Govt’s muddled thinking
Posted on February 14th, 2016
K. Godage Former Ambassador Courtesy The Island
February 9, 2016, 7:29 pm
To say that we were delighted when the previous government, which was heading towards establishing a totalitarian state was defeated, is an absolute understatement; we were equally happy to learn of the appointment of Mr Mangala Samaraweera as Foreign Minister, for we were aware of the good work he started when he was Foreign Minister for a short time in the first Rajapaksa administration.
We have in this past year followed his ‘performance’; we also concede that he needs to work with a powerful Prime Minister, the PM’s close friends Malik Samarawickrama and Charitha Ratwatte, who have a say in the management of our foreign relations. We must, however, place on record our disappointment at a statement made by him in his speech to the India Society; he appears to have been carried away and let himself down. He appears to have made this statement to please the Indian Foreign Minister, who was due for the Indo-Lanka Joint Commission meeting.
The Minister has stated “these neo fascists seem to see an Indian under every bus (sic) and live in eternal fear of Indians swarming into Sri Lanka. Whenever a bridge over the Palk Strait to connect our two nations is proposed, they get into a paranoid frenzy that all of India is waiting to drive over that bridge and make Sri Lanka their home; when trade agreements are discussed they see swarms of Indian doctors and barbers coming across to flood the Sri Lanka market. Now they claim that their IT specialists are all waiting to come and take the jobs of Sri Lankan engineers”. He describes this as “insecure, reactionary and muddled thinking”.
If at all anyone has exhibited “muddled thinking”, most sadly it is him. It is obvious he has not had the time or perhaps bothered to read the well thought out articles that appeared on the Bridge Issue, and why it was not in the mutual interest, to proceed with this bridge concept; if only he had, he would not have made these statements; in his enthusiasm to cultivate a close relationship with the emerging super power (which we must) he has clearly been carried away; what does he know of the statements made by Tamil Nadu leaders of their attitude and intentions towards our country; their intention and desire to create a Indo-Lanka Confederation! Yes, there are new Panikkars today. Incidentally we are not “neo fascists” as he describes us (as he should know); we are Secular Nationalists who love our country.
Good luck when you meet that suave, charming and brilliant Indian Foreign Minister who is a gift to India, who incidentally made your predecessor run.
K. Godage
Former Ambassador
February 14th, 2016 at 8:34 pm
This author is an anti MR man who writes to the Sri Lanka Guardian, the website run by anti MR guy, whose name escapes me right now. You can find in Google what he has been writing in the past while he was in Malaysia.
February 14th, 2016 at 11:01 pm
Having been “delighted” and “happy” at the “CHANGE” brought about by installation of an anti-MR Govt charged with nepotism, corruption, etc. etc., the appointment of the PM’s good friends Mangala Samaraweera and Malik Samarawickrama, in contrary-wise to all the nepotism allegations against the previous regime, had brought new hope to the author, in that Foreign Policy issues would now not get the regular epithet “Sinhala Neo-Fascists” tagged on to writers who critique or raise questions of genuine concern. He is now having second thoughts, obviously!
It is after all one’s friends who can make criticism and not have the FCID on their doorsteps these days!
February 15th, 2016 at 12:25 pm
What can we expect after 30 plus years of Terrorism finished – a wonderful, liberated, joyful country, full of PATRIOTS from every quarter, loyal and grateful to those who fought for liberating the country of Terrorism ?? Nah, not a happening thing, here or anywhere else in the world.
After the war finished, there still was fear and insecurity. A War Crimes charge was slapped on the MR govt and the Armed Forces through the UNHRC. So, what can we expect from the GoSL then – they HAD TO have checks against lawlessness, or else the situation would have slipped back to terrorism again. They had to protect themselves against FALSE CHARGES TOO. This has been interpreted by the Author of the article as ‘Totalitarianism’. NOT CORRECT. The MR govt checked law breakers and upheld Security needs, ACCORDING TO THE LAW OF THE LAND.
On the contrary, today, the Yahap govt is actually BREAKING THE LAW in various ways, starting with the appointment of Ranil as PM of the country. Pres Sirisena said ‘the west wants it so’. Many other laws have been broken becausee the ‘west & India wants it so’. The country is now governed with a mix of Fascism & Sadism, used under the guise of local investigation of War Crimes etc., for all others who are not in the nest of the Yahap crowd ! Shame and double Shame on the Yahap leaders. The President has been reduced to a minus person (-ms).
Is this the Good Governance promised by the Yahap leaders ? The MR Govt which went with the Law of the Land, was miles better in Governance as well as in delivering the Economy, even though the Economy was measured according to the GDP ONLY, an inaccurate method to measure the wealth & wellbeing of a Nation. The correct method has been used by the UNDP using the Human Development Index, which takes into account the wellbeing of the People as well as the GDP. Measuring only the GDP is one way to make a country look like a Failed State ! These are the issues that have to be addressed. Do not sell off Lanka to foreign countries (India and UK via Tamils, perhaps), on the trumped up Failed State GDP. There will be no going back if this is done.
STOP selling Lanka off to India (Tamil Nadu) & other foreign countries by division of Lanka with a Fed State for Tamils, the Trade Agreement with Perfidious India and Ranil’s Chunnel to Tamil Nadu.
Lanka must be governed by leaders who are truly PATRIOTIC. Then the People will feel SECURE. Then RECONCILIATION will happen. Then PEACE will follow.
The present leaders RW & CBK, & similar Tamil leaders, with a reduced President, are not what we call PATRIOTIC.
February 15th, 2016 at 4:49 pm
Mr. Godage, Here are a couple of articles from Lankaweb which explain clearly why President Mahinda Rajapakse was not a dictator. Please read and you will see that MR was never a dictator.
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2014/11/30/why-mahinda-rajapaksa-is-not-a-dictator/comment-page-1/
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2014/12/03/why-mahinda-rajapaksa-is-not-a-dictator-part-2/