WOULD YOU BUY SIRISENA’S USED CAR?
Posted on December 10th, 2014
Daily News Editorial
This is the Minister that was frothing at the mouth when his son Daham assaulted a DIG’s son in 2013. He did not for a moment say let the law take its own course, on that occasion when this cosseted youngster (gangster?) though it fit to take out his frustrations on a fellow beach goer by the Maalu-Maalu resort in Pasikudah, in Eastern Sri Lanka.
Read the story in our opposite editorial page which we reproduce kind courtesy of dbsjeyaraj.com.
Mr. H. L. D. Mahindapala spoke about the hilarity of the challenger’s contention that he is incorruptible when he was interviewed by this newspaper’s Editor in Chief on the program People’s Power on SLBC last morning.
It is established that Sirisena acted in a madman’s frenzy to pull all the strings he could to ensure that his son was not apprehended, after the Maalu Maalu fracas.
The story makes riveting reading.
Sirisena even ensured that there would be no JMO tests on his son and his gang, since it was quite obvious that they were all in advanced stages of inebriation when the incident occurred.
The DIG’s son who was injured had his shoulder dislocated, and the photograph is carried along with the article, on the opposite page.
He was not drunk. All he wanted to do was protect his wife from being photographed along with a pervert who had exposed himself and was part of young Sirisena’s gang.
To this day this young man has had no redress and it was entirely due to the gross abuse of power of Mr. Squeaky Clean who went berserk in an attempt to protect his own ‘good name’ which he thought was besmirched due to his errant son.
How good that name is we all know now, as we knew then — this is the man whose brother, courtesy his political clout, ran a rice cartel and made a three billion fortune on his own admission. Those who are averse to mincing their words would say this is ‘one hellu’va saint.’
As Mahindapala observes there is no rustic ‘ele, wele, pele’ man who can make three billion out of a rice cartel without exploiting the poor farmers of Pollonaruwa to the hilt.
Sirisena invites scorn with his claim to being a clean politician as he underscores his hypocrisy each time he resorts to this fantastic narrative line.
This challenger is the antithesis of above board. He sat down to a meal of hoppers with President Rajapaksa, swore on the ‘karanduwa’ before a Buddhism monk that he will never leave the side of his leader, and stabbed him in the back the next morning.
In that context his claim to propriety and incorruptibility in public life could be likened to an inebriated spectator by the boundary line screaming to the cricketers in the outfield ‘look I can take better catches than you do.’
He has also defined himself by the company he keeps. Mahindapala quotes Victor Ivan to say that Chandrika Kumaratunge was the most corrupt politician we had since independence.
The million dollar question is whether Sirisena will open his promised Commission of Inquiry into corruption to probe his political bedfellow Kumaratunga’s dealings?
The hypocrisy of the Sirisena brigade is almost too bizarre to contemplate.
This man is so totally compromised that to use a phrase made popular by Dayan Jayatilleke, Mr. Mahindapala nor any Sri Lankan ‘would buy a used car from him.’
But what’s worse than a corrupt man is someone who is trying to dress himself in white vestments to conceal all that dirt.
In other words, Sirisena is your common or garden humbug. Sri Lanka needs this man as president the way each of our citizens needs a rash on our faces when we get up on January 9th morning.
December 10th, 2014 at 4:43 pm
>>>But what’s worse than a corrupt man is someone who is trying to dress himself in white vestments to conceal all that dirt.
In other words, Sirisena is your common or garden humbug. Sri Lanka needs this man as president the way each of our citizens needs a rash on our faces when we get up on January 9th morning.<<<
That's precisely correct. He "protests too loudly" to taken seriously, and when we shake off the photo ops with monks, the clasped hands, and the white clothes and Modi-style dress, we have just another political opportunist without any principles, substance, or capacity. In political parlance, this is called the Manchurian Candidate – the guy who pretends he is for one thing to get elected but will promote the opposite if he gains power.
December 10th, 2014 at 5:00 pm
Yes. I will buy his used car or even the bullock cart.
It is much more comfortable for me than the Mercs, BMWs, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins bought using illicit money.
A visit to my Sri Lankan village temple brings me calm and serene happiness than the naked fortune predicted for me at the grand Indian Tirupaty Hindu Temple.
December 10th, 2014 at 5:57 pm
This mud slinging is very bad for the country.
People are INTOXICATED with HATRED against politicians and they DAMAGE the country.
IF the UPFA govt.’s health minister for 4 years and SLFP’s GS for 15 years is so corrupt, what is the guarantee other ministers are clean!
Everyone becomes corrupt when they leave the govt.
e.g. Former ministers, army commanders, CHIEF JUSTICES, even former superiors (CBK), etc.
For Christ’s sake why NO action was taken when they indulged in corruption? Why always blame them after they have left?
ANY terrorist, murderer, corrupt politician, liar, traitor, etc. becomes SQEAKY CLEAN when they join govt.
e.g. GLP, Milinda, KARUNA, KP, Punchinilame, Duminda, Mervin, PB Jayasundara, Hack-him, Tissa
This is a miracle!
December 10th, 2014 at 6:05 pm
I ran many websites, facebook campaigns and poster campaigns against SF in 2010 (when he decided to contest against MR). Someone asked me 2 questions.
1. How much of those alleged corruption by SF happened when he was in the MR camp?
2. How much of those alleged corruption by SF happened when he left the MR camp?
Being the HONEST PERSON I’m, I honestly answered him (AFTER the election).
1. ALL
2. NONE
2 people committed corruption when it happened. One by COMMISSION and the other by OMISSION.
This is the reality. Am I wrong?
December 10th, 2014 at 6:13 pm
Why they stopped the mud slinging on Champika and Ratana Thero soon after My3 joined ?
December 10th, 2014 at 8:34 pm
Lorenzo piously pontificated “This mud slinging is very bad for the country.”
If so, why are YOU the PRIME EXPONENT of mud-slinging? That is ALL you have done since the possibility of a Presidential Election was ANNOUNCED, and you launched your WAR on President Mahinda Rajapaksa!!!
Sorry, Lorenzo; there is NOWHERE for you to HIDE! You BOUGHT the DUNCE CAP, IT FITS, so WEAR IT!
December 10th, 2014 at 8:40 pm
“This challenger is the antithesis of above board. He sat down to a meal of hoppers with President Rajapaksa, swore on the ‘karanduwa’ before a Buddhism monk that he will never leave the side of his leader, and stabbed him in the back the next morning.”
A treacherous back stabber, turncoat and hypocrite: should we TRUST Palwatte Gamaralage Maithripala Yapa Sirisena with the KEYS TO THE Nation? I THINK NOT!!
December 10th, 2014 at 8:48 pm
>>>Being the HONEST PERSON I’m, I honestly answered him (AFTER the election).
1. ALL
2. NONE<<<<
Come on, Lorenzo – you need POWER to engage in corruption and after Fonseka left the government he had no more power, so this is yet 'another' red herring you keep using to try to distract the reader from the point of the article above.
The point of the article is that you CANNOT TRUST MAITHRIPALA based on his past statements and actions concerning corruption and abuse of power. That is not mudslinging, that is useful information for the voter, especially since Maithripala is trying to make his squeaky clean character the reason someone should vote for him.
December 10th, 2014 at 9:36 pm
“Why they stopped the mud slinging on Champika and Ratana Thero soon after My3 joined ?”
Yes. Despite JHU leaders calling MR worse than VP, NO response came from govt. JHU knows. TOO MUCH. (So does Duminda Silva who is an advisor to MOD.)
Also read the Wikileaks document on Blake’s meeting with Basil on Trinco. You will be amazed.
Look what the GOLD DANSALA did. It distributed gold jewellery which the LTTE stole from Sinhala (1977) and Muslim (1990) people to Tamils (only)! (But Tamils will not vote in return. They claim they deserve more for their “grievances”.)
How can we approve this madness?
But the so called patriots don’t see this because they are blind with HATE. They will even kill their mother over political disagreements.
December 10th, 2014 at 9:39 pm
Ananda,
There is a difference between MUD SLINGING and STATING FACTS.
You have been doing the former (MUD) while I have been doing the latter (FACTS).
(But I confess to MUD in 2010 – along with my friend Ananda-USA – to help MR win over SF.)
December 10th, 2014 at 9:42 pm
“A treacherous back stabber, turncoat and hypocrite”
All because he contests against MR?
Come on Ananda. This is a democracy. Or is it?
In a democracy people can freely do politics. In a dictatorship they can’t. Either no elections (North Korea) or elections where the opposition is bashed to silence (Syria, etc.)
December 10th, 2014 at 11:08 pm
Most scared of LTTE. Heroes fight them. Win or lose , they act according to the situation whereas others indulge in one victory forever
December 10th, 2014 at 11:20 pm
>>>There is a difference between MUD SLINGING and STATING FACTS.<<<
Yes there is, and hospital staff who were attending the man who was assaulted by Maithripala's son have confirmed that Maithripala did in fact say "I am not like other ministers who would abuse their power to get the police to drop charges against their son" and then moments later made numerous phone calls to the Justice Minister and Police Brass to get his son released and the charges dropped.
The guy is a TOTAL FRAUD!
December 10th, 2014 at 11:56 pm
MR went to Thirupathi and came back to find two deputy ministers have crossed over
Ranil is also a thirupathi fan and is a serial looser despite all his trips to Thirpathi
So much for Thirupathi.
December 11th, 2014 at 12:51 am
Vimutti,
Be careful.
මිනිසුන් නොමග යැවීම(මෝහය වැඩිකිරීම) මහා පව්කාර වැඩකි. මහජනයාගේ ලෝභ , ද්වේශ, මෝහ වැඩිකරන ක්රියා එක් තැනැත්තෙකුගේ මනස නොමග යැවීම මෙන් දහස් ගුනයකින් පව් වැඩි වෙයි. ඉන්ටනෙට් ඊටත් වඩා දරුණු වන්නේ ඒ නිසයි. තමන් හරියටම නොදැන, වැරදි නොකරන අයට මඩ ගැසී මෙන් ඉන්ටනෙට් පාලකයෝ නොදැනුවත්කම නිසා දරුණු පව් කර ගනිති. නොදැනුවත්කම නිසා පව් කර ගැනීමෙන් පවේ බලය වැඩිවීමක් මිස අදුවීමක් නොවන බව බුදුරජාණන් වහන්සේ ප්රකාශ කළ සේක.
December 11th, 2014 at 5:35 am
Independent,
It is YOU that should be careful, as I source very carefully all of the information from which my posts are based.
And as a serious Buddhist practitioner, I am not pre-occupied with merits and demerits of kamma – I am solely focused on spiritual liberation from samsara which is the end of kamma. I have no interest in being reborn in a heaven or hell realm, just imparting the truth as I have discovered based on many, many years of engagement with complex political systems and the actors (many of whom are corrupt) who engage them.
At this point, it is almost instinctive – when I hear MS and look into his eyes I can see FRAUD and insincerity written all over him. And when I learn of the ‘character’ of the people that are sponsoring, bankrolling, and promoting him, I am 100% certain that he can only harm Buddhism in Sri Lanka, not help it. Buddhism is not a play thing that you use to divide the Buddhist vote so you can get some power and fame, and if MS doesn’t get that quickly, he is going to have a lot more problems than an election loss on January 8th.
December 11th, 2014 at 6:13 am
Yes . I too have to, but if you have done it that is OK, you know it.
“And as a serious Buddhist practitioner, I am not pre-occupied with merits and demerits of kamma – I am solely focused on spiritual liberation from samsara”
You can’t do it without starting with “seela”. The way you say “pre-occupied with merits and demerits ” shows all.
What do you see when you see actions of our President’s friends, just take the best friend who accompany him abroad, Dr. Mervyn Silva ? My3 is 1000 times better.
December 11th, 2014 at 7:00 am
Maybe (and I really am not sure about this) Maithripala is ‘better’ is some moral purity (sila) sense than Mervyn Silva, but this is a red herring in the presidential race.
The president of Sri Lanka is not about who has the best sila, it is who has the CAPACITY to keep Sri Lanka rising as a nation. The most morally pure monk may nonetheless be completely unsuitable as a manager of a country, as the skill set required goes well beyond sila. Champika from the JHU is making this same mistake by equating Buddhism as a political issue with “sila-only”. This is why there is a disconnect between the Buddhist voter and the JHU (they only got 3 seats out of 225 in last election). The Buddhist voter is worried about the same things as the Hindu, Muslim, and Christian voter is worried about – how do we control the cost of living, how do we afford to pay for tuition classes for our children, how can we afford to buy land and build a house, how can we save money to start a business, how do we reduce the air pollution on our streets, etc. Nowhere on the list of concerns of voters is how do we improve the sila of Sri Lankans. Buddhism, at its core, is about ending human suffering, not the lack of sila per se. Another way of stating this is Buddhism is about human happiness (lack of suffering), and on that score the president is moving the country in the right direction when compared to where it was when he started in 2005.
And when it comes to foreign policy or even formulating a coherent policy, we have even a wider gap in CAPACITY between MR and MS.
Here is what MR’s foreign minister had to say about the danger of a Maithripala presidency from a foreign relations and coherent policy perspective. Google: “What Maithripala is promising is a hodgepodge”
December 12th, 2014 at 1:56 am
“Who would want to buy a New Car from Rajapaksha family?”