The minority supremacy
Posted on January 16th, 2015
Nalin de Silva
(Article not published by the Island)
It was in 1833 the Legislative Assembly was established by the English colonialists, which comprised 10 official members and six unofficial members. All the unofficial members and four of the official members were appointed by the English governor while six of the official members were members of the executive committee. Thus in essence all the members were appointed by the governor. Of the six unofficial members three were Europeans, one was Sinhala, one Tamil and the other Burgher. There were no Muslims. This was the beginning of minority communal politics with the blessings of the English who nourished Tamil racism that had been established by the Dutch, and 2015 Presidential elections saw the continuation of it. The Sinhala people especially the Buddhists were denied of their due place in the country ignoring their history of more than two thousand years compared with the history of Vellala Tamils who were brought here by the Dutch, the demography of Sri Lanka with more than seventy percent of the Sinhala people and above all the culture the Sinhalas have built in this country. Tamil racism has since 1833 grown into Tamil separatism in the forties of the last century and into Tamil terrorism in the seventies. Muslim racism which first began as a phenomenon against Tamil racism in the final decades of the nineteenth century has since the seventies turned against Sinhala people. The history of Tamil racism is described in :Prabhakaran, ohugeseeyala, baappala ha massinala (Prabhakaran, his grand uncles, uncles and cousins – of course political), which is now in its fourth edition.
There was a reason for the English to encourage Tamil racism against the Sinhala people in addition to its divide and rule policy. The Sinhala people could not be conquered by any nation, ethnic community, dynasty in their history of more than two thousand years, and finally exactly two hundred years ago in 1815 the cunning diplomacy of Doyle and others made some of the Sinhala leaders to sign a pact with the English, erroneously called the Kandyan Convention by the English and their imitating educated” Sri Lankans, establishing English Christian colonialism over the whole country against the wish of the Sinhala leaders. There were two important clauses in the Pact, I am not tired of repeating, namely that the country will be ruled according to Sinhala customs and that Buddhagama and Devagama, meaning the Buddhism as practiced in Sri Lanka (not pure Theravada if there is any such religion), would be protected. However, the English being gentlemen breached the two clauses in no time.
There are parallels between 1815 and 2015. Having experienced 2015, it is not difficult to imagine now how the English would have propagated myths against Sri Wickrema Rajasighe the last king of the Sinhala kingdom. The false propaganda by the present government party against the previous government has not stopped even after the formation of the Maithripala- Ranil-Chandrika (MRC) government with the assistance of Champika, Rajitha, Rishard, and Sumanthiran though the latter has not taken up a portfolio. Mangala Samaraweera goes to town claiming and proclaiming that there was an attempt by Mahinda Rajapaksa to cling to power with the assistance of the armed forces in the morning of the ninth of January, and this is a serious allegation. Ranil Wickremesinghe should either confirm or deny this allegation as he was involved in the transition of power and not Mangala Samarweera. By his silence Ranil is only adding fuel to this propaganda by Mangala and it is not a good augury for the so called good governance that the present government promised. Promises and Pacts in the tradition of English colonialism that is with us even today are meant to be broken.
The English in 1815 had turned most of the Sinhala leaders against the King and we tend to forget that even Keppetipola Nilame had decided to serve the English after the Pact. When the Sinhala people who were virtually leaderless turned against the English when the latter breached the Sinhala English Pact of 1815, it was Keppetipola who is supposed to have led the English army that was sent to overcome the first independence struggle of the Sinhalas against the English. However, Keppetipola listened to the Sinhala people sent back the English army with the weapons, without following the westerners and their traditions, and led the independence struggle against the English. This was in 1817, and Keppetipola was defeated, murdered and finally the Sinhala people in Wellassa were massacred by the English. Even after that some Sinhala leaders continued to serve the English and today the situation is not much different. Are we heading towards a 2017 massacre of the Sinhala people this time with the assistance of the JVP and the JHU? We have to work with the SLFP (Mahinda) to avoid such scenario.
The Rajpaksas are blamed for the establishment of the Bodu Bala Sena. However, my understanding is that it was established by a person(s) now in the MRC government but the BBS having understood what was happening somewhat lately had turned against its mentor referred to as the usa man” (tall man) by the leading Bhikkus in the BBS. The irony is that Rajitha who was vehemently opposed to the BBS and Rishard who had had verbal fights with the mentor in the cabinet are again with the latter in the new cabinet after defeating Mahinda.
There were at least five factors that contributed to the defeat of Mahinda, the major being the minority supremacy the Tamil leaders had been expecting from 1833. I will describe them in detail in the forthcoming articles but the above map, with courtesy from Sunday Times, would give a picture of what happened on the 8th January of 2015, a date which the future generations of Sinhalas will remember with 2nd March 1815. It is a case of establishing minority supremacy through the ballet in one case and through the pen in the other case. The wish of the majority has been defeated through western knowledge, maneuvering, false propaganda etc in both cases. In 2015 western technology that was not available in 1815 was also used. The areas marked in red in the map are those where Maithripala had won while those marked in blue are Mahinda territory. The map is nothing but the so called Eelam map with up country, urban areas and the Catholic belt also marked in red.
Mahinda would not have been a nationalist in the beginning of this century. I have known him for more than thirty years and I have some knowledge of his evolution as a politician. Unlike some others in the Jathika Vyaparaya (nationalist movement) I did not expect him to be a confirmed nationalist. He was a pink socialist in the beginning and I had opposed his non nationalist policies in the nineties. However, I never forgot that Keppetipola had served the English, and that Mahinda had never served the English colonialists. He has been for the Palestine liberation from his youth, a fact that the Muslims in Sri Lanka conveniently forgot to support MRC trio following some of their leaders who identified themselves with western colonialism against the Sinhala people whose kings settled them in the present day eastern province to safeguard them from initial western (Portuguese) colonialism. Mahinda had gradually turned to be a nationalist and his evolution is far from complete. Unlike the usa man” Mahinda has not followed a sig – sag policy shifting from nationalism to whatever ism the former could think of for the purpose of getting power. If Keppetipola turned a nationalist after 1817, Mahinda became a nationalist before 2015, but not before 2005. However, we worked for him in 2005 as we had realised his potential even then. It was in 1889, he and SB Dissanayake invited me to deliver the first Bandaranaike Memorial lecture when the SLFP was in dire straights, probably due to the fact that the speakers could not be found those days. I chose panas haye daruwo” as my title, a term that has entered into the political vocabulary of the country. It was a turning point and the SLFP has not looked back after that. I have no doubt the SLFP, not the Chandrika clique that has no legal validity at all, will come back in a short space with Mahinda as the President and a dynamic strong person as the secretary. (To be continued)
January 14th, 2015 at 3:39 pm
The map looks like Elam.
65 and 73 are close to MR’s home. Look like MR has initiated couple of elams around him for protection. MR is fully responsible for this mess. We gave him so much time , patience and love. He chose to steal the country at all costs !
January 14th, 2015 at 3:45 pm
Whose fault is that?
There are 3 minorities that voted against MR after EXTORTING ALL the benefits.
1. SL Tamils – who made them KINGS in the north? Gave them TOO MUCH? Gave them YARL DEVI that DEPRIVED Sinhala travellers in Anuradhapura, etc. their right to travel because when the train comes out of NP it is packed with Tamils ONLY.
2. Muslims – MR made them JUSTICE, TRADE and INVESTMENT ministers. They made MAXIMUM from it. Build 2 ARABIC EXTREMIST universities. Built 1,100 mosques since 2005. Got Kuragala. AND left after consuming all. Isn’t it typical?
3. Upcountry Tamils – got ministries, massive economic benefits. Got landslide aid. NEW LAND! Our tea labor is the MOST EXPENSIVE in the world. And as usual voted against MR.
Now MR cannot blame them. No matter what a tiger will eat meat. No matter what a certain animal will go into mud. A leech cannot be kept in bed.
A parasite living on a cow has NO LOVE for the cow. It will suck the blood as much as it can. BREED as fast as it can. And leave the cow the moment it dies. May even feast on the carcass.
But there is a FORGOTTEN majority after 2010. Isn’t there? Guess who they are. I think they are called Sinhala Buddhists.
There is a youtube video where MR BLASTS Sinhala people for booing when he speaks in Tamil. In which country such things happen? India? No. USA? No. UK? No. Nowhere. Only in SL the majority gets blasted for wanting their president to speak in their language.
January 14th, 2015 at 3:52 pm
Lorenzo,
His head became double the size to a incurable state. There is one more video where he stops speaking when people start making noise. The President of the country has lost command of respect. So he started demanding using dirty methods.
Actually people must fully condemn him , put aside near MedaMukalana and do metta meditation on him. That is all. People like Nalin who went Kade for him and created unnecessary strange religion are also responsible for this mess.
January 14th, 2015 at 4:34 pm
What is 100 ? Why it went MR ? Too many new Tamils or Muslims who love MR because he gave new land ?
We must encourage Yahapalanaya and use that to get rid of racism of Tamils and Muslims. This is the only way. Like Tuan Mohamed became Tilakaratna Mudiyanselage.
If one day, going to ask help of politicians become completely useless, then yahapalanaya has been established. Instead , politican should be coming around asking what can I do for you , Sir.
January 14th, 2015 at 5:35 pm
Thanks you a a lot for a factual and numerical analysis of the election. The map is exactly what used to be circulated by Indians in India and Indians in the West and else where. That was the land area including the sea claimed by Indian colonists of the island nation.
January 14th, 2015 at 5:42 pm
But unfortunately I have to disagree with Nalini that is what happened in 1956 is exactly what happened in 2015. Jai Hind.
January 14th, 2015 at 5:48 pm
It is very disturbing to hear this type of voting analysis. Haven’t we come to the stage to see a Unitary State where all citizens have the right to vote to elect a President and a Government of their choice?. Let this election be the “spring” to establish that “Unity” and most wanted “Participation”by all citizens of the country in the Governmental affairs, devoid of ethnicity towards “One Nation”, called “Sri Lankans” and “One Country” called “Sri Lanka”.
That is how I see and aspire towards that promised “National Government” with a “National Policy” to serve all citizens to live in peace. I appeal to all citizens to come together to achieve that “Goal”; no matter who leads that. I hope that “100 Day” programme and the Government to come thereafter will be made an “Opportunity”.
January 14th, 2015 at 6:05 pm
The cat (pronounced – “TIGER”) is out of the bag.
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=79&artid=37596
It is going to be a YAKA-palanaya instead of yahapalanaya.
January 14th, 2015 at 6:07 pm
Nanda,
100 = SERUWILA
Guess HOW it survived?
Thanks to STATE SPONSORED SINHALA COLONIZATION.
So if ANYONE wants to save SL that is what they should do.
But there is a BIGGER thing I see here!!! RACISM. Aha! Now someone is trying to STIR UP racism to grab lost power. Interesting. 1215, 1815 and 1915. Now 2015.
Douglas,
I can say from INSIDE the My3 camp that won the election, there is NO UNITY. Tamils and Muslims are pulling in different directions. So ferocious I foresee MAJOR trouble ahead. MAJOR.
So forget about UNITY. But still My3 is the best. It is BEYOND his control.
January 14th, 2015 at 6:19 pm
Mangala going to Endia this week.
My3 going to Endia next week.
We already know the game. Endia wants us to hand over the north-east to Tamils as a federal unit. Just like Tamil Nadu state.
When govt. tries to do it Muslims will want a separate unit and you know what happens then. Tamils want to push Muslims to Sinhalese areas as they did in 1990. That creates tensions between Sinhalese and Muslims.
I see 3 groups running towards each other. One carrying fire, the other cotton wool and the other petrol. They meet courtesy Endia on a political solution. KABOOM!
My3 must NOT entertain Endia. If he does get ready for 1215+1815+1915 together.
January 14th, 2015 at 6:19 pm
Lorenzo, how can My3 be the “best”, if it is beyond his control ?
MR could not control corruption, but he established and controlled the UNITY of Sri Lanka.
Whether My3 could or not control corruption, with so many previously corrupted individuals with him now, will be of no concern, if he fails to control UNITY of Sri Lanka.
January 14th, 2015 at 6:24 pm
Lorenzo,
“I see 3 groups running towards each other. One carrying fire, the other cotton wool and the other petrol. They meet courtesy Endia on a political solution. KABOOM!”
Don’t worry, there is still a guy with a massive fire extinguisher. He just need time to get it recharged.
January 14th, 2015 at 6:32 pm
Nanda,
“The map looks like Elam.”
Yes, with a newly formes “Upcountry EELAM”
“65 and 73 are close to MR’s home. Look like MR has initiated couple of elams around him for protection.”
However, My3 is a prisoner RIGHT INSIDE Eelam !!
January 14th, 2015 at 6:34 pm
Wickrama,
Even MR cannot control it. My3 is no exception.
“Don’t worry, there is still a guy with a massive fire extinguisher.”
IF he extinguishes it BEFORE the election that is suicide. Given the bad time for him ALL 3 parties will HATE him for dampening the cotton wool, killing the flame (which he intended to use in cooking) and for mixing water in the petrol can!!
January 14th, 2015 at 6:49 pm
Whenever minority rights SUPERSEDE the rights of the majority it is NOT a Democracy but the dictate of a minority over that of the majority. where have we seen this before?
-Apartheid South Africa when 5 million white Afrikaners imposed an apartheid system over 20 million Negro Africans.
-During the Colonial age when 100 thousand British ruled the sub continent of 350 million people
What makes Sri Lanka’s case even worse?
a Hindu minority Tamils in Sri Lanka have the backing of 80 million Indian Tamils mostly Hindu in Tamil Nadu over 15 million Sinhalese.
A Hindu majority India supports the voice of her Indian Tamil population over that of the Sinhalese for geopolitical as well as cultural reasons.
The only way to thwart this is for the Buddhist Sanga to take over the government with the military backing them. If that cannot be achieved then the military must run the nation and the Buddhist Sanga must support them.
January 14th, 2015 at 7:17 pm
My3 won with one common immediate goal. That goal is to get rid of MR. I have no faith any more with MR but I have no faith in RUin-ill, but I have faith in JHU, JVP. I don’t believe USA conspiracies, I believe some foreign help must be there for the current government.
Main gold has been achieved. So, going back to MR is not an option, that is total disaster for the country. There is no point talking of his good. There is absolutely NO GOOD.
Now the Part 2 has been started. It is not easy but similar to MR in 2005, JHU JVP will guide the government in the right path. There was minimum stealing during 2005-2008. Maa-Hindaa kept negotiating with LTTE and telling Endia 13 plus 13 plus and paid money to LTTE whilst JVP JHU pressurising him to finish the war. These are proven facts.
Maa-Hindaa is FIRST EVER BETRAYER who tried to flee to UN to complain and beg outside intervention in the history. Others followed. This again is a fact. If under this betrayer we could finish the war and win, under another betrayer also we can build the country. There for ONE MAN or ONE WOMAN or BOTH is not important.
Know, remember the facts , forget the personalities and history to move forward
January 14th, 2015 at 7:32 pm
Lorenzo, the SOMERSAULT EXPERT, is BACK AGAIN PREACHING PATRIOTISM to the PATRIOTS after having stabbed the PATRIOTS in the BACK!
What a HYPOCRITE!
January 14th, 2015 at 8:38 pm
Douglas said “It is very disturbing to hear this type of voting analysis.”
But why, douglas, WHY do you say that?
Don’t you like to hear the TRUTH about who ganged up on President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the majority Sinhala Buddhist community of Sri Lanka to defeat the war-winning most-visionary government of Sri Lanka since that of Parakrabahu the Great?
This MAP presented by Nalin De Silva CLEARLY DISPLAYS what I published in my FIRST POST-ELECTION COMMENT at LankaWeb: The Tamils, the Muslims, and the Christians joined hands to DEFEAT President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the majority Sinhala Buddhist community, aided and abetted by some Sinhala Buddhist TRAITORS, and funded by the Western Neocolonialist powers and the Tamil Diaspora.
FACTS are FACTS … we MUST RECOGNIZE them as such, it is not COMMUNAL demagogery to point out the OBVIOUS!
CONCLUSIONS founded on FACTS are NECESSARY to enable PATRIOTS to GIRD UP OUR LOINS TO DEAL WITH IT, and DEFEND, PROTECT and PRESERVE Mother Lanka in the future!
If we remain IGNORANT like cows chewing their cud, or HIDE OUR HEADS IN THE SAND like ostriches REFUSING to ACKNOWLEDGE the FACTS, then Sri Lanka will not survive as the ONLY REFUGE of the Sinhala Buddhist as their enemies move to SUBJUGATE them!
Yes Indeed, Sri Lanka should be ONE Nation of ONE People sharing ONE DESTINY, but not by EXCLUDING and SUBJUGATING the majority Sinhala Buddhist community, REJECTING integration into one Nation of ONE people sharing ONE DESTINY, and DISREGARDING the MOVES of Separatists to CONFOUND that GOAL and SUBJUGATE the Sinhala Buddhist Community!
What this ELECTION showed BEYOND ALL REASONABLE DOUBT is that the Separatists WILL TRY THEIR UTMOST to gain their Eelamist and Salafist ETHNO-RELIGIOUS BANTUSTANS in Sri Lanka if given any opportunity to do so.
This Election has REVERSED the course of the Nation towards an INTEGRATED SOCIETY, and will usher in a DECADE of CIVIL COMMUNAL STRIFE and ARRESTED GROWTH. The Western Neocolonialists have succeeded in doing that through REGIME CHANGE in Sri Lanka as they had done recently in many other countries destroying them completely.
In the END, I have NO DOUBT that the PATRIOTS will WIN, but EVERY COMMUNITY WILL SUFFER its CONSEQUENCES in the interim!
The ONLY WINNERS who will NOT SUFFER ANY SUBSTANTIAL PAIN are the Foreign Powers who SPONSORED this REGIME CHANGE as a central thrust in their CHINA CONTAINMENT Policy.
IN THE END, when those Sinhala Buddhists who turned TRAITOR come to their SENSES, they too will support Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Western Meddlers will LOSE OUT COMPLETELY, as they had in Libya, Egypt, Iraq, Syria and ELSEWHERE in the WORLD, and will be EJECTED COMPLETELY from Sri Lanka.
When that day comes to pass, those who REFUSED TO BELIEVE and ACCEPT President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s MAGNANIMOUS OFFER that there are only TWO KINDS OF Sri Lankan citizens: Those who LOVE Sri Lanka and Those who don’t, will RUE THE DAY they REJECTED IT. Their INGRATITUDE and TREACHERY will NOT BE FORGOTTEN for a century, and they are UNLIKELY EVER TO BE OFFERED SUCH GENEROUS TERMS AGAIN!
The REPEALING of the 13th Amendment will be FIRST ACT on the NEW AGENDA of the PATRIOTS when they returned to POWER!
Let the CONNIVERS & PLOTTERS party NOW while the PATRIOTS gather their strength ONCE AGAIN to MAN THE RAMPARTS, BLOCK the PASSES, and RISE to DEFEND and PROTECT Mother Lanka as our warrior forefathers did yesterday!
I ALREADY hear the trumpets and flutes waling, and war drums throbbing, in the distance, the sounds wafting over the hills, and through the glades of Lanka, calling the always faithful PATRIOTS to rally around to defend our Motherland …. once again!
January 14th, 2015 at 8:51 pm
Ananda,
There is NO SOMERSAULT.
I state the TRUTH whether it favors My3 or not.
In your world the world is binary divided into PRO-MR and ANTI-MR.
Not mine.
January 14th, 2015 at 8:58 pm
There are 2 kinds of TRUE patriots.
1. patriots who CAN think
2. patriots who CANNOT think
#2 are also useful. But #1 are most useful.
Anyone whose prime loyalty is a POLITICIAN cannot be a patriot because you cannot serve 2 masters at the same time.
SL or MR (or My3).
January 14th, 2015 at 9:04 pm
What is hidden from the map above is the margin of victory. The margins in the Eelam places were EXTREME in their support for MRC, but in upcountry places (except for urban voters in Kandy town who heart Western culture) the margin for MRC was very slim. In these upcountry places, MRC won because Buddhists decided to fall for the ‘good governance’ crap and divide their vote – they were more worried about MR’s son riding around in a Lamborghini than the future and independence of the country.
With MR in the background now and individual MPs in focus, starting with the April elections, the map above should resemble more of a traditional Tamil/Muslim Eelam/Sharia zone in red for MRC, which will NOT be enough votes to win a majority of MPs in Parliament.
January 14th, 2015 at 9:16 pm
>>>Lorenzo Says:
January 14th, 2015 at 8:58 pm<<<
Well, at least we can agree on that….the election should NOT be about personalities, and should focus solely on what is best in terms of uplifting the human condition in Sri Lanka, maintaining the country's independent character from the former colonist nations, and maintaining its unique Buddhist heritage at the center of ONE unitary country where citizens of ANY religion or race and live and work anywhere in Sri Lanka.
Right now, citizens representing the MAJORITY who are Buddhists cannot live and work in almost one third of 'their' country (North and most of the East), whereas Tamils, Muslims, and Christians who are the MINORITY can live and work anywhere in Sri Lanka. How could such an oppressive condition against the majority even be possible in a 'democracy' where the majority is supposed to rule?
January 14th, 2015 at 9:22 pm
Vimutti,
You are ABSOLUTELY CORRECT in saying,
“What is hidden from the map above is the margin of victory. The margins in the Eelam places were EXTREME in their support for MRC, but in upcountry places (except for urban voters in Kandy town who heart Western culture) the margin for MRC was very slim. In these upcountry places, MRC won because Buddhists decided to fall for the ‘good governance’ crap and divide their vote – they were more worried about MR’s son riding around in a Lamborghini than the future and independence of the country.”
January 14th, 2015 at 10:09 pm
It’s not even a week since the government of the so-called ‘common’ candidate is being formed. Self-confessed strong backer of My3, our beloved commentator Lorenzo says, “So forget about UNITY. But still My3 is the best. It is BEYOND his control.” Now, how can My3 best if Executive President My3 is not in-charge meaning cannot control the turn of events around him. All this means, not that we are happy, but disaster or looming crises is forthcoming faster than we have anticipated.
Sinhala Buddhists who I have seen voting for a ‘wenasakata’ expected ‘yahapalanaya’, I am told. And Tamils and Muslims who also voted for ‘wenasakata’ expected something else, their dreams (Eelam and Nasaristan) come true. Alas! Elephantine buggers who just wanted to grab power like to believe Tamils and Muslims ‘wenasakata’ is also ‘yahapalanaya’.
I sincerely hope majority Sinhala Buddhists will understand their folly sooner than later. Hopefully Mahinda is mindful of his mistakes and tactful to his fore in his darkest hour, and he is sure to bounce back with flying colors just like Indira Ghandi did sometime back.
January 15th, 2015 at 12:28 am
The Jarapalana witch hunt has begun.
Today they raided a UPFA propaganda office and found “communication equipment” (reminds me of Millenium city, the only relief is that it has nothing to do with our military). Guess who spear headed the raid? Not the police!!! The “Thero” and RK!
More ministers to be sworn in!
Also SF to become “Field Marshal”. This persons ego is larger than the universe. What about the Air Force and Navy? A lot of Fonny fans are in a “gon choon” about this do not realize that FM is awarded to a person who has commanded at least two armies in a state-state battle. “Dina 100kin aluth ratak” seems very realistic now!
No discredit to what SF did. Had it not been for SF in 2001, the Jaffna HSZs would have been gone. He commanded the army with courage, but he simply became too much after the victory. MR realized this and took steps to curb him.
January 15th, 2015 at 12:31 am
**Today they raided a UPFA propaganda office and found “communication equipment” (reminds me of Millennium city, the only relief is that it has nothing to do with our military). Guess who spear headed the raid? Not the police!!! The “Thero” and RK!**
Hope I am completely wrong but could the suspicious equipment from intelligence services??????? Millennium City 2???
January 15th, 2015 at 1:57 am
Vimuttu,
That happened under the watch of MR!!
January 15th, 2015 at 3:02 am
Maa-Hindaa did not make mistakes inadvertently . He is a master manipulator who planned to completely destroy out culture and completely disregarded every poor man and woman paid their hard earned money for him and his family + friends to live a luxurious life and stole more out of greed. HE should not even think of returning to politics rather should study Buddhism , meditate and look after himself to reduce Kamma before he dies.
January 15th, 2015 at 4:04 am
>>>Lorenzo Says:
January 15th, 2015 at 1:57 am
Vimuttu,
That happened under the watch of MR!!<<<
This must be a rhetorical question, right?
Everyone knows what happened under MR's watch:
1. MR finally defeated terrorism after 35 years of failed efforts by Ranil, Chandrika and their relatives.
2. MR reversed the disastrous privatization of state resources efforts of Ranil so these are now controlled by Sri Lanka, not foreigners and few rich folks.
3. MR reversed the disastrous elimination of price controls by Ranil on basic necessities, like basic foods, electricity, water, and petro.
4. MR made Sri Lanka the "Miracle of Asia" with 7% annual growth in economic output, creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs.
5. MR increased Sri Lanka exports to other countries by THREE-FOLD, bringing in badly needed foreign reserves to stabilize the Sri Lankan Rupee.
6. MR built at least 6 new modern highways like you have in the developed world, cutting driving times by 50-80%.
7. MR built several new hydroelectric dams to generate local electricity from clean sources.
8. MR built tens or thousands of new housing units for the poor who were living in tin shacks an unhygienic health conditions.
9. MR built several new ports to position Sri Lanka as a major world transport hub in the near future, again bringing in more foreign reserves.
10. MR repositioned Sri Lanka from being a dependent neo-colony of the US-EU under Ranil and Chandrika into an independent state that charts its own course based on what is best for Sri Lanka, not on what is best for the West.
And these are just STARTERS that I came up with off the top of my head….there are many more achievements that MR can take credit for that have helped the country immensely.
The main danger with the new MRC administration is that Sri Lanka once again becomes a dependent neo-colony of the US and the EU and adopts Right Wing economic policies favored by Ranil and the West that only help the wealthy while the average Sri Lankan gets POORER.
The other equally serious danger is that Sri Lanka loses ONE THIRD of its country to the Tamils and Muslims under MRC, who will simply comply with Western demands to divide the country as some sort of 'political solution' favored by the Tamil terrorists, which dramatically weakens the country as a whole. The ONLY solution to the Tamil/Muslim separatist problem is MASS integration of the North and East with Buddhists to UNITE the country and completely take away the incentive for separatism and division and conflict down the road like you have in Pakistan (which was part of India) and Kashmir (which wants to separate from India).
January 15th, 2015 at 4:31 am
This map must be a top election propaganda material of the UPFA at the General Election provided they are going to do something about it. It clearly indicates the extent of minority invasion into national economic and political nerve centres. Sri Lanka’s only strategic geopolitical significance lies in it being an island. But the minorities have covered over 80% of its coastline already. As such the minorities will yield most influence in determining the geopolitical influence of Sri Lanka with or without power sharing and devolution.
This very closely resembles the map of Israel (and Palestine) since 1947 to now. Israel spreads consuming Palestine and splitting Palestine into two unreachable land masses. With the fall of just 4 electorates, the Tamil Elam map stretches down to Moratuwa on the west. With one electorate between them, the north and the east will link up. Just three electorates spare a link up of the western coast minority belt with the upcountry minority den. Linking the upcountry minority domination with the rest of the Tamil Elam map is complete if not for one electorate between them holding fort.
This has only two nasty outcomes (not options) for Sinhalese. They are either to die off like dodos or reclaim their coastline using violence. Both are bad and unacceptable.
Mahinda is also responsible for this mess. Now the important question to ask is: will UPFA do anything about this to change? If they don’t, there is no reason to vote for them at the general election.
What unified these minorities to achieve this? The Tamil language which is an official language thanks to 13A. As long as 13A stays, it will do what the Indians and the LTTE intended it to do – Palestinianization of Sri Lanka. 13A must be removed. Is UPFA up for it?
January 15th, 2015 at 4:49 am
Anand: You asked me why I said “It is very disturbing to hear this type of voting analysis”. Yes, I repeat it, because:
1. I consider all citizens have a right to vote to whom they choose.
2. Irrespective of any one’s ethnic background, I admire their participation in a democratic process.
3. This type of analysis tends to make a “Division” and will automatically “push” to establish the idea of “Separation”.
4 This analysis (that I do not support) if went the “other way”, what would be the loser of the opposing camp (MS) say? Obviously it would be the same as what MR says. It is again a divisive classification and segregation on racial basis.
Perhaps, you would know, during the good old days, how winners and losers were determined on the composition of the voters on “Caste” basis, in very many electorates. During those days, the political parties did make a concerted effort to nominate a candidate whose “caste” represented the majority of the voters. That was vary UGLY and INHUMANE. Fortunately we have come out of that mind set.
Now to have that same “Mind set” and go on another direction by the division of voters according to one’s ethnic background is again “UGLY” and “INHUMANE” to me.
January 15th, 2015 at 5:40 am
This is what our great JJJJRRRR wanted. A head of state selected by the minority with superiorly complex by dividing the majority with a minority complex. We are the subjects of Indian colonialism and imperialism. The Indians in Malay Nadu all came after the middle of the nineteenth century. They breed the same like their folks in other parts of the island and in other colonies of the Indian Empire.
January 15th, 2015 at 6:08 am
Nalin
What you and others seems to glorify the horrible history of ours until the enlightened colonials stepped in and sorted our country out.
Please don’t lecture to our people who are suffering daily. Don’t elevate tyrants and bring that same old phrase ‘Divide and rule’ This the phrase of our roughish leaders who banded together in Cambridge and Oxford brought untold misery to the third world.
I m no agent of the colonials and I have my moments of conflicts and disagreements with them.
Our island was divided miserably prior to 1815 where Polonaruwa was discovered 300 Years after colonials stepped in.Read Dr Nihal Karunaratne’s book and it states clearly about our recent history.
Nalin,we sincerely won our independence on the 2nd of March 1815 where the horrible Indian Colonials were thrown out.We lost at on the 4th Feb in 1943.
You seems to elevate the scoundrels like Kappatipolas as heroes and they too are colonials from the sub continent that supressed us.
MR,CBK had made a fool of us in the eyes of the humble voter. They are there not to serve us but themselves and this is the on going culture of the third world politicians.
Shocked to hear the regime had fleeced over 30 Billion US $,which I think is exaggerated.
There must be some truth in that otherwise likes of Basil wouldn.t leave the island in a hurry.Here, one could see the hypocrisy of our conniving leaders,where one could see Basil wearing the drividan artier with a red band on the 4th and on the 11th leavening the country like an American tourist wearing western cloths.
While our politicians are doing silly buggers with the country, robbing it’s wealth,psedo patriots like Arnada(US) living in a white man’s county is singing hosannas to the robbers. Perhaps they are part of the cruel set up.
I now fear for the country on the long term, where we will be so weakened, the country will be friendless and the brigands of the Drividan state will invade us. Just like in Craimea,who will come to our aid then? When that happens the politicians will be the first to get out of the country leaving the people on the lurch.
I fear with enormous cash supposed to have been stashed abroad will be used to bribe the present regime to get back to carry on as usual.
We must get the likes of colonials to sort our country and I doubt that this lot will ever do good.
There is a glimmer of hope for the country where the likes of Mr Anura Dissanayke could be given an authoritive position to oversee the administration.
January 15th, 2015 at 6:42 am
I agree 100% with Anada USA and mjaya. Who is this guy Lorenzo. I can’t believe his 360 degree turn around. He must have a some perks from Yahapath Palanaya. What a hypocrite.
January 15th, 2015 at 7:07 am
Helaya
You are living abroad like Ananda lecturing us from the comfort of the white man’s world.
Nalin de Silva
Were you a teacher at the CMS college in Kotte in 1957 and moved to St Thomas in Mount Lavinia?
Your name is familiar. Are you living abroad and hallucinating about our murderous culture and history? I bet you never physically help our country by investing and giving jobs without a monetary gain?
January 15th, 2015 at 7:40 am
The map looks like Elam.”Yes, with a newly formes “Upcountry EELAM”
We-Tamils ask only one TE but you gave as Three TE !
NP- Saiva TE
EP- Muslim TE
UVA -Upcountry TE
Jai Hela Demilaya !!!
January 15th, 2015 at 7:41 am
Austin Fernando, the former Defence Secretary in the then UNF govt under Thoppigala Ranil, who addressed Pulidhevan, “Machan Puli” and visited to the hospital with a bag of apples when Pulli Devan was sick and hospitalised has been appointed as an advisor to President Sirisena today.
January 15th, 2015 at 7:43 am
Douglas,
1. Of course every citizen is endowed with the freedom to vote as he pleases; who disputes that?
2. Of course, participation in the electoral process is admirable,; who disputes that?
3. DISAGREE; the idea of separateness is ALREADY INHERENT in the OVERWHELMING ONE-SIDED VOTE of those regions demanding separation from the rest of the country, in DISTINCT CONTRAST to the rest of the nation voted in a far more balanced way. That CONTRAST CLEARLY DEMONSTRATES the SEPARATION IDEOLOGY still at work ORCHESTRATED by the EELAMIST TNA on the ground! Noww as it was then, the LTTE LIVES there through its POLITICAL PROXY the Tiger Nominated Agents of the TNA.
Mahinda Rajapaksa’s evenhandedness and MASSIVE help for rehailitation and reconstruction of the war zone occupied these minorities speaks VOLUMES for their RACIST viewpoint that shows NO GRATITUDE AT ALL for what was done for them.
The Tamils have LOST their CHANCE; there will NEVER BE ANOTHER LEADER as President Mahinda Rajapaksa, cast in the mold of US President Abraham Lincoln, to treat them as well EVER AGAIN! Nor will Mahinda Rajaaksa … if he is ever reelected to the Presidency!
The solution is EQUALLY OBVIOUS if Sri Lanka is to remain undivided: REPEAL the 13A, and ETHNICALLY INTEGRATE the North, the East and the South through MASSIVE settlement of Sinhalese in those areas just as Tamils have MASSIVELY SETTLED in the Greater Colombo Area, to induce the necessary demographic changes.
4. This “analysis” is a SIMPLE RESTATEMENT OF THE STATISTICAL DATA, and POINTS OUT ONLY the FACTS that were OBVIOUS to ALL OF US who were in Sri Lanka and viewed the election results as they came in. There is NOTHING WRONG WITH the “analysis”; in FACT it is ESSENTIAL that the people of Sri Lanka understand its implications that while the Sinhala people are beding over backwards to be SCRUPUOUSLY FAIR and NON-COMMUNAL, the minorities are EAGERLY pursuing their COMMUNAL POLITICS to gain their SEPARATIST objectives.
If the SINHALA COMMUNITY IGNORES that fact WE WILL NOT SURVIVE!
The SOLUTION is to STILL STRIVE for the IDEAL of ONE NATION of ONE PEOPLE sharing ONE DESTINY, but to DENY ALL AVENUES to COMMUNAL MINDED MINORITIES to achieve their SEPARATIST ENDS!
Let us BEGIN with REPEALING the 13th Amendment, DISSOLVING the Provincial Council System, and REPLACING it with a District System, administered by GOSL APPOINTED, but NOT ELECTED, Government Agents. Call them District Governors if you wish!
January 15th, 2015 at 7:47 am
Nimal,
Stuff and Nonsense!
How do you conclude “You are living abroad like Ananda lecturing us from the comfort of the white man’s world”? Are there no other options that you can fathom?
January 15th, 2015 at 7:57 am
Nimal,
Your flawed slavish discourse of the benefits to Sri Lanka that accrued from the British Colonialists, and praising of the traitors who enslaved our Motherland to them, LABELS you as one of our local Kalu Suddas…. beyond reform!
Take a look at Japan, Thailand, and even China today, all Asian nations that were NEVER colonized by Westerners. They seem to have thrived quite well in the absence of Colonial Pukka Sahib Masters! Even Sri Lanka was an\ world leading advanced civilization in the days of Maha Prakramabahu … a status attained through its NATIVE WIT!
Colonization is NOT NECESSARY to learn and imbibe advances from other parts of the world; native wit to recognize and deploy knowledge wherever it hails from is the ESSENTIAL ingredient!
January 15th, 2015 at 8:27 am
The Tamils have LOST their CHANCE; there will NEVER BE ANOTHER LEADER as President Mahinda Rajapaksa-Agreed ,no other than MR want to control us by forces for ever not even do not want change Civil NP Governor .
Thanks to MS & RW & CBK, we can see our lasting solution TE light at the end of the tunnel now !!!
January 15th, 2015 at 9:15 am
Ananda US
Don’t lecture me about Japan and even China as I am married from that country.They are racists and they look down upon us the darkies,just like the Arabs.I have endless battles with them and I refuse to go there and live, because the way they treat our humble people. Though my wife loves me like hell and loyal to me but their kind are very cruel, believe me.
See how they are so greedy took huge commissions for our projects at the same time corrupted our leaders.
Let’s hope that neither china or Japan will ever rule us.
I am married to person from Japan but live in Malaysia, from a business and professional family. Her family is married to Chinese from Malaysia, Singapore and main land china also from Germany and Australia.
Good thing about the Japanese is they are extremely clean(My wife bath twice a day) driving me nuts.But the Chinese are not that clean and the main land ones are truly crude and don’t want to be too familiar with them.
From my experience with them here and elsewhere, they only see the blue eyes of the sudas.I was very much against my pretty sister in law getting married to a German as he had a meagre job and I had to force him to get himself educated to hold a good job and told him to give his services to SL,when ever he can, thereafter he kept coming to hotels of the John Keels in Middle East, Maldives and Colombo.
Please don’t talk nonsense about our history, if we are that great then we must invent things like Japan.We had 60 years to do that.
Let me write something about these people. All my foreign relatives met us in Sl two months ago and we had a dinner at Cinnamon Grand Lake where my germam BIL arranged it all for me,very costly to me.
While we were happily enjoying the music before meal,whre my guests were stunningly beautiful girls from Japan and Malysia,few young urchins of the politician’s kids like hovering around eying these girls, but the girls took no notice. Our boys thought by having bodu guards and escorts around them would impress the girls who were with us.
January 15th, 2015 at 9:35 am
Nimal,
I am not what you think I am. I no connection to Colombo schools. I am living abroad, but I never forgot my Motherland. I I have done many thins to help the war effort in Sri Lanka. I do not like to list things I have done. People who knows me know who I am. I do not want to lecture anyone specially like you.
January 15th, 2015 at 9:49 am
Prematurely submitted the above without editing or correcting it.
Ananda US
Don’t lecture me about Japan and even China as I am married from that country. They are racists and they look down upon us the darkies,just like the Arabs.I have endless battles with them and I refuse to go there and live, because the way they treat our humble people. Though my wife loves me like hell and loyal to me but their kind are very cruel, believe me.
See how they are so greedy take huge commissions for our projects at the same time corrupted our leaders? So who need such friends?
Let’s hope that neither china nor Japan will ever rule us.
I am married to person from Japan but lived in Malaysia, from a business and professional family. Her family is married to Chinese from Malaysia, Singapore and main land china also from Germany and Australia.
Good thing about the Japanese is they are extremely clean(My wife bath twice a day) driving me nuts.But the Chinese are not that clean and the main land ones are truly crude and don’t want to be too familiar with them.
From my experience with them here and elsewhere, they only see the blue eyes of the sudas.I was very much against my pretty sister in law getting married to a German as he had a meager job and I had to force him to get himself educated to hold a good job and told him to give his services to SL,when ever he can, thereafter he kept coming to hotels of the John Keels in Middle East, Maldives and Colombo.
Please don’t talk nonsense about our history, if we are that great then we must invent things like in Japan.We had 60 years to do that.
Let me write something about these people. All my foreign relatives met us in Sl two months ago and we had a dinner at Cinnamon Grand Lake where my German BIL arranged it all for me,very costly to me.
While we were happily enjoying the music before meal,where my guests were stunningly beautiful girls from Japan and Malysia,few young urchins of the politician’s kids like hovering around eying these girls, but the girls took no notice. Our boys thought by having body guards and escorts around them would impress the girls who were with us.
I could see their frustration of not knowing the way to entice the girls, reminded me of my student days in Kandy where I hob knobbed with foreign girls and local Trinity boys were making stories about me.
Knowing the frustrations of our spoilt brats who harassed the tourists I took courage to invite them to our circle on condition they got rid of the security,which they did.
They were over the moon taking snaps, sadly my kin were very cold and I and my German BIL berated his wife and my wife for not showing any kind of courtesy to the two local lads.
But the lads were over the moon and wanted to pay for all the drinks and buffet which I declined. They thought that they could take the next plane to Japan and the girls will be that easy to get.I told them not to be hasty but learn English well and Japanese as well but one will be against a racist society where they look down upon the people of the dark skin.One has to impress a lot to win their hearts.
I was very upset by the lack of friendliness my in laws and the comment they made about the lads were so mildly derogatory I was upset and didn’t not see them off to the airport.
So don’t glorify them without knowing them.Thiland is one of the most corrupt countries where parents seem to sell they young for the suddas and in one case a friend of mine took a video where a night club had a statue of Buddaha,where pot smoke was coming out of his mouth and lot of Europeans were offended by that and protested.KP knows all about the hoers there as he is married from that lot.He is so used to that vile night we tracked him down to a hotel in Cowkit in KL where he was cornered.
So don’t ever wish either Japan or China will ever dominate us. We must thank the crazy Americans for keeping a lid on them.
Anada
So enjoy your life in US, however gun crazy that country is but I wouldn’t live ther
January 15th, 2015 at 10:32 am
>>>Nimal Says:
January 15th, 2015 at 9:49 am<<<
You just aren't getting it….China does NOT want to 'rule' Sri Lanka, they just want to use the ports that they built here to safeguard their trade routes. This is a very small price to pay for BILLIONS in economic development dollars that have no strings attached like you typically get with US-EU development dollars.
The only people objecting to China being able to safeguard its trade routes using Sri Lanka ports are the thoroughly corrupt and all-powerful Jewish/Israel lobby in the United States that wants to frustrate (i.e., illegally interfere with) Chinese trade with Iran (their so-called archenemy), the US CIA that is playing some childish "king of the hill" schoolyard game in their head in which they see the US as at the top of the hill and want to knock a rising China down the hill or use India to do it for them, and Jewish American billionaire, George Soros, who funded the Arab Spring around the world and is funding nearly all of the NGOs operating in Sri Lanka that pushed for 'regime change' in Sri Lanka because Soros doesn't like the Chinese (probably for the same reason as the Jewish/Israel lobby in America).
You are correct, most Chinese, Japanese, and White people in general think of all brown-skinned people as inferior, but this has nothing to do with how to correctly use these countries for the economic benefit of the Sri Lankan people. Rajapaksa had figured out a way to use the money from these countries to Sri Lanka's advantage without giving up Sri Lanka's independence, whereas Ranil has a clear track record of doing whatever the Americans and Europeans want even if there is little to no benefit to the vast majority of the Sri Lankan people, or even if it harms the best long-term interests of Sri Lanka.
January 15th, 2015 at 10:35 am
Helaya
Good to know that you really care for the country. We too have done our bit even during the war, because of the parippu drop,Genral Artigala knows how much lobbying in I did in this country.
To get the attention of the pier Lord Nasby I bought a huge amount of shares of his company(a fund) IPRT where a colossal sum was invested in buying the shares but the company went bust and I losing every thing.
Invested over 2 billion in SL just to show my allegiance but not to make profit for my self.
Supported financially to the regimes of CBK and MR and went there to campaign and I was nearly killed by the people of the same party. It nearly happened on the same spot last year if not for the quick reaction of my building security and the building contractors.CM who is a friend knew about this.
They planned it so well the private hospitals refused me treatment and who ever it was never thought that I would not go to the Kandy government hospital.
When I was taken there I was treated well by the innocent staff but when I was wheeled into the emergency ward, some goons came stared at me and made sure I got no bed, though there were 7 empty beds but a sudda fellow brought in for indigestion was given a bed and I still didn’t know the reason behind this.I was asked to sit on a bench in the corridor and when I was sleeping on the bench a goon came and warned me not to sleep on the bench as the bench is there to sit and this was at 2.00 AM in ward number 9 in Kandy hospital. I was getting bitten by mosquitoes and the lonely security man fell truly sorry for me when my security guy brought me the blanket and a cup a soup. With the greatest difficulty I got my self discharged and got my self treated secretly in Colombo. Now I find it difficult to coordinate or remember due to the injury to my head.
I think I touched a nerve of a useless candidate of the same party who had a criminal history, wanted to know the old lady who lived in a prime property where this guy had occupied as I always visited her during my trips. Your guess is good as mine and I only want the politicians to run the country in a just manner and I sought no other favour.
January 15th, 2015 at 10:38 am
EU has suspended imports of SL fish (adaderana)
Who do we have to thank? The Dentist!!! Who is he now? The minister of health (MY3 replacement)
Anyway thanks to him the 100 day program will get a significant boost because the price of fish will go down.
January 15th, 2015 at 11:12 am
You really think these guys do this as a favour? Mao did help us with textile machines but the recent investments are doggy.
In the real world the financiers like a bank will expect one to do a feasibility study of a project and to put harbours and airports and even roads that that have no benefit to us, will not grant a loan. We are a small country and what you say is true about the yanks, Israel Iran and Africa and do you want to get involved in the horrible geopolitics of the conniving western countries?
Our leaders have shown little regard to the suffering people in the island and they will make commissions and get away to the western countries when the going gets tough.
Are you deliberately trying to annoy the conniving west and India? They will find a en excuse to divide and rule the island on ethnic lines and should India invades us,pehaps with the blessing of the west who will be there to stop that?will china help us with troops?
When the Indians did the parippu drop what was the reaction of the US government? Undersecretary of US came to SL to explain that India has a right to intervene as she is the major power in the area. Will china come to our help and I doubt it very much?It was a clear violation of our sovereignty and we were friendless.
These investments are done with crooked ulterior motives.
With that kind of money I would have enlarged our airport, built better schools, universities and found ways for foreigners to invest manufacture,etc
We didn’t want all that money from China and Japan,thus putting us in to further debt. People have to pay however poor they are to pay for attendants look after their sick in the hospitals, as much as Rs 3000 per day which they can’t. During my 2 month say there were 7 funerals where 2 persons just gave up livening because they couldn’t pay for the care in the hospital.
Our tax money should go for this not to pay for worthless loans on worthless projects.
When I slept for the night on the bench in war 9,the nurses and attendants were watching night TV and the patients were shouting for attention and in one case the Cylinco private nurse had to give the water to a patient to the annoyance of the lazy attendants. Hell of a darmadipaya we have.
January 15th, 2015 at 1:05 pm
Helaya,
The problem with you is you are FIXATED in a PERSON not SL.
I’m FIXATED in SL. Persons come and go.
Constant vigilance is the price of freedom.
And the people have spoken. They CANNOT be wrong. Some of us are still in the DENIAL phase. Remember what happened after VP died?
Some Tamils took 2 months in the DENIAL PHASE refusing to accept the OBVIOUS.
January 15th, 2015 at 1:08 pm
Vimutti,
You have OMITTED in that list what you said before!!
“Right now, citizens representing the MAJORITY who are Buddhists cannot live and work in almost one third of ‘their’ country (North and most of the East), whereas Tamils, Muslims, and Christians who are the MINORITY can live and work anywhere in Sri Lanka. How could such an oppressive condition against the majority even be possible in a ‘democracy’ where the majority is supposed to rule?”
That ALSO happened during MR’s rule. He ruled 5 years after winning the war. Did he resettle Sinhalese? No.
Previously it was PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE for them to go to LTTE controlled/influenced areas.
January 15th, 2015 at 1:11 pm
Leela,
Why My3 is still not in full control?
1. the parliament still has a strong anti-My3 camp.
2. MOST provincial councils STILL have anti-My3 people.
3. the supreme court has anti-My3 people.
4. top police and army officers appointed by MR for political reasons don’t support My3.
It will take time to fix all these.
January 15th, 2015 at 1:11 pm
For me this article and the comments are just garbage in and garbage out. Every thing is analysed and every thing is commented for some one’s benefit and not for the country.
One single example is, as I heard, Ehelepola had to do what he did because King Rajasinghe was a womanizer and he reached to beautiful wives of Disawes. Ehelepola’s wife was one such woman. King wanted to destroy ehelepola because Ehelpola’s wife did not go to King’s bedroom when he wanted to. So, in order to save himself Ehelepola’s only escape route was foreigners’ help. On the other hand, at that time too, One muslim businessmen was spying for the king and was against Ehelepola.
So, even this time happened the same thing.
Mahinda Rajapakse, his brothers, sons and henchmen goons play “thoththa Babas” now. Before the election Mahinda Rajapakse was DEAF against all those what every body said.
This time Mahinda Rajapakse conducted a very unfair election campaign and he simply destroyed MY3 in the media by quoting the association with Tamils, muslims, CBK and Ranil and with so-called -traitors.
Lankaweb is the evidence, if MR won MY3 would have been destroyed far harsher than how he punished Sarath Fonseka.
Mahinda Rajapakse’s only advantage was his Ex-army brother and otherwise, always he was sleeping with LTTE onthe same bed. There is so much evidence in the public media – domain about that. Mahinda Rajapakse’s infra structure work and constructions were to promote him, his relatives and henchmen goons. HE should be responsible as the president all the corruptions, criminal acts, frauds that his brothers, relatives, sons and hench men did.
Prove me wrong.
January 15th, 2015 at 1:18 pm
Maithri already has allowed some robbers and thieves to escape. One Chief minister – the whole family has left Sri lanka. Basil Rajapakse – mr 10%, a minister- has left Sri lanka. One muslim minister had appointed his muslim colleague who was a thief from the previous govt. My3 has appointed AUSTIN FERNANDO as a Presidential advisor.
January 15th, 2015 at 1:42 pm
Nimal,
You got your knickers in a twist … please unrravel in the privacy of your own home without washing your dirty linen in public and lashing out with IRRELEVANT Nonsense!
How do the issues you encountered of discrimination and cleanliness of the Japanese and the Chinese ad infinitum ad nauseam relate to what I said? They DON’T. Every people have discriminated against others from ancient times; but that is not directly related to whether they have created stable and advanced societies for themselves. Classical Greece, Imperial Rome, the Chinese, the Asokan Empire, the Mughals, the Arabs, and the more recent societies of Europe and America all practiced SLAVERY despite their high notions of democracy and virtue they arrogated to themselves.
In short, you resonse to my comment is distinguished only by its LACK OF RELEVANCE!
All I said was that many Asian Nations that were NOT COLONIZED BY WESTERNERS have done very well FOR THEMSELVES using their OWN native intelligence, and that it is NOT NECESSARY to be COLONIZED by ANY FOREIGN NATION in order to learn and use concepts and advanced technologies.
Such knowledge has been transferred from the East to the West, from the South to the North, and VICE VERSA across the globe from times immemorial. India invented the “arabic” system of numbers and arithmetic, the Arabs developed Algebra, the Greeks geometry and lifelike sculpture, the Chinese gun powder, rocketry, printing and the magnetic compass, the Europeans the Gutenberg press, and so on. These technologies were adopted across the globe, but COLONIZATION WAS NOT ESSENTIAL to such transfers.
My point was that Sri Lankans who had an advanced civilization in ancient times, when Rome was civilizing barbarian Europe, could have developed on its own WITHOUT BEING COLONIZED by Europeans; Japan and China were two such examples that I offered. How they treated you, or their attitude towards foreigners was not the point being debated.
You really should FOCUS your writing on the issue at hand and leave the unrelated ranting aside!
January 15th, 2015 at 1:47 pm
Bravo Vimutti … YOU GET IT!
“You are correct, most Chinese, Japanese, and White people in general think of all brown-skinned people as inferior, but this has nothing to do with how to correctly use these countries for the economic benefit of the Sri Lankan people.”
PRECISELY!
January 15th, 2015 at 2:02 pm
Ananda don’t talk nonsense.
Chinese and japs didn’t help us only put the country into deep debt.Just talk to the people in the street in SL.Why do you live in US and get back to SL and suffer as the people then you might write some thing sensible.
You guys are bad as the terrorists, couldn’t two hoots for the country. I don’t write about the mythical history from a white man’s country but the real experiences of life that I countered. So what’s wrong with that?
January 15th, 2015 at 2:24 pm
I read this article on kalaya a couple of days ago and sighed.
As usual it has racist undertones that one expects from Nalin de Silva.
It’s his prerogative to give his own analysis and its up to us readers to form an opinion on an informed basis.
It’s the fundamental right of all citizens whatever ethnicity, race, religion or colour to vote for who ever they please.
There is absolutely no point thereafter to pigeon hole them into various ethnic composition or boundaries.
Well and good the author analyses the election result and supposedly blames certain minorities.
I ask the question why?
I ask a further question has he got a solution to his “problematic” thinking?
What does he expect the minority voters to do, knowing that Tamils in the N & E provinces were historically never SLFP/UPFA voters
The mantra of regime change by the Western powers is wearing pretty thin. I don’t believe anyone with any sense believed it but played along with one of the key election mantras of MR election campaign. I don’t doubt that the Western powers were over joyed that the Rajapakse family was defeated even though 5 members of the same family are US citizens.
Equally the separatist mantra, another Election mantra of MR was counter productive and a red herring. I take comfort from the fact that Modi at the helm in India is no way going to allow the LTTE to rear it’s head.
January 15th, 2015 at 3:16 pm
Dilrook,
I agree with you on most parts, except that we should not keep on thinking “Maa-Hinda government as saviours” from 2010 onwards, they were completely cowards. Can’t imaginer Naamal roaming around Colombo night clubs again, Mervyn ruining our culture, Duminda , DM having Kudu Bajav with Gota and that big thieves Baisl and Weedmal ripping off Motherlanka. Why should we even discuss how these people could come back except for the planning purpose of their opposition ?
Looking at the map we may feel like Dutugemuns. “Dear mother how could I sleep comfortably with a straight body when we are surrounded by Tamils on all 3 sides ?”, he replied.
It is Kavan Tissa , who ruled from the South did nothing to reclaim the Sinhala heritage.
It is Maa-Hinda from same area who had a golden opportunity in 2010 destroyed that opportunity purposely to please his wife and kids. All Maa-Hindaa did was Rata-Hindaa ( 2nd hinda has a different meaning to first hindaa)
My3 has no such opportunity. He has to work very hard and much more tactfully.
Somehow one country one language policy must be implemented, 13A means , you talk Tamil only there, we talk Sinhala here and some Tamil This is simply NOIT JUSTICE.
January 15th, 2015 at 5:46 pm
I’m not going to take sides here. Mahinda deserves his defeat as he disregarded the majority and served a proven ungrateful minority. But this coupled with other facts cast serious doubts on the validity of Sirisena’s election as president.
The astronomical increase in the number of persons polled in the districts of Jaffna, Vanni, Batticaloa, Nuwara Eliya, Trincomalee and Digamadulla against 2010 indicates a large number of voters from these districts voted twice. Thanks to the efficient road network today it is possible for a person to vote in both Colombo and Jaffna districts. And in Vanni, Batticaloa, Nuwara Eliya, Trincomalee and Digamadulla districts too with ease. Each of these districts show an increase of 20% in polling compared to 2010 which is only 14% for other districts. It was unthinkable in the past!
As a side note, it is really unfortunate Mahinda’s excellent road network defeated him, literally.
As Sirisena won by only 155,436 additional votes (not the lead by the excess over 50%), it is possible to successfully challenge his election based on voter fraud in the districts of Jaffna, Vanni, Batticaloa, Nuwara Eliya, Trincomalee and Digamadulla.
Those who support Mahinda and wish to see a ‘safe Sri Lanka’ (as they claim) must take up this challenge instead of verbally defending the former president. In my view, there is substantial merit in such a legal challenge. The current setting of the Supreme Court is also beneficial. If successful, the outcome will not be Mahinda getting elected as president. Instead the outcome will be a situation as if there was no election.
January 15th, 2015 at 7:22 pm
What Dilrook suggests above is a very good idea! Some lights at the end of the tunnel. Hope some patriots will come forward to initiate this process without delay.
January 15th, 2015 at 8:04 pm
Nimal,
The MORE you comment, the MORE NONSENSE you write! FACTS seem to escape your grasp, so you make personal comments based on your biased IGNORANT assumptions!
Let us dissect your nonsense item by item:
1. “Chinese and Japs didn’t help us only put the country into deep debt.”
First, the Japanese have CONSISTENTLY helped Sri Lanka ever since independence with aid, irrespective of the government in power. Cumulatively, Japan has been the largest donor of financial aid to Sri Lanka. Do your own research and check that out … before you sink deeper into the mud.
Second, China has helped Sri Lanka not only financially, but also militarily by providing arms and ammunition to wage the war of Liberation from LTTE terror.
When NO ONE would grant Sri Lanka financial aid AT ANY INTEREST to purchase arms, balance the budget during war time, and for MASSIVE post-war infrastructure development when IMF and the World Bank wanted to dictate unacceptable draconian fiscal constraints that would unbearably punish the most vulnerable Sri Lankans, AND impose POLITICAL CONDITIONS that would have stopped the war against the separatists in its tracks, China gave us the necessary loans. Two other countries, Iran and Libya also gave us emergency war-time loans.
Certainly, China didn’t give the post-war infrastructure development loans at steeply discounted rates, or without tying them to the use of Chinese companies and Chinese workers, but NO ONE ELSE WOULD GIVE SUCH LOANS TO Sri Lanka AT ANY PRICE! We were VERY FORTUNATE to have China as our FRIEND & ALLY.
Furthermore, long before the war began, I also remember that the US and other Western nations REFUSED to provide aid for developing our industrial infrastructure; they would only provide aid for consumer goods and food manufactured/grown in their countries. In contrast, China and Russia gave us the factories and means of production (eg. tire, steel and cement factories) with which we could gradually move into light industrial production. While the West wanted Sri Lanka to remain a source of cheap raw materials, China and Russia gave us the means to produce and market more profitable finished goods.
Long-term borrowing for INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT, secured by the equity in the DEVELOPED INFRASTRUCTURE, as opposed to SHORT-TERM CONSUMPTION SPENDING is the BEST KIND of SPENDING for it creates the means of production and economic growth.
Increased economic activity increases income and the taxes paid to the state to pay off the loans in inflated currency. It is the parallel of what individuals do when they convert their rental payments (current consumption) to finance a long term mortgage loan to buy a home. When the loan is paid off, they have a valuable asset … their home, whereas rent is gone for good … nothing is saved. Likewise, when the state pays off the long term infrastructure development loan, the state owns that asset which continues to generate an income or increased taxes through increased economic growth. Therefore, those Chinese loans enable Sri Lanka to CREATE INCOME PRODUCING ASSETS, whereas doing nothing would condemn us into becoming a nation of unproductive lotus-eaters!
It is because YOU ARE IGNORANT of these economic cause-and-effect relationships that you only talk about DEBT without looking at the LIFE CYCLE BENEFITS to the nation of those debts.
By the way, China is also the LARGEST LENDER to the United States, and holds the BULK of the US Treasury bonds today. Last year, China gave us about 2,500 million USD in loans WITHOUT INTERFERING in Sri Lanka’s INTERNAL AFFAIRS, whereas the USA, the richest nation on earth, gave us about 25 million USD, and ALL of that to their NGO REGIME CHANGE puppets who they bought lock, stock and barrel!
Lord, forgive this IGNORANT man …. he knows not what he utters even though he claims to live in Sri Lanka and should know these matters better!
2. “Just talk to the people in the street in SL. Why do you live in US and get back to SL and suffer as the people then you might write some thing sensible. You guys are bad as the terrorists, couldn’t two hoots for the country. I don’t write about the mythical history from a white man’s country but the real experiences of life that I countered. So what’s wrong with that?”
Well, actually, my IGNORANT friend, I shuttle back and forth between SL and the USA every year, and currently spend as much as 50% of my time in SL, engaging in business to help Sri Lanka become independent in energy through renewable energy production and in certain other areas.
Furthermore, I engage in a lot of philanthropic work in Sri Lanka geared to war veterans and needy families; this activity will increase in the future provided my health remains reasonably good. Over the years I have helped support many disabled war veterans, personally and in collaboration with other like minded people, and have personally supported over 3 dozen war orphans through the Rana Viru Seva Authority since CBK’s time as president. Last year I personally adopted several needy children who I am putting the through school, building/repairing their homes, and will put them through university if they qualify.
I did not want to reveal any of these purely personal matters, because I am not alone and there are MANY OTHER PATRIOTIC EXPATRIATES known to me who are doing similar things. However, I did tell you that you should not make IGNORANT ASSUMPTIONS about others, didn’t I? Please don’t make the assumption that everyone fits your impression of other Expatriate Sri Lankans; there are quite a few of us who care very much about our Motherland.
January 15th, 2015 at 8:32 pm
Maa-Hindaa & Co gone forever, SLFP now under My3 has a bright future, provided more god people join SLFP and more crooks leave SLFP.
DO NOT FORGET THIS IS AN INTERIM GOVERNEMENT. Come 100 days or 400 days , dictator powers gone, there will have to be a general election. SLFP can come to power and kick out UNP. It is important build a patriotic , intelligent, honest SLFP front to sell to people.
As long as Maa-Hinda RATA hinda and his sons remain in political arena of SLFP this cannot be done.
January 16th, 2015 at 6:00 am
Ananda: Thank you. I like to, with permission from Lorenzo to quote, a part of, what he said in his comment on 15 Jan:for your attention:
“The problem with you is you are FIXED in a PERSON” (the rest of what he said is not applicable to you.) Let us discuss my point of view at a different date. Thank you again.
January 16th, 2015 at 2:01 pm
Indeed, Mahinda means “Ma-Hinda” = Because of me = For me = For us, more generally.
YES INDEED, he fought and struggled mightily for us, his people. We PATRIOTS will NEVER FORGET his sacrifices on our behalf!
January 16th, 2015 at 2:13 pm
If the bugger has struggled for us , the whole island would be blue by now. Other people struggled and he sold their flesh and blood to fatten his pocket ! More evidence how he struggled will be exposed slowly. Then he too will need a set of wipers attached to his coffin , when he dies.
January 16th, 2015 at 3:15 pm
Douglas,
Lorenzo, the turncoat, is DEFINITELY not the person to quote “you are FIXED in a PERSON” whatever that phrase couched in incorrect English entails.
Lorenzo’s principles and fealty are made of CLAY, INFINITELY FLEXIBLE, and can be molded into ANY SHAPE to serve ANY DEVIOUS PURPOSE while he VOCIFEROUSLY claims to stand for the “TRUTH”! He is simply an anti-national AGITATOR who emerged from under the sheepskin he was hiding under at the CRITICAL MOMENT to stab the Nation in the back! Let us not talk any further about him.
Yes, certain of my positions are INDEED FIXED, like NEVER contributing to DISHONOR and TREACHERY; things that are shameful in any human being. If that is what the LABEL “FIXED” means, then I am indeed happy to be thus FIXED in my personality!
January 16th, 2015 at 3:38 pm
Ananda
If what you have written about your philanthropic and rest of ventures are true then I must wholeheartedly and sincerely congratulate you and keep up the good work, but then for you to disagree with me about what I have written is truly unbelievable, unless you patronize the conniving politicians thereby make yourself detached from reality, type a of blinkered life.
I too are doing what you are doing, investing colossal amounts and suffering terrible frustrations, with all the political connections I would only like to do things properly, suffer the conditions and disadvantages of the ordinary people in the island. Besides why should I go there to make money while I do it effortlessly in UK.
You must agree with me,that if you live in UK that things are chaotic in sl, unruly and truly disgusting and the politicsans couldn’t careless for the people and they are there for themselves.
Do you honestly thing that one could getaway with in US?
Why should it be different to our people and for me to think otherwise is contradict my philanthropic mind-set or philosophy.
I am a proper qualified engineer, knowing the difficulties I would have in getting a job to suit my qualifications in bigoted uk, I was advised to take an extra module in electronics where it was very new in 1967 that gave me a start with a big company where my job was intertwined with the government, worked with Kevin you are familiar with, when you presented your opinions in defence net etc. We all pitched to help the w effort that I can’t elaborate.
I was very much engaged with the development of the digital hierarchy that led to internet,MBs,etc .where no one person was involved.
So my mind set is 0 or 1,yes or no, good or bad.
So we don’t go back in to the history as it is not relevance and that’s why I hate history, which over time get distorted and give a bit of comfort to some and a profit to a conniving scoundrel and resulting in stupid myths. When you are involved in this subject one depend much on logic less on myth.
Coming back to SL my late friend and I created the first ex service man’s home in(Dawlagala) Katana,where he gave his 20 acres and I put the money for the buildings and upkeep where the sudas Cheshire foundations took over with the SL army, sadly some of the land was stolen, which you may guess.
I am too is interested renewable energy where I wanted to do it in a commercial scale but was frustrated by usual corruption and red tape in sl. I am stubborn enough not to take any favours from the politicians.
Though I am doing a feasibility study using 100x270W solar panels in SL and the equal amount in UK,never was lucky to get the cooperation of the government, like getting a proper commercial tariff or get the grid to the 100 acres I intended to buy.
I thought I could avoid the red tape and corruption in depending on the timely payment of monies due to me from the electricity produced
5 years ago I bought 1200 panels and it is lying idle in UK.I thought it was a waste of my money, where I had to buy a detached house to store it and gave shelter to a poor sl student to be the keeper. I though I did a mistake buying it, but to my luck the value of the house had almost trebled due to moneyed and crazy Russians buying properties.
I still haven’t given up setting up a solar farm, but this time I will generate electricity and use the DC power to make aluminium ingots by electrolysis from bauxite which is plentiful in Indonesia. I am determined not to use corrupt methods to venture into SL or set up a solar farm in UK.
If you are truly have connections with SL and live in US, will you agree to the chaotic and lawless life in SL,be honest?
Japan is about to open another trading day ahead,bye.
January 16th, 2015 at 3:42 pm
Sorry it’s Bolagala Katana.
January 16th, 2015 at 3:46 pm
“If the bugger has struggled for us , the whole island would be blue by now. Other people struggled and he sold their flesh and blood to fatten his pocket ! More evidence how he struggled will be exposed slowly.”
Well said Nanda.
IF he did SO MUCH sacrifices, how can he LOSE the election?
Ananda,
Supporting MR is NOT a principle. MR is NOT a principle. He is a person. You are FIXATED on a person NOT ANY principle. We support ANYTHING good for SL, not persons.
January 16th, 2015 at 4:01 pm
Lorenzo
We were all disappointed with him and he was very much detached from people and why should he care if the that family had profited enormously from the contracts as some claim? He made a fool of us.
January 16th, 2015 at 4:09 pm
Yes he made a total fool of us but people REFUSED to be fooled again.
Basil robbed an imaginable amount of money and escaped.
The bigger reason why MR didn’t SEE the danger is his HENCHMEN who said YES SIR to every damn thing he did!
You may remember when everyone condemned MR’s plan to send poor Muslims to Hajj for free (at state expense), these people HAILED it!
They said HAIL MR! Now we will get more from Arab countries!
MR should “thank” them for his “victory”.
January 16th, 2015 at 4:12 pm
When (S)Hitler went killing people, etc. WHY didn’t the few intelligent people around him tell him to STOP?
1. There were NO intelligent people around him.
2. Only YES MEN were around him who approved everything he did.
3. Their PRINCIPLE was to support him. NOT to save Germany.
I saw a video of him with Sinhala subtitles. Very creative.
January 16th, 2015 at 4:47 pm
S A Kumar: Keep hallucinating, and keep posting comments :) They are highly entertaining.
Go build your TE in Tamil Nadu, the home to a gazillion Tamils. Never in Sri Lanka.
January 16th, 2015 at 5:35 pm
Lorenzo:
You state that there are 2 kinds of patriots:
ones who CAN think
ones who CANNOT think
I add one more:
ones who WILL NOT think.
Hitler did not win the elections. he and the NAZI party lost them. they got only 34% of the vote.
The German parliament, the Reichstag suddenly burned to the ground.
Hindenburg the leader died of old age and Hitler took power.
One of the 1st acts was to pass a law to disarm the German populace.
Nazi Germany and later on Nazi Europe was run by those who deliberately DID NOT THINK leaving the fate of the nation, Europe and those the Regime targeted to those WHO DID THINK.
January 16th, 2015 at 9:12 pm
Vis8
They are highly entertaining.- thanks mate, will, we both community need after 33 years of war.
TN is not my mother Landa I am Hela Demilaya also Tamil Nadu means in chinhalam Tamil radda.
live & let live in United Mother Lanka as We both lived last 2,500 years or more….
like a song in Tamil -Enna than sonnalu Namnadu pola varuma…..( what ever said it won’t be like our lanka…..)
January 16th, 2015 at 9:59 pm
BW and Lorenzo,
More importantly there is another group.
1.Those who CAN think
2. Those who CANNOT think
3. Those who do not think
4. Those who think too much
January 16th, 2015 at 11:45 pm
A good example of category 4 is uncle Nalin De Silva.
January 17th, 2015 at 8:20 am
This map is similar to that of the colonial map of Portuguese and Dutch territories and early 19th century British territories in Ceylon with even striking similarity to the western dominance in areas of Galle and Matara. Only difference is the up country, or Kanda Udarata.
January 17th, 2015 at 8:46 am
Champika Ranawake wants to consolidate the CEB and the Petroleum Corp, and then bring in “professional bodies” such as the workers union to manage it!!! What a BAD JOKE!
Bringing the two under one management WILL HIDE who is responsible for the LOSSES incurred, the petroleum refining activity or the electricity generation, transmission and distribution activity.
Furthemore, he has failed to understand that it was the JOBS PROTECTION Go Slow and Sabotage ACTIVITIES of the UNIONS that brought the CEB to its knees!
This will allow the FOXES to MIND the HEN HOUSE! The LOSSES and ABUSES will only INCREASE! Keep Tuned Folks!
…………………….
“Addressing the corruption in the two sectors, the Minister (Champka Ranawake) said since for a long time Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) were administered as two separate institutions, both institutions have been mismanaged and become inefficient.
“Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and Electricity Board (CEB) were largely under the control of outsiders. After the last Presidential Election we had to put our utmost effort to redeem our Power and the Oil sector from those racketeers,” the Minster said.
He said under the new administration, the two institutions will be brought together under one management and the energy sectors will not be allowed to be controlled by any foreign elements.
“We will not only commit ourselves to prevent corruption at the Ministry, but will also take necessary actions against the malpractices that have taken place in the past,” Minister Ranawaka said.
As a first step, the Ministry will hand over these institutions to professional bodies such as workers union, and introduce a new formula for fuel and power, Minister Ranawaka said. He added that a formal oil exploration program in Mannar Basin will also be launched.
January 17th, 2015 at 2:44 pm
Video from DM. “http://www.dailymirror.lk/61493/mervyn-goes-to-cid-against-gota-and-basil”
How many times did MR save Mervin?
Just like a Tamil. UNGRATEFUL.
January 17th, 2015 at 2:54 pm
Lorenzo,
I pasted this link elsewhere.
Did you listened to him? He seems to be honest here exposing what this PATRIOTS did to our motherland.
1. Gota directly responsible for number of killings.
2. Basil tried to kill My3 using LTTE
3. Basil has gathered unbelievable wealth ( he gave details with names) by direct stealing.
If these allegations are true, we must stress on maximum punishment to the offenders
January 17th, 2015 at 3:25 pm
Nanda,
Yes.
But LEAVE GR OUT. If you punish GR the patriots who worked with him in national security also get framed.
I don’t know why traitors are born human. They used to be reborn as Malaria mosquitoes in historical times! Some glitch somewhere. In those cases some human intervention is needed to save the country. So lets leave GR and other patriots who DID THE NEEDFUL TO SAVE SL out of this.
GR has nothing to do with those cases, including the 13 day bride’s husband’s death.
BR – oh yes! BR must be brought to SL and punished. INTERPOL assistance may be required.
January 17th, 2015 at 6:03 pm
When I read one old Lankaweb writing, one commentator has said in 2012,
“Maharaja’s war seems to be his political advantage only. He should be beaten at the next elections. No other way.
Must find a candidate.”
How true !
January 21st, 2015 at 5:36 am
Nalini there are no different breeds of Tamils, they are all Tamils whether they are in India or in an Indian colony.
January 21st, 2015 at 9:24 am
NOW those faithless Sinhala Buddhists who VOTED against MR can CRY A RIVER OF TEARS as their Motherland is SLICED & DICED into ETHNO-RELIGIOUS BANTUSTANS!
Aiyooooo Sirisenaaaaa …… What have you DONE to our Motherland!
…………………
Will implement 13th Amendment within a unitary state: Ranil
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Jan 21 (Hindu) The Sri Lankan government will implement the 13th Amendment to its Constitution within a unitary state, Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe has said.
Implementation of the 13th Amendment — born out of the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987 — has remained a long-pending demand of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the main party representing the island’s Northern Tamils. The Amendment envisages substantive devolution of political powers to the provinces.
In his first parliamentary address after assuming charge as Prime Minister — following the Sri Lanka’s January 8 presidential elections — Mr. Wickramasinghe said: “We will implement the 13th Amendment within a unitary state.”
Given that the TNA backed President Sirisena in the elections, the Northern Tamils — who voted against President Rajapaksa in large numbers — would expect the new government to be sensitive to their demands.
Civilian Governor
In a gesture that sections perceive as President Maithripala Sirisena’s willingness to engage with the Tamils’ demands, he recently replaced the former Northern Province Governor, a military man, with a seasoned diplomat.
It is also learnt that orders have been passed to transfer the Chief Secretary of the Province who was on a collision course with Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran.
Mr. Wickramasinghe also outlined the newly-formed government’s plan for the first 100 days. The government would set up independent commissions to run the police, the public service, the judiciary and the elections department, he said.
The new government had presented its 100-day plan ahead of the elections promising a host of measures, including the abolition of executive presidency, which former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s critics saw as being a huge impediment to democracy during his two terms. Mr. Wickramasinghe, appointed Prime Minister by President Sirisena, said the new government would also pass a Right to Information Act.
Rajapaksa’s home raided
Meanwhile Sri Lanka’s former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday asked the new government to stop “revenge”, a day after police raided his country-side home in the southern district of Hambantota.
“Our family has been in politics since 1931. But never our homes came to be searched. I ask them to stop this political revenge,” local media quoted Mr. Rajapaksa as saying. The police were reportedly looking for a Lamborghini sports car and launched a raid following a court warrant, but the search drew a blank.
January 21st, 2015 at 9:35 am
ONE MORE “Yahapalanaya” ALLEGATION proved FALSE!
Aiyooooo Sirisenaaaa …. What are you DOING to our Motherland?
…………………..
Police withdraw accusations against floating armoury
By Harischandra Gunaratna
Island.lk
January 21, 2015
The floating armoury MV Mahanuwara detained on Sunday at the Galle Harbour was performing a bonafide operation with Ministry of Defence clearance, but they were trying to ascertain whether all the arms and ammunition found in the vessel were legal and if it contained arms exceeding the amount mentioned in the permit issued to the private company handling the operation, Police Spokesman Ajith Rohana said on Monday.
At a hurriedly summoned press conference, SSP Ajith Rohana said that there were 3,154 automatic and semi-automatic weapons and 747,000 rounds of ammunition on the floating armoury according to the permit issued by the MoD.
“This operation had been going for some time handled by the navy and since September 18, 2012 the job had been handed over to a private company with MoD approval, but yet the security for the operation is provided by the Navy,” he said.
Responding to a query raised by The Island as to how the Galle Habour police was not aware of the operation if it was legal, the senior police officer said with the change of government there had been a communication breakdown between those concerned.
Asked whether a former Navy Commander had a hand in the private shipping company which handled the operation, the police spokesman said he had not received any news to that effect.