Ajit Randeniya

According to Sri Lankan media, K.K. Theventhra Rajh, an Astro-Consultant from Chennai (take that for an impressive job title!) has predicted that Ranil Wickremesinghe will be ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-a failure at any timeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ due to Saturn and Mercury ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”DasasƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ that will be governing his horoscope until 25 August 2036.

The good Astro-Consultant has also predicted that Mangala SamaraweeraƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s fate would be similar to that of Anura Bandaranaike due to similar ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”NakshatraƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.

Now, as a person who wouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t know a horoscope from a periscope, this writer would like to assert that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I could have predicted that tooƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚! ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This prediction is based on Ranil WickremesingheƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s recent policy pronouncements rather than any planetary positions!

In ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”neither confirming nor denyingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ whether General (Retd.) Fonseka would be the common candidate of the ragtag United National Front (UNF) Wickremesinghe seems to be dressing up his strategy of self-preservation as campaign strategy. His attempt to buy time on accepting Fonseka might well backfire due to conviction among sections of the UNP that President Rajapakse will have ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”no contestƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ if Ranil becomes the challenger.

Such concerns and advice have always failed to dampen RanilƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s greed for power. He seems to be intent on ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”keeping onƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, as indicated by the launch of the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”campaignƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ last week, without much fanfare and ahead of the anticipated election announcement by President Rajapakse today.

Through his election manifesto, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Anagatha AbhiyogayaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, (The future challenge), Ranil Wickremesinghe promises key answers to future challenges faced by Sri Lanka. They include: a) a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”25-yearƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ policy plan; b) creating a clean political system; and c) going back to an executive headed by Prime Minister and making presidency a ceremonial position. These ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”policiesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ are built on principles of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Bahujan Hithaya, Bahujan SukhayaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, (which incidentally is the motto of All India Radio)!

He has garnished his manifesto with pronouncements such as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-the need to end the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Rajapakse family ruleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and restore democracy through the election of a people-friendly governmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-what the country needs is a system that provides for the future of its citizens and not for the future of politicians onlyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

The apparent campaign ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”strategyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and the content of the manifesto certainly remove any doubts anyone would have had about what an imbecile Ranil Wickremesinghe really is!

The length of his ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”policy planƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of 25 years, apparently based on the rationale that Sri Lanka needs a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”firmƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ national policy which should remain unchanged under governments of all persuasions! This policy is simply ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ridiculousƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ on two counts. Firstly, he has obviously failed to appreciate that the very essence of democracy (other than the ritual of periodic ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”electionsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ he is hopelessly caught up in!) is based on different political parties offering different policy agendas as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”paths to prosperityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, and the winning parties pursuing their respective policies at peoplesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ behest. This avowed guardian of democracy appears to be proposing that his sort of policies Sri Lanka has been trying since independence should be made obligatory irrespective of the party that wins the elections on the basis of its own policy offer!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Secondly, Ranil Wickremesinghe seems to think that the particular government in power is the only variable that will determine the pace of economic progress of Sri Lanka. As a stooge of the so-called ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”international communityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (of Zionist money bags), he should be the first to know that there is the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”realƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ possibility of many economic and other shocks that will afflict a developing country such as Sri Lanka over a lengthy span of 25 years. Best laid plans will have to change under such conditions, as per the dictates of the IMF and World Bank, the instruments of the Bretton woods conspiracy.

A 25 year economic plan is simply a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”no-goƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.

Then he promises a change of the furniture in terms of abolishing the presidency and reverting back to a system headed by a Prime Minister. He has forgotten to tell the people of Sri Lanka as to how this is going to make their lives better. This cynical move is motivated simply by the realisation that he will never be able to win the position of president and his only remaining chance would be to ride the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”block voteƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of the UNP to power, as party leader. He has made this motive obvious by the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”conditionsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ he imposed on Sarath Fonseka. This strategy will fail.

Then his dishonestly sanctimonious remark on ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-the need to end the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Rajapakse family ruleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and restore democracyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. Does Ranil Wickremesinghe really expect the Sri Lankan people to believe that a man whose entry in politics was based purely on nepotism rather than any talent to cleanse the Sri Lankan political system of any alleged ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”family ruleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. Ranil represents what Dr Colvin R. de Silva meant he re-named the UNP as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Unge Nadayinge PaksayaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. The people of Sri Lanka would be well aware that the UNP under RanilƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s leadership would be the last political party to be trusted on ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”cleaning up the systemƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.

The functioning together of the Rajapakse brothers on the other hand has been essential for winning the war simply because President Rajapakse had to have ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”people of trustƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ around him. There is no suggestion that they became corrupt in the fashion Robert Senanayake and the Wijewardenes who virtually ruled the country during DudleyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s and JRƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s regimes. Sri Lankans would be well aware of Ranil being a scion of these families.

Ranil Wickremesinghe is literally up the creek without a paddle! His options seem to be narrowing by the day. FonsekaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s shady (family) dealings with arms dealers and generous land grants and financial assistance he received from the government have come to light, destroying his credibility. Even prior to that, Fonseka would not have agreed to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”win the election for himƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and then make himself redundant in six months. Mangala Samaraweera has become ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”brideƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s maidƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in FonsekaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s marriage of convenience with the JVP.

As with all election campaigns, the Sri Lankan campaign is drawing many witty remarks from people who are conversant in Suddha Sinhala. One remarked that Ranil, being a crypto-Christian, needs to be careful about spelling his policy cornerstone of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Bahujana SukhayaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in Sinhala.

A single slip with the word ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”SukhayaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ will bring it closer to what he really means!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚