President  Maithripala Sirisena’s  comments on Pada Yathra
Posted on August 1st, 2016

S. Akurugoda

Addressing a meeting in Mawanella , President Maithripala Sirisena has said that if the previous government had governed the country properly its members, currently in the Opposition, would not have had to hoof it until they got blisters on their soles. Speaking further, President has said ” The previous government had boasted of mega development while plunging the country into debt to the tune of Rs. 90 billion”

The previous government was led by a SLFP led coalition where the  current President of the country Mr Maithripala Sirisena  was a leading Cabinet Minister throughout the tenure of office of the government , until he joined the anti-Rajapaksha campaign  in order to be the Presidential Candidate opposing  President   Mahinda Rajapaksa.    Are we to believe  that Mr Sirisena and  the members of the previous government following him are not responsible and only the members in the Opposition are responsible for any wrongdoings of the previous government?

Ironically, Mr Sirisena is the current President of the country and the  leader of the very same SLFP lead coalition said to have been responsible for failing to govern the country properly for 11 years  and  were boasting of mega development while plunging the country into debt to the tune of Rs 90 million.

The basic questions are whether there were any good things done by the previous government, and if so, who are responsible and  what Mr Sirisena and the members of the previous government with him have done during the Rajapaksa rule to win the masses in order to be qualified for the current positions?

As far as we are aware, there is a thing called ‘Collective Responsibility’ in a government with a Cabinet of Ministers and one cannot simply pass any wrongdoings   to one person and get the credit for the rest after being a member of  that cabinet  throughout  its rule. Further Mr Sirisena was  the Secretary  General of that party, SLFP, throughout the previous administration and we have heard several speeches  (and still on record) of Mr Sirisena upholding  the its work and the  leadership of  Mr Rajapaksa.  We also remember the  stories of Mr Sirisena  telling us about Rajapaksa’s ‘Lamborghinis’ and ‘gold horses’ during his presidential campaign.

As per media reports, there were massive crowds and protestors were joining the Pada Yathra enthusiastically. They were carrying  banners and shouting slogans against the government’s witch hunt against political opponents , arresting soldiers, removal of farmer subsidies, heavy taxes, ‘constitutional death trap’, postponement of local government elections, foreign war crime courts etc.

The massive protest which we have not witnessed before during our lifetime is not against what  Mr Sirisena and his followers have done during the  11 years rule of the previous government, but for what Sirisena-Ranil led government has done since they came to power with the full blessings of the regional and western powers backed by anti-Rajapaksa   elements, both in and outside the country.

The various statements and promises made by the current rulers to grab the power and to remain in power, time to time, and the  massive crowds and the protestors joining Pada Yathra reminds us the following statement of  Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States of America.

You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time”

13 Responses to “President  Maithripala Sirisena’s  comments on Pada Yathra”

  1. Christie Says:

    Very true about Sirisena.

  2. Cerberus Says:

    My3 is a very weak character with a spine like that of a jellyfish. He was picked to bring down the Rajapaksas’ by CBK, another unsavory character. Here is a little bit to just to remind every one of the doings of CBK. The entire country became lawless during the 30 years of war with the LTTE. During part of this time, the corruption by CBK who was accused on the Waters Edge Property deal and also the pocketing of the insurance money from the Air Lanka planes which were destroyed by the LTTE plus other smaller deals with the Maharaja’s etc. which set the stage for the ensuing corruption of politicians, made matters worse. I agree it was no excuse however after the President CBK started stealing then everyone thought it is o.k. for them too. There was an entire book written about her doings in Sinhalese by Victor Ivan called “Rogue Queen”. Even her uncle Ratwatte was accused of taking commissions on the weapons purchases which matters were brought up by the UNP, and then when she came into power she brought up the Batalanda commission report. Suddenly it was all hushed up and both inquiries were dropped. I think Ranil and CBK made a deal.

    My3 broke the law when he appointed RW as the Prime Minister while the Parliament already had D. M. Jayaratna. He did not want to take responsibility for it and stated that he did it because the ‘West wanted him to do so’. http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2015/04/18/ranil-must-be-pm-i-am-ordered-to-do-so-by-india-west-president-sirisena/

    In turn, Ranil changed the Cabinet and appointed his own henchmen. He brought the Finance Ministry under his control and then appointed Arjun Mahendran as head of Central Bank while he was still a Singaporean citizen. He also appointed Paskaralingam whose bad reputation is well known by all Sri Lankans, as head of Treasury. Arjun then did the Rs. 5,000 million insider trading bond scam. Even when My3 asked Ranil to remove Mahendran, Ranil just ignored My3.

    Even in the August Parliamentary election, My3 broke the law. First, My3 brings a court action to prevent the CC of UPFA from the meeting. Then he gets information from National Intelligence that UPFA is going to win 113 seats, according to his own words. In order to prevent his own party from winning and to ensure that UNP wins, he writes a 5-page letter to MR telling him that he will not be appointed as Prime Minister under any circumstances. He then goes on tv and reads it out to the public to reinforce his letter. He then sacks the General Secretaries of both parties (UPFA & SLFP) and appoints his own. He also sacks 13 members of the CC and appoints his own. All this was done during the period where the Election commissioner has said there should be no electioneering. Was this not electioneering by My3 for the UNP during that period? All these actions confused our voting public. On top of that many have pointed out false ballot papers, counting errors etc. Democracy is a laugh in Sri Lanka. Nowhere else in the world will the party leader work for the opposition so strenuously. The election in January was flawed due to an unbelievable number of voter increase in North, East and Nuwara Eliya. As far as I can see both elections have been cheated. See: http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2015/08/25/i-wrote-that-letters-sacked-secretaries-because-i-received-intelligence-reports-that-upfa-is-on-the-verge-of-winning-president-%E0%B6%BD%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%BA%E0%B7%94%E0%B6%B8%E0%B7%8A-%E0%B6%BD/

  3. Ananda-USA Says:

    Fran my friend,

    What’s happening to you? Thinking that Ponil is going to change his stripes, reverse course and do what is good for the common people of our country?

    Oh, well … everyone is entitled to have an off day! I do too …. every now and then when I bump my head too hard on the rafters!

  4. S.Gonsal Says:

    If all moves by government is challenged and defeated , Ponil cannot do anything. He will never have 2/3 majority. Parliament participation shall be taken very seriously and all fraud of this government shall be brought up , Hansarded properly. This government can only be defeated by stopping it’s Unpatriotic legislations in the parliament and in the courts. Don’t waste time on any other action.
    Next Paada Yatra should start an Galle so that we can win cricket !

  5. Ananda-USA Says:

    Sri Lanka POISED to become a TRANSPORTATION HUB announces Ranil on whom ENLIGHTENMENT has FINALLY DAWNED!

    When the Yamapalanaya agitators were trying to OUST the MR/UPFA government, and during the 1st year of their mis-governance, they MOCKED the INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENTS, like the Hambantota Port and the Mattala International airport as vertable White Elephants!

    Having DESTROYED the momentum behind those ventures, and having REALIZED that the Western Powers who EGGED them onto REGIME CHANGE are not going to GIVE THEM A DIME for National Development, they are NOW TOUTING the SAME VISION of the MR/UPFA GoSL they DEMONIZED without batting an eyelid or ADMISSION of their STUPIDITY. SHAMELESS!

    These TRAITORS have DESTROYED and/or DELAYED Sri Lanka’s EMERGENCE as an ECONOMIC POWER like Singapore, all to HOIST themselves into POWER!

    HOW SHALL WE PUNISH these SHAMELESS CORRUPT TRAITORS; Draw, Quarter & Hang them in the Independence Square perhaps?</i?

    ……………………
    Sri Lanka will be made a sea-air hub, Prime Minister says
    Mon, Aug 1, 2016, 11:28 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

    Aug 01, Colombo: Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe says the government aims to make the island a sea-air hub as the government has realized that its main focus has to be a hub not only for aviation but also for sea cargo to ensure the maximum amount of transshipment of cargo and of persons takes place when transferring from airport to port or vice versa.

    Speaking at the 53rd Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation of Asia and Pacific States in Colombo today Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said there is a crucial role the Aviation Sector has to play in the development of the country.

    Commenting on the fate of the national carrier the Premier said the government hopes to make the national carrier more efficient and will call for public-private partnerships to efficiently make the carrier profitable again.

    He said the government’s policy at present is to protect and expand the country’s national carrier, despite it affecting the development of the airport. The colossal debt incurred as a result of losses at SriLankan Airlines would have contributed towards the construction of three technology institutes to the standards of MIT.

    The Prime Minister said that first priority is to improve the Katunayake Airport. Discussions are being held with the Japanese Government and the Japanese funding agency JICA to enable Sri Lanka to do a feasibility study on a Colombo air sea hub.

    Second goal is to revamp the Mattala Airport in order to make it a profit venturing entity. The government will give priority to any person who can bring up the capacity to one million passengers in five years’ time he said adding that it will be a part of the larger development of Hambantota.

  6. Ananda-USA Says:

    JO seeks Maha Sangha’s backing to thwart govt. projects inimical to SL
    Island.lk
    July 31, 2016, 9:33 pm

    By Shamindra Ferdinando

    Former External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L Peiris and UPFA Colombo District MP Udaya Gammanpila yesterday called for Maha Sangha’s intervention to thwart the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe project meant to create a Federal Constitution.

    The Maha Sangha’s backing was sought when Prof. Peiris and MP Gammanpila met Ven. Keppetiyagoda Siriwimala thera, chief incumbent of Getembe Rajapovaramaya and Maha Nayaka of Asgiriya Chapter Most Ven. Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thera.

    Prof. Peiris told The Island that they had an opportunity to explain four major issues, namely the danger in setting up an Office of Missing Persons (OMP) through an act of parliament, constitutional reforms on the basis of Lal Wijenayake’s recommendations (Report on Public Representations on Constitutional Reforms), proposed Economic and Technological Cooperative Agreement (ETCA) and the Geneva process.

    Prof. Peiris alleged that the government having made various commitments inimical to the country subsequently went back on its word. The former minister was referring to the on-going controversy over an alleged understanding among the government of Sri Lanka, the US and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) as regards foreign judges in a domestic war crimes court.

    Prof. Peiris said the government put off local government polls indefinitely because it feared the public opinion. “Sri Lanka is the only country in the world as we speak today where there is not a single functioning local government body. How can that be yahapalanaya or democracy?” As people had been deprived of basic democratic rights, they gave expression to their feelings through the pada yathra, Prof. Peiris said. “The government can ascertain the true state of public opinion by immediately holding long overdue local government polls.”

    The top Joint Opposition spokesman said that they would continue to push for local government polls. Last week Prof Peiris briefed Head of the Lankan Catholic Church Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith on the same issues.

    MP Gammanpila told The Island that contrary to public pledges given by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wicremesinghe regarding the proposed constitutional reforms, the Wijenayake committee’s recommendations posed a grave danger.to Sri Lanka. The MP said that the vast majority of members of Wijenayake Committee wanted to do away with the unitary status in the new constitution as well as deny special status to Buddhism. The PHU leader alleged that the yahapalana administration had caused turmoil and acted in a manner detrimental to national security.

  7. jay-ran Says:

    I have one good question to ask from the TRAITOR SIRISENA! “WHAT THE HELL HAVE DONE TO BENEFIT THE SRI LANKANS WITHIN THIS 18MONTHS AFTER BECOMMING THE PRESIDENT”???????????????????????
    BUT I NEED TO REMIND THIS FOOLISH,UNGREATFULL TRAITOR SIRISENA THAT MR AFTER BECOMMING THE PRESIDENT,WITHIN 2 and 1/2 YRS<ELIMINATED THE TAMIL LTTE TERRORISTS AND BROUGHT PEACE TO ALL SRI LANKANS.
    But now whats happening???
    His PONNA MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS IS HOLDING CONFERENCES WITH THOSE MURDERERS LTTE SUPPORTERS!!!
    Vry soon he SIRISENA & THE ENTIRE TRAITORS WILL RECEICE THE "DHITTA,DHAMMA VEDANEEYA KARMA"

  8. Sooriarachi Says:

    This President shamelessly worked against his own party because of his greed to hang on to the presidency with the help of opposition parties. Is this a Guiness Book record for any political leader of a country?
    As for his initial victory over Rajapakse, we are aware that Tamil dominated regions had a “record voter turnout” of around 90%, which any fool should realise, cannot be achieved legally and there must have been rigging on a massive scale. There have been so much of violations of democratic principles, since this regime grabbed power, this President and Prime Minister could be successfully prosecuted, if and when a new government is elected. Therefore they have to continue to cling on to each other and demonise the actions of the previous regime. The only reason the mega development projects of the previous regime are not profitable, is because those who took over after ousting the architects of such projects, are not competent and have no clue as to how these developments could be managed efficiently to generate sufficient revenue. To make matters worse, the new regime knew only to stop ongoing development work and incur unimaginable liabilities by breaching contractual obligations.

  9. Fran Diaz Says:

    Hi Ananda,

    Are you referring to my comment that Ranil should remove the 13-A. ?

    Ranil will have to have the ok to do that from INDIA & the west to remove the 13-A 1 ! Let us see if he has the clout to do that. I have stated earlier why Ranil (UNP) is the person who should remove the 13-A.

    If Ranil doesn’t remove the 13-A, then he has proved that he does not care for Lanka, and does not have the interests of Lanka in his thinking. It will prove that his intent is to sell off Lanka.

    As Mr Akurugoda says : MS was holding a high position in the previous govt which he criticies now ! Wither MS ? !!

    Today, that is why MS dropped the MR group and is in tow with the UNP – to sell off Lanka !

  10. Ananda-USA Says:

    Hi Fran,

    Yes, I was referring to that.

    I don’t think Ranil still has to prove that he does not care one iota about Sri Lanka, particularly it’s Sinhala Buddhists.

    That was proved long ago when he opposed the war effort and he tried to give the North and East to VP. There is NO WAY he is going to REPEAL the 13A!

  11. Fran Diaz Says:

    Ananda,

    Patriots should PUSH Ranil to remove the 13-A !
    PUSH him and PUSH him, till he caves in and admits that he will remove it or he won’t ! We want proof positive from the ‘horse’s mouth’ on the 13-A matter, in spite of his past dismal record.

    Also, please add Batalanda massacres of JVP lawyers etc to his negative record above as stated by you.

    ————

    more ….

    Ranil certainly has a thing against the Sinhala/Buddhists of Lanka and that is why he is Exec PM today. I wonder what made him so anti his own folks and why he is so pro-Britain. Did a famous Sci-Fi writer who lived in Galle have something to do with this pro-Brit stance ? Who messed up RW when he was a younger person ? Such a person with no no real feelings for his own People is totally unsuited to be Exec PM of Lanka. Also, why does CBK support him – she is anti her own folks too …. ?
    Why does MS support both CBK/RW so much …. ?

    What a Trio !

  12. Ananda-USA Says:

    Hi Fran,

    Chandrika is DRIVEN by JEALOUSY!

    She cannot bear the thought that where she failed to win the war and protect the nation, Mahinda succeeded!

    She cannot bear the thought that her dynasty has shot it’s bolt, while Mahind’s dynasty is rising, especially with Namal earning respect of the public. Everytime they throw Namal in jail, he gets MORE support from the people!

    She knows she made a bad mistake when she abandoned military action against the LTTE and embraced Tamil allegations of discrimination and undermined the Sinhala cause. That realization came after MR, Gota and others confounded all the pundits and showed the world how a committed democracy CAN DECISIVELY DEFEAT A TERRORIST INSURGENCY militarily.

    Now Chandrika is STUCK with her mistakes but the EGOTISTICAL WOMAN she is, she cannot gracefully accept it. Indtead, she JEALOUSLY LASHES OUT against tormentors, little realizing that she teally is her own tormentor, if only she has the wisdom to see it.
    This UNBOUNDED JEALOUSY is also what drove her to ask the police to deny access to the Pada Yatra people to place a wreath honoring SWRD as they passed the Horogolla memorial. Her JEALOUSY will earn Chandrika a TRAITOR’s label in our history. This saddens me for T honor and admire both of her parents.

    Yes, Fran ….. what a TRIO of a backstabber, traitor and jealous witch indeed!

  13. Fran Diaz Says:

    Hi Ananda,

    Thanks for response.

    Yes, indeed you are right. The CBK is jealous. However, she is using her knowledge of matters to sell off Lanka – she also has some hatred toward the Sinhala people for assassination of her father & her husband. I suspect there is a large portion of REVENGE toward the Sinhala people from both CBK & RW. RS is a puppet in the Grand Plan to sell off Lanka.
    That 5,000 acre lots on 99 yr leases to foreigners is the cherry on the sell off cake ! And of course the sea tunnel to Tamil Nadu is pure Revenge ! The Central Bank scam (twice) was just for starters – the main meal is still being cooked. Neither CBK or RW have analysed, understood and forgiven whatever has happened in the past.

    What a Trio – like the three headed Hydra !

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

 

 


Copyright © 2024 LankaWeb.com. All Rights Reserved. Powered by Wordpress