the PSC which has been appointed, to ask for evidence from the accusers? (including 7 MPs in the PSC)

Now who are the accusers, the PSC or the 117 MPs to the motion? If it is the 117 MPs then the least they should do is present the evidence that they have to corroborate these charges. In a normal court one can sue for defamation of character if these charges cannot be proved or unfounded. Is the latter the case?  and therefore it will be merely a Kangaroo Court, which will not hear any evidence to back the charges, and only consider one side, namely the reasons given by the accused to defend herself from the myriad of charges.

What kind of mess have we got ourselves into? When a PSC is not a court and tries to act like one, and does not understand its true remit, we the general public are left wanting to know if all this is a witch hunt to hound our of office by fair means or foul, anyone this administration from time to time decides to dislike for whatever reason if any!!!

It is time that this whole mess is removed. There is only one option open to the Government. Namely to withdraw the motion on the grounds of insufficient evidence and let bygones be bygones.

We are then faced with face saving ways to do it as the parties to the impeachment do not wish to look like fools at home, however idiotic they may seem to anyone outside these shores, as that is a foregone conclusion.

It is time for us to move on to more important areas. We have been purposely misled by unnecessary distractions, and have taken our focus away from the important areas of the Government’s own misbehavior on account of its day to functions with regard to managing this economy and ensuring the best value for money for its citizens.

Has our democracy been sold for a “bath packet and arakku kala?”

Yes that was what happened yesterday, December 4^th, when “kana mile” the Mayor of Peliyagoda, shipped in a bunch of people with the above promise to hold placards at the Parliament square with banners and placards saying “lajjai” which means ‘shameful’ for the arrival of the Chief Justice for the second time to Parliament to be present at the impeachment proceedings against her by the Parliamentary Select Committee appointed to investigate the motion.

It is shameful these people shipped in buses to demonstrate on a subject they have no clue as they are generally people with little to do and easily swayed by the promise of some goodies to do the beckoning on behalf of someone else. If I told them that in effect they were supporting the Govt. they would say no! That is the extent of the eye wash created for the Media.

It was correct of the Leader of the Opposition to ask the Speaker, why this was going on when there should be no threats against anyone in a hearing of the PSC in Parliament and this action usurped the sovereignty of Parliament.

Further it is obvious when the petitioners are themselves the ones hearing the case against the CJ, that there is a miscarriage of justice and that it should be open to independent observers like the BASL or an overseas UN Legal Group to see if ANY judicial ruling can take place in such a biased arena and if there is any presumption of lack of prejudice on the part of the quasi court!

The principles of Natural Justice not being accorded the CJ is an insult to Sri Lanka if we maintain that we have a democracy that the overall sovereignty of the people has been enshrined in the Constitution by the separation of the Legislature and the Judiciary, and both from the Executive!

It is also unseemly for a President to force the issue, especially as he was implicated in the Helping Hambantota scandal of purloining Tsunami funds for personal use. We now know his guilt was admitted by the then CJ as a mistake in his 2004 ruling. Had he ruled then as he says he should have, the President being a convicted criminal would not have been permitted to contest the election.

Bearing all this in mind, the order paper yesterday (available in www.parliament.lk) in Parliament again was the list of the 14 point impeachment motion with the list of MPs signing it, just for good measure!

Wimal sees ‘GOOD’ in public service employment rising from 800K in 2004 to 1,400K now!!

We are the only country on the face of the Earth where its Cabinet Ministers pat themselves in the back for increasing Public Service Employment. In this case since the Govt. took over from the Ranil Wickremasinghe Govt in 2004, they have increased the non forces, public service carder from 800K which RW had reduced it to, to balance the budget, reduce inflation and manage Balance of Payments, to 1,400K now, when the budget deficit is over Rs1Trillion, Balance of Payments deficit for 2012 at US$10B and inflation back to double digits.

Is there anyone who reads this blog who can approve of this state of affairs? Isn’t it then surprising that we do not have even one member of Govt. being critical? (except for Sarath Amunugama – deputy minister of finance – who said we may have to print money to plug the gap!) is it due to the lack of knowledge of MPs in govt. about what is going on, or is it out of fear of a backlash if they point to the colossal waste, which could be more productively deployed to a ‘human resource starved’ private sector?

Just last week the Wimal who is open to making the most ridiculous statements, that are just swallowed by a fawning if illiterate electorate, made the statement I refer to at the heading, when appointing Govt. servants to permanent grade. This was from the temporary appointments given to Graduates throughout the country (52,000) who were paid a stipend of Rs10,000 a month to warm chairs, who now are being hived off to different ministries as permanent staff at a certain grade. 16,000 are being allocated to the Ministry of Economic Development to distribute the largesse of Divi Neguma estimated at Rs 80B for 2013, but which could be more depending on funds allocated, borrowed and misspent.

We have consigned our citizens into believing “GOOD IS BAD AND BAD IS GOOD” so it will be a huge task for them to re-learn right from wrong and good from bad, a necessary first step before people understand what has happened to them, the country and the state of their finances since this administration took control over matters.

Let’s bring to light instances of rape of national assets, even if it includes waste of time, & procrastination, a hallmark of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service, that is holding back development without responsibility.

Divi Neguma Bill is yet another attempt to dip into the kitty

The Divi Neguma Bill, which will be up for a ‘one day debate’ in Parliament on January 8^th 2013 is a direct means of another huge expense, possibly amounting to in excess of Rs80B per annum, to be controlled, and therefore (due to the lack of governance) can be pick pocketed by the Minister in charge, I believe falling within the Minister of Economic Development.

This was the Bill which the Chief Justice and her court determined, required assent by the Provincial Councils before being presented in Parliament. This therefore is the reason and only reason the CJ is being impeached on a load of spurious charges, because it piqued the govt. that they were not able to steam roller another act. A vicious act of revenge!

The Tragedy of this whole thing is that this is yet another means at spending money the Country CANNOT afford on spurious development that DO NOT yield results. The whole Divi Neguma concept is flawed, but the Govt. has done an incredible PR job to convince people that it has merits. An electorate used to obtaining free items, including headaches, sees this as a bounty for them getting something free.

It is BAD economics to give something free. Worse still in Sri Lanka as the products delivered to be distributed free, are themselves shoddily produced, even if it is a seedling, with cheap quality input raw material.

These items distributed at huge expense to the Public Purse have incurred commissions, kick backs and fraud including the cut of Mr 30%, before the people see one grain of it. This colossal waste of public funding on a hoodwinking harebrained scheme in the guise of another extravagant Divi Neguma Bill, for which a further 16,000 unqualified graduates have just been appointed is cause for further soul searching of a bankrupt administration’s final rites, in emptying the exchequer and indulging in a Houdini disappearing act before they can be caught and lynched.

When will the people of Sri Lanka learn that it is they who must decide how their money is spent and not a cult of double crossing mischief makers in the guise of people’s representatives? It is better to be forewarned and forearmed, rather than come across a country that has been denuded of its wealth, with little else left to mortgage and forever consign its citizens to perpetual serfdom of their new lords and paymasters.  

Rs 750M for ads on 17th 18th and 19th November – that can’t be!

If you happen to live in Sri Lanka and was your fault for receiving every Newpaper published on the above dates, one would have counted, 400 full page equivalents in advertising, of which 35% had a full page of HE the President. They were celebrating either the President’s 66^th birthday which fell on the 18^th or the beginning of the third year of his Presidency’s second term. I believe it is unprecedented in the annals of international sycophancy, and for that I am sure one sycophant may have applied to the Guinness Record Keepers to establish a new world record for such.

In addition to the advertising, which I am sure was a minor bonanza for the Newspaper industry, there were pages of editorial which I believe one would refer to more as advertorials written by each ministry pointing to the apparent successes during his administration. Each when viewed critically could just as likely to be a failure, but the point of reference to a reader of limited ability is not there, to glean such minutiae.

Nevertheless the level of businesses, which should steer clear of politics, that indulged in this sycophancy was a clear indication of the fear through which they operate, as without it they could suffer retribution or not get the largess. So the safer and most cost effective means was to join the sycophant rabble and be placed amongst them.

One has to see what I mean, ad supplements in some papers ran to two sections with each section having 40 pages! How much can one say about an administration, let alone a man? Well it is to the fact that he has 100+ ministers all vying for favors and treated like dirt, who want to prostrate on the floor for fear of losing their prostituted privileges, that add to this.

This media exercise was begun last time and now they appear to take it to another level of intensity, and one would wonder how desperate these people will be to hold on to their positions of favor a year from now! It does not appear that people learn from such action. They lose track of a sense of themselves, and also what they then become if they have to resort to such extravagances of mainly the Public’s Money to engage in this waste.

It is to the credit of a few who will not sell their souls, whilst being in Govt. who MR would not dare fire, that keeps his administration currently afloat. When or if they drop from their roles, I pity all those remaining buffoons.

6 more years – in theory only

The UNP Leader stamped his authority in no uncertain terms on the proceedings at their 54^th Convention on 1^st December 2012, at the Party’s Headquarters at Sirikotha.

In an unusual turn of events, everything happened before time and even the proceedings finished well before time, if not for the insistence of Ravi Karunanayake who had brought his cheering squad, and wanted to give them something more to applaud. In fact I personally feel that if he had not made his speech, which really was an afterthought, even though during the sessions he was continually making notes of what to say, it would have been better for his image and that of the party. He sounded like sour grapes, after the roaring applause that Sajith Premadasa, who rose to the occasion and delivered a request that the next Presidential be contested by no other than the Leader of the Party and if that happens to be Ranil, it should be RW and if it happens to be him, it should be him and him alone! No ifs and buts!

So that settled, SP’s constant referrals to him being the son of R Premadasa gave him no favors, as it implied that he was there only due to that fact alone, and not for any special particular ability on his part, apart from oratory, a stark contrast to RW’s pedigree, matched with a stellar record, except in elections, stacked against a Rajapakse. It was this referral to being the ‘son of’ that irked, RK who was clear to say he was not a son of anyone, but there on his own merits, having also been at over 300 rallies, to Sajith’s 200 odd. Instead of allowing SP to stand or fall on his own record, RW tried to undermine it only to sound ungrateful, spiteful, and ended a classic victory for RW with an unnecessary sour aftertaste that he will pay for.

The magnitude of the victory for RW on both his radical plan, and the 6 year extension of his term, was added to by SPs vehement third issue, that RW has received the endorsement from the UNP that it should be him, under the Elephant symbol that UNP should contest the Presidential Election, if he remains the leader at that time.

A week is a long time in politics. I do not believe RW will hold on for 6 years, if he loses the next Presidential Election, for which he is now the undisputed contestant. His minders will have to make a sincere effort of showing the people the difference between an outward showoff of no inner merit, with one who is both the same inside and out. He is certainly too modest to do so, as compared with MR. You get what you pay for or pay for what you get!! There are no surprises.

Think about it! But for the Rajapakse’s we would be the Miracle now

When history books are written and the legacy of the Administration critically analyzed, the belief of many in this Govt. will be proved to be clutching air only. Without a peace dividend we have achieved hot air!

Every proclamation is one of what they wish, not what they can, and not what they do! There is a huge gap in this.

If one were merely to look at the time of the Mahinda Rajapakse rule now approximating to 8 years, Sri Lanka has received a dividend in excess of US$50Billion from remittances of our disenfranchised patriots overseas. Even during Chandrika’s 12 year rule we only received US$10B in total. It was only a trickle during the JR and Premadasa administration. In 2013 it is expected to top the US$10B for the first time. None of the Government’s in power contributed anything towards this, except charge for passports and fees from them for the Bureau of Foreign Employment.

How have we spent the foreign currency received from it? We have simply wasted it. During the time of the hostilities all the weapons we imported that we had to pay for we paid out of those dollars. Under another administration, instead of having to buy overpriced arms from brokers and middlemen in Sri Lanka who made huge commissions, we could have purchased these weapons from Governments under concessionary terms, especially from the US which gave us all the satellite, laser guided and high tec support and Israel with the UAV drones. I know for a fact that the Peace Dividend would have included the write off of the cost of these.

If we left this to the Private Sector to manage, have a floating exchange rate, the amount of rupees the workers families received would have been much more, and this money would have circulated within our economy to provide all the employment and business opportunities to our most entrepreneurial workforce, namely those who have ventured and taken the risk of overseas employment, and their families, “the new Entrepreneurs” The use of Domestic Savings for investment, not requiring huge overseas loans at high interest rates, would have left this country with much less debt, and with an industrial and production base greater than what we have today.

We would primarily have imported intermediate goods and built a few successful industries that would have further contributed to Exports.

Instead what have we got? Our Export Sector is decimated. 5 Large Groups control 80% of the Garment Exports. Namely, Brandix, MAS, Hirdaramani. A few large conglomerates have performed well, more out of their abilities and despite, I should say, paying obeiscense to the Govt.

The fuel import bill has ballooned by the increase in number of vehicles, that cost much of this foreign exchange that was earned, followed by imports of consumer goods. The MR Govt. is to be blamed for this. Giving duty free permits, allowing 1% to get extremely rich from the people’s money, importing luxury vehicles of NO productive use, adds to an endless list.

Investment in public transport, by improving the commuter times was the need of the hour, with Colombo being a priority. We could have then made people, usually well educated workers more productive by them not having to commute in vans and motorbikes for hours to work. The original concept of JR to build the Capitol and all Govt. functions in a hub around Kotte, is still a long way away. Where are the high speed links for people to get there in 30 minutes max?

Improvements to the road network while visible, has been at a huge cost. All what we see today, using better quality materials could have been provided at half the cost. If proper procedures and tenders were carried out, without allowing local PS Chairman to divide it amongst themselves and their friends at huge cost to the public, purely for MRs political longevity.

The slaughter of the Forests, by tree felling, the reversal of water flow direction of rivers and widening by sand mining, the loss of springs and natural water aquifers by blasting all rock in sight, the cutting of mountains to refill paddy fields are just a few of the irreversibly destructive acts of this administration and a price that is unfathomable.

All the white elephants have only added to this waste, as items of more priority should have taken precedence. I need not go into the list of Mattala, of Hambantota Port and roads and buildings in that District that still remain empty while the income of their citizens of that District remain as low.

We could instead have a class of 2,000,000 small entrepreneurs running their businesses all over the country, knowing what waste means, not having to pay protection money to anyone, producing everything including our food. Most of all we would not have this list of hundreds of thousands of underemployed people waiting for that unproductive and elusive Government Job, a curse further perpetuated by the MR Administration to keep people obliged to them, when in fact it is draining the economy of productive people who are needed in Industry and Commerce for productive use.

Now who can challenge this pretty basic analysis.