Eraj and yahapalana mirage
Posted on August 19th, 2016
Editorial Courtesy The Island
August 19, 2016, 7:53 pm
Sri Lankans fall for catchy slogans and attractive election promises hook, line and sinker and vote for crafty politicians who get and forget. The late J. R. Jayewardene promised to bring about a righteous society or dharmista samajayak, in 1977 and obtained a steamroller majority, which he abused in every conceivable manner. His dictatorial rule plunged the country into bloodbaths and institutionalised political violence. Corruption and election malpractice became rampant.
JRJ’s successor, Ranasinghe Premadasa, pledged to rid the country of poverty, but it looked as if his government were, instead, intent on eliminating the poor youth, who died violent deaths in their thousands at the hands of the perpetrators of state terrorism during the second JVP uprising. More than one half of people of Colombo still live in slums and shanties! Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, came to power, promising to eliminate dooshanaya and bheeshanaya (corruption and state terrorism). The pledge was reneged on and the two evils flourished under her watch.
Mahinda Rajapaksa promised the masses a bright future of suba anagathayak. He, to his credit, eliminated terrorism, but his second term turned out to be a disaster. It was characterised by corruption, nepotism, abuse of power, violent suppression of political dissent and near lawlessness. Maithripala Sirisena vowed to make a difference and usher in yahapalanaya or good governance.
What we are witnessing is the very antithesis of good governance, to say the least. The present dispensation consists mostly of those who were notorious for their undemocratic acts under the JRJ and Premadasa governments, and the undesirables who were prominent members of the Rajapaksa administration.
As if the number of unsavoury elements already within its ranks were not enough, the so-called unity government keeps causing more and more disgraced Rajapaksa loyalists to switch their allegiance to it.
In a turn of events replete with irony ex- Hambantota Mayor Eraj Fernando has been appointed the SLFP organiser for Beliatta, which is former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s stronghold. Fernando earned notoriety in 2014 by brandishing a small firearm and chasing a group of UNP MPs visiting the Hambantota Harbour and the Mattala Airport. The MPs were roughed up, but they managed to escape. The then President Rajapaksa had the chutzpah to claim that Fernando had been holding a toy pistol! He took the people for suckers and defended the likes of Fernando and Mervyn Silva to the hilt. They enjoyed legal immunity to all intents and purposes and carried out attacks on their rivals at will.
Today, Fernando, Silva and many others of their ilk are members of the yahapalana camp! These turncoats, with government leaders on their side, no longer have to fear the outcome of the court cases against them. An intrepid foreigner who had a row with Silva’s son in Colombo and let the latter taste a knuckle sandwich, in the heyday of the Rajapaksa rule, has reportedly indicated his willingness to come here and seek justice. Let him be thanked for the superb punch, but it will be an utter waste of time, energy and money for him to come all the way here. The present administration is dependent on Silva to ridicule the Joint Opposition and, therefore, he and his son are still above the law.
Rajapaksa surrounded himself with many rogues, who brought about his downfall. With many of them within its ranks the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration needs no enemies. Yahapalanaya has become a mirage.
Checking MR’s bags
Some NGO activists have demanded that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s bags be thoroughly checked when he goes overseas. One cannot but agree with them. Bags of all passengers including Rajapaksa, President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe must be checked.
However, the question is where these NGO members were when LTTE terrorists were given VVIP treatment at the BIA, which they had attacked, and whisked past the Customs without any checks in the name of a ceasefire agreement under the UNP-led UNF government (2001-2004). The terrorist leaders returned with huge bags, which were airlifted by the Sri Lanka Air Force to the Vanni together with them sans any checks. We reported that the airport chief at that time had even hosted a BBQ dinner for the senior LTTE leaders at his official residence.
Will the NGO activists concerned explain why they refrained from calling for checks on the terrorist leaders’ bags?
August 19th, 2016 at 4:15 pm
“The present dispensation consists mostly of those who were notorious for their undemocratic acts under the JRJ and Premadasa governments, and the undesirables who were prominent members of the Rajapaksa administration.”
Perfectly described. End result is a government worse than Rajapaksas, Premadasa and JRJ , with a hint of all 3, leading country to further disaster.
August 20th, 2016 at 2:59 am
Apart from highly commending those who are taking legal action against the treacherous CBK (Chaura Rejina) regarding the defamatory and utter lies she keeps repeating to defame her rivals, legal action should be taken against her for stating that she will definitely devolve more powers to provincial Councils within the new constitution. Does this evil woman CBK think she owns Sri Lanka and that she is the one who is going to draw up the new constitution of Sri Lanka (according to the wishes of the imperialistic US, UK, EU, Canada, Norway, Sweden, India, the racist TNA and the separatist terrorists)? The constitution of Sri Lanka should satisfy first and foremost the majority of people of this island i.e. the Sinhala people and the Sinhala people firstly do not want to draw up a new constitution nor do they want any more powers whatsoever be provided to the provincial councils.
Someone has to go to the supreme court and take action against treacherous CBK for suggesting that she will definitely devolve more powers to provincial councils within the yet to be drawn up constitution since this means the treacherous Ranil, Sirisena, CBK and Mangala have already drawn up a constitution to satisfy the imperialistic US, UK, EU, Canada, Norway, Sweden, India, the racist TNA and the separatist terrorists which is illegal.
Beyond this, this yahapalanaya government, CBK, Sirisena, the JVP, the JHU, Sarath Fonseka and the like are extremely corrupt and are enjoying perks. Rajitha using nine large industrial scale fishing trawlers has made large amounts of money while he was fisheries minister when he should have been improving the state fisheries cooperation not making large amounts of money for himself. P. Harrison has taken a 800 lakhs bribe in a deal selling at a very low price excess rice as chicken feed to India. Yahapalanaya government, CBK, Sirisena, the JVP, the JHU, Sarath Fonseka and the like are extremely corrupt and are enjoying perks such as Pajeros, official vehicles, official residences, Rs.200 lakhs loans, doing deals such as renting buildings for example to house the agricultural ministry at very high rents, two bond scams, paying supporters very high salaries and hiring them as ‘consultants’ who are not really consultants such as at the RDA, the rice mafia of Sirisena brother making massive amounts of money at the expense of poor rice farmers, the coal deals of Champika making yet more massive amounts of money, karunka and copper being imported by UNP ministers without paying any taxes, Pajeros and other vehicles being imported by Ranil and Sirisena without paying any taxes in order to bribe MPs, all these corrupt deals are being done and the country is being betrayed in this way by collecting the required two thirds majority in parliament to ensure that treacherous acts such as the missing persons act are approved by parliament.
All the while valuable infrastructure that should be marketed all over the world such as the Mattala Airport was used for storing rice rather than enticing airlines all over the world to use this airport or at least divert half the airplanes which use Katunayake to Mattala, especially tourist planes.
August 20th, 2016 at 10:41 am
This article says, Mahinda Rajapaksha’s 2nd term was a disaster.Actually, This was wrong it was only the press in western countries and their propaganda publications that said this as they had an agenda to oust Mahinda Rajapaksha as he was not a puppet of western countries, which history has proven they were successful in doing in 2015 sadly. Reality was while Mahinda Rajapaksha wasn’t perfect and he did not do enough to stem corruption in his second term or give a better image. For example his idiot spoilt brat son was always in the news when he bought a flash new car lamborgini or porche etc. The reality is Sri Lanka was moving forward in development in leaps and bounds in his second term. In his second term, Sri Lanka became a more sought after place to live in in the world with growing standards of living. I think in his second term he made Sri Lanka one of the best places in South Asia to live in. It still is, despite the current SL govt. As many of the good works from his time are still there and being used. No wonder expat Sri Lankans during this time returned in their droves With sri lankans in US,UK, Europe and Australia, New Zealand etc. Returning to live in Sri Lanka on a more permanent basis which never happened before. Better roads, building and upgrading new infrastructure that had been left derelict and in a state of disrepair since the times of the British. While MR second term wasn’t perfect by any means it was far from a disaster and was the best leader SL has ever had overall. Yes, the much criticized but highly talented and educated UNP Party cabinet of the 1980s led by JR Jayawardane and his deputy Premadasa did much good things in development and was moving Sri Lanka forward quickly in the the late 1970s and 1980s with the Mahaweli Project, Gam Uduawa and other projects just to name a few, except they failed to wipe out terrorism, which they almost did from Sri Lanka’s soil in 1987, but overall Mahinda Rajapaksha is the best leader Sri Lanka ever had in it history he did a lot of good things and Sri Lanka was moving forward in leaps and bounds to become the wonder of South Asia just a few years ago, while a good chunk of the world was in a global financial crisis and instability since 2007. Had he still been in office Sri Lanka would have moved far ahead still by now. Also he probably would have put an end once and for all to the bogus 40,000 missing persons claims and war crimes charges by the UN etc. Sri Lanka under the current govt seems to resemble more the Sri Lanka of the late 1990s and early 2000s where development slowed or came to a stand still but I guess with the only positive that Sri Lanka now has no war going on and is at peace. Again that too thanks to Mahinda Rajapaksha. His second term wasn’t a disaster. Certainly didn’t warrant losing office in 2015. When Sri Lanka was over all doing well under him. Let me be clear I am not idolising MR. I think all the politicians in SL are corrupt. I am just as an outsider looking in and having visited Sri Lanka on many occasions when he was in office and there was big improvements in Sri lanka every time I visited during his tenure.
August 20th, 2016 at 5:58 pm
As the Lord Buddha has said “Three things cannot be hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth.”
August 20th, 2016 at 7:08 pm
Eraj is not alone.
Sajin Vaas.
Lanza.
That Akuressa man who did horrendous crimes against women.
Ranil the Batalanda mass murderer.
Dumbinda Silva
Mervin Silva
Before the election Sirisena said these people were crooks and he will punish them. Now he is in bed with them!
August 20th, 2016 at 8:38 pm
Lorenzo,
Before the election YOU were in BED with Sirisena and Ranil.
In WHOSE BED are you in NOW?
August 21st, 2016 at 12:03 am
No, I was not in anyone’s bed. Always in my bed. Take another look at the list I gave. Whose bed were they before the election? Go figure.
August 21st, 2016 at 12:25 am
Oi Lorenzo!
Au contraire, you were DEFINITELY Z in Sirisena’s and Ponil’s beds.
To deny that with all LankaWeb readers watching, would make you a VERY BIG LIAR on par with your ex-maximum-leader Aiyooo Sirisena that you now accuse of being the BIGGEST LIAR!
Poor baby, they took you for a ride, eh?
What is the matter, Lorenzo, your fig leaf has slipped!
August 21st, 2016 at 12:30 am
Maru Sira DID take me for a ride along with 6.2 million people and he took MR for a 9 year ride!!