Oh how easy it is to be fooled by the Press!!! The fake kidnapping

This is yet another case of the media in Sri Lanka being misled by known fraudsters. As is the case in Sri Lanka and as evidenced by how much air time is given to Maithri Guneratne, people can make any accusation and the media reports it as truth. It is all fiction and the figment of a fertile imagination.

The latest is the reports in all media that Anura Lokuhetty, who is embroiled in a management and ownership dispute over Serene Pavilions, the boutique hotel in Wadduwa, has informed the police that he has been kidnapped and dumped in Bandaragama!

The reality was that he was illegally occupying a room at the hotel, when he was forbidden from being there, and when a director came with some of his people to inform the hotel staff, that Citrus Leisure was now running the hotel, he had got into a heated argument, and was asked to vacate the place. So in order to implicate all those who came to throw him out, he faked the kidnap and ratted on the people who came, naming them as those responsible for the kidnapping and dumping.

Once the truth comes out after the police enquiry, where 9 people have been taken into custody pending investigation, then it will no longer be news, and NO newspaper will want to report that they lied to the people based on the accusations of a known liar.

It is understood that he was thrown out of the golf club for falsifying some card, and then had problems at both his previous employments, both at the then Confifi Group and later at the Galle Face Group where he held senior positions and parlayed that into the Serene job, by hoodwinking the main investor Clive Leach from the UK to give him free shares, and then we know what happened to Leach!

He again tried to illegally take control of Serene which resulted in the current saga that has raged for the past month in both the Sinhala and English media where he has been able to use his duping skills to good effect to speak with reporters, who it seems do not have an ounce of grey matter, to investigate the reason this person is making these far flung allegations.

I would caution the readers of any news item, or article, to read it with skepticism, as nine times of ten it is a trumped up news item for the purposes of the readers delight. Let us call our reporters fiction and figments of their own imagination.    

It is clear that the Jathika Pawra is headed into the Democratic Party

The charade put on by the ex-members of the UNP Maithri Guneratne and Shiral Laktilleke to gather troops at Devundera and march to Colombo was an abject failure on the part of the publicity given it by Mawbima and Sirasa, as barely 150 turned up. However Mangala Samaraweera got caught in the web of intrigue with disastrous consequences for the UNP.

It was clearly an act further denigrating the UNP that the aforesaid individuals and their henchmen are engaged in, as they know very well that they will never get nominations from that party. So why did they engage in it.

It is clear that in their act of denigrating the leader of the UNP, the knock on benefit will accrue to Sarath Fonseka’s Democratic Party from which they will inevitably have to seek their candidacy and of course be elected.

Whilst it is very wrong of Sirasa to give a person the mike, as they continue to give Maithri and his cohorts daily, as all they are engaged in doing is making accusations against dedicated UNPers who are committed to overthrowing the Govt. and wish to see a better Sri Lanka. In the guise of trying to rid the UNP of its leader, they are actually doing nothing for the credibility of Ranil, but everything to further damage the UNP.

Whilst it is definitely the Government that is benefiting from all the actions of both Maithri and Sirasa, it is not incorrect if we assume they are on a Govt. contract except for the unholy alliance of Maharajah Group and Ceylon Newspapers pursuing a dual agenda, by helping both the Govt. and the Democratic Party to completely destroy the UNP merely out of a grudgefest and not out of any love for the country.

The fact that Mangala and by extension Ranil fell for this trap last weekend is very sad, as they should have ignored this threat and it would have gone away.

Mangala making silly accusations that Maithri’s father was a Presidential Advisor further helped Maithri’s and Herman Guneratne’s cause more than the UNP. The ill advised campaign of getting UNP members to come to Matara backfired terribly, as Maithri is using his chance to name and shame everyone who came to Matara, all staunch party men to protect the party, but have no way of defending themselves from Sirasa and Mawbima accusations that border on the libelous but in fact is difficult in a court of law to get to stick.

In a country where the electorate is fooled by the people who are allowed TV time, as people are now lazy even to read an analytical paper, showing both sides of the debate and leaving it to the reader to make up his or her mind, the perception is more important that reality. The damage that the perception does is irreversible.

The influence of the electronic, and mainly TV in Sri Lanka today, means that both the State channels constantly blaring propaganda and misinformation, and now Sirasa doing the same, is making it even more difficult for the principle opposition to raise its head and show they mean business.

The people within the UNP appear to put themselves over party and have created a public perception that there is NO ONE who has the country’s interests at heart. We know that the Govt. does not, only in rhetoric. We believe that the JVP make the most sense, but have lost all electoral credibility as they continue to pursue a wholly impractical agenda, that has distanced the electorate giving Sarath Fonseka and his party the middle ground despite their lack of a plan policy or purpose.

The level of personal attack permitted by Sirasa and seized by Maithri Guneratne is beyond the pale. However there are no media ethics in Sri Lanka and people do not appear to be able to judge between believing fair and balanced coverage from overtly biased, leaving it to the mudslingers to rule the day.

In any country where justice prevails Maithri Guneratne would be jailed and everything he owns taken from him, as he is allowed to crucify people without impunity. A Nobody trying to be somebody has been allowed to get away with murder. It is the system stupid that is rotten to the core for allowing such. It has nothing to do with free speech, or independence of the Media, it is simply a gunfight at the OK corral with no law to enforce.

As with all things, what goes around comes around and the perpetrators of this dastardly act will one day pay for their sins, but until that time, the people of Sri Lanka are held hostage by the egos of a few traitors and their ambition.

All those who care about Sri Lanka owe it to their fellow citizens to point out what is wrong in our daily lives, and try to correct the wrongs. The people of Sri Lanka must attempt to decipher truth from fiction, instead of being lead like cows to slaughter, as after they have been slaughtered there is no point finding blame. Let us blame and shame those who continue to work for their personal gratification, and point out what policies are required to get our country back to a firmer foundation where all who live in it can share in the wealth of the nation.    

The answer if not Ranil, is definitely not Sajith – a wholely misleading message!

 The FT today, (10^th October 2013) correctly analyzed why Sajith is not suitable to lead the UNP. It was an extremely fair and unbiased article which needs some enumeration.

http://www.ft.lk/2013/10/10/a-pivotal-moment/

If one goes back to the Matara incident, it was both irresponsible for a small team, the leaders who are no longer members of the UNP, to even attempt a march to Colombo, to overthrow the Leader of the UNP, and it was an undisguised show that Sajith was behind it from the beginning. After all the Media that appears to determine public opinion, was used by two small players, namely the Ceylon Today Group of Tiran Alles in conjunction with Killi Maharajah's Sirasa group which gave intense publicity to this, and resulted in fewer than 150 demonstrators from Devundera. They simply give voice to "Sajith for leader" campaign, trying to influence public opinion.

Having said that it was just as reprehensible for Mangala (with tacit approval from Ranil Wickremasighe) to gather their troops in Matara, which was clearly inciteful, and wholely unnecessary considering the expected turnout for the anti Ranil demo.

The inevitable clash took place and the rest is history, and in my opinion did a lot of damage to the UNP, which both parties MUST shoulder blame for.

So to come back to the point in this essay, it is clear that Sajith is unable to be up front about his intentions, except of course clearly enunciate in the aforesaid publications that he is ready for the mantle of leadership and want to take it.

If that is the case why fight shy of making decisions pertaining to his and his party’s future at the WC meeting on Monday, and thereafter, when he was asked to attend the meeting of the new governing council or what name it will in future be known as! The frustration of the UNP was clear, when it announced that they cannot wait for the date of Sajith participation before meeting to decide on the party’s direction and were ready to start without him.

Sajith’s handlers are clearly handling him, and not himself. This is clearly an act unbecoming of a leader who must weighing all the pros and cons decide to act decisively. The UNP needs a person who is not just decisive but also seen to be decisive, and neither of which tag can be pinned on Mr Sajith Premadasa MP. So I would ask his supporters if they honestly believe their man has what it takes!!

Is it more exasperating being a reporter in Sri Lanka or a reader of Newspapers?

With record number of journalists who have left these shores due to threats to themselves and their families, who are we left with?

A journalist is someone in Sri Lanka who depends on his measly income to survive and fend for his family. He cannot afford even to forego one month’s salary let alone counter the threat of dismissal. They therefore write safely, so as not to offend anyone in power who are able to make their lives difficult for them.

Simply put, the news we read, especially as regards to the wholesale destruction of Sri Lanka as a country, by many who have been elected to run it, and therefore exert undue authority, is not reported on. Further there is simply NO analysis of what is said by politicians, even if it obviously a downright lie.

I reported in the past few blog entries of lies attributed to the Health Minister, Maithripala Sirisena, who I was shocked would make such ridiculous allegations. However NO journalist dared question, the feasibility of accuracy of the statement attributed to him. No one dare do that! Or is it sheer ignorance of our journalists, who just choose to parrot what is said with NO inkling that their job also entails a degree of objectivity and believability. Are we all a nation of Morons, where a few astute liars are able to fib their way around, to such a degree that the people believe the lies and therefore elect them to high office.

We then are fools for electing people who are pathological liars to the highest office of the land, and many would say we deserve what we got due to our own ignorance and incompetence as human beings.

I have always maintained in this blog that people should read what I say with skepticism and make up their own minds, instead of believing what I write. It is so that people can evaluate if they are sufficiently educated to think, and then take what is most likely and drop what is assumed as a figment of a fertile mind!

The issue first is to determine if our journalists are truly not worthy of that title, or if they are intelligent and know the facts and reality, but are afraid to report what they believe because they are likely to fall foul of someone even their prejudiced boss, and lose their jobs. We are then best left with NOT believing anything we read. We can then begin to understand what might be the likely truth and act on that rather than at face value of the news item! God bless the reader who thinks.

The Minister of Health, Mr. Sirisena – Hero or Traitor – you decide!!

In my blog yesterday, I pointed out the sheer hypocrisy of a man entrusted with portfolio of health, who uses every moment of limelight to sing his praises, as if to hide a multitude of personal failings. Page 3 of today’s (Sept 26^th 2013) ADA Newspaper, www.ada.lk corroborates the report yesterday, but with an even more fanciful statement that 15 generations could live in a first world country on account of the money he was offered. Somehow one doubts his knowledge on that score despite his numerous trips overseas, having been underwritten by the GOSL, and therefore free for him. So he thinks a free bribe means just that, free to do anything for life!! Pity the country for such leaders.

 http://pattapalboru.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-lies-get-ever-more-fanciful-and.html 

Today we see corroboration of the statements I made independent of any knowledge of the link in advance and justifies quite clearly my point of view.

http://www.ft.lk/2013/09/26/maithripalas-outburst-shocks-sri-lanka-inc-ctc-denies/

For Sri Lanka as a nation to have Cabinet Ministers, and General Secretary of the SLFP to boot behaving in such personal glorification, and downright lying, when it affects Sri Lanka’s image all over the world, which will put off any foreign investor who does not wish to be associated with a country where their leaders continue to lie, as they know their voter base believe in such lies, so as to credit them with sainthood in my book is traitorous and should be punished.

Every Health Minister in every country on the face of the Earth MUST BE conscious about the Health of their Nation and do something to improve the health. That does not garner person holding such office any more plaudits. So to make political capital of him doing his job (the example here being enacting legislation or procedures within the law, so as to have illustrations of packets of cigarettes with photos of the consequences of cigarette smoking is a normal part of his job, and in most developed countries these are already in place. So why not in Sri Lanka?

Taking credit and making statements that he would lay his life down for this is just play acting and playing to the gallery, which is reprehensible and should be scorned, as it put into disrepute the honorable intentions of a person doing his job.

It is time that the Media grow up, and call to task, in the interests of the Nation, the apparent conflict between their responsibility to report the news, to point out to the reader the inconsistencies of statements, and the detrimental effect such statements could result for the nation as a whole. They must put Country before ‘Individuals’ so that in future, people will not take the ‘spinelessness’ of the media for granted to make outrageous statements for personal advancement at the expense of the best interests of the Country. 

Secretary to Ministry of Law and Order and IGP – Time a few examples of clearing the inner rot are made if the following are to be prevented

The following story beats the cake, and I am sure the whole story as usual has not been given to the reader. In short the Police from the Padukka Police Station barged into a private party of a person leaving for an overseas job the following day, and beat the man senseless, and is now hospitalized in Homagama Base Hospital.

http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=88784

What on earth are the Police doing there unless they have a warrant for a search which they clearly did not have. So to trespass a private party in the first place is illegal, and added to that a whole series of criminal acts were perpetrated. I don’t know if the Police Officers were inebriated, but that is not the point.

The Police have a job to protect the citizens from criminals who break the law. Simply put they must enforce the law fairly and justly so that the Citizens of Mother Lanka are protected from criminals. What happens when the Police become the criminals? Who is there to protect the innocents?

In answering those questions, one is clear that there is a serious breakdown in law and order and it is the Police who are behind this in MANY cases, and NOT a few that is attributed to the Police by the senior  Police Officers who are either ignorant or choose to be blind!

One cannot stress enough the importance of the police to be law abiding, and to be seen to be law abiding too. They must resist the pressures put upon them by unsavory political goons who threaten them with transfers and more heinous pitfalls if they do not do as they say. It is time that the Political Goons, of which there are many in the Island, are also shown the door, so they do not try to establish as practice this completely abhorrent behavior.

I am sure this news item will just die with this story, with NO follow up. We must find what happened to the violators, and if they were booked, prosecuted to the full extent of the law and if found guilty receive adequate punishment, so that it is a deterrent. Additionally, it would be appropriate for the OIC Padukka to be reprimanded, transferred and found wanting, as he cannot control his staff, who should have been able to behave in a more salutary manner, and not engage in beating innocent civilians to pulp for self gratification. Watch this space!!  

The lies get ever more fanciful – and people continue to believe!!!! READ ON

The saga of lies and our reporters” propensity to give it credence continues to exasperate me in trying to get our media first and then the reading public second into making up their minds whether there is even a remote chance of a fanciful figment of an imagination having even one iota or truth or the possibility thereof!

The latest in a daily litany of lies was the one reported in today’s Island see attached link of the Health Minister being offered a bribe that could maintain 14 generations of his family in a first world country.

http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=88775

Tobacco Companies, and in this case there is only one, namely Ceylon Tobacco that gives the Govt. a Billion rupees a week in taxes, will never in their right minds even offer such a bribe, though they will lobby, and use their legal means to prevent a reduction in their overall profitability.

Any idiot (except of course the Minister ) will realize that even if a bribe was so offered, and Sirisena went away to live a life of luxury, there will be the next minister who will want the same thing and so on. Bribing a Minister is not the way they do their business. Why are you behaving like a village idiot in your own village at the speech given at the Royal College in Polonnaruwa!

They spend millions in efforts at preventing the likes of the pictures on packaging to deter smokers, but that is inevitable soon, and no amount of bribing the aforesaid minister is going to change that. Legal action will delay it though!

So why does this person have to lie like this? Well guess? It is just so that he can fool the gallery into believing he is a pious man. For a family that has been desecrating Polonnaruwa of all its resources for well nigh a generation that is a bit rich for him to buy his way into the next life. We who truly believe it is real living and giving and behavior that determine where one ends up, the rest as they say is just politicking to the masses so that they can have an extension of their already expired political life of crime.

How much can we plead with the masses to understand the intentions of these bombasts and see every word that is uttered for what it truly is? Only then will people of average intelligence use their God given intelligence to assess what is said as being fanciful, and just run them out of town, as that is the only just and righteous act of people who wish to preserve their environment from marauders!!