18A would make President Rajapakse a better democrat.
Posted on September 11th, 2010
Herold Leelawardena
INGO and NGO parasites and those thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ sponsorƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ them, Christian Evangelists and and those that follow them, Separatist dreamers and those that back them have been trying a put-up job of a Rajapakse dictator bogey. What could Rajapakses expect from Bishop Chikera and company? They have been acting the same way the days we fought our war against LTTE. But to say that Rajapake has become a dictator with the passing of 18A is nothing but a twist of facts.
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Take for instance our first president JRJ: He wasn’t an elected president by the people. He cobbled a new constitution together in a haste and compelled his MPs to elected him the President of Sri Lanka. What more ridiculous than as many as sixteen amendments were needed to prop it up within just ten years to perpetrate his wishes. Since many of those amendments were silly and ruinous to our country, people have been waiting for successive presidents to abolish them or put them right. And 18A is only one of many to come in that direction.
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Did not JRJ said that he had all the powers other than making man a woman and woman a man. To fortify his power base still further, he had compelled all his MPs to hand him over undated letters of resignations. We ought to recall that JRJ wasn’t even the main factor for these MPs election win. Now is that not the job of a true dictator.
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When Mahinda Rajapakse ascended the Presidency, he had a minority government. He had very little powerƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ comparedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to JRJ. Yet, he allowed MPs to act according to their conscious. When Mangala and coƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ abandonedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ him at the crucial moment, he had not resorted to willy tactics like JRJ did to trap his remaining MPs. “Any one can come or go, as they like.” President Rajapakse is said to have said. Now, is that a statement of a dictator or a democrat?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
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Take another point: JRJ said he has no crown prince to pass on his mantle. While we suckle the foreign sweetie with glee, JRJ rammed the bitterest pill on us: He compelled us to retain hisƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ corruptedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ MPs by postponing the general election with a sham plebiscite. He had taken away our franchise to elect MPs on a false pretext to retain his five sixth majority in parliament. Who would say that wasn’t the era we have gone ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ nearest to a dictatorship.
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True, the two terms restriction on the incumbent is removed with the18A. But how could anyone say that it would make Rajapakse a dictator? On the contrary, it would make him a better democrat. To be precise, 18A does not extend the duration of office of the incumbent. That means even the separatists could contest and display their popularity and prowess every six years. After all, Sri Lanka had not prohibited the separatists contesting elections. It must mentioned however that in India, separatist are banned contesting any election under their 17A passed by Lock Saba in 1963.
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The President Rajapakse knows that he will have to come for re-election in six years if he wants to remain in office. For that reason, he will not go against ‘Mahinda Chintana’ and upset those that elected him. For that reason I say; with 18A, we need not worry about a dictatorship. We can look forward for a stable country beyond the next six years.
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Many a pundits of ATimes and Economists say that no president of Sri Lanka was defeated while in power because they used their office to get elected illegaly. Hence the 17A would have been a check mate for the good of the country. For one; if 17A were allowed to function it would have check mated not only the President but the entire country as well. In my opinion, with or without 17A, an unpopular President could have been thrown out at his re-election. For example, President ChandrikaK would have lost to RanilW in 2000 had LTTE not her taken her eye with a suicide bomber at the election eve.
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So, there is nothing much to talk about the rest of 18A for it is about abrogating the that 17A. Also, 17A had never worked properly for the last seven years. And, for the last five years, minority parties couldn’t agree with their nominees: The separatist TNA had manipulated to nominate not one but two to theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ constitutionalƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ council on two accounts. To say the least, if 17A were allowed to function not only Rajapakse would never have vanquished LTTE but also it would have been a recipe to bring about ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ instability and thereby division of this country. What a ploy?
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By now, the NGOs, the Christian Evangelists and the Separatists must have known very well that their cause will be a lost cause for the next six years and beyond. That is why they talk about a bogey of a Rajapakse dictatorship. That is why they started to work on that new strategy to poison the thinking of the majority. If they think they can gravitate the public at large towards the opposition by propagating Rajapakse dictatorship bogey they are sadly mistaken. Because the vast majority of our people are more learned today than ever before: They know who shed crocodile tears for this country.
September 11th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
If you think that 18A would make Mahinda Rajapakse a “better democrat,” you may be the biggest idiot in the world. People like yourself are the ones responsible for the death of Sri Lankan democracy. Mahinda Rajapakse had a great opportunity after the war to turn Sri Lanka into a shining jewel in the world, where every single individual of the country would be treated with respect; their individual rights respected and the country developed equitably for all to benefit. Instead, he has become nothing but a power grabber; has instituted sycophants like Mervyn Silva to administer his vigilantism, instead of the laws of the land; has blatently installed every family member in important positions and turned the democratic institutions on its head. People like yourself are the reason that Sri Lanka will again turn into a bloody, fascist country that will shed more blood because the majority does not respect the minority and the President blatently grabbed power by treating his citizens like the bloody cowards……..Stop preaching your absolute nonsense in stating that 18A is good for Sri Lanka. If you want to kiss Mahinda and his kind’s behind, it is your prerogative. But, stop preaching freaking nonsense in these columns about 18A strengthening democracy. Who the hell do you think we are? You can preach your stupid nonsense in blaming NGOs and the like, but it is the poor Sri Lankan people that are being pissed on by this power grabbing idiot.
September 12th, 2010 at 1:49 am
1978 September UNP Government of Ranil Wickramasinghe’s uncle J.R.Jayawardene’s constitution passed by UNP parliament. From 1978–1987 it was a American, British and French constitutional salad. In 1987 Indian’s forced Ranil’s uncle to add Indian style to it. Since then our consititution became an Achcharu of American, British, French and Indian. None is suits to us but suits to yankees,pommies, frogies and monkeys anyhow UNP copied from them and implemented in Sri Lanka.
From 1978 there were 17 th amendments to Ranil’s uncle’s constitution.
1st Amendment 20.11.1978
2nd Amendment 26.02.1979: Dealing with resignations and expulsion of Members of the First Parliament
3rd Amendment 27.08.1982: To enable the President to seek re-election after 4years; vacation of office of President
4th Amendment 23.12.1982: Extension of term of First Parliament
5th Amendment 25.02.1983: To provide for by-election when a vacancy is not filled by the party
6th Amendment 08.08.1983 ,7th Amendment 04.10.1983, 8th Amendment 06.03.1984 9th Amendment 24.08.1984, 10th Amendment 06.08.1986,11th Amendment 06.05.198712th Amendment
13th Amendment 14.11.1987: To make Tamil an official language and English a link Language, and for the establishment of Provincial Councils
14thAmendment24.05.1988: Extension of immunity of President; increase of number of Members to 225; validity of Referendum; appointment of Delimitation Commission for the division of electoral districts into zones; proportional representation and the cut-off point to be 1/8th of the total polled; apportionment of the 29 National List Members
15th Amendment 17.12.1988
16th Amendment 17.12.1988 to make provision for Sinhala and Tamil to be Languages of Administration and Legislation
17th Amendment 03.10.2001 to make provisions for the Constitutional Council and Independent Commissions
From 1978-88 there were 16 amendments passed by UNP government for their benefit. 2nd 3rd.4th and 5th amendments were given unlimited powers to Ranil’s uncle.13th amendment was an Indian design and it signed under the curfew and approved under the dictatorship of JRJ. 17th amendment passed in 2001. We can see out of 17 amendements 16 were passed by UNP’s JRJ and Ranil Wicramasinghe gang. In addition whole 1978 non democratic, Bonapartian constitution was a UNP’s creation. Now same UNPers say that any amendment to their constitution is undemocratic. Ranil and UNP leaders who approved the 1978 constitution are now behaves like saints. In 1988 Ranil’s Uncle tried to amend the constitution him to contest again. This proposal was discussed within the party and Ex Minister Lional Jayatileke was to propose and Merril Kariyawasam was to second it. But both were killed by Keselwatta gang under the JVP blanket therefore JRJ had to leave the politics. Party president Harsha Abeywardena supported JR’s proposal he too killed on the same reason. UNP leadership, UNP media, NGO mafia and colomban lumpens never oppose to Ranil’s uncle’s dictatorship now talk in high beat about democracy!
President Mahinda can contest another time but people of Sri Lanka has to elect him. If people elect him then he has a mandate. If people doesn’t want him they can reject.
UNP has yankee slave mentality. Yankee’s constitution says that their President can contest only twice. UNP think we should apply the same law in Sri Lanka. Why not Ranil apply American system to his own leadership. Normally in USA defeated candidate never contest again. Ranil defeated twice straightly and this time his pawn also defeated. Now itself Ranil is planning to contest in 2016 Presidential Election and he know that he cannot win if President Mahinda contest.This is the reason he doesn’t want this amendment and his colomban lumpens and other supporters against the 18th amendment.
September 12th, 2010 at 4:04 am
Then why was Mervin reappointed immediately?