2014 Surely Has A New Dawn For Sri Lanka The Replendent Isle ~ Our Beautiful Homeland, Thanks To The Vision Of Our Pragmatic President.
Posted on January 4th, 2014
LankaWeb Weekly Editorial,
January 4th 2014
Hopefully the troubles of the recent past are over permanently and Sri Lanka has a new dawn for progress and prosperity thanks mainly to the vision of our pragmatic President and his team of administrators who have done the once embattled nation proud.
Much to the chagrin and envy of Sri Lanka’s adversaries and enemies and despite multi pronged attacks from various quarters both internally as well as externally, determined to drag her down, the progress in development, the restoration of a normal order, peace, harmony and embellishment of a land renowned for her natural beauty and resources once much sought after my most of the world is astounding as Sri Lanka soars in the ratings as a safe and beautiful country today which almost single handedly is the effort, determination and courage of the Nation’s leader who had faced all his adversaries undaunted leaving nothing to the imagination that here then is a new generation Duttu Gemunu who in a relative sense ( very relative in fact considering the nature of the opponents) has restored the Nation to her people where the acollades need to continue Ad Infinitum!
Thus it is not surprising that many seers and personages of intellectual as well as conventional wisdom agree that President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s UPF/SLFP is the only party from which a huge service has been rendered to the country where despite the raucuous clarion calls of the enemies of the Nation, the salient and inalienable truth points to this reality. It is visible wherever one looks today in the vast development projects and the growth of this tiny albeit predominent Island as she soars to heights once thought impossible and points to the co-ordinated efforts of the President and his team.
This concerted effort must never be permitted adversity or destructive alienation by those who seek to disrupt it for their own objectives and agendas, what Sri Lanka is today where its continuation will surely project her towards being one of the most advanced and successful countries in South Asia where the beneficiaries most importantly and predominantly will be her own citizens and those who have pitted their resources, support and loyalties to her leaders where the rewards will be plentiful and rich in time.
While there is no denying the grey areas that still exist in a winter of discontentment by the impoverished and embittered lesser individuals of the land with no accessibility to some of the favours presently afforded to the gentry, the affluent and some unscrupulous politicians who compare their political status to that of a lottery winner, the needs of the impoverished should be prioritised and a decent standard of living needs to be restored to all citizens as there could be no harmony if it relates to conscience and principle if simply the needs of the affluent are met and the poor left to their own resources of survival which in some cases reaches lower than the chillest penury endured by some as they strive to eke out an existence in a very pathetic sense.
In a sense this is all the more reason that the new dawn of 2014 needs to be realistically shared by all citizens loyal to our pragmatic President whose visionin turn needs to encompass all of the Nation with no exceptions .
January 4th, 2014 at 6:39 pm
I really appreciate TOLERANCE, ACCEPTANCE and TRUE MEDIA FREEDOM of Lankaweb.
January 5th, 2014 at 4:09 am
Yes. I too was a citizen loyal to our pragmatic President but if the current trend continues that pragmatism will lead to destruction again.
JR too was a pragmatic leader, he too brought some temporary progress never hear before but under Indian pressure he buckled, leaving the fight of chasing the Indians out to a even more pragmatic one. He did chase the Endians out with a great cost.
Are we repeating the history ?
When will the leader show honesty, selfllessnes and sacrifice his wealth and power greed to truely get rid of the unscrupulous politicians ? From that point onwards our land will be free- forever.
January 5th, 2014 at 4:39 am
If only our President will finally realize and get rid of the 13th Amendment….
Change the election system, get rid of preferential votes….get rid of pradeshiya sabhas and establish village councils…..
Get rid of nepotism….
See that casinos, night races etc etc do not serve the masses….
Ban the TNA….kick out the SLMC….
Liquidate Tamil Racists and Jihadis….(without appeasing them)
Proactively inform the world about the atrocities of the LTTE….
See the reason why the “Wonder of Asia” has become the joke of the century….
See how Mathata Thitha has become Thithata Matha….
Stop sacrificing the victories of the soldiers for appeasing India and foreign neocolonials….
Stop sacrificing and mortgaging the future of the people to win the next election…..
Then we can finally be happy about winning the war!
January 5th, 2014 at 10:12 am
Some of these comments seem to be of conventional wisdom and others a bit too obstreperous as some of these commentators don’t seem to have a clue about how a president like MR has to prioritise what’s best for Sri Lanka with such little resources and such a horde of enemies and obstacles. Give these critics the reins and see what they might come up with perhaps and Sri lanka could either tumble into the Indian Ocean only to be grabbed by India unless China and Pakistan come to the rescue first. Stop being overly critical friends and be thankful of small mercies and give up doomsday predictions Sri Lanka will prevail for the better! The grey areas refered to certainly exist and surely will be dealt with, look at the overall picture!
January 5th, 2014 at 12:28 pm
Well said mjaya.
Reminds me of Kipling’s IF.
But they remain IFS and BUTS as long as this rotten system stays.
January 5th, 2014 at 3:54 pm
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
But if the raucuous calling of some fools
who fail to see beyond imagined doom
who cast aside the omnipresent tools
of astute leadership and iin frustration loom
their vision dimmed by negativity’s face
Theirs then will only be a losing space
where little ventures in a proper mode
to make this land a loser’s best abode!
copyright~SM
January 5th, 2014 at 4:04 pm
IF By Rudyard Kipling. The ORIGINAL.
IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken!!!
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
January 5th, 2014 at 4:18 pm
The most appropriate part of IF is this one.
“Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,”
How true about SL!
27,000 military men sacrificed their lives for a RIGHTEOUS UNITARY SINHALA BUDDHIST SL. But what happened?
NAJEEB the ruler of east.
VIGGIE the ruler of north.
DRUGGIES the rulers of parliament.
NUTTIES who advise the leaders.
SHITTIES who crap in their pants fearing UNHRC and give ALL they ask for.
But wait. We can REBUILD this country the way we defended it with worn out tools.
January 5th, 2014 at 4:33 pm
Well said Lorenzo.
We have become the only voice for the dead.
Only if the dead can wake up
Will give the damn leader a shake up
Only if the Buddha re appears
will shake the fools into tears
Only if the real Dutugemunu shows up
will send the fake f—ed up
Only if the real Parakum visit us
will send the druggies bck to US
January 6th, 2014 at 9:53 am
Hahaha! There seems to be a new dawn of verse writers in the comments column for sure. Hopefully they have not missed their calling and if they have should think seriously about switching vocations.
January 6th, 2014 at 12:49 pm
Where is patriot Susantha Wijesinghe?
January 6th, 2014 at 12:56 pm
Thanks very much for an appropriate EDITORIAL for our New Year & beyond. Value the Lankaweb forum as many others, newspapers & tablets sometimes refuse to publish valuable expressions by individuals of DIVERSE backgrounds.
Can remember one of our Lankaweb writers complaining that major newspapers DENIED to publish even if they were paid to do so. There are still some who patronise the ugly & self centred, whether they are newspaper magnates or citizens with plenty of cash & influence. BRAVO TO LANKAWEB for having a very astute policies encouraging FREEDOM of EXPRESSION.
I know our leaders continually ruined our country. Majority of Lankans (apart from Tamils) have emigrated NOT for staus or financial gain alone BUT in Sri Lanka, to get anything done we have introduced BRIBERY as a hallmark. YES NEPOTISM, and allowing undesirables, druggies to bring bad name to the PRESENT RULING class, but what is the alternative.. TO HAVE RANIL to come back, and give away 2/3 of the country & follow the ANGLICAN DOGMA.
o thank you……….AT least we have some progress after so many criticisms, destabalizing acts by NOGs,INGOs all out to punish Sri Lanka, beacause they theselves are INSECURE & all their lves they live on OTHER PEOPLES money & influence.
I am sure as many comlained even this present leaders are NOT all we expected, but have to somehow TRY TO CHANGE THEM. DEMAND action as Tamils & MUSLIMS do. We are very happy to complain BUT no one produce ANY SOLUTIONS that can influence the ruling elite.
ONE or TWO legal minds suggest appropriate action re: UNHRC harassment & UN SEC GEN’s high handed way he treated Sri Lanka. THEN why not when solutions through IFJ & other bodies LEGALLY we can do, there seems to be no ENTHUSIASTIC support from the general public.
I feel Sri Lankan EXPATS have lot to contribute in driving these suggestions to be implemented ONLY if we are united in our efforts. Now & then we hear some solutions, BUT THERE is no will or the UNITED EFFORT to put these proposals into action.
LETS hope at least 2014 Sri Lankans in Lanka & expats join hands and DEMAND ACTION through the existing leadership………….Thank you all……………J
January 7th, 2014 at 1:04 am
Hope Susantha is well.
He will reply soon with the prower of 4 Noble truth.
January 7th, 2014 at 9:49 am
While there seems to be those who realistically agree thnkfully that there indeed is a new dawn in Sri Lanka, the critics continue their battering of the Administration. These are the high faluting, pompous expatriates who sit on their fat behinds in the comfort of the West and throw curve balls at the GOSL at every given opportunity which is the saddest thing the nation has to endure but is a fact of life today.
“Breathes there a man who never to himself has said~ This is my Land my own Native Land?” or have they forgotten the precepts of patriotism which demads adulation of one’s Motherland and seem to have buried their consciences in a morass of their own self righteousness and apathy though worthless verbosity!!!! There is a felt need to draw inspiration from a verse in Sunil Perera’s song which says something to the tune of ” Pita Ratawala monewa unath apey rate ehema wenne naa!
January 7th, 2014 at 12:54 pm
SM,
Some indeed have buried their consciences even in SL.
e.g. PM drug case, tolerance of TNA hate tactics, 13 amendment, a MP and a presidential advisor killing each other after a busy election day, another MP’s son bashing a on duty army officer. And the best of all, ALL these criminals escaping punishment.
Love for the Motherland is NOT love for the regime when it commits CRIMES.
January 7th, 2014 at 3:00 pm
There is another song ,
“Policiya Lankawe Policiya” which seems to be 99% true. Probably written by a “pompous expatriate” ?
Pepole living the country know very well how the “Kudu” business and Police work together.
January 7th, 2014 at 3:16 pm
From English poems to SL songs?
None can beat this political song. Probably written by a SL living in SL.
“dennango lokka idimennada bokka”
100% true.
January 9th, 2014 at 12:19 pm
We agree with Sunil Mahathaya.
What has been achieved by Pres MR & GoSL is no small matter given the odds of a mountain of troubles mainly from the Cold War era. How many able Lankan leaders were sacrificed to come to this point ? More recently, the FALSE War Crimes charges against the GoSL is the latest hurdle to overcome. Criticism of the President at this stage is bad sportsmanship to say the least.
Now Lankan leaders who are sincere for peace must address the new problems from the SAARC countries. ‘Visa on Arrival’ from SAARC countries and claiming Asylum in Lanka is not a good thing for Lanka’s security. Apart from illegal migrants, SAARC member Pakistan has ‘sent’ in a load of Heroin, a huge consignment of outdated Basmati rice, and some 600 Pakitani Asylum seekers to the already overcrowded and overspent Lanka. The ‘Visa on Arrival’ facility for SAARC citizens has been done away with by India. Why can’t Lanka do the same ?
Why is Lanka the ‘whipping boy’ of SE Asia whilst other countries smugly wait on the side lines ?
The GoSL (the entire Parliament) has to now tighten Security measures even further.
Who needs enemies with friends such as Lanka has !
January 9th, 2014 at 1:00 pm
“The GoSL (the entire Parliament) has to now tighten Security measures even further.”
But the opposite will happen.
SL is in this MESS thanks to this stupid system. Only a military take over can save SL now.
US plans to bring its STRONGEST EVER resolution against SL.
January 10th, 2014 at 9:44 am
Lorenzo,
You say “US plans to bring its STRONGEST EVER resolution against SL”.
Sri Lanka is the ‘whipping boy’ of Asia !! This is because we had allowed (Cold War era) our home country to be prepared for use in other peoples’ wars. This attitude is continued to control India, Sri Lanka and the region. Sri Lanka is a Non-Aligned country. Are we allowed to be so ?