Are NGOs foreign funded philanthropists or actors of regime change?
Posted on June 6th, 2013
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Shenali D Waduge
They say they are doing a magnanimous service that they are the philanthropists of the world, the saviors of humanity, the voice and will of the common masses and the worldƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s intellectual policemen and accuse Third World Governments of undermining their work and we say may be partly true but mostly not. There are valid reasons why we begin to doubt and look at NGOs as the alternate to military intervention and the new foot soldiers of regime change towards a new era of recolonization.
There are over 50,000 NGOs operating throughout the world. They receive over $10BILLION in international funding ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” their objectives vary but almost all following Western dictums and jargon. Under the false tags that they sell for their existence NGOs have become not only a platform to oust governments but has turned into a safe haven for dissidents to take cover and portray themselves as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-victimƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ while carrying out smear campaigns which under NGO philosophy is acceptable. The NGO law is they can smear and indulge in hate speech while it is ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-undemocratic to reactƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.
When NGOs by virtue of their name ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-non-governmentalƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ receive funds from overseas government how can they be ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-non-governmentalƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚? Is it not to these ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-agenciesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ that they are accountable and it is these foreign governments who ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-reviewƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ their work and their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-performanceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ only guarantees more allocation of funds?
With massive funds disbursed to their accounts they have attracted and created a new class of elite opening jobs for academics, professionals, journalists and even politicians. They drive posh cars, live in fashionable homes, entertain lavishly, travel extensively and make sure decorated reports reach out to the international community so that their bread and butter remains in tact. All those aligned to their way of thinking are termed the NGO darlings. Watch out for the terminology being used ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” these confirm links with NGOs. There is no requirement for bribes ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” instead there are study tours, scholarships, foreign seminars, overseas conferences, foreign accolades and awards dished out amongst the same fraternity of people ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” so naturally theres an airtight reason to remain within that circle throwing away what is ethically and morally right. Yet, leave aside all the sweet sounding vocabulary associated with NGOs and all that they profess to do we would like to know exactly what they have done with USD10billion for the common people ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” the people who should matter most, enough of crocodile tears?
Bear with us when we are finding it very difficult to comprehend and decipher what NGOs are meant to do and what they end up doing.
Thus, when former CIA agent tells us that US infiltrates ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-civil societyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ to overthrow governments (Philip Agee), we are a little dumbfounded. America is a nation that is virtuous, synonymous with freedoms, rights and all the disciplines that they aspire to promote in less civilized nations. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Why would the US involve itself in trade embargoes, military support for revolutionaries, Bay of Pigs invasion, assassination plots, commercial isolation, diplomatic isolation ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” you name it America has done whatever means possible to dislodge Cuba and continues to do so?
Naturally, we have reasons to be wary of foreign funded NGOs emerging to dictate terms to sovereign governments while also operating underground movements to oust the same government with which they are holding diplomatic discussions. Is this what the West calls ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-democracyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚? Was that not why Russia has branded all NGOs as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-foreign agentsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and brought in stringent laws and banished USAID from operating in Russia?
India too is cracking down on over 4000 NGOs who are receiving money directly from US, UK and Germany. India suspended Indian Social Action Forum which has 700 networks across India. In 2011, about 22,000 NGOs in India had received more than $2billion from overseas of which $650million was from the US.
Firstly we need to know the entities to look out for.
Amnesty International, National Endowment for Democracy and Freedom House spearhead a new trend in the West to use NGOs as a tool in lieu of military force to create environments suitable to the West.
NED ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” National Endowment for Democracy
Brainchild of Allen Weinstein in 1983. Its first director of the Endowment, Carl Gershman, outright admitted that the Endowment was a front for the CIA. In 1986 he stated:
We should not have to do this kind of work covertly. It would be terrible for democratic groups around the world to be seen as subsidized by the CIA. We saw that in the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”60s, and thatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s why it has been discontinued. We have not had the capability of doing this, and thatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s why the endowment was created.[5] (emphasis added).
NED is funded by US Congress implying that it works for both Republic and Democratic Governments. The Democratic Party funds NED through the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” chaired by Madeline Albright. The Republican Party funds NED through the International Republican Institute (IRI) ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” chaired by Senator John McCain. NED is also funded by the American Center for International Labor Solidarity and the Center for International Private Enterprise (US Chamber of Commerce). NEDƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s board of directors consists of a collection of corporate lobbyists, advisors and consultants, former U.S congresspeople, senators, ambassadors, military, and senior fellows of think tanks.
NED, USAID operate globally and target political parties, trade unions, businesses, youth and student organizations, womenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s groups, civic organizations, religious communities, professional bodies and of course the media.
NED funds the Freedom House which was founded in 1941 and its innocent motive is to work towards democracy and human rights but in reality it is used to push US interests. Freedom House was used by the Bush Administration to support the War on Terror with the US Govt providing 66% of funding for it through the USAID and US State Dept and the NED. This clearly shows the manner in which politics and financial connections are interlinked. Freedom House also played a major role in the Arab Spring aiding the training and financing of civil society groups and individuals. Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s own civil society mouthpiece Pakiasothy claims the Government is not listening to civil society. You can well imagine why we should not listen!
NED is said to have funded the opposition in Costa Rica, right wing groups in Nicaragua, funded the ousting of HaitiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s first democratically elected leader Aristide, funded coup against Chavez of Venezuela. Incidentally, Agencies and organizations acting on behalf of the Canadian Government were also involved in the regime change overthrow of Haiti President Aristide and Harper and Baird have the audacity to preach to Sri Lanka about human rights!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is said to have played a role in this illegal coup funneling $23million to the Group of 184 and 10 other organizations to oust Aristide. CIDAƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-developmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ strategy it is said was to impose an aid embargo on AristideƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Government while assisting rebels to destabilize a legal government. We have absolutely no issues of Harper not attending CHOGM if this is the record of Canada!
The IRI is implicated in the 2009 Honduran coup, supporting the ousting of democratically elected leader Manuel Zelaya because he supported an anti-free trade pact and refused to privatize telecommunications. The Council on Hemispheric Affairs says AT&T funded both IRI and Senator McCain who sat on its Chair to target Latin American states that refused to privatize their telecommunications. So when a Government speaks of privatization it is good to know that these can be the desires of foreign conglomerates and Governments that refuses are certainly on the hit list!
Incidentally, the fall of Libya didnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t just happen. NED-backed activists helped make it happen. LibyaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s transitional PM is Dr. Abdurrahim El-Keib who holds dual US/Libyan citizenship and former chair of Petroleum Institute sponsored by British Petroleum, Shell, Total and Japan Oil Development Company. LibyaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s oil and gas supply according to the UK Guardian is handled by Tawakkul Karman who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 and leader of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Women Journalists without ChainsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ a NED grantee organization. The Arab Spring was anything but naturally conceived.
The Egyptian Spring was no different. In 2009 16 Egyptian activists were in Washington on a 2 month Freedom House Fellowship. There are many Sri Lankans too claiming to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-fleeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ the country and ending up receiving full scholarships. These people were taught how to use social media, how to alternate computer simcards to evade state internet surveillance. The April 2011 article in the New York Times ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-US Groups Helped Nurture Arab UprisingsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ states ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-A number of the groups and individuals directly involved in the revolts and reforms sweeping the region, including the April 6th Youth Movement in Egypt, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and grass-roots activists like Entsar Qadhi, a youth leader in Yemen, received training and financing from groups like the IRI, the NDI, and Freedom House.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ That was how a youth movement ousted Mubarak from power. What more do we need to say? Noteworthy too that youth movements are a target in Sri Lanka especially when envoys like Blake makes visits to universities or the current ambassador is seen funding youth activities.
NED had given $1,419,426 worth of grants to civil society organizations in Egypt in 2009. In 2010 that grant became $2,497,457 half of which was allocated to the Center for International Private Enterprise to organize workshops, engage civil society, activate bloggers etcƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦. and a lot of workshops, study tours, foreign tours are taking place in Sri Lanka too! German NGO Friedrich Naumann Foundation is under investigation for such. Friedrich Naumann Stiftung had also funded the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.
Incidentally, USAID has commenced a $ 4.5 mn project to strengthen rule of law, USAID is taking 13 government officials from central and provincial ministries on a seven day study tour to Timor-Leste (East Timor) to learn ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”how land ownership issues are being resolvedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in that US and Australian colony.
Amnesty International
Its supposed to be an ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-independentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ human rights organization ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” but is it. Not when its new executive director in January 2012 Suzanne Nossel was a former assistant to Richard Holbrooke when he was UN ambassador, and before that she was Hillary ClintonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations at the US State Dept and before that she was working at yet another US Government connected organization ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” Human Rights Watch ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” what can we say about the credibility of Amnesty? And when Amnesty reports on Syria without even setting a foot in the country because the Syrian Government did not allow them inside this speaks volumes about the lies that get regularly concocted by these international humanitarian organizations and their crocodile tears. Former FBI agent Coleen Rowley gives all the information about the manner that R2P ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” humanitarian intervention takes place.
Yes, we have every right to question. NGOs and their heads in particular maintain a very cocky attitude of their self-importance. Nevertheless the corruption, embezzlement, unaccountable for millions and the most tragic situation that aid sent never reaches the desired destination is never answered or accounted for. With all the money coming into NGO accounts there was nothing to see of what they had done in Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s North and nothing to see in countries of Africa.
According to the World Bank much of its aid to developing nations are channeled through NGOs and if the billions dispersed are spent on internal administrative costs of the NGOs and the luxury lives of their heads with nothing noteworthy being seen or enjoyed by the Third World it makes us wonder whether the entire humanitarian aid concept is a faƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚§ade and money is simply being circulated amongst themselves and used for everything other than benefitting the poor.
A good example is how the UNDP (United Nations Development Program) has been implicated in funding regime change NGOs in Zimbabwe using over US$5million and 29 NGOs were suspected of being involved in regime change.
President of Malawi accused foreign governments in 2011 of funding NGOs to topple a legitimate government. Wikileaks revealed how US ambassador to Venezuela promoted 300 civil society organizations to oppose Chavez financially aided by USAID and the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI). OTI funded a Freedom House program in Venezuela with US$1.1 million, while Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI) provided grants totalling $726,000 on behalf of OTI.
When Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s US ambassador makes regular visits to the North and East it must wake up Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s foreign minister in slumber to take action without purposely being silent and allowing the nation to find fault with the President for inaction.
MalaysiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s former head Mahathir is also accusing the same entities of trying to cause regime change in Malaysia using Saudi funds.
Did it not take over a decade and trillions spent on the War on Terror for Hillary Clinton to acknowledge that the Al Qaeda was created by the US with Saudi money?
So if Al Qaeda was linked to the Kosovo Liberation Army and now Kosovo is a separate state should we not conclude that the entire drama was concocted to a western plan?
Similarly should we not raise eyebrows about the hundreds of other CIA-NGO success stories that include the overthrow of elected governments in Latin American, Africa, Middle East and Asia?
When CIA-linked Jamestown Foundation created a Caucasus Fund in Tbilisi, Georgia and USAID and George SorosƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Open Society Institute were heavily involved in ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-civil societyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ movements began backing terrorist groups is that not cause to wonder why?
When leaked cables reveal US, British and Norwegian support for exiled ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Chechen-IchkeriaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ leader Akhmed Zakayev who also received support from the governments of Denmark, Finland and the Czech Republic should we not be alarmed? The Chechen movement was also championed through the American Committee for Peace in the Caucasus (ACPC), Freedom House which is financed by the National Endowment for Democracy and USAID. ACPC and Freedom House work with the Jamestown Foundation.
So why would Freedom House be involved in elections in Ukraine in 2004 and finance the presidential candidate Victor Yushchenko though the US denied the money given to the International Centre for Policy Studies ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚Yushchenko was a board member. Surprisingly, Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s President Premadasa sent British High Commissioner Gladstone packing for interfering in Sri Lankan elections!
How is aid really spent?
What NGOs do not end up doing apart from the media blitz it enjoys portraying before any proposed event can be seen in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake where of the $1.4billion raised hardly 40% was spent and 1million Haitians still live in squalor. However thousands of organizations have begged for funds and received millions from kind hearted people but none of this money has gone to the people affected. American schoolchildren had given large sums of money to a charity called Christian Solidarity to free Christians in Sudan who were ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-traffickedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ by Arab slavers but the story itself was concocted revealed in 60minute program where the charity had rounded up ordinary village children who were projected as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-slavesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. Sri Lanka knows too well how documentaries are compiled against the State.
In 2006 the Australian accused NGOs of spending 80% of aid sent to Cambodia for salary packages and running costs with some of the directors of these NGOs giving themselves packages of US250,000 including villas in CambodiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s capital, SUV and other perks. This cannot be any different among NGO heads elsewhere too.
A report by Action Aid in 2005 that that the top 700 international consultants were paid an average of $100,000 which was the entire annual wage of 160,000 Cambodian civil servants! This unfortunately is true where all NGO heads exist!
The international religious NGOs
From being termed a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-development tabooƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, religion has been turned into a powerful force. Most of the worldƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s powerful NGOs are while backed by Western Governments are all Christian and they openly refer to themselves as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Christian NGOsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ but promoting ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-equalityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. Thus, the Catholic Church played a major role in the fall of Governments in Eastern Europe, Latin America is experiencing a wave of Pentecostal movements and now thereƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s the militant Islamists and they are all connected. These new faith-based organizations (FBOs) have become foreign Governments foot soldiers. US Government openly funds these religious NGOs ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” World Vision is just one getting an annual budget of $1.6billion.
Quite a number of NGOs in the UN Economic and Social Council who have been granted consultative status are religious based. Which means that while engaged in development and humanitarian aid activities they invariably use that status to promote their religion and religious ideology which leads to the question of conversion. It is not by fluke that the Christian or Islamic populace has expanded and is expanding. Numerous methods are being employed to add to their numbers. There is also the fact that the Vatican is recognized as a State by the UN and many see that as a guarantee of status. The response of the Muslim world has been to create the OIC and within this there are many Islamic NGOs who receive funds in a format replicating how the Western Governments use NGOs for their purpose.
It is when countries begin to see religious NGOs being used to convert that problems arise. India is one such country where many accuse CIA of wanting to convert India to Christianity. Conversions took place in the 1950s which India and Sri Lanka experienced in the Catholic Action. In Orissa, Kerala entire coastal belt of Tamil Nadu, and most of the coastal belts in India have been converted where NGOs offer money and jobs. The aim is to have a Christian church in every post office area. In Chennai alone there are over 3000 churches excluding the prayer centers. It is also accused that Sonia G minted and circulated Indian coins with Christian cross. There are many controversies within Christianity itself making Western nations return to the Gnostic religious roots while ignorant Asians are falling for the lies being sold to them. The Roman Catholic Church links to the CIA cannot be missed. The Knights of Malta is a global charity and became a major supplier of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-humanitarian aidƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ to the Contras during the 1980s war.
With over 50,000 NGOs enjoying $10billion ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” all it takes to end world poverty is $50billion a year ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” America spends $100billion on gambling and groceries annually, American spent $705billion for entertainment and recreation and junk food and soft drinks cost $200billion!
While the world is mesmerized by the illusion that organizations have created innocent philanthropic activity what they actually do is never accounted and never exposed because money silences many. When organizations supposedly working for ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-democracyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ or for the betterment of civil society or for the eradication of poverty ends up using these slogans as camouflages should we not demand that these organizations come clean? Truth is that most NGOs are funded by either foreign Governments or international corporates and they are stationed in countries not to deliver any good to the society of these nations.
Truth is that they are able to create coups, brainwash innocent youth and even engulf media personnel because they are playing with Third World nations where they know the power that money can do. When politicians fall prey should we find fault with others? Yet, we cannot allow the immoral nature of what is taking place to continue. Media on their part if they are victims of handouts must keep away from manipulating news and allow the public to decide for themselves. We do not want to be fed with lies just because they are getting a better deal.
June 6th, 2013 at 1:44 pm
Govt. also has a responsibility to do what people need.
A govt. that is NOT doing what people want gets CHANGED.
SL govt. should SCRAP 13 amendment to stay popular.
June 6th, 2013 at 6:49 pm
de-register all ngos in sri lanka and let them re-apply. at that point gosl can undertake a careful consideration and if they feel their is a real threat they can turn down an application.
at the time of tsunaami, a report was observed in sunday observer of the corrupt organization world vision headed by Australians, first move was to buy a chopper and to revamp their vehicles using funds they received, even before anything was set a side for victims. when questioned they denied that but that really happened and 80-90% of contributions by public goes to administer organization in terms of salaries and maintenance. also swiss bank accounts of locals swelled during just after the tsunaami. some good things happen ha ha!
June 7th, 2013 at 12:53 am
GODDAMIT!
Don’t FINE TUNE the 13th Amendment POISON PILL, REPEAL IT COMPLETELY and DEMOLISH the Provincial Council System by Leaf, Branch, Trunk and Root!
If the GOSL is RUNNING SCARED, Let the PEOPLE of Sri Lanka REPEAL it in a NATIONWIDE REFERENDUM!
Rise Up … O Patriots of Mother Lanka … and DEMOLISH this Indian IRON CHAIN that BINDS the HANDS & FEET of OUR Motherland!
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President’s right to merge provinces to be repealed
Stripping of provinical land, police powers not discussed – Keheliya
by Zacki Jabbar
June 6, 2013
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to repeal the President’s right to merge Provinces, which has been provided for under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.
Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella addressing a news conference in Colombo yesterday, said that constituent members of the ruling UPFA had been given time to study the Bill to amend the Provincial Councils Act.
The proposed two amendments pertained to the President’s right to merge provinces and the requirement that the approval of all provincial councils were required to amend the Constitution, he noted.
Asked if the government was also trying to strip the provinces of land and police powers, the Minister said that it had not been discussed.
Rambukwella said that the UPFA had only taken up the proposals to repeal the President’s right to merge Provinces and the consent of all provincial councils to enact legislation.
At yesterday’s Cabinet meeting the SLMC leader and Justice Minister Rauff Hakeem had asked for more time to study the proposed amendments and it had been granted.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has proposed that the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSSC) on the National Question be reconvened with or without the participation of the Tamil National Alliance.
Informed sources said that the President was of the view that if the TNA refused to attend the PSC process, the PSC should continue with the participation of Tamils in the government and Opposition.
June 7th, 2013 at 1:06 am
I can’t believe what I’m hearing …. are the BJP Politicians FINALLY getting it … that they can’t get Sri Lankan Tamils an Eelam without ALIENATING and making an ENEMY of Sri Lanka, that would rather BEFRIEND India, if they BUTT OUT of our Internal Politics?
And here I was PROPOSING that Sri Lanka undertake a FACT FINDING MISSION to India to INVESTIGATE why the “legitimate aspirations” of the multivarious SEPARATIST and TERRORIST groups in India are being suppressed and denied their FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS to inflict MURDER & MAYHEM upon other law-abiding citizens of India.
If this degree of RATIONAL COMPREHENSION of India’s CULPABILITY for Sri Lanka’s PAIN & WOUNDS persists, I may have to SHELVE my PROPOSALS.
Well, let us wait and see … after all Indian Politicians suffer from Advanced Alzheimer’s Disease, and do tend to forget what they said yesterday, especially after the Indian elections are over.
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India can’t solve Lanka’s political issues: BJP team
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
June 07 (NIE) A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led team, which is currently on a tour in Sri Lanka, has told the war-ravaged Lankan Tamils that India is ready to provide the healing touch but it cannot be expected to solve their political problems.
Interacting with a wide cross section of political parties and civil society in Jaffna on Wednesday, the leader of the six member team, Rajya Sabha member Ravi Shankar Prasad, said that India was aware that the Tamils of the Northern provinces needed a healing touch and assured them that India was with them.
However, he made it clear that Lankan Tamils should not expect India to solve their political problems. These would have to be solved by the people themselves through participation in the domestic political processes, he said.
India did not have a magic wand to solve their problems, he said.
Prasad also made it clear that India saw Sri Lanka as a friendly country and would never de-stabilize it.
The six member Indian team, which has a representative of the Shiv Sena (Suresh Prabhu), an RSS official (Ram Madhav), a political commentator (Swapan Dasgupta) and a human rights activist cum advocate (Monika Arora), was presented a kaleidoscopic view of opinions in Lanka’s Tamil-speaking Northern Province. The team met pro-government and anti-government groups separately, besides top civil and military officials.
Members of the team showed keen interest in the issues the Tamils were facing and asked probing questions. On Thursday, the team met MPs from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) at Hilton Hotel in Colombo.
June 7th, 2013 at 6:09 am
Since the 1950s Western imperialists have been in the business of regime change, assassinations and propping up client states to pillage the wealth of nations.
In 1953, England and America overthrew the democratically elected government of Mohammad Mosaddegh of Iran. The coup was orchestrated by the intelligence apparatus of both countries after Mohammad Mosaddegh nationalized the oil industry that was controlled by foreign interests. They set up Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (the shah of Iran) as a puppet authoritarian ruler who relied heavily on U.S. support.
In 1961, in the Congo, the CIA in collaboration with Belgium plotted the overthrow and subsequent murder of Patrice Lumumbathe country’s first post colonial prime ministerand installed Joseph Mobutu who served Western imperialists for 32 years until his own demise at the hands of Clinton administration backed proxies, Rwanda and Uganda. The war caused the death of 6 million Congolese.
In 1966, Ghanaian independence leader Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was deposed by the CIA using ambitious enemies from within Ghana while Dr. Nkrumah was abroad in China on a peace mission attempting to mediate the Vietnam conflict.
Another gross example of U.S. meddling in the affairs of others was the September 11, 1973 ousting and assassination of the legitimate, elected government of President Salvador Allende of Chile. The coup d’état was organized by the Richard Nixon administration and Chilean military, ushering in the brutal dictator General Augusto Pinochet. These are only three examples out of many that can be named as examples of America’s pursuit of wicked foreign policy objectives.
A dictator becomes a ‘dictator’ abhorred by his countrymen when he has overused his authority & power. These are good lessons for such leaders overstepping their power because they have come to equate power as their right. Such have been the countries that the West have been quick to ear mark & target for overthrowing these countries has been an easy effort to enter & dislodge these leaders. It is these very citizens who end up helping the overthrow take place, thus the non-requirement for stretched military equipment or personnel & the use of their own to minimize the casualties to their own countrymen. Collateral damage is what the West would call this. The countries where these leaders become ‘dictators’ are often rich in natural resources which are one reason why they end up misusing the mandate given to them & becoming power hungry & their stooges & families end up devastating the country to which they are supposed to function as custodians.
It is the lack of answering this all important question that demands the West not to use these false clichés of ‘freedom from dictators’ as an excuse. No sooner these ‘dictators’ are overthrown the first thing the West ends up doing is to tap the natural resources, take over the economic hubs & privatize all channels that will supply their countries a steady flow of monetary returns & economic gain. All those who played an indirect role in aiding the West by providing support end up just turning their heads away. Therefore, when we all know Iraq was a mistake it is good to now ask whether Syria is going to be another – where the consequences to the future of the people of these countries were never part of the strategy or overall plan!
It is not hard to deduce that all of the efforts to overthrow Governments whatever type of governance has taken place in these countries are done so purely on the basis of acquiring the wealth of these nations. The calls for removal of these ‘despots’ or ‘dictators’ are mere slogans helped greatly by the mass media that provides the visuals of sensationalism to justify the overthrowing by painting the perfect picture of saviors against despots. It took no time for Mubarak of Egypt, the one time darling of the West to be portrayed with so much hatred by the media with no reminder to the public that he was an agent of the West. This is what is likely to happen to all other political leaders who think they will remain the darlings of the West & continue corrupt leadership.
In any democracy where people come to power on the strength of a vote it is natural that almost half the nation will not vote in favor of the overall winner. This is certainly not basis for any country to say that a leader is opposed & plans set to overthrow him.
The countries that are currently earmarked for regime change will know from diplomatic statements where their countries are heading for & this alone should suffice to ensure the country is set in order & issues that are likely to be used as excuses are properly taken care of. Corruption being one excuse is a perfect area to ensure that politicians, their stooges & the corrupt public service immediately function as they should & not as they want to run for the repercussions are far more dangerous in the present context.
If any country should be saved by the West it should be Palestinians suffering in Gaza for years as a result of Israeli. What does the US do instead – it vetoes Resolutions brought against Israel in the UN.
Human rights in individual countries can only be realized and protected in a sovereign country, when there are still strong and weak countries and when hegemonic activities and power politics still prevail. A country belongs to all its people and the country’s sovereignty is the concentrated embodiment of its collective human rights. The existence of sovereign nations constitutes the foundation of the current international society and under this precondition human rights conditions worldwide have made continuous advancements.
In the absence of sovereignty, a country will have no ability and means to protect the human rights of its people. From Kosovo to Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, under the pretext of “human rights being superior to sovereignty”, Western countries have chosen to use guns and bombs against the governments of these countries to realize their own ulterior motives. But the use of force has failed to bring the people in these countries improved human rights, on the contrary it has plunged them deep into humanitarian disasters and cost many their lives.
Protecting human rights is a universal pursuit of people of all countries across the world. But if this issue is rigged by a handful of countries as the excuse to interfere with other countries’ internal affairs, the human rights of these countries and their people are ignored. Military interventions under the guise of moral slogans are in essence a kind of neo-colonialism.
June 7th, 2013 at 12:27 pm
We agree with Sunil : “de-register all ngos in sri lanka and let them re-apply. at that point gosl can undertake a careful consideration and if they feel their is a real threat they can turn down an application”.
June 7th, 2013 at 1:31 pm
Adele Balasingham should be spirited out of Britain and brought to Sri Lanka to STAND TRIAL, to be CONVICTED of WAR CRIMES, and to be EXECUTED, just as the Israelis abducted Adolf Eichmann from Argentina to Israel, prosecuted, convicted and executed him for his role in implementing the Jewish Holocaust.
However, the GOSL that cannot summon the courage to REPEAL the 13th Amendment of FAR GREATER IMPORTANCE to our Nation and our People, will not take ANY CONCRETE ACTION on this now. They will only PLAY with the issue as a Propaganda TOOL against those who criticize Sri Lanka and want to prevent holding the upcoming CHOGM meeting in Sri Lanka.
What a SHAME … thousands of our INNOCENT HONOURED DEAD …. are DISHONORED by Adele Balasingham living in style, free of any fear of retribution, in Southern England!
June 7th, 2013 at 1:38 pm
Solution for Sri Lanka cannot be a Rajapaksa-Sampanthan agreement, President tells Indian delegation
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
June 07, Colombo: All political parties must get together for an all-inclusive political solution for Sri Lanka’s ethnic issue and it cannot be just an agreement between the ruling party and the Tamil party, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa emphasized today.
“All parties must get together for an all-inclusive political solution. We cannot import a solution, and it cannot be a Rajapaksa-Sampanthan agreement,” President Rajapaksa told a visiting Indian delegation when they called on the President this afternoon at Temple Trees.
The six-member Indian delegation headed by the deputy leader of Indian opposition Bharatha Janatha Party (BJP) in the Rajya Sabha, Ravi Shankar Prasad, told the President that “Sri Lanka’s unity and integrity are not negotiable.”
Congratulating President Rajapaksa for eradicating terrorism, the delegation said that what they saw during their visit to Jaffna “was an eye-opener,” noting the development work that has taken place, and said that the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission report “was a bold step and is brilliantly written.”
The delegation also spoke about the nature of the relationship between India and Sri Lanka and said that local issues in Sri Lanka sometimes impact India as well.
“Sri Lanka is a friend of India beyond politics, beyond government,” Prasad said. “It’s a relationship of the heart.”
The discussion also focused on several other areas of mutual interest, including the challenges faced by fishermen and the Parliamentary Select Committee to find a political solution in the north and east.
The Indian delegation asked the President about northern elections to which President Rajapaksa reaffirmed his commitment to holding the elections in September of this year.
The delegation visited the northern Jaffna peninsula Wednesday and during the visit, they held discussions with the leaders of Tamil parties including the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). They also met the Governor of the Northern Province to discuss the Northern Provincial Council elections planned to be held in September.
The BJP-led team has told the Tamils in the North that India is ready to provide the “healing touch” but it cannot be expected to solve their political problems.
Prasad has told the Tamil parties that India cannot solve their problem and urged them to participate in the domestic political process to arrive at a solution.
The delegation includes Suresh Prabhu (Shiv Sena), Ram Madhav (RSS), journalist and political commentator Swapan Dasgupta, former IFS officer Vivek Katju and human rights activist Monika Arora.
Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the Ministry of External Affairs Karunatilaka Amunugama and Advisor to the President Dr. Sunimal Fernando were also present for the discussions.
(Photos by Chandana Perera)