Now that Pradesiya Sabha, Nagara Sabha, Mahanagara Sabha are closed for more than 2 years, Provincial Councils are dis-functioning and the Parliament is destroying the country through illegitimate and unpatriotic legislations
Posted on September 24th, 2017
Dr Sudath Gunasekara. Retired Ministry Secretary and Ex- President Sri Lanka Administrative Services Association 22. 9. 2017
Now that Pradesiya Sabha, Nagara Sabha, Mahanagara Sabha are closed for more than 2 years, Provincial Councils are dis-functioning and the Parliament is destroying the country through illegitimate and unpatriotic legislations at the behest of Western powers and NGOO representing their personal interests,
Why not close down the Parliament also for the following reasons before, this Government makes it permanently irretrievable and irreversible?
1 It is illegally constituted with defeated candidates holding Ministerial positions therefore the Cabinet itself is illegal
2 The Prime Minister was also illegally appointed
3 So is the Leader of the opposition (a man having 6 seats is appointed as the Leader when there is a group of 52 MPP in the JO who actually deserves it as democracy has laid down)
4 MPP do not attend its sessions. It is revealed that attendance is less than 25 %. Even the bribe of Rs 2500 per sitting by Ranil appears to have had no effect
5 So–called elected members in this assembly do not represent the people at all as none of them represent an electorate. They are called district MPP. They have just collected votes all over the districts by dubious mean like bribing. Since people have no representatives it has ceased to be a legitimate body of representative democracy and become a disgrace to the very spirit and concept of democracy
6 The MPP don’t represent the people who elected them, instead they only carry out he agendas of their real maters in the West and India
7 MPP have ceased to be the representatives of the people, they are only puppets in the hands of the party hierarchies; the parliament on the other hand ceased to be the supreme legislature of the country, and since it represents the interest of the West and India, foreign funded and manipulated NGOO the Parliament has virtually got reduced to be a mere puppet of these elements. Therefore the Parliament is only a mere rubber stamp of those foreign interests serving their interests by leasing and selling national assets. The electors who have put them there is now a forgotten lot
8 It has ceased to be the supreme body of the country making laws long time ago. Today it has virtually turned in to a disgraceful Mariyakade Malukade, rampant with catcalling, bull fighting and obscene visual displays
9 Today under this Government it has been reduced to a mere contracting agency of the Colonial West, NGOO the Tamil Diaspora and the minorities for its survival
10 It also makes legislation through dubious means for the betterment of Politicians only and never for the good of the country or the people who have voted them in to power to get their problems solved. This trend started in 1977 with the election of the UNP in to power
Now look at the following legislations it has enacted in the recent past.
1 Act No 1 of 1977 Pension rights for the MPP after 5 year that was extended later to their spouses as well. This was the priority no 1 of the then UNP Govt., whereas it was not even mentioned in the manifesto of that Government. This privilege was given to them after 5 years and it was a gross violation of the Govt pension minute whereas a professional public servant is qualified for a pension only after 30 years of service of hard work.
2 Setting up Ministers personal staff units of 25 Officers with a Private Secretary (Wife, son, daughter or an in-law) with another Public Relations Officer, Media Officer and Coordinating Secretary named by the Minister from outside the Public Service with facilities like Official vehicles with drivers etc. All these were recruited outside the public service. They were also made pensionable after 5 years like the politicians
3 Almost all the Amendments to the 1978 Constitution up to date were made for their benefit and survival, most of them were made on flimsy grounds like keeping a defeated MP in Parliament (Pilapiya) or to legitimize a crossing over or to take in defeated candidates through the National list 14th Amendment. The same could be said of the 16th 18th A and the 19th as well. The 20th A is the latest political manipulation designed to postpone the Local and Provincial Elections.
4 Again have a look at the enormous salary increases of politicians, sitting allowance from 500 to 2500, increases in various other allowance culminating in the latest 100,000 for an Office as if they don’t have a house to live where they can have the offices and what is more is as if they run an office at all, Then the fleet of vehicles with drivers and fuel for all politicians Official residences foreign pleasure trips and duty free vehicle permits worth Rs 20 to 80 million every five years enabling them to sell and make money We all know what they do with these facilities and the nefarious activities they are involved in with these facilities at the expense of the tax payer. To name a few attending weddings for attesting, funerals, functions in temples, schools, sport meets, opening ceremonies of what others have started (very often), and the latest holding the longest wedding saree (As the chief Minister was seen doing last week end in Kandy) where he had ordered 250 School girls of Alawatugoda named after him as reported in newspapers.
This is not an exhaustive list as you all know. The tragedy is all this is done at public expense with zero benefit to them. Are these the duties expected out of these politicians is my question? Number of Politicians has increased 15 by 20 fold, so are the institutions and public servants and their privileges. Sri Lanka has the biggest cabinet in the world. The Parliament, Provincial councils and all other political institutions are alarmingly overstaffed. Public sector staff is also equally gone up. It is said that today every sixteen people have one public servant. But in all these spheres compared with the expenditure the return to the country is almost nil. This is the tragedy we are appalled with. Imagine a country with so many Ministers, politicians and public servants now rests at the bottom of poverty in Asia where as it had the highest per capita income in 1948 when we got Independence.
So much so today our Parliament that was once the supreme legislative body of the country has got reduced to a den of monkeys as H.L Mencken once has said and it has virtually become a mere den of power hungry and self-seeking thieves, thugs and rogues who have no concern or love for the country. Their only concern is personal aggrandizement, wealth and power. They bleed the nation to virtual death with sky high taxes both direct and indirect for their power and their un-satiable comforts perhaps putting the masses in to similar or even worse situation than that was their in pre revolution time France in the 18th Century where the rulers had everything before them but the masses had nothing.
So much so today this den of monkeys called the Parliament has virtually got reduced to a mere den of thieves and rogues robing and slaughter tapping the whole nation by extractive an bleeding taxes both direct and indirect with no concern for the suffering masses.
So in sum our Parliament is a big fraud and a classic joke. Keeping it opened is only a colossal wastage of the tax payer’s money amounting to billions every day for a no return situation and it is only a mighty and unbearable burden to the country. It has ceased to perform any useful function especially to the country for the past 2 years. As H.L.Mencken said it has become a mere monkey cage from where the circus called Democracy – the art of deceiving the people is run.
For the past two year its performance is appalling, disgusting and alarming. While it has violated the Constitution which is expected to be protected and upheld for more than 15 times it has passed laws only to suppress the opponents, put them behind bars and enrich the purses of those who are in power and their cronies. The best example is the Central Bank robbery.
Therefore I call upon all responsible patriotic citizens of this country, especially the Mahasangha, who were once dubbed as the Muradevatavo of this Island nation, the intellectuals and legal luminaries both at home and abroad who love this country to rise up to the occasion and save this sacred institution or start a vigorous agitation to close down the Parliament before, this Government makes the situation permanently irretrievable and irreversible?
September 24th, 2017 at 11:44 pm
I think what is happening in parliament is the enactment of prearranged drama. The auctioning of the dirt eaters have taken place outside and they act in accordance to the whims and fancies of their financiers.
It is time that the Muradevathavos convene and put and end to this farcical thing called parliament, if not these people will damage the country irrevocably.
September 25th, 2017 at 12:35 am
I think we can do without these sabas as they are a waste of space and money of us the taxpayers.I don’rt see the absurd escorted vehicles of these scoundrels who just wasted our money and did nothing for the people.
Even the parliament has to be abolished and allow the hard working CEO to run the country with the Handiunnetthi type keep an eye and look after the interest of the helpless people.
They system is too corrupt to repair and we need out side help to put it right.
One example is my foreign born wife and I had a NRFC premium account which was there for 20 years and now the government is restricting my wife to own the account jointly because she is not a resident of SL,nut suppose to be for non residents the NRFC is.
This crooked government is now desperate to grab money at any cost and I am in the process of closing my accounts and sell my investments.Can’t meet the local MP perhaps doing some deals without serving his people.Yesterday the cops fined my driver for parking on the road by the kandy hospital where there’s no street sign indicating any parking restrictions and they will do what they like because the people at the top do what they like with our lives.we are going back to the medieval times unless some outsiders read the riot act on our leaders.
September 25th, 2017 at 1:32 am
DEVOLUTION of National Power to ANY local UNIT, Province or District is DANGEROUS to the territorial integrity and stability of Sri Lanka, and SHOULD BE AVOIDED.
In thee past, I have advocated REPLACING Provinces with Districts for ADMINISTRATIVE purposes under the control of the central National Government, and NOT as an ELECTORAL UNIT exercising DEVOLVED POWER to ELECTED local officials. The latter is fraught with danger given the separatism running rampant in our country as amply demonstrated by the recently concluded 30-year separatist war.
In my view, these Districts would be Administrative Units of the National Government, administered by a District Governor APPOINTED by the National Government and reporting to the EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT of the country, much like the Government Agents of the British Raj. They left no avenues for rebellions, and neither should we.
To enable less populous Districts to have more influence on the National Government than their populations warrant and currently deliver through Parliamentary Electorates, we can CREATE A SENATE as the Second Chamber of the Parliament with ONE Senator ELECTED from each District. The House of Commons would initiate Legislation, but such legislation must be approved by the new Senate as well.
The post of a Vice-President can be created, and he can Preside over the Senate much as the Speaker presides over the House.
In such a scenario, Majority and Minority Leaders of the House and Senate would lead the business of the House and Senate.
The post of Prime Minister would be REDUNDANT in such a system, and SHOULD BE ELIMINATED.
Thus, we should
1. PRESERVE the GREATER STABILITY and capability to PROTECT SOVEREIGN INTERESTS of the Nation offered by an EXECUTIVE PRESIDENCY,
2. ELIMINATE the CENTRIFUGAL TENDENCIES introduced by DEVOLUTION of ELECTORAL power to SEPARATISM PRONE local regions by TOTALLY ELIMINATING sub-national devolution of power. REPEAL 13-A and DISSOLVE the Provincials Councils!
3. ENABLE greater balance between populous and less-populous Districts through the Senate, and
4. ELIMINATE ONCE and FOR ALL the current TUG-OF-WAR between an increasingly powerless figurehead President and an ambitious power-hungry Prime Minister unable to get elected as President, but hell-bent on advancing his own anti-national political agenda that is UNACCEPTABLE to the GREAT MAJORITY of CITIZENS of our country.
September 25th, 2017 at 1:57 am
“Minister of Justice and Foreign Employment, Thalatha Athukorala said that the aim of the government was to send more skilled workers to foreign countries for employment
WHAT BLOODY POPPYCOCK and ARRANT NONSENSE!
The National AIM should be tto RETAIN VOLUNTARILY our Skilled WORKERS at HOME to HELP BUILD our own country!
The AIM is NOT TO EXPORT our Skilled Workers ABROAD to earn Foreign Exchange to buy MORE Luxury SUV’s for POLITICOS, and then TURN AROUND and PLEAD LACL of Skilled Workers and IMPORT them from other countries such as Indians under the ETCA!
Keep our SKILLED WORKERS at HOME, train them more, surround them with PRODUCTIVITY ENHANCING modern tools and equipment, and ENABLE them to LIVE among their people in their OWN MOTHERLAND!
DON’T set up a SCHEME to PERMANENTLY DISPLACE & REPLACE THEM with IMMIGRANT SETTLERS WORKERS from FOREIGN COUNTRIES!
Have we NOT LEARNED ENOUGH from the IMPORTATION of Tamil Estate Laborers from India and the current INFLUX of Chinese Workersfrom China?
We are DESTROYING our own INDIGENNOUS Sri Lankan Communities!
BY GOD, this ASININE WATTIAMMA “Minister” should be TARRED, FEATHERED and CHASED ALL THE WAY HOME to scrape coconuts in her kitchen!
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More Sri Lankan skilled workers go abroad for work
Mon, Sep 25, 2017, 01:10 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Sept 25, Colombo: Minister of Justice and Foreign Employment, Thalatha Athukorala said that the aim of the government was to send more skilled workers to foreign countries for employment and it has been successful.
According to the Foreign Employment Bureau statistics, during the past eight months from January to August 2017 the female percentage went abroad was 31.4 percent relative to the male migrant workers.
She also pointed out that the through sending more skilled workers for employment opportunity has risen now to increase the foreign exchange earned.
Accordingly, in the first eight months of this year 141,725 Sri Lankan migrant workers went abroad for work. Out of the total 48,374 were female migrant workers and 93,351 were males.
Most of the migrant workers numbering 42,389 were from the Western Province while the lowest number of migrant workers were from the Uva Province totaling 3,994.
During this period 37,002 housemaids have gone abroad while most of the migrant workers have been employed in Qatar.
In the year 2016, the total number of migrant workers was 242,838, of which 160,320 were males. The number of female workers is 82518. Accordingly, 33.9 percent were female workers in comparison to male workers. Most of the migrant workers numbering 63,307 have been sent to Saudi Arabia.
In 2011, 73,226 housemaids have been employed in foreign countries and 65,023 female migrant workers have gone overseas for work in 2016. The number of unskilled migrant workers has declined gradually during the five year-period.
The number of women traveling for other professional jobs has increased. Accordingly, 17,429 women have gone abroad for professional employment in 2015 and 17,495 are engaged in professional jobs outside the country in 2016.
All migrant workers who register with the Bureau of Foreign Employment prior to their departure will be able to enjoy the benefits provided by the government, the Minister said. The Bureau awards scholarships to the children of the registered migrant workers and the workers will also receive a free life insurance policy, the Ministers said.
September 25th, 2017 at 3:03 am
Provincial Councils are dis-functioning – except in NPC ( We call Saiva TE ) & EPC ( We call Muslim TE).
September 26th, 2017 at 10:55 pm
Yesterday, the following report on the “rescue” by the SL Navy, and accommodation of a group of Rohingya Muslims in Mount Lavinia was published.
This move was PROTESTED AGAINST by a group of PATRIOTS led by Buddhist Monks, who are quite predictably, being cast as “heartless” and “communal”.
This is a PLANNED OPERATION by LOCAL MUSLIMS hell-bent on transforming Sri Lankan into yet another outpost of the Islamic Caliphate!
About two weeks ago I published at Lankaweb, a comment COOMMENDING our otherwise PARA-GATHI AGA-MATHI Ranil Wikunanasinghe for his stand against accepting and admitting Rohingya Mulsim refugees into Sri Lanka on any PRETEXT!
Like ALL of Wikunanasinghe’s other ACTIONS, EVEN THIS STAND AGAINST admitting tRohingya Muslims into our country has now BEEN PROVED by this event as a COMPLETE FALSEHOOD!
ALL of this is ORCHESTRATED and IMPLEMENTED by UNPATRIOTIC elements while this BLIND, DEAF and DUMB Yamapalanaya LOOKS ON APPROVINGLY!
Sri Lanka CANNOT EVEN PROTECT its own Borders under this DESHADROHI Yamapalanaya!
Sinhalayeni ….. OUST this Yamapalanaya NOW …. they CANNOT BE TRUSTED to PROTECT OUR INTERESTS!
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Buddhist monks led mob attacks Rohingya refugees in Sri Lanka
Tue, Sep 26, 2017, 08:40 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Sept 26, Colombo: A mob led by a group of extremist Buddhist monks today stormed a United Nations safe house for Rohingya refugees in a suburb of Sri Lanka capital on Tuesday (Sept 26) forcing the authorities to take the refugees under police custody.
The police have taken the group of 30 Rohingya refugees, who were staying at a safe house of UNHRC in Mount Lavinia until their resettlement, under their custody.
Police Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara said the group of refugees including 16 children and 7 women arrived from Myanmar were taken into custody for their protection after the group of monks protested against their stay in the country.
The Buddhist monks led mob broke down gates and entered the walled multi-storied compound. The monks claiming the refugees are Muslim terrorists who killed Buddhist monks in Myanmar urged the mob to smash the premises as the women huddled with their children, AFP reported
Sri Lanka Navy rescued the 30 Rohingya refugees on 30 April this year after they were found drifting in a boat in Sri Lankan waters off the coast of Kankasanthurai.
The refugees were initially detained at the Mirihana Detention Centre until a court ordered to hand them over to UNHCR last month. The UNHRC in Sri Lanka had detained them at the safe house in Mount Lavinia.