Opposition Ploys To Win Presidency Appears To Be Directionless Towards Success Although A Dangerous One!
Posted on November 28th, 2014
Lankaweb Weekly Editorial
November 27th. 2014
Despite all the portrayals of common candidate Maithripala Sirisena as a prudent choice ( somewhat contentious portrayals heavily biased in favour of the UNP which seem plainly visible to the more discerning), it may not be that prudent nor will it augur well for the country where a ship jumper Like Maitripala Sirisena and the bandwagon of UPFA deserters with no proper direction except the rhetoric pumped into them by their new found allies will not a President make based purely on his inconsistencies relative to lack of a proper manifesto other than to harp on the incidental woes of the Nation that cannot be resolved overnight!
They are in fact woes that were brought on by his new found allies when they were in power to be precise and somwhat of an irony!
In the political and economic climate of Sri Lanka not even a miracle worker could accomplish this restituion of woes overnight realistically although credit needs to be given to the yeoman efforts of the present and surely the next President ~ H.E.Mahinda Rajapaksa who seems irreplaceable at this juncture!, certainly not by a bunch of misfits led by Sirisena and his erstwhile crony Ranil Wickremasinghe thinking wishfully that the Presidency will be handed over to him on a platter via his manipulations of Sirisena but not so!
Bearing in mind that Sirisena jumped ship purely because he was not given the premiership which becane plainly visible in an environment where he was treated pretty decently by the Administration yet turned his back on it in the assumption that his will be the glory but to get this he has to convince a majority of Sri Lankans that he is deserving of this where his present meanderings and inconsistent language seem to be getting him further away from his ambitions as it appears!
Sounding like the dreamer he is as well as with no mandate to execute some of the administrative changes he intends to implement albeit vociferously in his election manifesto,it entails more problems for him as well as for Sri Lanka rather than being of any benefit to the country to any appreciable degree. he seems to be clutching at straws as opposed to being assertive and does not have the hallmarks of a true leader but someone who has taken the bait of the UNP who would never stand a chance of a direct election victory and appear to have found a pawn in Sirisena who has has the capacity even in some small measure to attract attention from some disgruntled Sri Lankans and has caused dissent amongst the populace using false promises that would eventually backfire not only on himself but also the UNP!
He seems to have created problems for himself the moment he declared intentions to abolish the presidency and appoint Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister, empowered with executive powers of the presidency which does at this stage sound like a pipe dream and should not fool the people of Sri Lanka unless they want to go back to the era of the UNP whose mismanagement of the countryleft permanent scars on the Nation’s infrastructure and also led to many crises including the escalation of the Tamil Tiger insurgency which was eventually put down by the present administration People must never forget its importance nor listen to the tails spun by the likes of Sirisena and his power hungry cronies who could easily plunge the nation into an unprecedented chaotic situation which despite its speculative nature must never be permitted to transpire into reality if it points to that through the sensibilities which need to prevail and points to the re- election of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Very aptly perhaps he has been described by experts monitoring his every move and quoted as ” being someone who has neither the vision nor the capacity to provide a viable alternative that is better than a refined status quo. Who else but a naïve political puppet would fall for a plan which will cut off the branch he holds and destroy the branch on which he proposes to stand?” end quote which arguably yet is the best description of the man with ambitions to fill the shoes of a giant with nothing to substantiate his ambitions with other that the worthless rhetoric he has been brain washed into as his sales pitch and stemming from his mentors the ever crafty team of Ranil Wickremasinghe, the ship jumpers from the UPFA . former president Chandrika Kumaratunge who appears to want a slice of the action also, alongside a compendium of deadbeat politicians who on more than one occassion proved their worthlesness and almost betrayed the Nation into the hands of its enemies according to many analysts where bugling politically seemed to be their forte and eventual undoing.
And these very same analysts quite appropriately it seems begs the question ” So where does this leave Sirisena but barking up the wrong tree with nothing to show for his efforts! What the people of Sri Lanka need to be made aware of ~ the sooner the better, is that Sirisena appears to be opening an avenue for the West through his affiliations with the Wickremasinghe, Kumaratinga, JVP, JHU anti government front that will eventually erase all the good work done by the present Administration in restoring it to become a place of wondermnent in Asia and a place of freedom and tranquility which some myopic observers tend to misconstrue based on puny disgruntlements related to the cost of living and alleged malplractises by the Administration which in the greater scheme of things would be miniscule by comparison to providing means for the likes of Ranil Wickremasinghe et al towards further compounding the dangers of betraying the nation to its enemies.
Hopefully senses and sensibilities will prevail and Sri Lanka will acknowledge her true learer Mahinda Rajapaksa come election time rather than falling into a mire of adversity instigated by power hungry deadbeat politicos of a bygone age.
November 27th, 2014 at 6:13 am
India hate Mahinda. India made an error of judgement when it supported him instead of Ranil. Mahinda did not follow Indian directives but was able to steer off from India and take a new route with Pakistan and China. So India is in trouble because of its own fault. I do not mean Ranil would have done differently and India would be still in the same position. India has finally managed to get Chandrika to do the dirty work the same as her father did. India will be the looser again.
November 27th, 2014 at 6:28 am
If a war hero like Fonseka cannot win(specially immediately after winning the war) with Mahinda Rajapksa how on earth this Sirisena Golubella can win without any good back ground in the past? It’s incredible. He want’s to be like Ghandi and Nelson Mandela What a joke. How come this village Goiya can be a Mandela? He is nothing but a power hungry,stupid unfaithful,greedy nut. With whom he is standing in the same platform one is a man who has lost 29 times and the other one is a woman with a revenge evil mind. They both want revenge from the man who rescued our Motherland from the clutches of terrorism nothing else. They both have to rest in peace after January 8th. I hope This time comes UNP will kick this guy out and find a good leader who will join hands with the Govt and help to build our shattered country to become wonder of Asia. People need a good Opposition leader who can work for the people and share the good things with the sitting Govt not to hate and try to destroy the unity. We suffered enough.30 years of war is not a small thing.Those murderers destroyed everything we had,Economy,Infrastructure, life etc. We need to build from the scratch. Already the Govt of Mahinda Rajapksa has done a lot within this 4 years and still more to do. Stop hate politics and get united to counter the outside threat. Reject all the traitors and give Mahinda another chance.
November 27th, 2014 at 6:30 am
As pointed out by Lankaweb commentators many times, Mahinda government is corrupt. No doubt, BBS also agreed. But no one proposed a solution to this social problem.
Take a cue from Ukraine, here is the report;
In a special session, members of parliament will have a second chance to adopt legislation that creates a National Anti-Corruption Bureau and key measures that Transparency International Ukraine has advocated in the past few months.
“Ukraine needs a solid legal framework to fight the corruption that has run rampant both in politics and in the state structures that provide basic services to ordinary people. When these new laws are adopted and implemented it will greatly reduce the opportunities for corruption of those with political power,” said Anne Koch, Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia at Transparency International.
The new laws include the creation of a National Anti-Corruption Bureau with investigatory powers to centralise the ad hoc group of offices that currently have the task to investigate and prosecute corruption but too often fail to make information accessible to all. Politicians will also have to publish asset declarations and any conflicts of interest.
It is the absence of this law that has made it impossible to prosecute and seek the return of assets stolen by former Ukrainian president Victor Yanukovych who fled the country to Russia.
“We have worked hard to draft strong anti-corruption legislation with a coalition of anti-corruption organisations and those in government who understand the need for these reforms. We call on parliamentarians to make these proposals law and to implement them in a system manner,” said Oleksii Khmara, Executive Director of Transparency International Ukraine.
November 27th, 2014 at 8:56 am
Christie – I think it is a bit strong to say “India” hates Mahinda, as Tamil Nadu is NOT India.
India is currently the largest trading partner of Sri Lanka, with China moving up fast. India and Sri Lanka are right in the middle of FTA negotiations that could help Sri Lanka economically, so exaggerating the Tamil Nadu concerns beyond Tamil Nadu is a big mistake.
I think MR is trying to establish a level of trust with Modi right now so that Modi knows Sri Lanka is not a threat to India despite its growing relationship with China. MR is also trying to setup the eventual abolishing of the 13 Amendment as a means of strengthening and uplifting all communities in Sri Lanka, including those in the North and the East. A country divided really is weaker, but Mahinda has to convince Modi that a stronger Sri Lanka is the ultimate goal of unity, not oppression of Tamils.
November 27th, 2014 at 11:04 am
NeelaMahaYodaya is trying to compare apples with oranges where there can be no analogies drawn with the Ukraine not even in the vaguest sense. Our President is not Vladimir Putin who is a schemer and a dangerous one whereas the President of Sri Lanka is a patriotic proud son of Lanka. To use the term ‘corrupt’ loosely to isolate the present government is a joke as previous regimes have been far worse not only relative to corruption but also mal administration.On needs to look at the merits of this government, compare it with the rest and then draw conclusions.Sri Lanka is a darnsight better that what she was before the present administration took over and they continue to take the country along the path of progress not backwards.
November 27th, 2014 at 12:36 pm
Thank you Sunil, for pointing out few facts that cannot be overlooked. The time of UNP in power, with all the corruption and disappearances with even ministers playing a part in the torture chambers of Batalanda is now a thing of the past. In the more recent chapter, Ceasefire with many killings of prominent names of defence forces bared in that brief interlude with RW at the helm happily did not last long.
CBK’s attempts to set up golf courses in government land parcelled out to her cronies too came to an end with a landmark decision in courts.
MR’s government h to credit has brought an understanding with Modi’s India, with India rising even to issue a Stamp to honour Anagarika Dharmapala. Sri Lanka should certainly build on it to keep international relationships withIndia, China and the West on an even keel.
I for one, have no doubt the sophisticated Sri Lankan electorate will not forget the hard won lessons.
November 27th, 2014 at 1:27 pm
I agree with you Sunil Mahattaya and Naram.
But my point is that you can combat bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, patronage, graft, and embezzlement only through introduction of protective legislations, not by changing the constitution, like the federal bribery, graft, and conflict-of-interest crimes contained in Title 18, Chapter 11 of the United States Code, 18 U.S.C. §§ 201–227, .
November 27th, 2014 at 3:24 pm
This time I AGREE with Neela.
Corruption is NOT a political issue. It is a STRUCTURAL issue.
MR didn’t INVENT corruption. I have NOT heard MR personally being corrupt. Not even a single rumor! Give credit where it is due.
November 27th, 2014 at 3:50 pm
Surely this ploy by UNP is a failure even if there is a some chance to succeed. Showing the face on Chandrika on one side and “Moon and a Star” on the other side defeats the purpose of getting Buddhist and Sinhala votes because people very well know who they are. Although the President is getting a bit unpopular , Rajitha and Chandrika will keep Buddhist votes out.
On the other hand BBS buy over will win some Buddhist votes for the President but it will completely cut-off Muslim votes , even though Gnanasara Thero tried to remedy that with his comical arguments.
November 27th, 2014 at 3:56 pm
Palwatte Gamaralage Maithripala Yapa Sirisena is rather UNIQUE in that no other politician has hitherto been as VALUABLE as he is to BOTH SIDES of an upcoming Election!
Consider:
1. He is valuable to the Opposition because this stupid but brave man single-handedly rescued the Opposition from the SHEER EMBARASSMENT of not being able to locate a “Common Candidate” on their own.
2. He is valuable to the Government because his ABSURD POLICY of abolishing the EP in 100 days is the best ADVERTISEMENT for RE-ELECTING for President Mahinda Rajapaksa by a LANDSLIDE! It will SINK the Opposition.
His policy statement is CLEARLY ABSURD because,
1. It cannot be done without 2/3 majority in Parliament,
2. It would hand over power through the backdoor to Ranil, the UNP and the TNA who would promptly begin dismantling the nation, and
3. It would end in delivering our War-Winning Leaders and War-Heroes, securely bound hand and foot, to the Western Powers for prosecution on War Crimes. This, the People of Sri Lanka would NEVER allow.
Therefore, NEITHER the Opposition, NOR the GOVERNMENT would discourage this very valuable, but uncommonly stupid “Common Candidate”. He is their GREATEST POLITICAL ASSET at this time!
Why would ANYONE want to discourage such a COMIC, but USEFUL BUNGLER! People are having fits laughing their sides out at this buffoonery! This guy has a BRILLIANT FUTURE as a STANDUP COMIC on stage!
November 27th, 2014 at 5:18 pm
Put your hands up those who want the ancient glory of RAJARATA.
That is the BEST thing for SL. Take the capital back to Rajarata.
From car races of imported Lamboginis, Ferraris, Lotus, etc. to bullock cart races!
From celebrating pope to celebrating Mihinthale!
From loving kindness to KP to loving kindness to the people!
From PB Jayasundara to Nihal Amarasekera!
From Cabraal to Bandara.
From Percy to Yapa.
From Lambogini relief to badagini relief.
From 100 ministers to 35 ministers.
From Colombo to Polonnaruwa.
November 27th, 2014 at 6:33 pm
You may add,
From Baiyaa to Gamarala
From Kavantissa to Parakramabahu
From Apavitra back to Champika
you may dream, but unfortunately we did not see any of those signs for his 40+ years with SLFP coming. He has too much respect to Chandidrinka , which will not advance him beyond politician level to Parakramabahu level.
November 27th, 2014 at 7:50 pm
Independent,
NOT true.
If he was as loyal to CBK, he should have left the party in 2006 with Mangala, Sripathy, Anura, etc.
Don’t mistake his gentlemanly qualities for naivity. He has firepower too. If you are building a house in the cemetary, you obviously have NO fear of ghosts! With 40+ years in politics, he KNOWS the ghosts and KNOWS how to tame them.
CBK is only after MR. She knows she has NO liking in the country.
November 27th, 2014 at 8:24 pm
Everyone who is part of the government coalition should READ this article that rather convincingly ties the UNHRC investigators to GEORGE SOROS – the Jewish American Billionaire who has been bankrolling the Arab Spring around the world.
Soros and his assortment of NGOs, especially Open Societies Foundation, and International Crisis Group, have been meddling in the internal affairs of every country where they operate, and have been propping up “opposition” groups they control to initiate regime change.
Google: “Pillay’s panel from the shadow of George Soros”
November 28th, 2014 at 1:24 pm
Ananda’s sentiments and evaluations need to be shouted from the mountain tops to the Sri Lanka voters although there is every chance it has been assimilated into their minds already.
What a coincidence that Sirisena’s name begins with a Palwatte where probably the Political aspect of the Palwatte (Polwatte)has become Kalatipol! unfit for usage
November 28th, 2014 at 10:19 pm
@Sunil Mahattaya “..is not Vladimir Putin who is a schemer and a dangerous one whereas “. What crap.Vladimir Putin didn’t install the puppet regime in Ukraine. Given the provocations, another Russian leader would have almost certainly sent his tanks in and took over Ukraine in 24 hours throwing out the neo nazi regime in kiev which has been responible for war crimes against Russians in Ukraine. Putin has shown remarkable restraint in the interests of regional and global stability.
Unlike your hero Obama ( which most of the American population now hates and wants to throw this Obama and his crony administration out, he didn’t arm islamic extremist pschopaths at the behest of NATO to topple arab secular govts.
If not for Putin, whome you say is dangerous and schemer. Obama and NATO would have attacked Syria in September 2013, which many experts had said would be the beginning of world war 3 in the middle east, and Sri Lanka indeed much of the world would most probably be now suffering radioactive nuclear fall out from that war.
Putin deserves a Nobel peace prize.
Also he provided much needed support to Mahinda Rajapaksha as a back up to his ally China, in helping Sri Lanka defeat the LTTE terrorists.
Get your facts right Sunil Mahattaya.
Your hero Obama is the schemer and the dangerous one not, Putin.