ON WHAT INSTANCES PRESIDENT MAHINDA RAJAPAKSE USED EXECUTIVE POWERS AGAINST THE COUNTRY, ITS PEOPLE, RELIGION OR CULTURE? THREE SIMPLE QUESTIONS TO VEN. SOBHITHA, ATHURELIYA RATANA AND CLAN
Posted on November 14th, 2014
By M D P DISSANAYAKE
Those in the opposition, including some Buddhist monks who are agitating for the abolition of Executive Presidency have not been able to provide a comprehensive analytical report highlighting instances where the President has acted against the country, its people, religion or culture using the executive powers. To convince the general public, it is the duty of the opposition to provide such information in a detailed manner. As we live in a democratic society, such a document will provide the basis for public consultation and debate. Their failure to comply with this requirement, highlight the lack of evidence that would be essential on a vital national issue.
The main reasons for the opposition to demand the abolition of President are:
- Inability of the opposition to find a national Leader of the stature of Mr Mahinda Rajapakse as an alternative policy maker;
- Opposition has no clear plan or vision, outlining the next course of action after the abolition of Presidency;
iii. Major opposition party leader Mr Ranil Wickremasinghe had no courage to face the Mr Mahinda Rajapakse in the previous election, instead fielded a scape-goat;
We urge the major opposition party leader Mr Ranil Wickremasinghe to come forward as the Presidential Candidate at the 2015 election. What is the use of being a leader of major opposition political party, if the party or the party leader avoid facing the voters at the Elections? The main aim of a political party ought to be to regain power and serve the power, but the UNP is a reluctant and backward organisation without fighting spirits. It is failing continuously to provide the Leadership.
We also ask the following three simple questions from Ven Sobhitha and associates:
- If Ranil Wickremasinghe had been the Executive President during the last phase of the War, will our people able to live freely in any part of the island as a unitary state?
- Had Sarath Fonseka won the last Presidential Election, with Ranil Wickremasinghe pulling the strings, to what extent the social lives of our society would have been disintegrated?
- If President Mahindra Rajapakse had not restored the ancient religious civilisation in all parts of the Island, including Naga Deepa, Madu Church etc. what would be plight of all religious communities?
With the highway network completion connecting North and East with the rest of the country, the danger of Terrorists occupying those areas in future have reduced dramatically, but there is still more work to be done. People in South are taking week end holidays and pilgrimages to North, keeping constant eye on the day to day happenings. Isolation of North from the rest of the country was maintained in the past, due to poor political leadership in the South.
There is no need whatsoever for the President Mahinda Rajapakse to succumb to the pressure being mounted by the opposition, as their ulterior motives are clearly known.
During the War and since the conclusion of the War, the President has used his executive authority for the betterment of the nation as a whole. The entire world is witnessing a massive transformation of the economy and enhancement of social lives of the people throughout the country.
The next Presidential Election result will be a further positive step in the development of Sri Lanka.
November 14th, 2014 at 6:47 am
batalanda man talks about mahinda s white vans
November 14th, 2014 at 8:12 am
I treat MR as a hero.I like to keep him as a hero in my memory. if he continues for three terms he will be a zero or a nero.he is fast getting unpopular. I know new generation do not like him at all. talk to young generation then you will understand . he will leave a bad memory in the country.Why he is trying to stay in power? is this his love for the country or love for him self ? no need three times.
it is best for the country if presidents are limited to rule only one time not even two terms.
no body should come to power more than two terms, that is enough , they should give opportunity for new ideas ,new people. even mps. even opposition mp/leader .
I prefer if Gota or maithree come from SLFP. both are relatively clean.
November 14th, 2014 at 12:34 pm
we need some body who will scrap 13a and palaath sabhaa. Bu t there is nobody. Sinhala Buddhists patriots should force mahinda to give an assurance if he wants to come this time . nobody can be trusted at this time . but mahinda is the only one who says that he will never give land and police powers.
SINHALA BUDHDHISTS ARE IN DANGER
November 14th, 2014 at 1:05 pm
පොදු අපේක්ෂක නන්දන ගුණතිලකද පුරුදු කාරයනේ පැරදිලත් පුරුදුය්නේ ලනුව කාලද අස්වුනේ
November 14th, 2014 at 1:44 pm
සහතික ඇත්ත. සෝබිත හාමුදුරුවොත් ලනුව ගිලලා. තමන්ට තිබෙන තත්වය තියාගෙන පන්සලට වෙලා ඉන්නේ නැතිව නිකන් සවුත්තු වෙනවා. රනිල් කාරයා මේ පාරත් පරාජයෙන් බේරෙන්න පොදු අපේක්ෂකයෝ හොයනවා. සජිත් සල්ලි පූජාකර කර පන්සල් වල කෑගහනාවා. රනිල් ට සපෝට් කරනවා කියලා කියනවා. අනේ අනේ මේවා දැකලා අපට හිනා.
November 14th, 2014 at 2:20 pm
Those opposing the Executive powers of President Rajapakse have to ask themselves that if not for those powers bestowed on Rajapakse no one would have been able to prevent the Tamil Diaspora, the UNHRC the Indian government from imposing their will on post war Sri Lanka
-The army would have been singled out and punished.
– that punishment then would have been used as part of a platform to support further charges of general abuse of the Sri Lankan Tamils
-Either Elam or a Federal system through India forcing amendment 13 on Colombo would have happened.
-if the Federal system took place then it would be a matter of time before India demanded the creation of Elam
– the Katchacheevu island situation would have been bullied by Tamil Nadu to be returned to India.
-The highway system, a hallmark of the Rajapakse government would have been side lined by the new party as they have often criticized it.
– China would have had less faith in the new administration for Beijing likes stable governments to do business.
-The Tamil National Alliance would have dictated policies in Colombo
-Chennai would have played a greater role in Colombo than she ever did.
November 14th, 2014 at 3:30 pm
පොඩ්ඩා
සජිත් පන්සල් වලට දෙන්නේ එන් ජී ඕ . ක්රිස්තියානි සල්ලි මුළු පවුලම රෝසි විසින් හරවගන මෙවෙ දන දැනත් හාමුදුරුවරු ඒ සල්ලි ගන්නවා . රනිලුත් බෞද්ධ නොවෙය් . එත් අපේ උන්ට ගණනක් නැහැ අනිත් හැම එකාමත් කෝවිල් ගානේ යනවා. නළලේ අළු ගාගෙන ලිංග පොජා ස්තෝත්ර කියා කියා ඉඳලා අයෙත් ”’මට වෙන සරණක් නැත තෙරුවන් සරණ විනා ..”’ ගාථාව කියනවා සිංහල කමත් නැහැ බෞද්ධ කමත් නැහැ.
November 14th, 2014 at 4:21 pm
“I have not used these powers to betray the country, enter harmful agreements with terrorists, sign death warrants of 600 police officers or ask the police officers to surrender to the LTTE. We used these powers to establish freedom, ensure the country’s security, uplift the economy and protect the country from foreign influences”
SOME LIES.
Let me prove my point.
1. “betray the country” – the JOINT STATEMENT by Monkey-Boon and our dear leader to fully implement 13 amendment and to do reconciliation.
2. “enter harmful agreements with terrorists” – LTTE/TNA Vigneswaran and LTTE recruitment leader’s wife Ananthi are KINGS in the north. How come?
3. “sign death warrants of 600 police officers or ask the police officers to surrender to the LTTE” – You got me there. Colonel Karuna who killed them is in your govt.!
4. “protect the country from foreign influences” – Sajin Vas Gunawardana slapped one of our diplomats in New York! (I don’t sides in this but this is a fact).
AGREE with the rest of the statement.
So dear leader my beloved president you can see some things you say nowadays are not true. And you know it.
We will forgive ALL wrongdoings your MPs have done if you SCRAP 13 amendment. To your credit you have NOT robbed, assaulted or killed. We want you WITHOUT the 13 amendment. TURN the demand to SCRAP EP into SCRAP 13 amendment and see how MOST people will support the latter and forgive the former.
November 14th, 2014 at 4:46 pm
“The common candidate talks a curse, Sobitha thera hospitalized
November 15, 2014 at 4:42 am | lanka C news
The signing of the understanding agreement by all opposition parties has been postponed as the convener of the national movement for justice Maduluwawe Sobitha thera has been hospitalised after a sudden illness. The thera born in the year 1943 is now 71 years old.”
The CURSE of the COMMON CANDIDATE.
JVP has NO SHAME. It was EXACTLY 25 years ago its iconic leader was TORTURED and KILLED by the UNP. Without SHAME JVP gets into the same stage with the KILLERS.
November 14th, 2014 at 6:59 pm
What would be the response, in what instances President Rajapakse used his executive power for the country ?
November 15th, 2014 at 2:35 am
UNP sure knows how to pick LOSERS.
Even Paba can beat naaki KJ
“The Member of Parliament for Gampaha district Upeksha Swarnamali who contested for Gampaha in the last general election under the UNP and after in the opposition for a couple of years crossed over to the government.She had quoted the election results where the UNP’s Karu Jayasuriya also contested for Gampaha under also the UNP,she had said she could beat him.In that general election Upeksha Swarnamali polled 81350 preferential votes while Karu Jayasuriya polled only 60310 preferential votes.”
– lankacnews
November 15th, 2014 at 4:06 am
A more pertinent question would have been- In what instances did President Rajapakse abuse and exceed his Executive powers?
November 15th, 2014 at 6:37 am
Let me be confined to the subject matter of the article. The Executive President , according to the clause 30(1) of the Constitution is the Head of the State, the Head of the Executive and of the Government and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
In the same way, as per the clause 35(1) of the Constitution: “While any person holds office as President no proceedings shall be instituted or continued against him in any court or tribunal in respect of anything done or omitted to be done by him either in his official or private capacity”
That being the case as above, HE enjoys full immunity from any wrong doing that ordinary folks like you and I would consider to be WRONG. Therefore, as one learned person said; HE and his actions cannot be subjected to “Check and Balances”. So there is no question of him being questioned on any “Instance of misusing his powers”; because ALL WHAT HE DOES are GOOD, TRUTH and WHOLESOME and no one can take him to task or at least question. He is a creation of BUDDHA, JESUS, ALLAH, BRAHAMMAN by the Constitution of the Republic of Sri Lanka.
I, therefore thank the writer for posing that question and educating me on this whole issue of “Executive Presidency”. All what the ex Presidents DID and are DONE now and what would be DONE by the “Future Presidents” are GOOD; TRUTH and WHOLESOME. It is therefore, no MIRACLE but a FACT and TRUTH. Let us be HAPPY and live hereafter.
November 15th, 2014 at 9:42 am
This article is all about responding to the opposition and not addressing the country’s needs ?
So, both groups want the power and others are in the dark for ever.
November 15th, 2014 at 2:51 pm
Douglas,
Re. your, ” In the same way, as per the clause 35(1) of the Constitution: “While any person holds office as President no proceedings shall be instituted or continued against him in any court or tribunal in respect of anything done or omitted to be done by him either in his official or private capacity”.”
It is true that it affords total freedom to act outside the law of the land if the incumbent is so inclined.
However, when the president is out of office he could be brought before a court of law to answer regarding any wrong doings that he might have done during his incumbency, just as the previous one was made to answer the charges made at the court of law and was bound by the ruling of the court.
Only the president Premadasa enjoyed total impunity.
November 15th, 2014 at 3:20 pm
Douglas,
Just stating a FACT.
Your interpretation of the constitution is PROVEN WRONG!
But agree with the rest. MR just like his predecessors ABUSED his LIMITLESS powers as president. He is NO WORSE or NO BETTER than his predecessors and successors.
November 15th, 2014 at 3:21 pm
Good start. There is ANOTHER PARTY to the LTTE-NORWAY conspiracy. UNP. The UNP LEADERSHIP at that time which included RW, KJ, MS, etc., etc. are also at fault for LTTE crimes. PROSECUTE them before the presidential election.
“President Mahinda Rajapaksa demanded that the Norwegian government must probe the funding of the LTTE during the island’s three-decade civil war, alleging that Norway financed the ethnic Tamil militant group.
“They gave money to the LTTE. The Norwegian government must investigate. We have evidence on how they funded the terrorists,” Rajapaksa said addressing a political gathering in the northwestern town of Kurunegala.
He specifically blamed former Norwegian minister and peace facilitator Erik Solheim for backing the LTTE.”
– adaderana.lk
November 15th, 2014 at 5:09 pm
All knowing Pandit Lawrence ranting here.
November 16th, 2014 at 5:04 am
Douglas,
Re. your, ” In the same way, as per the clause 35(1) of the Constitution: “While any person holds office as President no proceedings shall be instituted or continued against him in any court or tribunal in respect of anything done or omitted to be done by him either in his official or private capacity”.”
It is true that it affords total freedom to act outside the law of the land if the incumbent is so inclined.
However, when the president is out of office he could be brought before a court of law to answer regarding any wrong doings that he might have done during his incumbency, just as the previous one was made to answer the charges made at the court of law and was bound by the ruling of the court.