An Election Battle to Save Peace: Nanthikadal-2, Exactly 75 Months On
Posted on August 11th, 2015
Dilrook Kannangara
August 17, 2015 will be a turning point in Lankan history. It will either make or break the nation and its economy. This time voters, not soldiers will have to do their work. Although much downplayed, the May 2009 war victory saved 31,250 lives so far at the rate of 417 lives per month. Nanthikadal Victory also saved more than 60,000 war related injuries for the 75 months so far. It also saved billions of rupees in averting calamities. These are by no means small numbers and should not be taken for granted. The danger is a UNP government under its present leadership will drag the nation back to terrorism. Here is how a UNP government will destroy peace and the economy.
Replacing China with IMF
IMF was the preferred lender to all UNP governments. The UNP regime has already discarded China and is keen to remarry the IMF. Everywhere IMF went it left a trail of death and destruction. For IMF to help a nation, the nation has to surrender all its good industries to the IMF. It doesn’t take a long term partnership view. Instead, it always looks to profit at the expense of the borrower. IMF also imposes political conditions for help. These include cutting government jobs in hundreds of thousands, increasing food prices and charging additional taxes. Under a future government, at least 75,000 government jobs will be either lost or suffer an actual reduction in salary after public sector restructure plans already in the UNP pipeline.
CEPA with India Makes Most People Unemployed
Due to intense pressure from India, UNP has already decided to sign the CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement) agreement with India, which Mahinda refused to sign in 2010. Under CEPA, Indian workers will be able to get jobs currently held by Sri Lankans in both government and private sectors. Small businesses will also be taken over by Indians. Locals will be without jobs and business. Interestingly, even traditional UNP supporters will suffer as their businesses will be rivalled and eventually taken over by Indians.
A large influx of Indians will be residing in Sri Lanka who will eventually settle down in Sri Lanka, which is way ahead of India in per capita income, quality of life and human development index. These new arrivals will be able to manipulate political parties in Sri Lanka as new kingmakers. No other country in the world, except South Korea, has signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with India. However, thanks to South Korea’s (a developed country) high bargaining power, it managed to keep India at bay. Sri Lanka will be unable to do so.
A Bridge to India
In 2002, then Prime Minister Ranil proposed a bridge to India. Now he has revived it with South Indian politicians agreeing with him. If the UNP wins, the bridge will become a reality within a decade. A large influx of South Indians will come to Sri Lanka changing the ethnic composition. Water, food, transport, education and healthcare systems will be destroyed by this massive influx of Indians to the small island. These systems are already in stress.
In 2014, India officially stopped the Sethusamudram project to allow for the possibility of a bridge across the strait. There is the real danger of it becoming a reality over shallow waters in the Mannar basin.
Impending Dictatorship
All democratic countries recognise the right of the people and their elected representatives to elect and dissolve governments. However, according to the 19A passed without showing it to the people, the next government is guaranteed a minimum life span of 4 and a half years! It means no matter how harsh, cruel and dictatorial the oncoming government is people will be unable to replace it. This is a scary thought, which hints at UNP’s plans for extremely harsh measures, particularly economic measures, against the people. Voters have six (6) days to make up their mind to avoid this calamity ahead. Mahinda on the other hand skilfully avoided economic meltdown in 2006 and thereafter by turning to alternative lenders without compromising people’s interests.
Ranil’s Unimaginable Greed for Power
Ranil holds the world record for the longest standing Opposition Leader. There has never been a party leader in the world that wasted 22 years unable to get to the top post of the country except Ranil. He lost two presidential elections, four parliamentary elections and an innumerable number of other elections. Nevertheless, he still hangs on to power and wants more power. Mahinda on the other hand was party leader for just 8 years despite being the president for 10 years and prime minister for 2 years.
In order to retain his power, he went to extreme lengths like Batalanda (1989) where thousands of civilian political supporters of the SLFP and Sri Lanka Mahajana Party lost their lives.
Ranil was Prime Minister twice before and both occasions were disasters! People removed him from power within 15 months in the first instance and 28 months in the second instance. What is more interesting is on both occasions, UNP was routed very badly at elections showing how unpopular his governments generally are. This time he is coming with a constitutional safeguard of his government that prevents people from taking action against him for 4 and a half years. Coupling Ranil with this dictatorship provision creates a very bad despotic mixture.
Lives of Army Personnel and Peace at Risk
UNHRC report on war crimes in due at its interim session in September. It has already hinted 41 security forces offices are framed by the report. UNP government bigwigs have made it clear they will not prevent the capture and deportation of them. Such an act will lead to island wide unrest, violence and riots. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers who worked under them are also at risk as investigations will drag them into war crimes. They too will be captured and deported. It is a wrong move the UNP is trying. No country hands over its justices to the UNHRC! In other countries, these matters are handled domestically. Emboldened by the move, radical elements in the north will launch attacks on persons of different ethnicities plunging the north back to war. Relatives, well-wishers and patriotic Sri Lankans will be utterly frustrated by the betrayal. The country will be ungovernable. Sri Lanka’s external friends that protected Lankan war heroes will be let down causing an international embarrassment to Sri Lanka and losing its all weather friends.
Until its leadership changes, a vote for UNP is a vote for disaster.
August 11th, 2015 at 12:48 pm
A fine summing up here by Dilrook. Thank you.
August 11th, 2015 at 12:54 pm
INDEED! As Mahinda says, it is the PEOPLE’s decision to ELECT or NOT ELECT their President from ALL SUITABLE CANDIDATES.
There should be NO TERM LIMITS that ARBITRARILY preclude the best and most able candidates from running.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has PROVED himself to be the BEST LEADER Sri Lanka has had since Independence, and Sri Lanka’s ENEMIES, both internal and external, are DOING THEIR BEST to PREVENT him from REGAINING power for then they would not be able to ACHIEVE their Anti-National Agendas.
The 19th Amendment is, therefore, SERIOUSLY FLAWED and should be REPEALED!
Furthermore, the 13th Amendment should be REPEALED and the Provincial Councils DISSOLVED as POSING a DEADLY THREAT to the TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY of Sri Lanka!
Are we going to allow the Nation’s integrity to be at issue and THREATENED EVERY ELECTION, teetering on the KNIFE EDGE of an ELECTION result, or are we going to PROTECT it IRREVOCABLY through a PERMANENT UNALTERABLE constitutional Amendment? We SHOULD do so!
India and the Western Powers supporting the Tamil Separatists BE DAMNED! We Sri Lankans NEED TO SECURE our Motherland from DISINTEGRATION …. ONCE & FOREVER!
August 11th, 2015 at 1:23 pm
Charles says “We can trust Mahinda Rajapakse to rebuild Sri Lanka …”
INDEED we can! In the Hiru TV Interview of Mahinda, the interviewer asked Mahinda what GUARANTEE he can give that he will do all that he promises.
Mahinda gave the BEST POSSIBLE ANSWER …. “My record of accomplishment and delivering on promises in the last 10 years is the GUARANTEE” which NO OTHER Political Leader of Sri Lanka in modern times, living or dead, can give and be BELIEVED!
Rarely are Nations endowed by the creator with such a GREAT VISIONARY LEADER …. compassionate, tolerant, courageous, honest, dedicated to his people, and above all SKILLED and ABLE …. to lead his people to SAFETY and PROSPERITY! Don’t let the jeolous enemies of Sri Lanka conniving to steal more than their equal share of the bounty of Sri Lanka BELITTLE this GREAT MAN who has DONE SO MUCH, in SO LITTLE TIME, for SO MANY of his fellow citizens!
NOT ONE Sri Lankan has NOT BENEFITED from Mahinda Rajapaksa’s accomplishments! Ask yourself then, are you so CRASS AN INGRATE that you will deny him who has aided you and yours the opportunity to ELEVATE our Motherland to the RANKS of the FOREMOST NATIONS of Asia?
EMBALA SINHALAYENI do not be swayed by Mother Lanka’s enemies …. On August 17, 2015 DO YOUR PATRIOTIC DUTY … EXPRESS YOUR GRATITUDE and GIVE President Mainda Rajapaksa and the UPFA a RESOUNDING LANDSLIDE VICTORY!
August 12th, 2015 at 11:12 am
Catholic traitor chief pol pot ponil is the idel candidate, highly favoured by the church and the west to carry out
their agenda in Sri Lanka, that is destroying Buddhism. He and his party done a very good job at that. That is why he is hanging around until someone of his calibre in treachery is groomed. Maybe police john? He is pol pot enough certainly as he has shown in the past.
India is the worst enemy as they want Sri Lanka to dance to their and west’s tune. Those two bad rashes want to break up Sri Lanka eventually to keep the Chinese at bay in the Indian Ocean and please the diasporats.
For this reason, like Dilrook explained, we have to be with the Chinese. Chinese will give us the monetary assistance and all the necessary protection from these evil twin india and the west. China will never want to break up Sri Lanka. Today China is the world’s strongest country. Simply when you are with the Chinese, nobody bothers you.
Chinese is the best antibiotic for the indian and the west rashes. One dose of the Chinese, the rashes simply disappear. That is what happened during MR’s regime.
Pol pot ponil and the UNPatriotic party (UNP) drag the country to inevitable separation for the two sets of foreign vultures in the north and the east. Sinhalese should get together and get rid of traitor party for good on 17th to save Sri Lanka, tthe Sinhalese race and Buddhism.
August 12th, 2015 at 1:47 pm
“Post-Election BRIBES” to Party Jumpers are ALREADY being offered by the UNPatriotic Party DESPERATE gain POWER somehow, WELL AWARE that it will not be able to win the required number of seats on its own!
The CROSSING OVER of MPs from the Party that Nominated them to Another Party should be PROHIBITED by a Constitutional Amendment!
Such CROSSOVERS, usually for PERSONAL GAIN, BETRAYS the TRUST placed in them as Members of a certain Party by the voting Public, and leads to the creation of TOTALLY UNTRUSTWORTHY Political Leaders!
BAN IT COMPLETELY and BAN IT SOON!
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Sri Lanka PM says SLFP MPs to hold talks over ministerial posts with President after polls
Aug 12,(LBO) The United National Party led government may have to offer ministerial portfolios to SLFP Parliamentarians who support them to form a new government, Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe said. In an exclusive interview with a local TV station Wickramasinghe revealed the current situation. “Even now, some candidates keep telling that they will take ministerial positions after talking to us through the President. It seems like a rift between SLFP and UPFA.”
Wickramasinghe also noted that they are forming a government based on conventionalism even if they are confident of getting the majority.
“This is a decision we took before January 08. We’ll form a government with ‘Lichchavi’ principles.”
According to Mahaparinibbana Sutta of Lord Buddha, Lichchavis followed seven guidelines known as Sapta Aparihaniya Dharma to rule their kingdom about 2,700 years ago.
The main feature of this was the regular meeting of the rulers for consultation and arriving at a consensus.
“We hope to start the committee system in the next Parliament. The whole Parliament will turn into a government to make collective decisions as per Lichchavis,” Wickramasinghe said.
August 12th, 2015 at 3:53 pm
Wigneswaran is WORSE than the Tiger Nominated Agents of the TNA, and supports “radical” Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) … demanding EELAM now!
They SMELL the BLOOD of Mother Lanka in the ELECTORAL WATERS leading up to the General Election on August 17, 2015 and are INCREASING their DEMANDS!
WHO ENCOURAGED, AIDED and ABETTED the SEPARATISTS to bring about this state of INCEASED THREAT now to our Motherland in a SHORT 7-months after that DAY OF INFAMY Jan 8, 2015?
WHO but the Anti-national TRAITORS of the UNPatriotic Party, and its Power Hungry collaborators Somarama Sirisena, Champika Ranawaka, Ratana Hamuduruwo, and Rajitha Senatatne??
DAMN them ALL to HELL!!
EMBALA SINHALAYENI … AWADIWANNA! …. DEFEND Mother Lanka ….Vote for MR/UPFA NOW!
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‘Neutral’ Wigneswaran’s Statement Shows Tilt Towards TNPF
Aug 12 (NIE) COLOMBO- Northern Province Chief Minister C.V.Wigneswaran’s statement on Wednesday telling Sri Lankan Tamils who they should vote for in the August 17 parliamentary elections, seems to be an endorsement of the radical Tamil National Peoples’ Front (TNPF) rather than his own party, the moderate Tamil National Alliance (TNA).
Justifying his “neutrality” in the elections, Wigneswaran said that politicians who had got elected earlier had flouted their promises in regard to the Tamils’ rights such as the right to self-determination. They had done precious little to set right the wrongs done to the Tamils during and after Eelam War IV.
The elected leaders had been stressing the need to “get along” with the leaders of South Sri Lanka, thereby “selling out” to the latter. If they had any intention to make such compromises, they should have said so in their manifestoes, Wigneswaran argued!
That the accusing finger was pointed at the TNA is clear because most Sri Lankan Tamils elected to representative bodies are from that party. The TNPF had boycotted the Northern Provincial Council and Presidential elections. It is contesting the August parliamentary elections, though.
The TNA’s stand has been that cooperation of the South Lankan Sinhalese parties is necessary to secure Tamils’ rights. That was why it backed Maithripala Sirisena in the January 8 Presidential election. The TNPF, on the other hand, spurns cooperation with the Sinhalese parties and believes that support of the Tamil Diaspora and the West is enough.
The TNA believes that India’s support is necessary, but the TNPF differs. Significantly, Wigneswaran’s statement mentions the need to secure the West’s support, but ignores India.
Observers suspect that the pro-LTTE section of the Tamil Diaspora is propping up TNPF and Wigneswaran. The moderate Diaspora, represented by the Global Tamil Forum, is supporting TNA.
Criticising Wigneswaran’s stand, V.Thanabalasingham, editor of Thinakkural said: “Having won with TNA’s support, Wigneswaran has a moral obligation to support it now. He says he is neutral, but it is clear that he is backing a particular party. His stand has caused confusion in voters’ minds.”
Informed sources told Express that the TNA is contemplating action against Wigneswaran after the elections.