Mahinda confident of comfortable win
Posted on August 10th, 2015
by Dasun Edirisinghe Courtesy Island
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressing newspaper editors and other media personnel at the Hilton Residencies. He is flanked by the high command of the UPFA – General Secretary Susil Premajayantha, SLFP General Secretary Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, MEP leader Dinesh Gunawardena, NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa, Pivithuru Hela Urumaya Leader Udaya Gammanpila, Liberal Party Leader Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, former UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake, UPFA National List nominee Tiran Alles, former Foreign Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris and Nawa Sinhala Urumaya Leader Sarath Manamendra.
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Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday addressed newspaper editors and other media personnel at the Hilton Residencies. He was flanked by the high command of the UPFA – General Secretary Susil Premajayantha, SLFP General Secretary Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, MEP leader Dinesh Gunawardena, NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa, Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader Udaya Gammanpila, Liberal Party leader Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, former UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake, UPFA National List nominee Tiran Alles, former Foreign Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris and Nawa Sinhala Urumaya Leader Sarath Manamendra.
The former president said that according to recent surveys, the UPFA would easily secure more than 113 seats in Parliament at the forthcoming general election and the number would even go beyond 117.
Rajapaksa said that he would not form a national government as he was confident of a clear majority and the UNP’s offer to do so betrayed the government’s lack of confidence.
Rajapaksa recalled the situation that prevailed in the country when he took over in 2005 and the changes he had effected by the time he handed it over to the present rulers in January, 2015. He charged that the present government had reversed in six months what he achieved in the last 10 years.
Rajapaksa said that they had put out the manifesto, called ‘A guarantee for the Future’ to take the country forward from the reversals of the past six months.
Question – Mr. Rajapaksa, one of main allegations levelled by the UNP is that you gave money to the LTTE to get them to prevent the people of the North from voting so as to win the 2005 Presidential Election. What is your response to that allegation?
Answer – If I had given money to the LTTE, how could I have eradicated them three or four years after the Presidential election? The person who levelled the allegation against me stated that he had got information from LTTE leader Prabhakaran. Therefore a claim made by a person very close to Prabhakaran cannot be taken seriously. I had been in Parliament when the LTTE started their separatist war and I know all the deals former leaders of the country had entered into with that terrorist organization. Their blunders cost them dear and some of them perished at the hands of the LTTE.
Some leaders were accused of providing money to the LTTE to defeat the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) here. Some leaders provided them with cement and other material to strengthen them. But, we defeated them and their separatist plans. It is ludicrous that we who defeated the LTTE are being accused of having bribed Prabhakaran!
Question – The UNP repeatedly says that they will form a national government after the August 17 general election and you will be defeated for the second time. What is your response to that?
Answer – The UNP’s repeated statement proves that they know they will be defeated at the August 17 general election. If they can obtain a clear majority, there is no need to form a national government with the JVP and the TNA.
(Answer given by Weerawansa) – According to the 19th amendment, only the party which obtains the highest number of seat in Parliament can form a national government. That amendment is very clear on this.
(Answer given by Premjayantha) – There is no United National Front or any other front registered with the Election Secretariat under the Elephant symbol. Some politicians are trying to mislead the people by claiming that they are contesting from a United National Front for Good Governance, but there is no such party registered under the Elephant symbol.
Question – How can you find the money to implement the proposals in the manifesto ‘A guarantee for the future”?
Answer (given by the Former President) – When I proposed to provide fertilizer at the subsidized price of Rs. 350 in my manifesto in 2005, the UNP questioned its practicability. They wanted to know whether I had found Aladdin’s lamp to make all wishes come true. But, I implemented it for 10 years. We implemented many development projects including mega irrigation schemes and expressway projects. My government had the money to implement all those projects successfully. Some projects were completed during my tenure. But this government has no money to continue them from January this year. Around 1.5 million direct and indirect jobs have been lost due to the stoppage of 58,000 development projects.
People in Sooriyawewa told me recently that their motorcycles as well as television sets had been seized by finance companies due to the non-payment of leasing installments because they had lost their jobs.
The borrowings under the incumbent government during the last six months have already exceeded the amount obtained during the whole of 2014! The question is what has become of all these funds. There has been no development.
Question – Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga recently criticized you for tarnishing the name of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and bringing disrepute upon the country.
Rajapaksa – It’s not a new thing for her to criticize me.
Premjayantha – I must say as the first General Secretary of the UPFA when it was formed in 2003 to contest the 2004 general election, former President Kumaratunga never supported the 2005 presidential election campaign launched by then Prime Minister Rajapaksa and she also opposed making him the Presidential Candidate in 2005. She favoured Ranil Wickremesinghe.
However, we appointed Rajapaksa as the Presidential Candidate. But not a cent from the SLFP office was spent for the campaign of Mr Rajapaksa. The SLFP Head Office in Darley Road was closed to us and we had to run the Rajapaksa’s campaign office from a separate location.
Rajapaksa – Whether she is with us or against us is not a problem and that cannot influence our victory.
Premajayantha: I don’t know why she [Chandrika] hates him [Rajapaksa] so much. I think that enmity has come from her previous birth!
Question – The UNP says that your government did not bring in any real investors but only casino operators.
Rajapaksa: We brought in only real investors, but the present UNP government brought in underworld figures to the country instead of investors. There was a media hype about casino giants like James Packer coming in, but we never brought anyone to run casinos here.
Wimal: The UNP government promised to sign the CEPA agreement which allows Indian labourers to work in Sri Lanka without visas.
Former President Rajapaksa did not sign that agreement to protect the working class.
Question – It is believed that some UPFA parliamentarians would crossover to help form a UNP government after the election.
Rajapaksa: I am confident that no one will leave the UPFA after the August 17 victory.
Wimal: If anyone leaves the UPFA which will win the election to join the defeated party to form a government, he should have his or her head examined. Usually it happens the other way around – people from the defeated party defect to the winning side. We will win and therefore the question of defections does not arise.
Question – The TNA is asking for a federal solution. What is your stance on that demand?
Rajapaksa: We never agreed to a federal solution and as always I believe any solution for the national problem has to come through a Parliamentary Select Committee.
Question – Your government was accused of the murder of Lasantha Wickremetunga and the disappearance of Prageeth Ekneligoda. What is your response to those allegations?
Rajapaksa: Now, there is a UNP government, they can investigate these cases and bring the culprits to book but they haven’t done so during the last six or seven months.
Wimal: The one who is accused of the disappearance of Ekneligoda is in the present government. Ekneligoda’s wife too did not ask this government for an investigation.
Question – What do you think about the FCID and its investigations?
Answer: The FCID was set up for to harass opponent politicians.
Wimal: Nalin Bandara, a UNP candidate in the Kurunegala district, has printed, leaflets with photos of his supporters following him brandishing pistols. I counted five firearms clearly visible in the photograph. The law does not apply to them.
Question – Those may be toy pistols like the one used by the former Hambantota Mayor?
Rajapaksa: People said that they fired into the air with those pistols. So, there is a difference.
Question – What do you say about rugby player Wasim Thajudeen’s death? The UNP accused your government of being responsible for it.
Answer: They must conduct an impartial investigation about it if they have any suspicions. But, it cannot do so seeking political mileage during an election.
Wimal: They started the investigation suddenly during the election campaign. Earlier they tried to label the Rajapaksas and their government as thieves. When that was not successful, they are now trying to label them as murderers. But, we promise that we will continue the investigation under our government after August 17. We ask the UNP government to also investigate lawyer Wijedasa Liyanarachchi’s death in the Batalanda torture chamber.
Gammanpila – The death of Thajudeen happened in 2012 and it is now six months since the UNP government took office. Why have they suddenly started an investigation even disregarding the opposition of Thajudeen’s family?
Premjayantha: They could also investigate the killings at Batalanda according to the recommendations of the Batalanda Commission.
Question – The UPFA under Rajapaksa did not have the support of the minorities, especially the Muslims. How would you respond to that?
Rajapaksa: We had about 18 Muslim ministers in our government. There was a conspiracy to alienate the Muslim community from our government. The Muslim people would already have realised what happened.
August 10th, 2015 at 2:59 pm
There is ONE reason, and ONE reason ONLY, why Sri Lankan Tamil Eelamists, representing a minute fraction of Sri Lanka’s population unlike in other countries with larger Tamil minority populations, are emboldened and DARE to persist in demanding a SEPARATE State.
That REASON is: the PROXIMITY of 65 million Tamils in Tamil Nadu, and the support they receive from Tamil Nadu, and an Indian Union BLACKMAILED by Tamil Nadu.
One PROBLEM is the STEADY INFLUX of ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS from Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka, even in during the war years.
CONSIDER that the most recent CENSUS in Sri Lanka shows that, despite the legal and illegal emigration of over 1.5 million FAKE Sri Lankan Tamil “refugees” from Sri Lanka to foreign countries in the last 30 years, the number of Tamils currently resident in Sri Lana has INCREASED above the number in the last CENSUS!
HOW CAN THIS BE ….. EXCEPT through REPLACING the Sri Lankan Tamils who were deiberately EXPORTED to form the TAX BASE for the LTTE’s separatist WAR, they were more than 1:1 replaced by Kallathonis brought in from Tamil Nadu, working hand-in-glove with the Racist Demagogues like Karunanidhi, Jayalalitha, and other who held the reigns of power in Tamil Nadu.
Did you wonder why a certain segment of Tamils held fast Prabhakaran accompanying him to the last stand in Puthirrikuddupu? They MUST HAVE BEEN who FEARED DEPORTATION from Sri Lanka if they were identified as Kallathonis living where they had NO RIGHT to be.
This is the GREATEST SCAM perpetrated on the Sri Lankan Nation, that has been THRUST BELOW the BELOW the PUBLIC’s EYS, and carefully hidden under LAYERS of “Compassion” towards war victims, “Reconliation”, missing birth and familyiberately destroyed during the war years, and new ones issued in the place of those who have escaped abroad as FAKE refugees to Western countries.
THIS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION SCAM which REPOPULATED the North and East of Sri Lanka with Indian Tamils posing as long time Sri Lankans using the fake IDs of the dear departed, is ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS WHY Sri Lanka MUST NEVER GIVE UP control of its coastal borders to Tamils, and NEVER DEVOLVE POLICE and LAND Powers to them, for they are DELIBERATELY IMPORTING INdian Tamils to take posession of the land and CHANGE THE DEMOGRAPHICS of SRi Lanka!
This is why IT IS IMPERATIVE that Sinhalese be settled in the North and East and the DEVOLUTION be ENDED forthwith, and the 13th Amendment scrapped to BOOT!
Let the HISTORY of the FIRST IMPORTATION of over 1.5 million Indian Tamils by the BRITISH to work the coffee and tea estates in OCCUPIED Sri Lanka, and the SECOND IMPORTATION of 1.5 million Indian Tamils in the last 30 years by the TAMIL SEPARATISTS to replace Sri Lankan Tamils sent abroad, NEVER BE FORGOTTEN or ALLOWED to be REPEATED!
As we see, EVERY DAY in EVERY WAY the TNA and Tamil Eelamist Diaspora is trying to get the OPPORTUNITY to OUST the GoSL from the North and the East, acquire Land and Police powers, to CONTINUE the task begun under Prabhakaran to repopulate the area with Indian Tamils and PERMANENTLY change the DEMOGRAPHICS of Sri Lanka in their favor! This PLOT to change the DEMOGRAPHICS is at the HEART of the DEMANDS for DEVOLUTION by the Tamil leaders!
This is CRITICAL to the SURVIVAL of Sri Lanka as the HOMELAND of its MAJORITY Sinhala population …. who have NO OTHER HOME …NONE …. in this entire world!
August 10th, 2015 at 3:21 pm
I very firmly believe that Mahinda has this in the bag. 120-125 seats for sure and he can kick the traitor into the toilet and take control of the administration and take the country forward.
August 10th, 2015 at 7:49 pm
Every patriot must read this. This is what ENDIA and USA now plans to do (and blame Russia for “inventing” it).
When Russia invaded Crimea (RIGHT OR WRONG) I was against it because ENDIA can say the same thing and invade SL. What matters is NOT who is RIGHT but who has the MIGHT.
IF everyone accepts CURRENT boundaries, there is no problem.
Look how they plan a “future” war in SL and how they BELIEVE Tamil non-state actors are STILL active in SL.
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“What Crimea Tells Us About Asia’s Future Wars
By Van Jackson
August 11, 2015
Crimea and the complex military occupation that now exists in Ukraine is an all too reasonable and underexplored model for future conflict in Asia.
When we think about conflict in Asia, a handful of flashpoints come to mind: ……………..
But modern conflicts don’t really look like that, and futurists who concern themselves with war and strategy suggest a different model for what future conflicts and conflict processes might resemble: Crimea.
At least four features of the Crimea conflict apply to the Asia context: ethnic divides clashing with spheres of influence; non-state groups with geopolitical demands; the potential for unlikely partnerships between states and social groups; and gray zone conflict. Each of these characteristics was central to the Crimea conflict, but each constitutes a largely overlooked factor germane to Asia and the prospect of future conflict.
Ethnic Divides and Spheres of Influence
The Crimea conflict was only possible because a large ethnically Russian population existed in Ukraine, combined with Russian ambitions to secure a European sphere of influence and prioritizing those lands with large Russian ethnic populations. While ethnic divides abound in Asia, they frequently fall along nationalist lines between states, fueling conflict in a very traditional manner. This is why most Asia hands still focus on states and national militaries as the primary security challenges, even in an era of globalization, integration, and individual empowerment.
But China, India, and Japan are beginning to seek spheres of influence in the region. Sometimes this may bring these countries into conflict as they contest one another’s spheres. In other instances though, it brings outside powers into the affairs of smaller states. In these instances, ethnic rivalries are as much a motivation as securing strategic resources or transit routes for trade.
Key flashpoints often overlooked in this regard are the ethnically Chinese population in Myanmar (parts of which are fighting an insurgency against the central government), the Tamil population in Sri Lanka (which has a complex relationship with neighboring India, and Nepal (which intermingles ethnic Indian and Chinese populations). Each of these locations fall in the overlapping spheres of influence for multiple countries, but also includes a considerable ethnic population that favors one outside power over another.
Geopolitical Demands from Non-State Groups
This is becoming more of a problem over time, though depending on your perspective, it may be seen as an indicator of democratization and individual empowerment. In Ukraine, a large ethnically Russian population initially sought to align Ukraine more closely with Russia, but as political events transpired, eventually sought outright secession of Crimea from Ukraine. Russia obliged these demands and possibly instigated them.
In Asia, we still think of geopolitics as primarily (or even solely) the domain of states, yet there are numerous social groups with geopolitical demands and the ability to occasionally mobilize collectively to pursue their demands. Myanmar, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka are homes to three of the most demanding sets of non-state groups—all fighting outright insurgencies that challenge the legitimacy of those governments.
Potential for Unlikely Alliances
Nobody predicted that Russia would form a quasi-alliance with the ethnically Russian population of another country, funneling paramilitary forces, weapons, and logistics support to help the cause of secession. In hindsight that prospect seems all too obvious. Similar potential exists across Asia today and in the future.
Any non-state group with geopolitical ambitions that align with those of another government is a possible latent alliance that would disrupt traditional national boundaries. Ethnically Chinese populations in Myanmar or the Philippines may have the same interests as mainland China. North Korean diasporas across Asia, especially in China, are key to illicit trafficking networks into and out of North Korea, which is reliant on these networks for foreign currency. And Sri Lanka’s ethnic minority Hindu Tamils have occasionally found common cause with Hindus occupying southern India, which far outnumber the Sinhalese ruling government in Sri Lanka.
The point is that when non-state groups have geopolitical interests, they become interested in aligning themselves with states that may be able to help them. States, in turn, may be willing to partner with non-state groups in various ways if it gives them some advantage in securing their geopolitical goals.”
“http://thediplomat.com/2015/08/what-crimea-tells-us-about-asias-future-wars/”
August 10th, 2015 at 8:50 pm
Dear voter, Please give Mahinda over 150 (2/3rds). Get him to change the Constitution and include in the new one that talking or acting to divide the country is punishable by law. Discard the provinces and boundary lines of the provinces.
May long live Sri Lanka.
August 10th, 2015 at 11:56 pm
Being a rather superstitious person, I am very wary of this sort of optimistic display. So I am knocking on wood as I am reading this. It ain’t over till its over, so don’t uncross your fingers until the results are out, people!
Also this kind of public show of confidence has its benefits in making the opposing side feel weaker and at the same time bolstering one’s own self image; and at the same time, this also increases the chances of MR and GR becoming very appealing physical targets for the forces behind the puppets.
Vigilance must be exercised by all who are around them.
It ain’t over till its over.
August 11th, 2015 at 12:55 am
I have been talking to folks in Sri Lanka about how the upcoming election is shaping up.
They are mostly MR supporters, but they feel that expatriate patriots are MUCH TOO OPTIMISTIC about the margin of victory for the UPFA.
In particular, they say that although the UPFA campaign meeting are very well attended, so are those of the UNF.
Let us HOPE & PRAY for a Landslide Victory for the UPFA, but let us also be prepared to eke out only a marginal victory.
The margin of victory for the UPFA is PRIMARILY in the hands of the Sinhala Buddhist voter; if they value the survival of their Motherland above all else, and vote with near UNANIMITY for UPFA, then the victory will be massive. We cannot depend on the minority voters … they clearly showed where they stood in the last election.
August 11th, 2015 at 1:01 am
OOPs,
I forgot to mention that my contacts in Sri Lanka were APPALLED by the MASSIVE AMOUNTS of WESTERN FOREIGN & Tamil DIASPORA funds that are being spent now in Sri Lanka to sway Public Opinion in this General Election.
They are afraid that not only wll these funds be used to buy votes during the election, but also to FALSIFY the election, and BUY the Members of Parliament AFTER THE ELECTION by providing massive monetary incentives to switch parties!
August 11th, 2015 at 12:37 pm
I toally agree with what Kumari says.
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Suggestions and actions to divide Sri Lanka is an act of Treason, and should be made punishable by the death penality.
Enough is enough. Other countries can solve their internal problems in other ways. Hands off Lanka. We are never going to go against our OWN people to satisfy foreigners and foreign countries. Those days are finished, over.
Anyone who thinks that they can solve Tamil Nadu Caste problems via Lanka is sadly misaken. If they think that Tamil Caste problems can ride on the back of foreign countries while smashing up Lanka, they are doubly mistaken. The problem is too vast for small Lanka. Pick someone your own size !