Ranil’s Lichchavi administration in disarray, Cabinet swearing-in further delayed?
Posted on August 27th, 2015
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The Lichchavi administration which Ranil Wickremasinghe proposed when he addressed the media for a special statement at the Temple Trees recently, gone into a terrible disarray due infighting between SLFP and UNP over the allocation of Ministries.
SLFP acting General Secretary Duminda Dissanayake today (27/08/2005) said the swearing-in of the Cabinet would not likely to happen on September 2, as scheduled earlier. Addressing a news conference, he said a National Government should be formed through parliament and not through political parties.
While introducing Lichchavi concept, which believed to be existed in 615 BC in the ancient feudal India where ruling power was shared between high cast kshatriya varna (Cast), Ranil intends to introduce the same concept to the governing body of the modern Sri Lanka and claimed that the national frame-work which he is going to introduce is the Lichchavi Accord which is mostly known as working together with an utmost corporation and understanding among rulers. The Licchavis were the most famous clan amongst the ruling confederate clans of the Vajji mahajanapada of ancient India and Nepal.Ultimate authority rested with the 7,707 raja who met each year to elect one of their member as ruler and a council of nine to assist him. It was far from a democracy as only a small portion of the Licchavi population qualified to vote. Those with raja status were only the male heads of households who belonged to the kshatriya varna (Cast).[6]
However, during intense negotiation between parties involved since August 17, the concept of working together with an utmost corporation and understanding has been dissolved into a verbal infighting, backbiting and bickering exercise that the date for the new cabinet to be sworn in had to be further postponed until 4th of September, even after the first session of the new parliament on 1st of September.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and three Cabinet Ministers of the new government have been sworn in so far.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera, Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapaksa and Resettlement Minister D. M. Swaminathan took oath before the President on August 24
Meanwhile the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) claimed that they have reached a final consensus over forming a National Government while the two major parties in the country have partially agreed on the ministerial portfolios that will be shared.
According to some political source, the SLFP is to receive Highways, Higher Education, Irrigation, Agriculture and Samurdhi ministerial portfolios as per the initial discussions.
While the SLFP had also sought the Public Administration ministerial portfolio, the UNP leadership had not agreed to this, the source said.
SLFP believes it has been offered less powerful portfolios in the Cabinet. The party demands key posts and is seeking portfolios such as Finance, and Power and Energy and Samurdhi Development, the political source said.
To defuse the whole saga, UNP Chairman Malik Samarawickrama has now come out and said in a media statement that an agreement had been reached after extensive and cordial discussions with the SLFP (hic).
Mr Samarawickrema has further dressed up his statement with fine reconciliatory words to the press and said The ultimate objective of both parties was to serve the people by moving away from the traditional political culture and ensuring the betterment of the nation without considering ministries and perks associated with them,” and it was samarawicreama’s conclusion that both parties had to make sacrifices in this endeavour.
Meanwhile, it is reported that speaking to the Daily Mirror Samarawickrama has said there will be 30 Ministers initially divided among the UNP and the SLFP.
However, his opinion was the number of Ministries would be increased with the approval of Parliament as per the 19th Amendment later.
He has said the House would have a two day debate on September 3 and 4. The vote is expected to be taken up on September 4.
At the same time, Samarawickrama has declined to divulge more details on how many ministries each party would get and what those ministries would be, hinting that infighting still to be continued.
August 26th, 2015 at 8:12 am
Please don’t bring 615 BC to present and compare 2015. There is no correlation. This Lichchlvi is in PALI in Hebrew it is Lechvitz. read the ancient history in broader way not what the so called INDIANS wrote it to reflect the HINDU version. (Comment deleted due to inaccuracy -The history of the Jews in the Roman Empire traces the interaction of Jews and Romans during the period of the Roman Empire (27 BC – AD 476).Moderator)
August 26th, 2015 at 1:46 pm
Maru Sira is suffering from SERIOUS ego issues. He wants HIS OWN new parliament to start on his birthday September 3 which happens to be the day the SLFP was formed in 1951 (his birth year).
Maru Sira was BORN with the SLFP and DIES with the SLFP (he killed it)!
August 26th, 2015 at 11:13 pm
I too agree with Lankaputhra that any government created by the UNP after JRJ should not have any comparison to the Licchavi’s. JRJ’s Dhrmishtapalanaya was the most cruel and divisive period in the modern history of SL. It appears MS/RW/CBK toxic combination’s Yahapalanaya may push the country to abyss.
Lorenzo, I don’t understand what issues Sirisena has. He is a traitor without any principals who is a danger to any organisation that he is associated with. Unfortunately, he is the head of state of our beautiful island.
August 27th, 2015 at 1:41 am
Thank you moderator.
Licchavi kindom existed during life of Gautama Buddha according to suttas.
Lankaputra become Israleputra, I don’t know why, he was alright before this.
Nevertheless RW is in no position to be compared to Licchavis – that I agree with Kitsiri.
Eran Wickremasinghe has talked nonsense to Algezera lately, claiming Rajapakse Regime waged war against Tamils. Sri Lanka never had a regime since British left. Not only Rajapakse all presidents waged LTTE war (not Tamil war). Has he followed Licchavi method he shouldn’t have talked nonsense like this.
August 27th, 2015 at 8:15 am
Every government since JRJ came to power, a Market Catchphrase is introduced for the type of government they introduced after a government change, started with JRJ’s “Dharmishttapalanaya”, unfortunately JRJ was so adhramishta to the country he introduced one of the worst type of constitution in the world, even today his successors are struggling to make it real democratic and people friendly.
Then came “Mahinda Chintananya”, though it is people friendly and successful, the Western governments and India did not like it because of unlimited financial support we received from China thought that Sri Lanka is moving more closer to China.
After overthrowing that government through a face-book type rainbow revolution a new government came with a catchphrase of “Yahapalanaya” and that survived only for 160 days and after a general election “Litchchavi palanaya” is now introduced.
Government as an organisation cannot be considered as a commercial venture , yet government can create new businesses in collaboration between the government and a third party which will bring additional commercial capability and investment and the profits through which achieve sustainability in providing a social benefit.
August 27th, 2015 at 12:24 pm
Frankly, I do not see any resemblance to the “Lichchavi” administration of ancient Kathmandu in the present lot of folk in the new govt.
First, the MR govt was brought down by false accusations thourgh various social media and news items. The last two elections were flawed and yet unaddressed. The new President broke the law of the land as well as his party constitution in his haste to please foreign countries that wanted their style of Exec PM who in turn chose a Central Bank Governor who scammed the country pronto.
Pachchavi group now ruling Lanka through Pacha telling !
August 27th, 2015 at 12:46 pm
Only the truth of all matters will let us rest. If it is Pacha that we are FORCED to accept, then let us say “we are FORCED to accept PACHA” and carry on because we are FORCED to do so against our better wishes, as otherwise we are afraid of what the powers that be will further do to our country. We cannot accept “Pacha” as the Truth of matters. “Pacha” is Pacha and will remain as “Pacha” as long as there are thinking people in Lanka and in the world.
What do the People of Lanka need :
Suggestions :
Job oriented education (English to be taught in govt schools)
New jobs created – emphasis on Job Creation
Scheme of Social Security in addition to Socialist govt programs
Free birth control pills, famil planning advice etc for all adults who require them
For Security :
Remove the Vadukoddai Resolution from 1976
Remove the 13-A
Remove in future the Tamil language as an Official/National language
Prevent by all means illegal migration
Strong security forces with training of adults & school children in national safety programs
I am sure there are other aspects to address.
August 27th, 2015 at 1:06 pm
Prageeth’s Matale Mistress And Douglas Devananda’s Secretary To Be Questioned; First Abduction Was Exactly Six Years Ago Today
COLOMBO_TELEGRAPH
The reason for suppressing details regarding the disappearance of Prageeth Ekneligoda prior to the August 2015 Parliamentary elections is that the Criminal Investigation Department had already questioned Ekneligoda’s mistress and the Maithripala Sirisena – Ranil Wickremesinghe led government felt that it may have been counter productive to their election drive, an officer investigating the disappearance of Ekneligoda told Colombo Telegraph.
Also during that period prior to the elections Ekneligoda’s wife Sandya Ekneligoda held a press conference and claimed that information pertaining to the disappearance of her husband had not been released to the public.
Prageeth
*Photo courtesy Lionel Bopage – Prageeth (sitting at the centre) at a discussion before the day he was made to disappear
In response to Sandya’s claims the police spokesman making a counter statement said that the CID cannot reveal all the information in their possession as the investigation was still in progress.
In the run up to the August general elections the anti-Rajapaksa camp used Sandya Ekneligoda the wife of Prageeth as an icon in their campaign of disappeared persons.
However in a dramatic change in the CID’s investigation into the disappearance of Prageeth Ekenligoda, it is reported that Ekneligoda’s mistress and the former Minister Douglas Devananda‘s media secretary Nelson Edirisinghe are to be brought in soon to be questioned formally. Previously the duo had been questioned by the CID and information was gathered in informally.
The CID has found evidence that Ekneligoda had not lived with his wife but with another woman in Matale.
August 27th, 2015 at 2:12 pm
This OUTDATED, CASTE BASED, ANTI-FEMALE and FEUDAL system is a DISGRACE.
It doesn’t fit today’s politics.
Even Endia or Nepal don’t follow this OUTDATED system!! Like the national list, SL seem to pick others’ REJECTS!!
August 27th, 2015 at 7:10 pm
As usual fools bark but I don’t know how many have actually read about Lichchavis ( including RW) and what is meant by their discipline.
As far as I remember ( I read this suttas few years ago) this is only a discipline among the rulers, not a method of governing. So cannot compare this with “yahapalanaya” but this is a code of conduct for ministers and deputy ministers ( as it applies today). However I must stress that it is applicable to today’s society and in fact current “cabinet code of conduct” ( in most developed countries)is somewhat similar. This is not a magic method but an election ploy by Ranil to show his non existing “Sinhala Buddhist” culture. Having said that, I must confess that those most people consider as Sinhala Buddhist upbringing are even worse than his. What is the point of carrying flowers to temple but behave like thugs and do injustice ?
August 27th, 2015 at 10:44 pm
After 10 months of political mayhem the three ringed circus goes on and on – whilst Sri Lanka burns.
August 28th, 2015 at 8:59 am
Most local thugs are ’employees’ of the UNP govts down the decades since Independence from Britain. In Lanka, Political thuggery became an accepted norm under the UNP.
August 28th, 2015 at 4:08 pm
Lichchavi fools are trying to drag SL to 700 BC Endia where they used to burn women, treat women as slaves, donate wife and children to pedophiles, sathi pooja, caste ridden, etc.
How many wars Endia’s Lichchavi countries had against each other? HUNDREDS! Read the Endian history.
If this happens in SL, the only Buddhist country in SOUTH ASIA is doomed under ANCIENT HINDUSTAN dogma. Buddha never ENDORSED the Lichchavi system. He gave his OWN guidelines for GOOD GOVERNANCE called DASARAJATHARMA. That is what SL needs. Not Lechchami.
“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zARZDmWtDIg”
August 29th, 2015 at 1:48 am
Pol pot ponil and his party responsible for destruction of 160,000 Buddhist lives in Sri Lanka. Nobody says a word about this because it was done by the catholic run UNPatriotic party on the orders of the west and the church.
We have very simple challenge to this so called saviour of Buddhism in Sri Lanka.
Can you say Buddham Saranam Gachchami in public?
And prove you are not a die-hard catholic!
Pol pot ponil is a versatile man. Murderous, bank robbing, trreacherous, tom pachaya and destroyer of Buddhism in Sri Lanka.