ASOKA S.

I just want to pose the following Common Sense questions to all politicians in Sri Lanka many of whom don’t appear to know why the Lanka public elected them for.

I suspect many of them believe that it is their good Karma to be priviledged and the rest of Lankan people are just sinners.

1. When all the major Highways are sardine packed pretty much all day hardly moving why do your motorcades with gun trotting bodyguards whisk through ignoring the fellow countrymen who are pleading you guys for help just to get to work.

2. Does it not occur to the Minister of Highways that the ONLY reason for his fat salary, million dollar houses, staff and bodyguards are because he is supposed to make sure people have roads to drive on and walk on. In this regard how about adding a few hundred traffic lights and mark with non erasable yellow paint a 5 foot edge line so everyday people have some space to walk on with dignity without having to jump to the gutter.

 3. Does it occur to any minister that the roads are full of smelly trash and that one of the 107 ministers job it is to make sure that the trash is picked up daily.

4. Does the Minister of Health realize that trash is in hygienic and make people sick resulting in costing billions of Rupees to treat diseases that can easily be prevented, not to mention the valuable lives lost.

5. Do the Leaders realize that it is almost inhumane for Ministers to be chauffeur driven with an army of bodyguards in super expensive Sport Utility Vehicles when millions of fellow countrymen go to sleep hungry and tens of thousands of fellow countrymen are begging on the streets.

6. Do the leaders also realize that the ministers can just as well be driven for their (very important ?) work in a mid sized regular car that costs ten times less to purchase and to operate.

7. Do the elected members of parliament realize that they too are citizens of Sri Lanka and therefore subject to the same laws applicable to all Sri Lankans.

8. Do the Elected Members of Parliament realize that it is illegal to interfere into police operations (commonly called obstructing justice) and have your henchmen released from police custody or else to punish the Police Officer by transferring him to a remote difficult region for the mere sin of only doing his job.

9. Do they also realize that this sets a very ugly precedent whereby Police are scared to do their job thereby threatening the very foundation of a civilized society subject to the Rule of Law and that it is ONLY the Rule of law that separates us from our four legged jungle friends.

10. How many of our politicians go to goverment hospitals when they are sick ? If they only go to Private Hospitals ( bills paid with public money), dont they feel a sense of guilt that they expect their fellow countrymen to go to goverment hospitals which they themselves dont want to go.

10. Do they realize that perhaps ignoring these obvious but common sense problems of our people by successive governments led to decades of non ending violence in our once peaceful country twice by the JVP and then by Tamil Militants.

11. Cant they realize that writing is on the wall that you can fool some of the people some of the time, all the people some of the time but cannot fool all the people all the times.

12. Finally can our much loved President hold all of his Ministers accountable for their respective jobs and get rid of those who don’t perform. It is a UN-excusable sin in a poor country like ours to reward useless and corrupt politicians who holds their positions for the mere “show.”

 It will be nice to hear some answers…

ASOKA S.

ASOKA S

After the 2nd world war, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, US General Dwight D. Eisenhower received the highest recognition for defeating the deadly Nazis. Upon arrival in the US soil after winning the war in the European theater, both Democratic and Republican parties canvassed him to run for Office.   He did so later very successfully as a Republican and ruled for two terms. He went on to build the gigantic US interstate highway system which ended up as the largest amount of highway miles ever built in the world.

General Charles Degoule who led the French Underground during Nazi occupation went onto be the President of free France thereby sealing his place in French history.

In our own Sri Lanka a man named General Sarath Fonseka fearlessly led the Lankan ground troops into Tiger heartland and defeated the much feared LTTE after 26 years of a destructive war. Air force can bomb, Navy can shell but it is the Army’s foot soldiers who stood face to face with the vicious Tigers and took their bullets. He was very highly respected. Many believed his stature was enhanced as a man of no nonsense and no corruption. He would meet the most aggressive Western reporter with the most annoying questions but would respond maintaining his cool and poise, the way leaders are supposed to behave.
He would take a suicide bombers attack and live to tell the story.

He would magmaniousely report to the Commander in Chief that the Country has been cleared of vicious terrorists. His countrymen would love him, adore him, respect him, be inspired by him and lay flowers on his path as a Brave Soldier who can walk straight with no baggage on his back.

Then came the news report that he has been offered the post of secretary to the Ministry of Sports. This is a shocker. This is a great insult. This should not be the way we treat our no. 1 soldier. General Fonseka to report to the Minister of sports? A politician? What a joke? What an insult?

General Sarath Fonseka has earned the right to run for Country’s highest office. He dedicated his whole life to the military. He served his country in the frontlines of war looking the enemy in the eyes. He risked bullets and bombs. And finally he won the priced trophy for his country. In other words he rightfully earned his place in Lankan annals as the most successful soldier ever.

While not taking away an iota of credit from our elected President Rajapksha for leading the successful war effort, people like General Fonseka are worthy of the highest office in Lanka and I am sure millions of Lankans will flock around him with love to the man if he ever decide to run for the highest office of the land rather than being pushed into oblivion as a useless ministry secretary like Sports Ministry. It is the highest insult to this great son of Mother Lanka.

Imagine the next contender for Presidency is General Fonseka; not a loser like Ranil who is a pampered rich kid who never had to earn a living but be given the Kelaniya seat just because his father was a golfing buddy with JRJ. This will be the day that will be written in gold in our history. Why because at last after 60 some years from Independence the Lankan people will have a cherished chance to elect a man who worked for a living, who is un-corrupt, who rose through his skill and dedication, who do not have rich political families and most importantly who has executive and managerial experience running the largest organization in Lanka; The Lankan Army.

If ever Lankans can dream of a prosperous Lanka we need to move our power bases from elitist Colombo 7 and those who were near and dear to them to an everyday Sri Lankan who understands daily living battles of ordinary people; like a victorious and a glorious soldier who made us all proud again to be Sri Lankans.

ASOKA S

I am very pleased that my simple article titled “US BASHING” provoked several interesting responses. Discussion, dialogue, reading and debate on any subject is a vital ingredient in being able to understand different perspective on the subject. This is why in great democracies, elected members of public respectfully debate BILLS before voting. It simply makes one wiser and may appreciate another’s perspective better. The current public debate on the US Healthcare overhaul is a classic example of US democracy in action. Despite the very heated public debate at times with lots of ugly words thrown even at President Obama nobody has been put in jail, nobody has been abducted and nobody has been removed from a federal job. All because of a time tested right afforded to the US public by the 2nd amendment of the US constitution, jealously guarded by the democratic institutions and the massively free press.

No, unlike a readers suggested, I did not come to US with a ton of money. Nor I was not born to privilege at all. But I did have blessing of a higher education and professional training in different parts of the world. I arrived in the US like million more before and after me with nothing worth writing home about.

Also unlike another reader suggested, US in not a hell at all. US offers the potential to be very successful immaterial of who you are under one and only very important condition. That you have what it takes to drive you to success. US gives nothing free but gives a huge chance to make you work towards success.

There is no other country like US that rewards hard work and talent. With neither of these, yes, it may well turn into a hell

Also unlike another reader pointed out, US was not founded by convicts who were deported from England, but by Protestants who were fleeing hostilities from Catholic church in England. The monument still stands protected in Jamestown, Virginia where SS Mayflower brought the 1st batch of such escapees to the hitherto unknown “new world.” Far from being convicts, there were religious escapees. I suspects the writer confused USA to another continent down under. Thus formed the 1st European settlers that started the long journey to a very prosperous and accommodating nation within 300 short years.

US has no Walawwe Hamus, Sirs, Misters ,Ladies, Mahattayas or Lords. Instead it has everyday Toms, Dicks, Harrys and Joes who just address each other as such whether you are Chairman of Microsoft or the night janitor who cleans Microsoft Campus floors. Labor is highly respected and labor rights are not afforded by rigid unions but by monitoring employee satisfaction by secret and 3rd party questionnaires from time to time. If workers are not happy the CEO might be seeing to the door

Yes, by no means US is perfect and I am not sure if any nation can ever be perfect given the way we humans are wired. Riches bring some baggage with it at times. World has witnessed the rise and fall of mighty British, French, Japanese and Spanish Empires in proceeding centuries who were brutal and shaped today’s demographic equilibrium. They sew the seeds of today’s evil problems that includes Lanka’s LTTE and South Africa’s apartheid. If we are looking for someone to blame for today’s problems, here are some true culprits.

It is an open secret that post JR Sri Lanka saw the beginning of a corrupt and a man — eat — man for money type culture that Lankans had not witnessed before. It was not the fault of capitalism but the unwise constitution that JR introduced that lacked sufficient checks and balances against political corruption which he garnished with an executive with almost absolute power. This spelt disaster. Despite well known corruption of high powered politicians and officials, not a single politician or official spent a day in jail for such for the last 30 years. Instead, we have seen a police constable or a village Grama Seva Niladhari being sent to jail for taking a mere 500 rupee bribe to imply a semblance of justice.

These are very valid and real questions we need to ask ourselves before blaming other nations. We need to take a long and hard look at our own house.

Yes, winds of change are in the air. Yes, a renaissance of a sort is up for grabs. Yes, President Rajapaksha and the forces lived up to the peoples mandate by defeating the vicious LTTE. But unless we reform ourselves politically and socially we will never reach prosperity for our people.

We can learn a lot from those who did at a lot shorter time span — like USA.

ASOKA S

US bashing is a common thing to many who write on the on line forums. It is rarely that one sees bashing of other powerful nations like Britain, Germany France, Canada or Australia. Bashing is usually done by expatriate Lankans who live outside Lanka in relative security and prosperity of the West.

As a Sri Lankan who lived in many continents, I can honestly say USA has been subjected to great many unfair criticism as against the enormous greatness of this country to all humanity.

Take for example the election of President Barak Obama who is a first generation immigrant to a Kenyan father and a black man with no political or financial wealth. Where else on earth in these so called developed countries can one even come close to being such powerful heights other than in great USA? In the entire history of mankind USA produced the first non white head of the country where over 60% of population is white and to that matter, to the position of the most powerful man in the planet powering a fourteen trillion dollar military industrial complex.

Talk to the millions of immigrants who flock to this blessed land in search of the great American dream and make that dream possible other than in the USA. I have spoken to countless Sri Lankan and non Sri Lankan immigrants, some with high academic achievements, who would readily agree that USA offers them the greatest potential to achievement for business or career. USA has produced countless leaders in both the public and the all mighty private sector who are either immigrants from poor countries or their first generation children.

I have witnessed to my own eyes how US justice system dish out justice to any legal or potentially illegal immigrant the same way it would treat a full blown born and bread American with total empathy and fairness. As a person who has witnessed similar situations in Western Europe I can honestly say the highest standard of common justice to any person on earth is meted out in great US of A. It is believed over 12 miilion illegal immigrants live and work in USA but the Federal Goverment do not hound them and deport them as a policy. There is plenty of sympathy amoung the American public to an immigrant who live here illegally to give their families a better life.

It was USA under President Clinton in 1997 who was the first among the developed countries to ban the LTTE as a Foreign Tourist Organization long before Britain,EU or Australia. USA has such immense freedom that the money rich LTTE propaganda machine cunningly penetrated into certain politicians to win sympathy for their bogus goals while at the time GOSL did a very poor job of countering such in an effective manner.

If Sri Lanka were ever to blame anybody for its economic social failures, we have only ourselves to blame. Year after year we elected a bunch of corrupt politicians who dished themselves the country’s wealth while paying lip service to the ordinary man. How else can we explain the fact that countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Honk Kong, Korea and now mighty India achieved economic success while we were still struggling to get our act together, They too played in the same global socioeconomic field as us but we were stagnant.

Let us stop bashing others for our sins, our sin being that we send a bunch of cinnamon garden aristocrats to rule our country. Many of these so called leaders have hardly managed a grocery store but we elected them to manage our entire nation giving them on the job training at people’s expense. When they screw up, we blame USA and the rest.

ASOKA S

Anura Seneviratna, Dr MB Ranatunga, Sumith Silva, Asanka Haradasa, Ira Mediwake, Sapumal Watteaarachchige, Ranjith Wijetunge, Dhanapala Godagangdeni (for expat Hela team).

Recent article by HLD Mahindapala prompted to ponder as to why the Western assault on Heladiva (SL). It is an open book to those who can see the American led West maintaining to dominate the world at any cost. Their subjective might of only physical power of money, armies and weapons are the fore-runner in this venture. The nature of masses can be dominated by sheer physical power, who will surrender on masse to power, makes decent thinking people who wish not to wilt by tyranny become helpless to challenge the evil power. So the wicked can carry on unperturbed, unchallenged, knowing well the en masse psyche of human kind paves them the onward march.

 The West are the self-appointed policeman of the world who can afford to do whatever and the rest have no jurisdiction to challenge them. They cover their uncouthness by resorting to multi-pronged installations through the mobilisation of a vast network of do-gooders profiles. They come in all sorts covering every nook and cranny of the world as democracy, globalisation, aid, loans, NGO’s, human rights, missionaries, poverty alleviation, charitable projects, health aid to name a few. They also have a working spy network installed throughout the planet engaged in manipulation, perks if not force to change governments who can toe the line with their nefarious agenda.

 They are the judge and jury probing, examining, monitoring trouble spots fully authorised by themselves. Colonialism of the past was blunt and visible now it is subtle and devious. Yet, when confronted they offer sweeteners and manage to push on. How long the decent humans will put up with this humanly degrading norm of the world?

 With the dawn of extreme materialism, mankind is mesmerised by sheer consumerism and they will live it as the goal of life to the end. Self inflicted insult to human pride, wonder what supposedly lowly other creatures are thinking! Man has stooped into the lowest in tolerating the norms of glorified evil. Servility and subservience as if the minds are iron-chained allowing to walk all over us.

 On the Western assault on Heladiva (SL) – most of the momentum gathered by the Tamil diasporas of Tamil Nadu Tamil national origin is due to our gross negligence of using the unbeatable weapon of fact. The world sympathy primarily rests a lot still with Tamils is due to their clamour for Tamil national homeland – a national struggle is always justifiable in the eyes of the world. But all our slogan is terror, at least not even “invasive Tamil terror”, ignore exposing Tamil Nadu (Tamil Country) as the Tamil homeland, which can get most of the West off our back. Are we congenitally blind not to see it? as below:-

ASOKA S

ASOKA S.

I cannot help thinking that many Lankans have a perception that Investors and Tourists should come to Lanka no matter what because we are the most beautiful island in the world or we offer to them something no other country does. This “frog in the well” attitude coupled with mismanagement at the highest levels have brought us where we are today; still one of the poorest countries in the world without even a stretch of a 10 mile decent road to travel on or worst still without a decent public toilet to go to in the capital city.

I totally agree with the sentiments expressed on Tilak Fernando’s story. My wife traveled back from Lanka in May and she experienced the same 100 meter bus trip from the check point to the terminal but during that time van passengers had to get off and take the bus while cars could proceed. My wife had to produce her passport which is fully understandable but the military officer also asked her “what do you do in ………?” to which my wife answered “nothing I just look after my kids at home” even though she works full time. She did so because she felt the officer asks or probes irrelevant questions at his wish. The people around her too were visibly annoyed with the veracity and attitude of this officer they all giggled

The ordeal tourists go through in Lanka is nothing new. I remember way back in 80’s as a young student I was traveling back to England and the few tourists were harassed in the same manner at the airport they mumbled that “now we know what is the worst country in the world to visit” That was Mrs. B’s time and we were true beggars then possibly in the 4th world league.

True we should not compare a developing country like ours to the standards of a highly developed country but in my opinion the issue here is mis- management.

The manager who is in charge of the check point should have trained the check point and bus personnel in how they should go about this very delicate procedure particularly with regard to the tourists who is our bread and butter. He can use a video presentation to demonstrate, and training can be just half hour-nothing fancy.

As a person who was connected to the Tourist Industry in the nineties I once took part in a large seminar attended by hoteliers in Bentara area that was graced by the Minister of Tourism and a whole army of officials and local politicians. It lasted a good better part of the day in a luxury hotel (so many politicians wasting their public paid salaries doing nothing but enjoying 5 star lunches) . The officials one after the other was lecturing the hoteliers about good environmental practices and highlighting new laws. One agitated hotelier had a simple question. ” why is that Aluthgama town which is a tourist hub is so filthy with thambili shells, cow dung and garbage and fish waste strewn all over stinking to high heavens while you guys are preaching to us about the environmental responsibilities?” . The minister referred this matter to the local Pradeshiya sabha chairman whose answer was there was no place to dump the garbage to which the entire audience laughed.

Why on earth is he sitting there wasting public money without trying to figure out a way to clean up the little town was the million dollar question. Or better still get out so that somebody more competent can handle the matter fast.

I wonder how many of the tourists who close their nose cuz of the stench would return to spend their hard earned dollars when clean, sanitary and welcoming golden beaches of Thailand, Maldives (or hundreds of well established resorts worldwide) are crying for their greenback.

This little example applies to all spheres in our beautiful country where elected and appointed people are sitting on desks blowing smoke while common sense solutions to every day problems are ignored by those who are responsible. I remember my visit to Maharagama Pradeshiya Sabha Office two years ago where thousands of people line up to get a simple permit, etc., but being turned away by line employees as the cases have not been approved. None of the people in charge (managers) are at the desk and the little sign outside their offices says “out.” Where on earth is the accountability? Where is the GA who runs these places? His office sign says “out” too I suppose.

Just outside this pathetic office lies a man size plaque advertising President Premadasa opening this office “in the service of the people” and a good dozen henchmen politicians names are on that too. All is a joke as the very mission of the place has gone to dogs. But I have no doubt that Prize Premadasa meant everything he said on that plaque as he was a man who produced results.

I mentioned the latter case because they both have a common denominator which is poor management. At the heart of management lies results and accountability. This is where government run places are pathetic because there is no accountability. In poor counties like ours Minister’s Brother in Law ends up running these places. This is also why in some countries like the USA and New Zealand, many of government business like the DMV and even the post office are run by the private sector in search of better overhaul performance always remembering to meet the people’s needs efficiently. They don’t perform – they lose the business-as simple as that.

As a brand new morning dawns on Lanka with no more Killers on the streets, the President also may want to re evaluate the possibility of bringing to the forefront a new generation of leaders with fresh ideas and outlook. The Gamini Lokuges, Dinesh Gunawardenes, M H Mohammed and the old guard have done their service. It is time for another team to run the show keeping in line with the 21st century and move Lanka in a different direction.

Or else all the ambitious goals of the government will be just day dreams. Average Lankan people will be at the receiving end. The rich and the powerful will always be fine.

Anura S.

I thank Dr Gunasekara for his sublime effort in defending our national sovereignty. An enlightening article on grave dangers to our Nation and Country if the 13th amendment comes into effect.Here are a few useful comments further supporting the facts revealed in the article.

 “This was the backdrop under which JRJ used his dictatorial executive powers to get the 13th amendment through. This scenario makes it more than clear that he singed these agreements under pressure from India for his own political survival. It is also not surprising that he did so, when we recollect that it was he who said in 1920s that Sri Lanka of Dutugemunu and Parakramabahu is a thing of the past and if you want to develop the country, Sri Lanka should be affiliated to India as one of its regional states.”

More than JRJ signed these agreements under pressure from India for his own political survival, he seemed to have fully volunteered to do so, as it will lead to the extinction of the Hela/Sinhela Nation. If he was an authentic national Hela leader, his own political sustenance and prestige would have risen, by facing the Indian subcontinent pressures, along with his government colleagues and the nation together. It was JRJ when he was asked by the British journalist Churchill, “who was his hero in SL?”, his immediate reply was Elara! Hence, it is also a bit of “SL nation’s” naivety to believe that the likes of JRJ are our leaders.

“In fact the recommendation of Provincial Councils for the other provinces as well was made only to hoodwink the southern people. In reality India wanted them only for the East, North and another Province of their choice, where there was a sizable Tamil population.”

 Here is our proverbial blunder, reference as “the southern people”, demonstrates how much we are mentally de-railed to refrain as taboo, not to identify ourselves as the Inviolable Indigenous Sovereign Hela Nation within every square inch of our Island of Helas, Heladiva. As long as we shy away from identifying our natural right of Nationhood Status of Hela and correct the name of the National Land Deed to Heladiva, the vultures will continue to hover for easy pickings. The plot of the Indian subcontinent is not sophisticated but a simpleton. They desire to lumber us with the Tamil national problem, which is in fact is theirs with the Tamil federal state of Tamil Nadu (Tamil Country), the ONLY place for Tamil national rights or independent Tamil national homeland, Tamil aspirations or Tamil self determination. As long as the so called artificial SL nation tabooing their national Hela/Sinhela sovereignty by yielding to Tamil national claims – the Indian subcontinent, the indigenous Tamils of Tamil Nadu and the Tamils world over will continue their attempts to capture our tiny island motherland and extinct us. To identify ourselves with our natural identity and to uphold our national Hela sovereignty ONLY within our tiny natural island country is long overdue!

 As a principle the writer never visited any Tamil websites. Since the talk of 13th amendment is around, took a peep into a Tamil website called “Tamilnation” for a change. So full of verbal garbage and suddenly hit upon the following statement, which is to our advantage:-

“The Tamil people recognized the existence of the Sinhala nation. They question asked was whether the Sinhala people were ready and willing to recognize the existence of the Tamil nation. And in the end, nothing exemplifies the intellectual and moral dishonesty of Sinhala chauvinism more than its continued efforts to masquerade as “Sri Lankan nationalism” by denying the existence of not only the Tamil nation but also the Sinhala nation in Sri Lanka.

 While everything else is rubbish, it reveals the folly of SL nation and the right and existence of ONLY the Hela nation of Heladiva.

 Anura S.

Asoka S

61 years after independence from the British Raj our beloved Sri Lanka continues to be one of the poorest countries of the world. Our GDP is 83.2 Billion Dollars Vs the worlds Largest USA’s 13860 Billion and tiny Singapore’s 227 Billion. Our GDP ranking is 68 out of 220 countries and Singapore stands at 46th.
We rank 105th on the literacy scale out of 202 countries at 89.1%. which is indeed a silver lining among the dark clouds.

So for a country with 89.1% literacy and generally known as an enterprising people how come we ended up so poor while the once mud hole Singapore in 1960s without even drinking water in its soil rank so high in wealth and prosperity. It is a combination of things one of which is the poor quality of leadership we had and the huge nepotism and corruption we dragged ourselves into since independence. There were Prime Ministers who believed that by stopping imports and owning all economic activity by the government we can generate wealth and there are those who believed that we as a country were able to pick and choose who would invest their precious dollars as if there were no other countries in the world who would lay the red carpet to investor dollars.

Then there was the Marxist JVP who were still fighting to create a Utopian Marxist State in1980’s as the most Marxist country in the world Soviet Union was dismantling its own. In fact the whole world had enough of it by the end of 1980s. Today only pathetic Cuba still holds onto it perhaps till aging Castro in gone.
They just cant wait.

Maniac Prabhakaran’s evil spell took care of 26 years of post independent Lanka and despite huge energy in the private sector no real growth took place as the country was in shambles due to this evil man’s killing and destruction spree.

President Rajapaksha and brave Lankan forces finally defeated the LTTE totally. A new chapter is dawning and Lankan people are waking upto a brand new day full of new found freedom and hope. This is a historic, defining moment in Lanka annals. We have a rare chance to rebuild our country economically and rebuild our battered democracy. As much as Lankan people are fed up of war they are also fed up of corruption from top to bottom; from top leadership to the police constable.

Next to the LTTE war, corruption was the thing that everyday people always spoke about. Filth like Mervin Silva’s kind were tolerated at the highest levels. He even spoke raw filth in front of the Clergy and the President, breaking all norms of decency in our political culture. Fed up, finally some brave Rupavahini staff dealt with him to shut him up. That moment was hailed all over the world demonstrating people’s anger over this disgusting man with high connections.

Now the North is about to receive a massive dose of government funding to rebuild the ravage of the war. We are looking at billions of dollars. In a country with nearly 20 million people and thousands of educated, smart people President’s brother Basil is the chairman of the committee who will oversee how these billions are spent. Thanks to JR’s short sighted constitution, he is an unelected member of Parliament (and selected so by his own brother),appointed as Senior Presidential advisor by his own brother and now the point man to President to oversee Northern renaissance. How ugly can it be?

Where is the accountability for public money? Where is the Transparency of how this money is spent? Why not pick a smart, educated, uncorrupted business executive or a public servant for this massive responsibility involving billions of Dollars? Why not have him accountable for a BI partisan committee made up of elected members of both parties so his performance can be monitored by an independent group of elected parliamentary members? How accountable can a blood brother be to his boss?

The answers to above forms the very essence of a democracy. Democracy is not only electing law makers through a ballot but how these elected representatives monitor those who have been appointed by the executive to run the countries affairs. By sidestepping and hoodwinking their powers our leaders over the years made nonsense out of our democracy to the point that we became a corruption mess. Now we have the chance to undo it but we are making some big time wrong moves.

President Rajapksha has already made history by defeating LTTE. He has fulfilled his constitutional responsibility to defend our nation 110% and more. The nation can be proud of their leader for that. But the political capital he has thus gained must not be used to build an empire around his family. Specially at a time when the opposition is in doldrums. A healthy opposition and a free press is the ultimate guardian of our democracy.

It is too late now to undo JR’s constitution. So we can hope and pray that the huge power vested in our Executive is used wisely always providing transparency and accountability for people’s money.

Finally here are some suggestions to be the Chairman of Northern Reconstruction Committee. How about a Major or a General who fought the tigers in the frontlines risking bullets and bombs? How about a brilliant, University graduate who demonstrated academic and carrier excellence in his chosen filed?
How about a CEO of one of Lanka’s few Blue Chip companies? We are looking for excellence, dynamism, integrity, ability and most importantly rewarding the very best among us. Isn’t that what good leaders are supposed to do?

Now we know how we ended up 68th ranking in the GDP scale. Now we know how we became a corrupt mess. Now we know how Southern youth joined the JVP. Now we know how hundreds of thousands of our young women left behind their infants to be servants to Arabs for $100. Now we even know how monsters like Prabhakaran were created.

Let us learn from history at least now.

ASOKA S.

Prabhakaran is dead. Soosai is dead. Weapons are gone. Elam is gone. Lies and deceptions by blood thirsty contrasts are gone.

President Rajapaksha with the help of his brave soldiers kept their election promise to rid Lanka of the cancer called the LTTE. Oh my God what a relief! The nation including the innocent Tamil people who were in the grip of LTTE tyranny for 26 years are free; freer than when we got independence from British Raj.

It is truly a new day. It is like “free at last”.

Milibands, Couchers and the other European jokers are liking their wounds too and looking elsewhere for dirt to cry foul.

But now is the time to reflect on our own performance since independence as a nation and make amends to move our nation to the 21st century. We are a very poor nation. Over 50% of our people live below poverty line. Our infrastructure is ancient. Our schools are old. Our roads are embarrassing. Our daily wages are barely enough. Hundreds of thousands of our young women work as domestic aids to arrogant Arabs for a tuppence. Our youth are crying for justice and opportunity. The North and East are down to rubble.

The fundamental reason for this state of affairs is selfishness and incompetence of our post independent leadership. Leaders did not address the very issues they were elected to solve; to work tirelessly for the good of the common man. Instead we went down the slippery slope of corruption and extreme selfishness compounded by being led by leaders who had little idea about how to grow a nation’s wealth.

Basically the whole nation share the sentiment of long running corruption by politicians. This must stop.

President Rajapaksha has at last ridden Sri Lanka out of terrorist misery. He has proved to be worthy of leadership and respect.

He has what it takes to do the next right thing for Lankan people. Make it his mission to wipe out corruption. And bring in the big boys with money to invest. He no longer has to look to the West to do so. China and India are both economic giants today, and better still our neighbors.

Elimination of corrupt politicians must happen at any cost. Put a few dozen in jail for a start. President Rajapaksha has the nation behind him. He no longer need the support of corrupt politicians to sustain his government.

This will be the best way to spend the huge political capital he has so rightly earned.

If he succeeds in doing this as his next mission he will go down in history books as the most successful President todate since independence. May he have the strength and wisdom to do so?

The Nation awaits…