Maithripala – Ranil’s latest puppet
Posted on November 23rd, 2014

H.L. D. Mahindapala

The joint opposition was desperately looking for a common candidate to (1) end, if possible, its divisive, internecine conflicts and (2) present a formidable and acceptable candidate who could stand up to the incumbent, Mahinda Rajapaksa. On Friday (November 20, 2014) the mystery candidate revealed himself : Maithripala Sirisena which the Opposition strategists calculate to be a coup because he was the General Secretary of the SLFP.  They also took into consideration some of  his Sinhala-Buddhist credentials which Ranil Wickremesinghe lacks.  But can they achieve their goal by appointing Maithripala Sirisena as the common candidate? Or will they go into further disarray as events unfurl in the days ahead?

Before going deeper into this aspect it is necessary to get our heads round what this election is all about. This election is not about constitutions. The issue of whether the current Constitution should be abolished or not, is a red herring. Though it is whipped up to a frenzy as the final answer to the nation’s current needs it is a non-issue. After the failure of three constitutions before (Soulbury, Colvin and JR) there is no guarantee that the next constitution, whatever it may be, is going to be the final answer. This election is based on the fundamental issue of whether to drop the pilot in mid-air or to fly back to the pre-2009 era when the Ranil-Prabhakaran Agreement, written by anti-Sri Lankan Norway, was dragging the nation to the depths of despair.

Trying to draft ideal constitutions is like building castles on the sea shore: the next huge wave is bound to wash it away.  After all, the British developed the mother of all parliaments without a written constitution, or a pre-existing model. It is the collective genius of the British that produced the Westminster model. Besides, Soviet Russia was supposed to have had one the best constitutions ever written. Where did it take the Soviet peoples who were under its jackboots? The constitution of the Weimar Republic – Dr. N. M. Perera wrote his second doctoral thesis on the greatness of it – collapsed under the ruthless forces of  Hitler. Phillip Gunawardena, of course, argued that it collapsed under the theoretical weight of NM’s thesis!

The emphasis on the legal framework of constitutions to regulate and act as checks and balances to maintain justice, law and order is highly overrated. It is not constitutions that really make or break nations. It is the people  in command of whatever constitutions that are in place that make constitutions work and guide nations. It is the people who can  make a constitution work or fail. The Greek city states were run by a variety of constitutions and Aristotle, who wrote a thesis on constitutions of Greek city states, went as far as justifying slavery – a common feature of Greek states. Plato condemned democracy though he, with all his theoretical knowledge,  failed in his attempt to run a state.

This is not to deny that there is no place for a constitution to define the limits of power in a state. But, by and large, amendments to the constitutions have been to increase the powers of the state according to the exigencies of the time. That does not mean constitutions must be  changed like the way that Sirisena and Wickremesinghe  change their underwear. In fact, all this talk about changing the constitution is irrelevant in solving the big issues of the nation. None  of the proposed constitutions is going to solve any of the problems unless those entrusted with running and maintaining the integrity of the constitution are restrained effectively by independent institutions and intrepid individuals who will have the untrammeled authority and the power from the highest sources of the  state to uphold the rule  of law.

However, what  is relevant is the context in which the constitutional issue  is  defined by the common candidate, Sirisena. The joint  opposition has identified the presidential constitution, designed and  launched by JRJ, with Wickremesinghe voting for it, as the evil that should be destroyed. Following this line Sirisena says that he will abolish the constitution in 100 days and make Ranil Wickremesinghe the Prime Minister. But who will be the beneficiary of this process on January 8? Not Sirisena, not the  joint opposition, not the nation. It  will be only Wickremesinghe because he will be enthroned with the power that he couldn’t get by contesting Mahinda Rajapakse face-to-face. In short, Sirisena has come forward to dance in public according to Wickremesinghe’s drum beat.

Incidentally, the biggest constitutional issue facing the nation, the  issue of 13 plus  or minus, is not even mentioned by Sirisena. Why? He avoids that issue and jumps straight  into the irrelevant constitutional issue of abolishing the presidential system. This is meant to take the nation in a whole new direction. But he is faced with the complicated legal procedures and political land mines involved in abolishing the existing constitution and  making Wickremesinghe the Prime Minister within 100 days. It means changing the constitution from the presidential system to the parliamentary system. If Sirisena can  do it in 100 days it will be  a bigger miracle next to that of President Mahinda Rajapakse defeating the Tamil Tiger Pol Pot.  Probably, the 100 days limit was announced as an excuse not to abolish the constitution at the end of 100 days and postpone the issue  sine die like the  others.

There is also the other the issue of whether Sirisena, in the unlikely event of his winning the presidential election, will willingly hand over power to Wickremesinghe to make him the Prime Minister. It will be like Siri Sangabo handing over his severed head to appease the wish  of the peasant’s wife who was demanding the head of the king. So, what is at stake, more than anything else, will revolve round the central issue of who will be Numero Uno: Sirisena the elected President or Wickremesinghe the nominated Prime Minister? Political rivalries and the implementation of electoral promises will bedevil the post-election period along with the complex legal, political and constitutional issues.

After all, Sirisena is not giving up his strategic position of being the General Secretary of the ruling party and his Ministerialship to hand over power to Wickremesinghe, eh? Despite his proclaimed pieties about presenting a clean administration, one of the major  underlying reasons for his cross-over is his failure  to get the premiership in Mahinda Rajapakse’s regime. Clearly, his ambition is to grab power, like  all other politicians, and retain it in his hands for his good. Of course, there is nothing wrong  with this because all politicians fight to win power for their own glory first and the people incidentally. So the plain question facing  the electorate is this: if Sirisena is unhappy with President Mahinda Rajapakse not giving him the premiership will he be the next Siri Sangabo who will hand over his head to Wickremesinghe?

As for Wickremesinghe, it is obvious that he has opted once again to back Sirisena after his failed mission to promote Sarath Fonseka. His record in either  promoting himself or even his proxies has been dismal failure known to the electorate. This time too he is promoting an SLFPer, another non-UNPer, because (1) he knows that he can’t win power with the consent of  the people, (2) he hopes to gain power through the backdoor by piggy-backing on a non-UNPer and (3), most of all, the majority Sinhala-Buddhist voters will not trust him as far as they can throw an elephant.

The most humiliating and tragic plight of the UNPers is that they do not have a leader of their own to lead them into battle. What is the point in  having a leader who can’t produce results? This is like a sterile father who has to  borrow the seeds of another man and plant them in his wife’s  womb to produce a child. When the UNP has to rely on outsiders to find a credible leader voters / UNPers have a right to ask whether they can trust either the UNP, their leader or their proxies and their promises. If elections are about making choices on  policies, programmes and  personalities why vote  for proxies of a party that has been rejected by the people 28 times? If the UNP is seeking devious routes to get into power why should the electorate vote for its proxies? Wickremesinghe  tried to creep in by hanging on to the stripes and pips of Gen. Fonseka. He failed. This is the second time he  is trying by hanging on to the Sirisena’s tail. Can it work?

The UNP is hoping to repeat  their performance in Badulla. President Mahinda Rajapakse must be wishing the UNP more victories  like that where the voting percentage dropped without removing  the powers of the UPFA to run the administration. What is more, the euphoria of the opposition as if they have already won the election is rather premature. Many more  factors have to fall into place before January 8, 2015 to claim  victory.

As of now,  the alignment of the diverse forces is  neither clear nor complete.  As of now Mahinda Rajapakse still holds the upper  hand. Time and again he has shown  the capacity of snatching victory from the jaws of critical threats. His victories over Prabhakaran and Gen. Sarath Fonseka are convincing examples. In defeating Gen. Fonseka he crushed the joint opposition from north to south. Besides, there are no indications that he has lost the appeal nor the skills to recover and win under trying conditions. There are many grounds on which MR can  be faulted. But there isn’t a single major  reason why he should be defeated when he stands out as the greatest achiever of our time.

39 Responses to “Maithripala – Ranil’s latest puppet”

  1. Christie Says:

    Chandrika is the Indian agent of the day. SWRD was the agent and the puppet of India. Today Daughter is the agent and Sirisena is the puppet.

  2. Hiranthe Says:

    If MS and the clan think that SLFP votes and other floating Buddhist votes will come to him, they are grossly mistaken due to the fact that the guy is going to sell these valued votes to Rannil and the LieTTE die-ass-pora. Our people are not “Konde Bandapu cheennu”

    At the same time if MR also thinks that he can easily win, he is mistaken. He has to change and get more educated and professional people around him and chase away all the thugs and prove to the masses that he is coming clean as before the war time… He should read at least 10 times Patali’s interview given to Sunday Divaina and shed all the parasites.. including the trouble making empty vessle boy Sajin Vas. He should also promise that he will improve the foreign service by appointing professional people… not his thugs. (Get rid of GL and appoint Shenali Waduge as a advisor and give it to Basil)

    More than anything, if he promise to scrap 13A…. No game for the Common Candidate “bili boy’ who is pushed to the war front by cunning Ran-nil and Chandrika

  3. Susantha Wijesinghe Says:

    MS is the man who reduced the water level of the Parakrama Samudraya by two feet, by intimidating the Irrigation Officers, to protect his brothers White Araliya hotel being inundated, if the actual level is maintained. This caused immense loss to the Farmers who could not cultivate around 40,000 acres of land. He used his position to do a lot of dirty things, including using DIGs as his domestic servants, when his son assaulted a DIGs son. The DIGs fell on their knees to serve him. Yet he tells at his media briefing that he will give the Police full independence. What a hypocrite? He has made a lot of money through his position. So is this the person we want to see on the Presidential Chair ? May the lords above help us.

  4. Vijendra Says:

    All know about the unpatriotic, egoistic and power-crazy Ranil and Chandrika, who sold SL to the LTTE with Norwegian help, for their own benefit. So can anyone trust anyone backed by these traitors? Having said that MR too has to come clean by getting rid of the nepotism and corruption in the country. In addition, he should get rid of the 13a and free the country of the haunting of SL by the ghost of Rajiv leading to the overpoliticization of the country by corrupt individuals if he wants to show something new for the voters to rally around him.

  5. Ananda-USA Says:

    Mahindapala,

    Bravo! A brilliant exposition on the choice before the Sri Lankan voters: ELECT the sitting President and “greatest achiever of our time” .. or ELECT a treacherous defector allying himself with the nation’s enemies to become a proxy of the man who cannot get himself elected!

    Well done! Beautifully clarified!

  6. Ananda-USA Says:

    Today I watched the Youtube.com video on the Sirasa TV sponsored interview of Maithripala Sirisena (MS), Dr. Rajitha Senaratne (RS), Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD), and Ven. Athuraliye Rathana (AR) regarding their defection from and opposition to the Government.

    1. MS stated that the UNP leaders had assured him that all the necessary funds would be available for the election campaign and even a referendum. Can those great gobs of ready money at short notice be coming from foreign sources; sources that Ranil was lining up during his foreign trips to the UK and US in the not too distant past? This addresses the question raised by Leela and Eusense on foreign funds.

    2. The overall impression I got from their comments was that they, especially the defecting Ministers, felt they had been PERSONALLY EXCLUDED from exercising power by the President and his Family. They said all the functions of the Ministries were controlled by the Rajapaksas, and that there was nothing for the Ministers themselves to do except rubber-stamp the decisions of the Rajapaksas. They said the President had too many Ministerial portfolios and exercised total control over the budget.

    3. Another impression I got was that their own ambitions had been checkmated by the Rajapaksas. Perhaps that control and intrusion into their Ministries PREVENTED them from profiting from their departmental budgets, and of exercising POLITICAL PATRONAGE by distributing benefits to their own followers. Clearly, part of the reason for Champika Ranawaka’s defection could be his demotion to a less important Ministry with a much smaller budget.

    4. Anura Kumara Dissanayake was easily the best and most aggressive speaker, as most JVP leaders tend to be. His remarks reminded me of the “class struggle” spouting JVPers of my day at the U. Peradeniya, who resorted to the argument of force when they could not convince the people through the force of their arguments. Those viplavakarayas were either killed or are in hiding abroad to this day. I would not trust his newly discovered commitment to democracy even to save my life … for I know this type of frustrated revolutionary very well.

    5. If I were the President, and had a Band of Able Brothers like he has, I too would use them as a defensive phalanx for protection against the totally ungrateful and treacherous politicians driven by unbounded ambition and greed that proliferate like snakes in Sri Lanka. What would you do in the President’s position surrounded by internal and external enemies?

    See this video yourself, and form your own opinion!

  7. Lorenzo Says:

    Please look at the Tamil POV.

    Tamil separatists think continuation of MR will further ISOLATE SL and MR will continue to give them UNFAIR benefits against Sinhalese and Muslims!!

    This seems very odd but this is how Tamil separatists think.

    SL has been isolated from the west during MR’s govt. EVERY YEAR SL gets bashed at the UNHRC. West has STOPPED giving loans to SL. Now they are investigating SL’s alleged war crimes. The report is due in 4 months. It will be a DAMNING report (obviously biased towards LTTE but there is nothing SL can do than get further isolated from the west).

    If this CLASH with western governments continues TAMILS believe there will be a UN INTERVENTION, sanctions and even restrictions in CRICKET.

    With the north Tamil ONLY, IF the UN intervenes for a referendum, it will say a BIG YES for TE.

    But Tamils don’t like to vote for MR. So they are likely to BOYCOT voting for Sinhala candidates this time too.

    This is EXACTLY what Tamils did in 1982. Tamils knew JR was on a collision course against Endia and LET him continue.

    The LEAD Kobbekaduwa got over JR from the north and Batticaloa district was VERY LOW because a Tamil candidate contested and won MOST votes.

    (This does NOT mean people should vote for MS!! He has NOT made it clear he will SCRAP 13 amendment. Bandit Queen and CFA Run-nil are with him which is a VERY BAD sign.)

  8. Vimutti Says:

    Yes, MR can win, but he has to start NOW by defining MS before he gets a chance to define himself.

    Being a puppet of Ranil is certainly one angle that will work with the voters, but he should also completely destroy MS’s credibility by playing in a loop on national television MS’s statement to hospital staff that “I am not like other ministers who would abuse power and influence to keep my son from facing justice for assaulting an innocent man” and then show the series of phone calls MS made doing exactly the opposite, calling upon justice ministers and police heads to get his son released from custody and not face the consequences of his crime.

    Another angle is showing the platform MS and Ranil (and they really should be tied together in public debate) are running on is exactly the same as that advanced by former USA Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Michele Sison – Abolish the Executive Presidency, Restore the Rule of Law, and Media Freedom. This cannot be a coincidence, especially given Ranil and Chandrika’s ties to the USA and previous efforts to ‘follow’ US dictates rather than advance the best interests of Sri Lanka regardless of what the USA thinks like MR is doing now.

    The US REALLY IS nervous about MR developing a multi-level relationship with China and what this does to their China Containment policy and the implication geopolitically, especially the prospect of a Chinese naval base in Sri Lanka, Chinese veto threat on the UN Security Council of UNHRC war crimes accusations, and a new Asian Security Alliance that includes India that would check Western intrusion into this part of the world. They therefore want Regime Change to revert back to the Ranil/Chandrika USA lapdog that Sri Lanka was in the past.

  9. AnuD Says:

    Vimutti:

    China has already to the opposition and Ranil and has understood the future.

  10. Hiranthe Says:

    Susantha says “MS is the man who reduced the water level of the Parakrama Samudraya by two feet, by intimidating the Irrigation Officers, to protect his brothers White Araliya hotel being inundated, if the actual level is maintained. This caused immense loss to the Farmers who could not cultivate around 40,000 acres of land”

    Well-done Susantha for revealing it to us. This is a national crime. Two feet of water in Parakrama Samudraya means a hell of a lot. Our motherland is protected by many deities.. If MS has done such a terrible thing, he will pay for this bad karma he has committed. Perhaps it has already started working and he is in the decline and will become nobody after the Presidential Election. If he remained in the GOSL he would have maintained his position. Great law of Karma at work…

    Ananda – USA said that in the interview, MS stated that the UNP leaders had assured him that all the necessary funds would be available for the election campaign and even a referendum.

    MS does not need to talk about money at all at this moment unless he has already got a big bundle of Dollars already and in the guilt, he wants to clear himself. Remember the amount of money Danuna’s mother had with her during Gonseka’s affair.

    By the way, it seems our old General has already burnt his hand and soul with this Ran-nil – Bandit Queen clan and does not want to come forward to support MS.

    More stories will come up.. Let’s be prepared.

    At the end of the day, nothing will happen to our motherland. As long as Sri Dalada wahanse is with us, this country will be protected. This is a good lesson to MR to change his course. He should listen to GOTA!! regardless of he is the younger brother and has less political experience… Gota can read the game better than MR.

  11. Nalliah Thayabharan Says:

    The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) went to Rajarata from Horagolla before it went to Medamulana. After the death of Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, Prime Minister W. Dahanayaka contested the 1960 March election from a separate party. The SLFP was led by C.P. de Silva, an MP from Rajarata. Sirima Bandaranaike who took reins of the SLFP in the July 1960 election wanted C.P. de Silva to take the lead.

    Therefore, C.P. de Silva appeared as the Deputy Prime Minister. He was the MP for Polonnaruwa.

    CP was the Leader of the House of the Sirima Bandaranaike Government, who did not care for CP and preferred her nephew Felix Dias Bandaranaike, disappointed CP crossed-over to the UNP and toppled the government in 1964.

    Another MP from Rajarata, Maithripala Senanayaka was the Deputy Prime Minister who acted as Prime Minister during Premier Sirima Bandaranaike’s foreign tours in the 1970-77 Government. When the UNP Government took away her civicl rights, Maithripala asked for the party’s leadership from her.

    Anura Bandaranaike also supported him but Sirima ill-treated Maithri by supporting her daughter, Chandrika and son-in-law Vijaya Kumaratunga. Maithri broke away from the party and supported the UNP at the 1982 Referendum. Maithri rejoined the SLFP, but Chandrika put his name in the National List in 1994 and did not offer him a seat.

    The leaders of Rajarata have served the Bandaranaikes but they have not returned that goodwill in the same vein. Maithripala Sirisena is the leader who rose from Rajarata after Maithripala Senanayaka. He was appointed as the Secretary of the SLFP in 2001.

    Chandrika wanted to appoint him as Prime Minister in 2004. If she was successful, the leadership of the SLFP would have gone from Horagolla to Rajarata. But, Maithri rejected it and proposed Mahinda for the post. Mahinda became the President later, and Maithripala of Rajarata was disillusioned as usual.

    Let us begin Maithri Age

    Maithri contested the 2010 election under the theme ‘Let us begin Maithri Age.’ But he was not offered the Prime Minister post. He waited until he got his chance. Now it is his turn. The Opposition proposed him to contest as the Common Candidate of the Opposition. Mahinda was astonished to learn it. Rajapaksas were so kind to him right throughout.

    Who is this Maithri?

    Throughout his history, Maithripala Sirisena has been with the leader. The best example is Mulkirigala by-election which was held in the early 1980s after Sirima Bandaranaike’s civil rights were taken away. Anura Bandaranaike became the Opposition Leader after the boycott of Parliament by the Tamil MPs. Maithripala was a member of the SLFP Central Committee and worked as a clerk in Anura’s staff at the party headquarters. The SLFP leadership selected one member of the Rajapaksa family to contest the election while the future leader Anura Bandaranaike selected another member of the Rajapaksa family.

    After a lengthy debate that extended to late night, a vote was called at the Central Committee to select the candidate. Anura expected his staff member Maithripala Sirisena would vote in favour of his candidate, but Maithri voted for the candidate proposed by the leader. When Maithri went to work in the office two days later, even before he sat in his usual place, an office worker handed him the letter of the termination of his service. He went to Rosmead Place with the letter and showed it to Sirima Bandaranaike. She was with Anuruddha Ratwatte at that moment.

    Started from the library

    “How can he be removed because he voted for me Anuruddha? As there is no library in the party office, let us assign Maithri to arrange a library in a room there,” she said.

    Maithri started from the library and ended up as the SLFP’s General Secretary. Throughout his journey, he was with the leader. When the present leader wanted to take disciplinary action against Mangala, he was with the leader and expressed his loyalty.

    Maithri’s second specialty is speaking up before the leader also against injustice. He inherited that trait throughout his school- time-politics as a 16-year old boy. He first read literature of Shanmugadasan’s Communist Party (China Wing).

    He was conducted to political classes by a person who waited for them at the gate of the school wearing a red cap. He participated in political classes in the jungle of Girithale- Wewa. They ate lotus leaves for lunch. Some days Shanmugadasan came to conduct classes but vanished by lunch- time.

    When Maithri inquired he was informed that Shanmugadasan who was preaching equality had gone to Polonnaruwa Rest House for lunch. His excuse was that he was suffering from a stomachache. This made Maithri question openly and with the answer he got weary of the party.

    This is how Maithri made Mahinda the Prime Minister. After the election results were out in 2004, Chandrika made a call to Maithripala and said that she would send a helicopter to Polonnaruwa for him to report directly to the President’s House.

    When he arrived, the Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar and President’s Secretary Balapatabendi were there.

    “Tomorrow, the Prime Minister must be sworn in. Tell me your idea directly,” Chandrika asked.

    “During the election campaign, there was an idea among people that Mahinda should be the Prime Minister. It is the Party’s stand too. Therefore, let us appoint him as Prime Minister,” Maithripala said.

    Kadirgamar explained to Maithri that the JVP politburo had objected Mahinda being appointed as the Prime Minister.

    “If we appoint Mahinda as Prime Minister, there will be split in the party,” Kadirgamar said. He knew that Chandrika, Maithri and Balapatabendi were aware that the JVP wanted to make him the Prime Minister.

    “But Sir, we need to respect the people’s consent,” Maithri said humbly. It angered Kadirgamar.

    “We can’t make JVP angry with us,” he said getting up and pushing the chair aside.

    “Let us think about this more, I will call you Kadir,” Chandrika said.

    Kadir left. Chandrika sent Maithri and Balapatabendi after him to his house to get his consent to appoint Mahinda as Prime Minister. They did it.

    The most interesting part of the story is, the JVP General Secretary’s letter which conveyed the Party decision to appoint Kadirgamar as Prime Minister. The JVP had proposed two alternative names for the post of Prime Minister in case Kadirgamar’s ethnicity is a barrier. The two Sinhala Buddhists they named were, Anura Bandaranaike and Maithripala Sirisena. (The letter was published in the Sunday Times)

    Maithripala had a chance to cut the throats of both Kadirgamar and Mahinda, and become the Prime Minister. But he opted to give the chance to Mahinda.

    Mahinda did not like to make such a person as the Prime Minister under him. But the UNP is ready to select him as the Opposition Common Candidate of the Presidential Election. It appears as if Rajarata and Maithripala are served not by the SLFP or Bandaranaikes but by the UNP against which Maithri has worked. How will Maithri do justice to the UNP?

    courtesy: CeylonToday

  12. Nalliah Thayabharan Says:

    President Mahinda Rajapaksa issued a thinly-veiled threat against his former ministers who quit his Government on Friday that he had ‘files’ on them all.

    Seven ruling party members quit his coalition Government last week, four of them holding ministerial portfolios. “I have enough files on their activities, but I won’t use them,” President Rajapaksa told crowds at the opening of the A12 Highway between Trincomalee and Anuradhapura.

    He told the audience that his door was like a saloon door. “Anyone can go. Anyone can come,” President Rajapaksa noted.

    He observed that many had left the SLFP and rejoined.

    “Even Chandrika left the SLFP to spite her mother. So many have done that,” he charged.

    “SWRD never left the SLFP and neither did Sirimavo. And neither did Mahinda Rajapaksa,” he said.

    The President all those who quit the SLFP have tenuous futures.

    “Those who come back are always better off,” he said.

    Two UNP MP’s Including Senior Office Bearer to Cross Over to Govt?

    The Government is poised to tear away at least two UNP MPs during the Third Reading of the Budget in Parliament today, sources told the Daily FT.

    Several Opposition members had been approached to decamp, UNP sources said.

    In a tit-for-tat move after the defection of SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena, the UPFA will attempt to secure the defection of a senior office bearer in the UNP, the sources said.

    Another UNP MP from Kalutara is also tipped to cross the political divide. Opposition activists are predicting a few more defections from the UPFA during tomorrow’s Parliament session.

    Courtesy:DailyFT

  13. Samanthi Says:

    Please also read very intersting Editorial of today’s Divaina:

    තල නම් වේලෙන්නේ තෙලටය
    එහෙත් මී බෙටි වේලෙන්නේ කුමටද?

    අප මෙය ලියන මොහොත වන විට මේ රටේ සක්‍රීය දේශපාලන ක්‍රියාවලිය තුළ පහත සඳහන් කටයුතු සිදුවෙමින් තිබිණ. එනම්,

    1. ශ්‍රී.ල.නි.ප. මහ ලේකම් (තනතුරින් නෙරපන ලද නිසා ඔහු දැන් හිටපු මහ ලේකම්ය.) මෛත්‍රිපාල සිරිසේන පොදු අපේක්‍ෂක ලෙස මීළඟ ජනාධිපතිවරණයට ඉදිරිපත් වීම.

    2. මේ රටේ ඒකීයත්වය, බුදුදහමේ චිරස්‌ථිතිය, ප්‍රජාතන්ත්‍රවාදයේ නඩත්තුව සම්බන්ධයෙන් පැය 24 පුරාම කල්පනා කරන එහෙත් කාර්ය බහුල ජීවිතය නිසා ඒ සම්බන්ධයෙන් එදත් වැඩ නොකළ සහ අදත් වැඩ නොකරන අපගේ හිටපු ජනාධිපතිනි චන්ද්‍රිකා කුමාරතුංග මහත්මිය මෛත්‍රිපාල සිරිසේන මහතා පසුපසින් සිටගෙන සිටීම.

    3. මෛත්‍රී සමඟ ශ්‍රීලනිපයෙන් කැඩී එන්නට විස්‌සත් විසි අටත් අතර සන්ධාන මන්ත්‍රීවරුන් සිටි නමුත් ඔවුන් ටිකෙන් ටික පස්‌ස ගහමින් ජනාධිපතිට උදව් කරන බවට ප්‍රකාශ නිකුත් කිරීමට පටන් ගැනීම.

    4. පොදු අපේක්‍ෂක මිනී පෙට්‌ටිය කර ගැසීමෙන් ඈත්ව සිටීමට ජෙනරාල් සරත් ෆොන්සේකා තීන්දු කර ඇති බව පෙනී යැම.

    5. මෛත්‍රී ආණ්‌ඩුව හැර ගිය විට ජනාධිපති හාන්සි වී ආණ්‌ඩුව ගාලු පාර දිගේ රෝල්වනු ඇතැයි කල්පනා කෙරුණු නමුත් පුරුදු පරිදි ආණ්‌ඩුව දිගටම සිය කටයුතු කරගෙන යැම.

    මෙවර ජනාධිපතිවරණයේදී මෛත්‍රිපාල සිරිසේන මහතාට උදව් කරන්නට ඉදිරියෙන්ම සිටින්නේ කවරෙක්‌ද යන්න විමසා බැලිය යුතුව ඇත. ඉකුත් සිකුරාදා (21 දා) කොළඹ නව නගර ශාලාවේදී, තමන් පොදු අපේක්‍ෂකයා බව ප්‍රකාශයට පත්කිරීම සඳහා පැවැති පුවත්පත් සාකච්ඡාවේදී මෛත්‍රිට උදව් කරන අය ලෙස පෙනෙන්ට සිටියේ චන්ද්‍රිකා බණ්‌ඩාරනායක, රාජිත සේනාරත්න, දුමින්ද දිසානායක, මහාචාර්ය රජීව විඡේසිංහ සහ සන්ධානයේම නියෝජ්‍ය ඇමැතිවරයකු වූ මහතෙකි. මතු යම් දවසක කවුරු මෛත්‍රි අත්හැර ගියත් රාජිත සේනාරත්න ඔහු සමඟ සිටිනු ඇත. සෙසු අය ගැන අපට කිසිදු අත්දැකීමක්‌ නැත. සිය ජීවිතයෙන් වැඩි කාලයක්‌ විපක්‍ෂයේ සිටි රාජිතට ඇමැතිකමක වැදගත්කමක්‌ ඒ තරමට නැත. දුමින්ද දිසානායක නියෝජ්‍ය ඇමැතිතුමා මෛත්‍රි සමඟ එක්‌වන්නේ ඔහුගේ පියා වූ බර්ටි ප්‍රේමලාල් දිසානායකට උතුරුමැද පළාතේ සන්ධාන මහ ඇමැතිකම නොදී එස්‌. එම්. රංජිත්ට දුන් නිසා විය යුතු ය. එය සාධාරණ කෝපයකිá පළියක්‌ ගත යුතු කෝපයකි. රාජිත එළියට බහින්නට ඇත්තේ ආණ්‌ඩු විරෝධී උද්ඝෝෂණ, වීදි සටන් වැනි දේ සිදුවන විට ඇඟ නලියන ගතියක්‌ එදා සිටම ඔහු තුළ තිබූ නිසා විය යුතු ය. මෛත්‍රිපාල සිරිසේන එළියට බැස්‌සේ අගමැතිකම නොදුන් නිසා විය යුතු බව අපි විශ්වාස කරමු. දිගු කලක්‌ ශ්‍රීලනිපය වෙනුවෙන් වැඩ කළ ඔහුට සුසිල් ප්‍රේමජයන්තට මෙන්ම, නිමල් සිරිපාලට මෙන්ම, බැසිල් රාජපක්‍ෂට මෙන්ම අගමැතිකමට අයිතියක්‌ ඇත. චන්ද්‍රිකා මේ අයට උදව්වට ආවේ ඇය තුළ තිබෙන ජාතිවාත්සල්‍යය, දේශමාමකත්වය, හයිවේ දිගේ යන ටුවර්ස්‌ලා සංස්‌කෘතිය විනාශ කරන්නට ඉඩ තිබීම යනාදිය නිසා බව අපි හඟිමු. එහෙත් ලිබරල් පක්‍ෂයේ නායකයා වූ රජිව් විඡේසිංහ එළියට බැස්‌සේ ඇයි? ජාතික ලැයිස්‌තුවෙන් පත් වූ චිට්‌ මන්ත්‍රී කෙනකු වන ඔහු රට ජාතිය ආගම කෙරෙහි බැඳීමක්‌ තිබෙන කෙනකු බවට අපට ආරංචියක්‌ නැත. එසේ නම් ඔහු මේ කණ්‌ඩායමට එකතු වී සිටීම “තල තෙලට වේලෙයි – මී බෙටි කුමට වේලෙයි?” යනාදී වශයෙන් විග්‍රහ කළ හැකිද?

    තල වේලන විට ඒවා සමඟ මිශ්‍ර වූ මී බෙටි ද වේලෙන්නේ ය. එහෙත් තලවලින් මිස මී බෙටිවලින් තෙල් හිඳින්නට බැරිය.

    මෛත්‍රිපාල සිරිසේන තෝරාගෙන ඇත්තේ ඔහුගේ හෘද සාක්‍ෂියට එකඟ වූ දුෂ්කර ගමනකි. මේ ගමනේදී ඔහු පාවා නොදීමට සෙස්‌සන් සිතට ගත යුතුය.

  14. NAK Says:

    This could be a master stroke. If Ranil joins the race at the last minute as the UNP candidate Maithree will only be splitting the UPFA votes of which the second preference will go to Ranil as those who vote for Maithree will do so only because they are disillusioned with Mahinda. That will make it difficult for any one to get the 50%+1 to go through and will go for a second preference count which will give Ranil a shot at the presidency.

  15. Lorenzo Says:

    Vimutti,

    “Yes, MR can win, but he has to start NOW by defining MS before he gets a chance to define himself.”

    I DISAGREE.

    This will only backfire because as former SLFP GS, MS knows TOO MUCH. IF he reveals those in public, MR and his loyal ministers will be in deep trouble. Especially when Anura Kumara and other foul mouthed people get to know.

    The BEST approach is to run a POSITIVE CAMPAIGN and let the people PUNISH foul mouthed CBK and Rajitha.

  16. mario_perera Says:

    ELECT the sitting President and “greatest achiever of our time” – Ananda

    Greatest achiever? No doubt the reference is to the political leadership he gave during the war. For this the nation has show him its gratitude over and over again. But using that achievement the way a beggar uses his wounds does not smack of nobility but of opportunism. As for his achievements what does he boast of all the time… of infrastructure development. But at what cost? He and his ride the wave of unimaginable wealth while the rest foot the bills and eat humble pie.

    Earnest reference has been made in these columns to the interview of Champika Ranawaka to a local newspaper. Janaka Bandara reiterated the same theme in parliament very recently and budding politician Hirunika harped on it very bravely just yesterday. What they all say, in short, is that government has gone to the filthiest dregs of our society.

    Once again on the theme of his ‘achievements’ let us all be reminded that he has done as much or more for the North than he has done for the rest of the country. He did so to win over the Tamils but he totally misjudged the Tamil PSYCHE. And that his grand mother taught him while holding him on her knees. She told him ‘even when washed in milk charcoal does not change its colour’.

    Quite paradoxically MR derives all his electoral strength from the Tamils. Firstly the war victory which provides background drumming to all he says and does, and now playing on the threat to his security should the opposition win. This canvassing of the sympathy of the voters is NOT a triumphalism but a defeatism.

    As for the latest issue he himself has introduced, it is true he did not quit the SLFP physically as some leading figures of the party did. But it is obvious also that he had diluted the SLFP by allowing UNP stalwarts to rule from within the SLFP. More than half of the muscle boys within his cabinet are UNPers.the horse-mouthed Kehelmala Rambukwella is an ‘outstanding’ or better still an ‘outspoken’example That takes the wind from the sails which is his boast of not having left the SLFP. How can a person with his glass of wine half filled with water still pretend to drink wine?

    As seen from the actual context as of now, MR would still be the front runner of the presidential race. He will keep the momentum going by using every means at his disposal. Everyone knows what the expression ‘every means’ means. His greatest strength derives precisely from NOT having abolished the 13A. By not having done so he has harnessed the support of the entire depraved and criminal element of the country. That is why the Provincial Council System (or better said the ‘Pariah Criminal system’) was maintained and reinforced.

    If he wins the election, his greatest achievement would have been NOT the war victory but the non-abolishing of the 13A.

    Mario Perera
    Kadawata

  17. Lorenzo Says:

    Thanks NT for that information.

    COMPARED to other power GREEDY politicians, MS SEEMS to be an honest man.

    “During the election campaign, there was an idea among people that Mahinda should be the Prime Minister. It is the Party’s stand too. Therefore, let us appoint him as Prime Minister,” Maithripala said.

    Kadirgamar explained to Maithri that the JVP politburo had objected Mahinda being appointed as the Prime Minister.

    “If we appoint Mahinda as Prime Minister, there will be split in the party,” Kadirgamar said. He knew that Chandrika, Maithri and Balapatabendi were aware that the JVP wanted to make him the Prime Minister.

    “But Sir, we need to respect the people’s consent,” Maithri said humbly. It angered Kadirgamar.

    “We can’t make JVP angry with us,” he said getting up and pushing the chair aside.

    “Let us think about this more, I will call you Kadir,” Chandrika said.

    Kadir left. Chandrika sent Maithri and Balapatabendi after him to his house to get his consent to appoint Mahinda as Prime Minister. They did it.

    The most interesting part of the story is, the JVP General Secretary’s letter which conveyed the Party decision to appoint Kadirgamar as Prime Minister. The JVP had proposed two alternative names for the post of Prime Minister in case Kadirgamar’s ethnicity is a barrier. The two Sinhala Buddhists they named were, Anura Bandaranaike and Maithripala Sirisena. (The letter was published in the Sunday Times)

    Maithripala had a chance to cut the throats of both Kadirgamar and Mahinda, and become the Prime Minister. But he opted to give the chance to Mahinda.”

    Whatever disagreement we have the GOOD must be accepted.

  18. Lorenzo Says:

    “If he wins the election, his greatest achievement would have been NOT the war victory but the non-abolishing of the 13A.”

    Well said Mario.

    And politicians, their wives, sons and daughters will love him for it. They can be PC MPs. Who else would employ them otherwise!

    I used my tea bag to prepare tea and drank it yesterday. Today can I use that SAME tea bag to make tea? NO!

  19. Nalliah Thayabharan Says:

    MEET THE TRAITOR

    by K.M.H.C.B. Kulatunga

    Daydreaming of a larger harvest

    Sinister elements in the West and the anti-Sri Lankan lobby, including the LTTE rump, know that the present Government and the Head of State do not dance to their melody. Ever since President Mahinda Rajapaksa was first elected President in November 2005, they have been making every effort for a regime change and create a leader who would pay hosannas to the West.

    They are fully aware that they should make use of ‘indigenous stuff’ to press for a regime change.

    Hence, the sinister elements in the West and LTTE rump have been on the lookout for traitors who are willing to betray their country in their lust for power. Many people have betrayed nations from time immemorial. There are many instances in which opportunists had turned traitors, totally ignoring the interests of their motherland.

    There is no exception in Sri Lanka and from ancient times, there had been power-hungry characters who had betrayed the country for petty gains. Even during the ancient times when the country was ruled by kings, there have been enough and more characters who had turned traitors and betrayed their country.

    Especially during the British rule, the then Governors always looked for prominent people whowere greedy for power, titles and wealth. They made use of these characters to conspire against Sinhala Kings.

    When the West was looking for such a character to oust President Rajapaksa in 2010, they had a prize catch in Sarath Fonseka. The Western godfathers and the Tiger cohorts thought they would definitely be able to make a regime change, using Fonseka’s then popularity as the Army Commander during the Security Forces’ battle against terrorism.

    But the masses were far more intelligent than those sinister elements in the West and the anti-Sri Lankan lobby, including the LTTE rump. The masses know how they should differentiate a good military leader from a patriotic politician. Hence that 2010 coup was effectively vanquished by the masses that rallied round President Rajapaksa during the 2010 presidential election.

    Four years later, the self-same elements who are daydreaming of a regime change have found another person to play the role of a traitor, identical to what Fonseka played in 2010. In former minister and ex-general secretary of the SLFP Maithipala Sirisena, the Western godfathers and LTTE rump have found just what they have been dreaming of!

    When one compares the two traitors, there is a huge difference. Fonseka was far more popular than Maithripala. Although he boasts of over four decades of political experience, Maithripala was never a national figure. True that he held the all-important post of SLFP General Secretary and a top ministerial portfolio but the masses had never considered him a national figure. His popularity was only confined to the Polonnaruwa district. In contrast, Fonseka was far more popular and a national figure when he contested the 2010 presidential election.

    Yet, the masses did not endorse Fonseka’s name as a political leader though they had gratitude for him for his military achievements. However, Fonseka was no match to President Rajapaksa and was comprehensively beaten.
    Daydreams

    When one carefully analyses these facts and the thumping majority President Rajapaksa enjoyed in winning the 2010 presidential election, one could well imagine how miserable Maithripala would fare at next month’s presidential election.

    Since the UNP-led Opposition is backing his candidature, Maithripala must be daydreaming that he could win the 2015 presidential election. Let him stay in that political fantasy until January 8, 2015. Fonseka too lived in such a wonderful political fantasy for 45 days in 2010 before he finally found where exactly he stands.

    Before handing over his nominations, it not too late for Maithripala to get a political lesson even from a novice such as Fonseka. In a recent joint Opposition news conference, Fonseka had told the bitter truth about a so-called common candidate. Fonseka said though many politicians and parties were behind him during the 2010 presidential election, he said everybody deserted him after the defeat, from the moment the results were announced.

    He added that he had to make his own lonely battle for survival after losing the election and none of the political leaders in the so-called joint Opposition ever uttered even a word of comfort.

    Fonseka’s stark facts and first-hand experience should be a good eye-opener to Maithripala who is under a delusion. Fonseka too was under a similar delusion during the run up to the 2010 presidential polls.
    Bitter truth

    Most importantly, Fonseka commanded the support of almost the entire Opposition, including the fullest backing of the UNP as well as the JVP. But Maithripala cannot boast of the same support or the identical popularity. The JVP has not agreed to support Maithripala’s candidature yet. Even if the JVP extends support, the party would lost the support of grassroots level when the JVP seniors asks to vote for a person whom they have criticized heavily.

    However, after finishing way behind at the 2010 presidential election and being isolated by all those joint Opposition leaders who pretended that they are extending support, Fonseka has now understood the bitter truth. What Fonseka understand now will become a gospel truth to Maithripala from January 9, 2015, the day the results of Sri Lanka’s seventh presidential election are to be announced.

    The presence of former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga next to Maithripala in Friday’s news conference would do more harm to the joint Opposition candidate than good. Maithripala vowed to abolish the Executive Presidency within 100 days, if he is elected.

    It was the laughing stock – Mathripala making such a promise while having Chandirka on to his right as she is the lady who made similar promises in 1994.

    Chandrika even set a definite timeframe to abolish the Executive Presidency and never kept her promise.

    It is with such a lady, who had done virtually nothing notable during her 11-year tenure, that Maithripala is going to embark this journey.
    Lust for power

    From the day the then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was nominated to contest the 2005 presidential election by the SLFP Central Committee, Chandrika has conspired. She made every effort to ruin the chances of the candidate her own party.

    But the masses knew that all those sinister campaigns against the then Prime Minister were due to Chandrika’s lust for power.

    Chandrika appeared to be a Western puppet in all her dealings with the LTTE, dancing to the melody of the INGO rump.

    The Opposition has embarked on an ambitious journey to win at any cost. In fulfilling that dream, they are even ready to embrace the pro-LTTE goons in the TNA as well as the Tiger cohorts in the West.

    The Tiger proxy TNA which attempted to pump the last drop of oxygen to the LTTE leadership during the 2006-2009 humanitarian operation will put forward demands that are detrimental to country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. But the UNP-led Maithripala’s camp would not have an iota of shame in agreeing to all those.

    If not for President Rajapaksa, the country would have still been subjected to LTTE terror. Unfortunately, some power-hungry Opposition politicians have deliberately forgotten this fact. Maithripala is a blind follower of Chandrika but he has forgotten how the former President had treated him in the past. When Maithriplala was well set to become the SLFP General Secretary during Chadrika’s tenure as the President, she strategically eliminated Maithipala from the race to give the post to one of her then confidants.

    Maithipala should not believe that Chandrika has teamed up with him with sincere thoughts. Chandrika does not like to see the SLFP and the country prospering under the able political leadership of President Rajapaksa. It was a mere political jealousy due to Chandrika’s extraordinary greediness for power. Even after holding the Executive Presidency for two successive terms, Chandrika is unable to give up his lust for power.

    All past Presidents had spent their retirements in exemplary manner, without poking their fingers into their successor work. When former President R. Premadasa made blunders after blunders, his predecessor J. R. Jayewardene did not utter a word and let Premadasa to run the country the way he wanted. In contrast, Chadrika has been making sarcastic comments and conspiring with her former confidantes from the day President Rajapaksa assumed office.

    Her aim is to destroy the party her late father Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike had founded simply because it is headed by the incumbent President. The UNP will soon fall into Chandrika’s trap laid through Maithripala whose chances of becoming the President are extremely slim.

    Even if he becomes the President, he would not let Ranil become the Head of State within 100 days as promised. Maithripala is a mere puppet of Chadrika and her political confidant Mangala Samaraweera.

    When Ranil and Mangala were finding a way out and save Ranil’s UNP leadership as well as the Opposition leader post, Chadrika suggested the name of Maithripala whom they could control easily. Hence, Ranil had no hesitation in endorsing Maithripala’s name as the common Opposition candidate, a dual purpose exercise for the UNP leader.
    Conspiracy

    First, Ranil could avoid the embarrassment of losing another election by making Maithripala a scapegoat. Secondly, he could well wash his hands off saying that it was not his defeat but that of Maithripala and face the pressure from Sajith group to hang on to the UNP leadership. Unfortunately, Maithripala had become a victim of Chandrika-Ranil-Mangala conspiracy. What Maithripala cannot understand now would be proved to him by January 9, 2015 – the day the joint Opposition would desert him.

    Maithripala is now getting ready for the episode two of the greatest betrayal after Fonseka starred in episode one. It won’t be a surprise if the UNP forces Maithripala to win at any cost by obtaining the support of the TNA and the LTTE rump.

    Definitely they will lay conditions but the joint Opposition will not hesitate to agree to whatever those conditions in their lust for power.

    They would even go to the extent of teaming up with extremist elements and the Tiger cohorts to create dissension in the country.

    The Opposition could even sell the country’s hard-earned peace, if they find that as a short cut to capture power.

    There was a similar conspiracy in 2010 but the masses extended their overwhelming support to President Rajapaksa to thwart conspiracies of peace mongers.

    Though Maithripala is yearning to become another Fonseka and rob the country of its hard-earned peace, the masses would teach them an unforgettable lesson.

    It will be then that Maithripala would endorse Fonseka’s current views on common candidate

  20. Nalliah Thayabharan Says:

    Maithri playing lead role in ‘Her Rage’

    ‘It’s nothing more than a mega teledrama,’ was how the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) described the move to field its former General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena as the opposition’s ‘Common Candidate’.

    Minister of Youth Affairs and Skills Development and SLFP Treasurer Dullas Alahapperuma made the above observation at a press briefing held at the SLFP headquarters on Saturday also attended by SLFP heavyweights Nimal Siripala De Silva, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, A.H.M. Fowzie, Susil Premajayantha and W.D.J. Seneviratne.

    Alahapperuma said that the title of this ‘teledrama’ could be ‘Her Rage’ (Ege Vairaya), referring to a film by the same name.

    ‘The producers are thousands of miles away from the Indian Ocean. The Script is by Ranil Wickremesinghe, while former President Chandrika Kumaratunga is the director. The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and pro-LTTE elements of the Tamil Diaspora are no doubt also playing their parts behind the scenes. Maithripala Sirisena is merely the lead actor and Friday’s event was just the first episode. Sirisena also has no idea what his next script will be as these are being handed to him slowly. However, we have no doubt he will soon realize that this drama would not have a happy ending,’ Alahapperuma added.

    Speaking further, Alahapperuma said “This drama still has no name. However, I would like to propose ‘Her Rage’ (ege vairaya) as a suitable one.”

    Alahapperuma said he respected Sirisena’s past, was dismayed by his present and saddened at the future awaiting the party’s former general secretary.

    The minister also warned foreign powers not to meddle in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation, claiming there were reports that money was being pumped to finance the setting up of a ‘puppet government’ that would dance to the tune of these powers.

    Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, who had been newly appointed as the SLFP’s General Secretary after Sirisena was sacked from his post on Friday night, said he regretted the circumstances that had led him (Yapa) to be chosen to his new post.

    He accused Sirisena of coming forward simply to elect Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister. He further said Sirisena and his fellow dissidents had no moral right to claim that they were taking their decisions on behalf of the SLFP. It was the president who made the SLFP the most powerful political party in its history and Sirisena’s breakaway group was only serving the interests of the SLFP’s bitter rival, the UNP, Yapa stressed. “We will do everything in our power to defeat him at the election,” he added.

    Minister and Leader of the House Nimal Siripala De Silva insisted the defections would have no bearing on the SLFP’s voter base. “One or two people cannot shake the foundations of the SLFP,” he claimed. He said he did not believe reports that more MPs were waiting to cross over in batches. However, the government was prepared to meet any challenges that may arise, he claimed.

    Even if senior party members had issues with the party hierarchy, breaking away was not the way to resolve issues, De Silva said. “These issues must be solved internally. We have to look after the party and party cadres without leaving them in isolation,” he said.

    Both Ministers De Silva and Seneviratne were questioned by journalists regarding rumors that they too were about to cross over to support Sirisena, to which De Silva replied, “Even if Mahinda Rajapaksa himself leaves the SLFP, I won’t go.” Seneviratne said his answer was the same.

    Courtesy: The Nation

  21. Nalliah Thayabharan Says:

    “External Forces” – as US envisaged – failed to change Rajapaksa: So, Topple the Guy

    By Daya Gamage – Asian Tribune Political Commentary

    The announcement of joint opposition candidacy of Minister and ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s General Secretary Maitripala Sirisena at the 08 January 2015 presidential election against the incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa is a culmination of a long and protracted maneuver that commenced with several classified secret diplomatic cables written for Washington at the U.S. Chancery in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

    The American attempt at the outset soon after the domestic annihilation of the separatist/terrorist Tamil Tiger was to “push the government from its current state of inertia.” With that policy position, the US State Department added many policy planks to rely on “external forces” to change the political trajectory the Rajapaksa regime took since 2009 or the US suspected would take.

    Former president Chandrika Kumaratunga was instrumental in getting General Sarath Fonseka as the common opposition candidate against Mr. Rajapaksa in January 2010 soon after his return from Washington on the same flight Ms. Kumaratunga travelled toward the same destination.

    With close discourses and established rapport with professional activists within the US Tamil Diaspora – those who were aiding and abetting Velupillai Prabhakaran’s terror campaign – the State Department was successful in resuscitating the ‘Global Tiger Network’ in a more effective path: diplomacy.

    Then one could see Ms. Kumaratunga establishing a rapport with the Clintons within the Clinton Global Initiative.

    Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was a vocal critic of the Sri Lanka regime and opposed its political trajectory while opening a dialogue with the Tamil Diaspora representatives through her creation – US Global Diaspora Initiative.
    Chandrika Kumaratunga is back again on the path for a ‘regime change’ in working behind the scene to put forward Maitripala Sirisena.

    Before Mr. Sirisena emerged, what started with several classified secret diplomatic cables written at US Mission in Colombo for Washington took a full circle; the several US resolutions in UNHRC in Geneva effectively played by the former Prabhakaran professionals within the Tamil Diaspora; emergence of anti-Rajapaksa positions taken by many foreign offices of certain European Union nations; influencing government and opposition rank members of this ‘global endeavors’.

    Out comes Maitripala Sirisena, a government insider, to undertake the regime change contract of the ‘external forces’.

    In one of the classified diplomatic cables sent by the American Embassy in Sri Lanka by Ambassador Patricia Butenis dated 14 December 2009 following state department assistant secretary Robert Blake’s visit to Colombo was the conclusion and determination of the U.S. Foreign Service Cadre that Sri Lanka and her government headed by President Rajapaksa need ‘external push and manipulation’ to make them move forward to adopt a policy what the state department, activists of the Tamil Diaspora and some Sri Lankan Tamil politicians envisage.

    The 14 December 2009 WikiLeaks’-disclosed State Department classified diplomatic cable made a significant policy determination. On issues of reconciliation, devolution of power to predominantly Tamil provinces in the north and east of Sri Lanka and accountability of events during the final months of the GSL-LTTE battle, the Butenis-signed diplomatic cable noted “Blake argued”, to get the government to focus on those issues it is necessary to “push the government from its current state of inertia.”

    Using the word ‘inertia’ by assistant secretary Robert Blake which is reflected in the text of the diplomatic cable, the former American ambassador to Sri Lanka expressed a developing policy plank in the State Department and its Foreign Service Officers (FSO) connected to Sri Lanka issues.

    The developed policy plank since the defeat of the LTTE in May 2009 was that the GSL was resisting change and has a tendency to stay in a single position or beliefs unless acted upon by external forces.

    Washington’s State Department, its FSOs in Colombo, activists of the Tamil Diaspora and global rights organizations most of which are funded by the appropriation vote of the state department are ‘external forces’.
    The US State Department’s mind-set was clearly manifested when its 15 January 2010 classified cable sent from Colombo to Washington declared the ‘Rajapaksa Brothers’ as war criminals.

    It read: There are no examples we know of a regime undertaking wholesale investigations of its own troops or senior officials for war crimes while that regime or government remained in power. In Sri Lanka this is further complicated by the fact that responsibility for many of the alleged crimes rests with the country’s senior civilian and military leadership, including President Rajapaksa and his brothers and opposition candidate General Fonseka.
    So, the regime change is effectively envisaged by (a) The professional operatives – who were once Prabhakaran’s diplomatic agents – within the Tamil Diaspora (b) the US State Department – extremely disappointed with the manner in which Rajapaksa is leading the nation (c) those who were effectively influenced by the cycle of events that had taken place in the global arena.

    The result if the regime is replaced by a Sirisena regime on 08 January 2015:

    The close scrutiny of separatism within the country could be relaxed allowing the ‘Tamil Tiger operative’ agenda for a referendum in the North-East leading toward the bifurcation of the nation.

    At present, the Rajapaksa regime keeps close tab on separatist activities and the related maneuvers in the global arena not to allow those to seep through the borders of the nation. The resuscitation of the call for a Tamil Homeland’ through devolution process could fulfill the campaign of the Tiger operatives in global capitals.

    With the nomination of the SLFP insider one could see how far the classified diplomatic cables had travelled – through Chandrika – embracing the professional activists of the Tamil Diaspora – through Geneva and bringing a psychological change within certain sections of the ranks of the ruling government party rallying opposition forces who once – at the behest of Norway – took a position to appease Psrabhakaran’s terror machine.

    One could learn a lesson what happened in Cambodia in the seventies: In 1968, the Nixon administration started carpet bombing in Cambodia to prevent the infiltration of Viet Cong toward the south. And it went on till mid-seventies killing thousands of innocent Cambodians, disrupting their lives and destroying the property. An obscure village political activists toured the Cambodian nation to bring the calamity the United States was bringing to the notice of the Cambodians. In 1975 this political activist – Pol Pot – became the leader of that nation, and rest is history. This what is called collateral effect.

    The United States wanted the Rajapaksa regime to effect many changes in the governing style, and Mr. Rajapaksa either ignored or refused. The US since the conclusion of the Eelam War IV wanted Sri Lanka to change its trajectory; hence the classified cables.

    The professional operatives of the Tamil Tigers within the Tamil Diaspora undertook the long process of bifurcation of Sri Lanka through diplomatic maneuvers, a 26-year struggle Prabhakaran’s militancy failed.

    The five-year Global Maneuvering” greatly influenced the opposition; Chandrika Kumaratunga’s lifelong hatred toward Mahinda Rajapaksa which started in the deep south during the Long March (Pada Yatra) in the eighties when he used unsavory language to dismiss her from taking over the lime light returning from her long hibernation in London after her husband’s assassination.

    All these factors culminated in persuading an SLFP stalwart to stand as the opposition common candidate to achieve a single goal: A Regime Change.

    The collateral effect is: March toward the declaration of The Tamil Homeland; Self-determination of the Tamil People; Bifurcation of the North and East of Sri Lanka for the remnants of the LTTE to return.

    Does Maitripala Sirisena aware of this trajectory?

    Courtesy: Asian Tribune

  22. Ananda-USA Says:

    On the Contrary Mario, while non-abolishing the 13A when he had the 2/3 majority was a grave mistake of MR, his achievements in the War Victory and Transforming Sri Lanka in the last 5 years will win him the title of “the greatest achiever of our time” without question, as H.L.D. Mahindapala … a keen observer of the Political Scene in Sri Lanka described him.

    These are things that many successive administrations in Sri Lanka during the last 3 years FAILED TO DO, but Mahinda Rajapaksa’s UPFA Govt did.

    His jaundiced critics, driven by overt and covert agendas of their own different from the oft repeated mantras they chant daily, will put on blinders now and belittle his achievements, but the ordinary people of Sri Lanka know better, and will express their views on January 8.

    Like those jealous critics who belittled Columbus’s discovery of America by sailing off into the unknown while flat earthers predicted he would fall off the edge of the world, MR’s jealous critics will never give him the credit that he has JUSTLY EARNED!

    I FULLY CONCUR with Mahindapala!

    BTW Mario, the North needed assistance to recover from the war and MR provided it in ample measure. What is more, he rebuilt roads, railways, banks, post offices, hospitals, water supply systems and administrative buildings that the LTTE had destroyed in double quick time. In the fullness of time, that infrastructre will attract non-Tamil communities to the North to settle there, drawing the communities together and integrating the country. Opposition from the TNA does not detract from the fact that these things HAVE TO BE DONE to serve the needs of the people, Tamils included, whether they give the Govt the credit for it or not.

    And believe me, I have visited the North extensively since the war, and the Tamil people see what is being done to help them and appreciate it, despite the denigration of the Govt by TNA’s goons driven by their Eelamist agenda. If some way can be found to weaken the threats of the ever present TNA goons, the Tamil people will feel FREE TO VOICE THEIR real feelings and speak up in support of what has been done by the UPFA Govt to help them. Now, they can’t speak freely; they are STILL prisoners help firmly in the grip of Eelamists. That is why settlement of the North by non-Tamil communities is a must; that is the only way to free the Tamils there, as they are in the South.

    Are there other things that can be done like REPEALING the 13A, resettling displaced Sinhala and Muslim people in the North, and promoting new settlement by Sinhala people? Yes there are, and these will be done in the fullness of time, but taking care of the basic needs of war-affected people has HIGHER PRIORITY!

    Also, no Sinhala people would want to settle in the North until and unless the basic amenities, they enjoy in the South, are also built and are made available to them in the North.

    In short, you are WRONG Mario to continually criticize the development work in the former war zones; it is a DUTY of any NATIONAL GOVERNMENT to help rehabilitate war-affected people irrespective of their previous support for the enemy.

  23. ranjit Says:

    Every citizen in the country must think wisely this time same as last time before voting. Anyone can reject Parliamentarians but not the person who has won the war for us and developed our beautiful nation and he is none other than the present President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

    If you vote for another puppet that means you are deaf and dumb and blind. Who is this guy Sirisena.Can you compare him to Great Mahinda? What nonsense? Chandrika what she did during her time.Was she sleeping or she worked according to our enemies the western powers and India? Why nobody cannot understand about these traitors and what they were upto before 2005.

    Do not believe these lairs and crying babies.They are out of order and antique not fit for 21st century. Before they try to give our land to LTTE diaspora again reject all of them once and for all that’s what every citizen has to do. These traitors were giving interviews to foreign TV’s and openly talk about separation and asking our vote they maybe crazy to ask like that. People must reject these pawns in wholesale this time and support Mahinda Rajapaksa without any hesitation.

    Think of Ranil’s Peace Treaty and Premadasa’s help to LTTE murderers in the past? How they allowed LTTE to kill our heroes at ease. Can anyone trust a man like Sirisena who has taken lunch with the President and crossed over to the other side to become a President? Did he have charisma like Mahinda? Does he have power and strength to compete with him? Chandrika can milk feed him to become a strong candidate because he was crying in the first press conference. Giving our valuable vote to crying babies were in the past not now. REST IN PEACE FOR THE TRAITOR SIRISENA AND HIS CLOWNS. The name of the movie is “Ponnaseka 2”.

  24. nilwala Says:

    Whatever people may say about the “decency” of MS as a politician, this single act betrays a naivete that is most revealing and dangerously immature in a person aspiring to be a Head of State. Promising to deliver in a 100days what CBK at his side could not deliver in 10yr., speaks of pure irresponsibility and irrationality that decry the high moral purpose he attributes to this act.
    After a 30-yr war that drained this nation, the external forces that declared the war “unwinnable” are being focused right at this time, to bringing the current regime to its knees for not having acceded to the requests of the West, and for having instead destroyed the LTTE leadership. All this seems to have been set aside in pursuit of what to concerned observers amounts to personal grudges, frustrations, some arrogance and really bad timing. Had UPFA people marched out on their own but kept themselves separate and dissociated from the “common candidature” it might have meant a different purpose.

    In a mere 4 1/2 years Sri Lanka has demonstrated a remarkable economic resurgence that no one could have thought possible. But it has resulted in the discontent of some who feel that the peace dividend did not come their way, and who also lack a sense of what might happen if chaos descends again, and Lanka’s national security becomes compromised through destabilization. The fact that there has to be priorities in development, and that indeed mistakes can be made, but if the country remains politically stable these could be addressed through cooperative action and in due course, seems to elude these impatient, immature and angry people.

    Today is the 3rd reading of the Budget that will yield further clues regarding the evolution of this attempt at a political coup. Many of those who have crossed the aisle thus far are disgruntled MPs and Ministers. Others to follow will also do so for personal rather than for any motivations of real national importance. Concern for the future of this nation must surely result in a decision to support the current regime with whatever warts it may have at this time, giving the time and chance for remaining imperfections to be addressed. Those who contribute to damaging Sri Lanka’s image internationally are only selfishly projecting themselves and their ambitions.

  25. mario_perera Says:

    Concern for the future of this nation must surely result in a decision to support the current regime with whatever warts it may have at this time, giving the time and chance for remaining imperfections to be addressed.- Nilwala

    Nilwala,

    By ‘current regime’ you no doubt mean the current president

    The current president had TWO YEARS before him which is ample “time and chance for remaining imperfections to be addressed”. Then why the dickens did he decide to cut short his term – by TWO YEARS mind you, and decide to hold elections?

    Now getting down to brass tacks, the die is cast. The day of reckoning is already within our field of vision. What will happen will happen.

    Nilwala, we can speculate all we want and there will be as many opinions as there are heads. That does not mean that we should not express ourselves and even vent our feelings, and we will continue to do, in a spirit of fraternity hopefully.

    Mario Perera
    Kadawata

  26. Independent Says:

    “Then why the dickens did he decide to cut short his term – by TWO YEARS mind you, and decide to hold elections?” – Mario

    This is the question I was asking for a week now.

    One crime. Indians and Sri Lankans. All got death penalty. Indians released and set free, completely free. Sri Lankans still on death row.
    We are still a colony of Tamil Nadu, despite spending 26600 Sinhala lives to liberate the country.

  27. Independent Says:

    Bottom line it is our President called the elections 2 years too early. He cannot complain of conspiracies – it should not win a single vote on that basis. People can consider other factors when voting, but not this conspiracy theory.

  28. nilwala Says:

    Mario – You ask:

    “By ‘current regime’ you no doubt mean the current president. …(and)

    The current president had TWO YEARS before him which is ample “time and chance for remaining imperfections to be addressed”. Then why the dickens did he decide to cut short his term – by TWO YEARS mind you, and decide to hold elections? ”

    Yes, I did mean the current regime, because with any change, the entire regime will go.

    As to why MR decided on an election now when he had 2 more years to go…it seems to me that it has to do with Geneva’s OISL Report due in March with its foregone conclusions, and which he expected could be offset by a popular return to power that would ensure democratic “time and chance…….”.

  29. Lorenzo Says:

    Maithri-Karuna alliance begins election work.

    MS and Karu J (Maithri-Karuna alliance) have gone to a temple and started their election campaign which THEY say will be honorable.

    This should be the campaign song. An old song by Moris Dahanayaka. PERFECTLY suited for SL and anyone can understand.

    “Meth mal pibidewa…karuna guna dewa”.

  30. mario_perera Says:

    As to why MR decided on an election now when he had 2 more years to go…it seems to me that it has to do with Geneva’s OISL Report due in March with its foregone conclusions, and which he expected could be offset by a popular return to power that would ensure democratic “time and chance…….”. Nilwala

    Nilwala,

    The Geneva report you say is a foregone conclusion. But I still do not understand what anticipated elections have to do with it. What is the purpose of trying to offset that conclusion by ‘a popular return to power’ and how would that ‘ensure democratic time and chance…’?

    Is MR going before the nation telling them: look here I am coming before you because in March the Geneva set up will vote against my government calling it to account for the Tamil ‘genocide’ during the last stages of the war and holding me personally accountable?

    The mind set of this nation on that score is perfectly known to all and sundry.

    Further if that is the view of MR would it not have been more logical to wait for the Geneva Report and then go before the nation brandishing the Report before their faces? Then MR could have proposed the election as a ‘referendum’ against the Report. Here what benefit does he derive by ‘jumping the gun’? Is he going to tell Geneva: so you see the nation rejected your Report even before it was published?

    Geneva could very well reply: how can Sri Lanka react to a report even before its publication? They could even go further and tell MR: did you get yourself re-elected for fear of being rejected once the report came to light?

    Now how would that ‘ensure democratic time and chance…’? Is it not the contrary? This ‘jump the gun’ election would have an inverse effect. It would really and precisely deprive MR of “democratic time and chance…’ because he would have exhausted his principal remedy of placing the issue before the nation.

    In the face of this obvious contradiction the only argument to be advanced by MR when faced with the adverse Geneva Report would be: too late guys, the people have seated me on the throne of Sri Lanka for a further full term as president. As such your report is as writ in water because the people do not have another chance of unseating me on the strength of your recommendation.

    Quite absurd is it not?

    Mario Perera
    Kadawata

  31. nilwala Says:

    Mario:

    Simple answer….PRE-EMPT OR POST-EMPT.

    He opted for the former.

    A fresh 6-yr period with immunity would provide the time for changes in UN policy as well, made necessary at the end of the Middle East war.

  32. mario_perera Says:

    Thank you for answering, Nilwala,

    Whatever happens we all hope that Mother Lanka will prosper and flourish

    Presidents come and go but Lanka is for ever

    Mario

  33. Independent Says:

    Lorenzo,
    Maithri-Karuna alliance ! – good one !

    But I would change the song to,

    Maithree Karuna Dooshita wi ( Love and Compassion has become corrupted)
    Krodhaya Irshya Proshita wi ( Hate and jealousy become prominent)
    Minisa Thirisan Vewido.. ( man becomes an animal)

    By Mohideen Beg. – Very appropriate.

  34. NeelaMahaYoda Says:

    Lorenzo
    Very appropriate slogan for Mahinda Campaign
    Maithree Karuna Dooshita wi, Krodhaya Irshya Proshita wi Minisa Thirisan Vewido..
    When Love and Compassion has become corrupted, Hate and jealousy become prominent then man becomes an animal
    Vote for a man not an animal

  35. Independent Says:

    Neela,
    You can’t beat me on this.

    Mahinda Campaign song will be the next section of the same song.

    Ghora Viseti Nai Polangun Wan (Like highly poisonous snakes )
    Minisun Mithuru Vesin E-Nam ( men come pretending to be friends)
    Emavita pavasanu Muvin Obe ( Then at that point utter from your mouth)
    Buddham Saranam Gachchami ( I go to the refuge of Buddha)

  36. Lorenzo Says:

    Gentlemen,

    Why all this NEGATIVE thoughts.

  37. Lorenzo Says:

    US citizenship is one BIG step. They have taken an OATH of allegiance to USA to become a citizen!!

    “I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America.”

    OMG!

    “Absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to SL and will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America”!

    VERY VERY powerful words.

  38. Christie Says:

    Many thanks for comments and revealing of our politicians and their side kicks. So Shanmugadhasan was another god father of the JVP. Mrs. Maithripala Senanyake was the real minister. Mr Shanmugadhasan was a man who was paid by the Colombo Indian merchants. He destroyed Sinhala businesses using his trade unions while allowing Indian merchants to prosper using poor Sinhala labor. There was a textile factory North of Colombo and the Sinhala girls who worked asked their pay clerk who was an Indian to go and see Shan about forming a trade union. By the time this old bugger returned to work he was sacked. Balapatabendi was just a public servant but his children started mega businesses in the West.

  39. Independent Says:

    Lorenzo,
    What ? Negative thoughts ? No. These are the most positive. The whole song is positive if you understood it. It is the “lessons learned review and carry on (LLRC)” song.

    Look at the last one. If the president had followed that part of it, that is when cruel cunning people( like venomous snakes ) surround him showing a friendly face, he could have followed Buddha. Buddha has said what to do exactly.

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