Dr. Sudath Gunasekara President MSCM

8^th April.2015.

Mahanuwara Senior Citizen’s Movement would like to submit the following proposals to President Maitripala Sirisena for his serious and prompt attention

Dear Mr President

We as a group of Senior Citizens seriously concerned about good governance, wellbeing of all Sri Lankans and the future of this country are greatly disturbed by the prevailing political instability and confusion and the emerging uncertainty in the country with your 100 day programme running in to serious trouble.

The following ideas are spelled out with the best of intentions with no prejudice or political bias. Usually politicians in power don’t like to listen to ordinary people like us. But those failed to listen for good counseling have always ended up with disaster. This is unavoidable as the say goes ‘Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely’. No leader can escape this all time truism, if he/she is not prepared to listen to good counseling given in good faith.

Dear Mr President we are sitting on the top of a huge and disastrous dormant but live volcano. Since this is a Social Volcano the dangers are much more disastrous than one would imagine. No one can predict at what time it will erupt. But we all know for certain that it will definitely erupt, bringing untold and unprecedented disaster, destruction and misery to this Island nation. To allow it to erupt or not is entirely left in your hands. Therefore whatever happens final responsibility will definitely be yours and yours alone Mr President. All politicians in the post independence era are responsible for this sad legacy for not bringing about permanent solutions for these problems. We hope this memo will provide you a guideline to take some historic decisions.

What we have listed here is a list of carefully concluded priorities we opine would help you to avoid this disaster. This prescription if implemented will definitely clear the current political uncertainties, strengthen your hands, make the people happy and will certainly avoid an imminent political disaster.

The 10 Commandments

1 First of all, restore democracy in parliament by appointing a person who command the majority in Parliament as Prime Minister and bring back legitimacy and normalcy to Parliament. Reduce the Cabinet immediately to 25 as promised at the election. We are not experts on Constitutional affairs. But even ‘the naked tiny tot’ pissing by the road side, as a local tradition says, knows the present Government is  fully naked and it is an illegally constituted hotch-potch, for the simple reason that Ranil does not command the confidence of the majority in Parliament. It is an ‘unlimited liability Co’ hastily constituted like the proverbial Gamarala’s Amude that was tucked together with the cross bar of the fence. One can argue that you had to appoint Ranil as PM since you had promised to do so. But the fact remains that he does not have the majority support in the house as such he could be ousted at any moment by a simple no confidence motion. It is true that you had to concede to their demands as you won mainly on the UNP block vote supported by the Tamil and Muslim votes. But we don’t think that has given you a mandate as the President of the country to appoint a man who has no majority support in the House merely because you have promised to do so. Because 43 (3) of the Constitution is specific about the procedure. We are lost to understand as to why no one raised this in the House. May be the ghost of the Executive President is haunting them.

2 Second, Remove Presidential immunity and Excessive and dictatorial powers like the, Power to appoint Secretaries, Ambassadors and Judges of superior courts.

But we are of the opinion that the executive Presidency elected directly by the people should remain for the following reasons.

1. The country need a strong and powerful head of State to guarantee political stability
2. Since the people of this country had been ruled by Kings for millennia it will suit the psychological needs of the people as a symbol of dignity
3. The country also needs an independent person operating at a higher level above party politics as a mechanism of checks and balances who could control party leaders taking decisions unfavorable to the country

3 Third abolish the 13^th A that was thrust upon us at gunpoint by India ( which was also illegally passed at that time) and the PCC that have destroyed the country’s Political and Administrative institutions with overlapping, corruptions, ethnic polarization, divisive tendencies and ruined the ailing economy by siphoning public funds to maintain a useless system that has not brought any benefit to the people but has  only multiplied hundreds of parasitic politicians whose only job is to collect votes and commissions to party higher-ups and enrich themselves through contracts and illicitly gotton money. We want you to evolve a homegrown Political and Administrative mechanism instead for which we propose the Tun-Sinhale Rata Sabha system (that was there in this country from 427 BC to 1815 AD) that could reduce the present number of politicians and expenditure by 2/3 and also bring back political, economic stability and ethnic harmony and guarantee the stability of the Sri Lankan unitary State.

Amending or drafting a Constitution cannot be done overnight like going to the loo in a hurry in the morning. Because, it decides the long term destiny of a nation and therefore needs extremely careful deliberations over a long period of time by eminent experts in Constitution making and patriotic Statesmen of far seeing vision, integrity and wisdom on statecraft. It is like a brain or heart surgery that decides the fate of a man. This is not one man either. It is a whole nation, the destiny of generations to come. In any case we can vouch for certain that the present Parliament want be able to do any such amendment or enactment that need a  2/3 majority for such legislation.

4 Fourth, abolish the Provinces thrust on us by the British to keep us divided and restore District Administration by Appointing selected senior Administrators as GAA: Div Secretaries and also reorganize the Grama Seva Service at village level so that the country’s Administration could be run by 25 GAA, 250 DIV Secs and 14000 GSS. This will bring down the govt’s expenditure to unbelievable levels and will also increase the efficiency and effectiveness of administration and the quality and speed of delivery of service to people.

5 Fifth, Ban all political parties based on communal and ethnic or religious lines like the TNA, Tamil Congress, and Muslim Congress etc and allow only national parties to function. Take immediate action against all those who violate the 6th Amendment. (This will make you the hero who put an end to communal politics in this country)

6 Sixth, the Government must see that all minorities accept that this is the historical Homeland of the Sinhala Nation as it had been so at least from the 6^th Century BC and they constitute only minorities. Ask minorities to renounce double allegiance. Let the whole world be told that this is the only Sinhala Buddhist country in the whole world (Listen to Netaniyavu’t address to the US Congress last week). Also if Tamils living in any part of Sri Lanka needs a traditional Tamil Homeland and an EELAM let them go back to Tamilnadu, the Traditional and Historical Home land of the Tamils, without wasting their time to conquer this land of the Sinhalese by force. Also both Tamils and Muslims should be clearly told not to try to assert as separate Nations within Sri Lana. Let the Estate Tamils be told they have to accept Nehru-Kotalawala 1953 pact and they should be ready to integrate with the natives and cease to be Indians any longer, if they need to remain on this soil as citizens, like the Karave and Salagama people have done in the past.

7 Seventh, Ask India to mind its own business without meddling with Sri Lanka. She should renounce Kautilyan tactics and stop meddling with our internal matters. All Tamils who live in Sri Lanka are Sri Lankan citizens and if India does not want them to be here we will be only too happy to gift them so that she can take them and settle them in Tamilnadu by making it the Tamill EELAM so that they can always get their vote. The so called Tamil Diaspora who craves for an EELAM also can then go there.

The main factor behind the strength, arrogance and stubbornness in their claims for disproportional rights and separation, of all Tamils in Sri Lanka is India. If India could be convinced that what she has done and continues to do is wrong in all respects and they must stop treating Sri Lankan Tamils as their concern, then we think that will put an end to the Tamil problem in Sri Lanka. Once Indian interests are diffused then removing the second and third factors viz Diaspora and Western nations behind the Sri Lankan problem will be much easier. Once the Sri Lankan Tamils know that they do not have these external supports then a natural tendency will emerge to reduce their stubbornness, arrogance and their claims for disproportional rights and separation as then they realize that they are on a weaker wicket. That will create a better environment and provide an entry point for us to get them convinced to accept the reality. We are convinced that this problem could be easily solved if the Government adopts this approach.

8 Eighth, Make the Judiciary and Administration fully independent. Free them from politics and make all selections, appointments, transfers and disciplinary actions be done by independent Commissions.

9 Ninth, Reorganize the Sasana in consultation with the Mahanayaka Theros by enacting a Kathikawata  as it was done during Polonnaruwava and Dambadeniya periods. Under the new reorganization create a post of Sangharaja under whom all Buddhist monks should come. Mahasangha should be debarred from taking part in active politics and any other activities not allowed by the vinaya code laid down for monks

10 Tenth, Let the Govt tell the whole world that there is no Tamil Diaspora. They are only Tamil ethnic people who have migrated from India and Sri Lannka and other countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Fiji Isle and even South Africa in search of greener pastures and living in different countries the world over. They dream of an EELAM in Sri Lanka as they know for certain that it is impossible to have one in Tamilnadu in India. Why can’t the western countries like Canada, UK, Germany, France and US ask India to accommodate this so-called Tamil Diaspora in this Land of Promise in Tamilnadu before they ask for separate States in their own counties.

Postcript

It is our considered view that if suitable steps are not taken immediately as stipulated above Ranil, My3 and Chandrika’s Sihina Maligawa will crash on their own heads fatally burying all three of them in the debris with their whole band wagon. Therefore the best thing this troika should do before it happen is firstly, for Chandrika to go back to France or UK, spent her sunset days happily with her children according to her whims and fancies blissfully away from Rajapaksa who kept the SLFP torch burning, at least better than the Bandarnaike siblings in any case, as she has already said that she feel ashamed to be called a Sinhalese and also as she has messed enough for 11 years.

Ranil should revert back as the Leader of the Opposition as that is the best place for him or retire from politics  as Mr Clean.

My3 on the other hand has three options.

1. a) Carry on visiting as many countries as possible enjoying the privileges of the post like what Romeo did while Rome was on fire until the Government is brought down by a no confidence motion.
2. b) Appoint someone who can command the majority in Parliament immediately as PM and ask him to form an interim Government until the next election and remain as President carrying on his normal duties.
3. c) Or as a last resort dissolve Parliament and allow the people to form a new Government and mark time until his time comes to go home ceremoniously or otherwise, which will be decided by the way he behaves).

In any case if he fail to do what is propose under (b) both he and the members of the present  will be answerable for all what they do between the date of swearing and the formation of the next Government after the next election.

Wish you all the best!