(By : A.A.M.NIZAM – MATARA)

The action taken by the Joint Opposition to handover a No Confidence Motion against the political chameleon Rajitha Senaratne was a very appropriate move as he acts like a person suffering from a chronic dementia, misusing his powers, uttering abusive and indecent fish market languages and posing as that he is the person who runs this country. As the UNP Kaluthara district parliamentarian Mr. Palitha Thevarapperuma has rightly pointed out this seems to be a family disease of Rajithas.

Comments by UNP’s Palitha Thevarapperuma and Ranjan Ramanayake

I quote below a statement made by Mr. Thevarapperuma about Rajitha and his son.  It seems that it is Chatura who rules the country today. Even the President cannot do what Chatura can do. It seems that it is Chatura who establishes and depose governments in this country and creates and send out Ministers. Chatura’s talks are like keeping hunted meat in the stomach and Lord Buddha’s rays of glare in the mouth.  Where were these Rajithas before? It should be investigated from where they got the money they have today. They now talk about catching thieves.  What a colossal amount Chatura spent for the election in Gampaha.  Were they the money of Chatura’s father or mother? It is this type of Chaturas who should be removed from the government. First of all you must cover up your own nakedness.  Therefore it is better if Rajitha and Chatura boy leave first.”

Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake has lodged a complaint with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, against Rajitha.  The complaint was based on a telephone conversation between Senadhipathi of Avant Garde and Rajitha’s Secretary, and in the conversation Senadhipathi says Samarasundera (Rajitha’s Secretary) had accepted Rs.5 million on behalf of Rajitha. Ramanayaka has also presented the audio record of the telephone conversation. Avant Garde Maritime Services employees have denied all allegations saying that their chairman did not bribe anyone forcibly but he gave money to anyone when requested.

Meanwhile, the pig-headed, obstructionist and the ignoramus Lawyer Minister of Higher Education and Highways Lakshman Kiriella who thinks that everyone in the Parliament should act only according to his dictates  and whims and fancies has said that the UNP would not allow the no-confidence motion against Rajitha Senaratne to be tabled in Parliament. He has said that they will hand over to the Speaker a written request urging him not to accept the no-confidence motion. He has added that the UNP is capable of looking after the affairs of the country since the party has 106 seats in Parliament.

The somersaults of the Political Chameleon Rajitha

Rajitha entered politics whilst following a dentistry course in the University of Peradeniya between 1971 and 74, rather started his chameleon role, as the President of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party student wing of the University.  When Mr. Vijaya Kumaratunga left the SLFP and formed the Sri Lanka Mahajana Party (SLMP) Rajitha joined that Party.  In the JVP attack of SLMP Presidential candidate Ossie Abeygunasekera’s Grandpass rally in 1988 Rajitha got injured and the attack left two pieces of shrapnel in his skull.  (it is something to be curious whether it is this head injury making him to talk like a mad man sometimes) In 1988 when the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, Nava Sama Samaja Party and SLMP formed the United Socialist Alliance, Senaratne was one of the USA’s candidates at the 1988 provincial council election and was elected to the Western Provincial Council. He was one of the USA’s candidates in Colombo District at the 1989 parliamentary election but the USA failed to win any seats in the district.

When Chandrika was expelled from the SLMP, Chandrika, Rajitha and some others in the SLMP formed a new party named Bahujana Nidhahas Peramuna (BNP) and Rajitha was its General Secretary.  When Chandrika re-joined the SLFP and the People’s Alliance (PA) was formed Rajitha made another somersault and joined the UNP.  He got appointed as a UNP Nationalist List MP in 1994 and thereby entered the Parliament.  He contested 2000 General Election as a UNP candidate from the Kalutara district and got elected. In 2007 he defected to Mahinda Rajapaksa government as a member of the group of 17 and got appointed as the Minister of Construction and Engineering Services.  He contested as a UPFA candidate for the Kalutara district in the 2010 election and got appointed as Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development. He held this post until November 2014 and got elected from the Kalutara district as a UNP candidate in 2015 and was appointed as the Minister of Health.

Murder of Southern Youth in 88/89

It is a well known fact that over 60,000 Southern youth were killed during the despicable JVP 2^nd uprising horrendous period and most of them were assassinated by the State sponsored terror groups. The terror group PRRA (People’s Revolutionary Red Army) alleged to have led by Rajitha Senaratne and assisted by the NGO vulture Sunantha Deshapriya was responsible for many of these deaths.  A persom who worked with us for SLFP in the 1989 General Election told me that he used to be a member of the Rajitha’s Bahujana Nidahas Peramuna and one day he went to see Rajitha at his residence upon a request made by him and in this meeting Rajitha told him that he is the one who is leading the PRRA group and wanted him to give the list of JVP activists known to him in his area (Weragampita/Walpola in the Matara town). This person said that he told Rajitha that he is not getting involved in any political activities at that time and hence he does not know the boys and girls involved in JVP activities in his area.  He said that if he had given even one name to Rajitha on that day the severed head of that person could have been seen on the railing of the Nilwala brige the next day morning.

Participating in a ‘Hiru’ TV programme ‘Salakuna’ Rajitha said that he had given his blessings to the murderous para military Group PRRA and terrorism should be countered by terrorism.  It was reported in the Silumina newspaper that a Doctor who led PRRA received Rs. 50,000 per head from the Premadasa government for each youth killed during the terror period. 

Mr. Rajan Hoole in an article to Colombo Telegraph titled The PRRA Killer’s Diary: Ranil W, Rajitha R And The Left” said that the core of the PRRA was drawn mainly from the Sri Lanka Mahajana Party. As per this article the first killing of an alleged JVPer by PRRA was reported from Matara in November 1988. Sarath(Podi) Silva (PS) was the coordinator of this group from 1989 to1991. Rajan Hoole claims that there are references to Rajitha Senaratne in the Diary of PS which includes reference to the medical professional, whose role seems to have been pivotal with regard to getting help from the State, in 20^th January 1989 gave the assignment to Rajitha Senaratne, on 6^th February 1989 gave a 9mm (revolver) to Rajitha, and in 31^st March met MPC Kesbewa & Dr. Rajitha Senaratne. It was successful.”

Rajitha unseated by Court of Appeal

On 31^st March, 2000 the Court of Appeal ruled that Rajitha Senaratne has no right to hold office as Member of Parliament, to sit or to vote in Parliament giving the verdict of the case filed by Deputy Minister for Justice Dilan Perera charging that the opposition politician Rajitha Senarane was engaged in business with a government institution in contravention of the law prevailed at the time he was sworn in as an MP.

A Member of Parliament cannot be engaged in business with state concerns after or at the time of taking oaths as a Member of Parliament under Sri Lankan law.
Article 91 (1) of Sri Lanka’s present constitution states that “no person shall be qualified to be elected as a member of Parliament or to sit and vote in Parliament” and section (1) (e) of that Article says “if he has any such interest in any such contract made by or on behalf of the state or a public corporation as Parliament shall by law prescribe.”
The Court of Appeal, however, noted that the law specifically relevant in considering such disqualification is Article 13 (c) of the Solbury constitution that was in effect from 1948 to 1972 (Sri Lanka’s present constitution was introduced in 1978)

He lost his MP post because he carried out businesses with the state. Later Ranil Wickremesinghe gave him an MP post through the UNP National List. He is the only person who lost his MP post because of his businesses with the state.

Local Hospital for General Public and foreign Luxury Hospitals for Ministers

This government has different criteria even for medical treatment of the general pulic and the Ministers.  The western slavish Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe spending one week in the United States for what he called for a general medical check up said upon his return that he will make arrangements for the government Ministers to get medical check ups and treatment in luxury hospitals in the United States.

Even before this statement was made the Minister of Health Rajitha Senaratne who claims that high standard medical facilities are available in our local hospitals went to Singapore allegedly for a by-pass operation at the well known Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.  It came to light later that the President’s fund which provides a maximum of Rs. 150,000 for a critical patient to obtain foreign treatment based on several authenticated reports has given

Speaking about his Mount Elizabeth Hospital treatment, Rajitha also stated that it was the Prime Minister who called his son, the joker Chatura and requested to take him for treatment at Mount Elizabeth Hospital.

It is also reported that despite Rajitha boasting that the government hospitals provide adequate medical services including medical tests and drugs free of charge Testing Laboratories and Pharmacies are mushrooming around government hospitals all over the country and patients are compelled to get test reports, x-ray reports and scan reports and expensive drugs from these Testing Laboratories and Pharmacies.

In April 2017, it was reported that Senior Specialist Doctors resigned from the Health Ministry Tender Board in protest against import of low quality drugs for cancer patients. It said that only junior doctors are represented in the Tender Board.

Disregard for the Mahasangha

This country has a tradition of respecting and obeying the admonishions given by the Maha Sangha since the arrival of Arahat Mahinda Thero in this country and King Devanampiyatissa embracing Buddhism and making Buddhism the State religion.  You hardly find a person or a politician going against the admonishons of the Maha Sangha.  Rajitha Senaratne however has proved that he is an irreligious person who does not care at all about what is said by the Maha Sangha.  When the President, the Prime Minister and the government politicians who remained silent without making any explicit comments about the ruling given by the MahanayakeTheros of the Tri-Nikayas on the new constitution,  although they are not going to adhere to the ruling due to their prior commitments to foreign powers they actually worship, Rajitha Senaratne ridiculed the Maha Sangha saying that the Maha Sangha are a group who should not be considered at all in matters relating to governance and politics. Addressing the weekly three idiots’ media show he said that the new constitution is being prepared to bring it into force and not keep on viewing it.

Responding to questions raised by media personnel as to what is the stance of the government about the announcement made by the Mahanayake theros on the decisions taken at their meeting held at the Asgiri Maha Viharyaya Rajitha said that this government has a mandate given by 6.2 Million people of this country and Buddhist monks and the prelates of other religions were also included within the 6.2 Million Mandate.  He emphasized that actions related to the new constitution will uninterruptedly be carried out in the Parliament and the final decision on the constitution will be taken by the parliament.

He has said that he cannot understand why the people who demanded to recall J.R.’s constitution from the very day of its adoption and held demonstrations aginst it and severely criticized it are now agitating that it should be carried forward.

He has further stated that in the adoption of the 1^st Republicam constitution in 1972, in the adoptiin of the J.R. constitution in 1977 and in the adoption of the 18^th amendment to the comstitution by President Mahinda Rajapaksa there were no democratc processes and in all those instances only the strengthening of the ruler took place. (To be continued on Part II)