ලසිත දුමින්ද උපුටා ගැන්ම දිවයින

රටට ආදරයක්‌ තිබේනම් යෝජිත නව ආණ්‌ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්‌ථාවට විරුද්ධව ඡන්දය ප්‍රකාශ කරන ලෙසට ශ්‍රී ලංකා නිදහස්‌ පක්‍ෂ මන්ත්‍රීවරුන්ගෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටින බව ඇල්ලේ ගුණවංශ හිමියෝ පැවැසූහ.
 
 ‘ලංකාව ඔරුමිත්තනාඩුවක්‌ නොකරනු – බෙදුම්වාදී ව්‍යවස්‌ථා එපා’ යන තේමාව  යටතේ තුම්මුල්ල සම්බුද්ධත්ව ජයන්ති මන්දිරයේ ඊයේ (27 වැනිදා) සංවිධානය කර තිබූ මාධ්‍ය හමුවකදී උන්වහන්සේ එසේ ප්‍රකාශ කළහ.
 
 රට වෙනුවෙන් කතා කරන චරිත ජාතිවාදීන් ලෙස නම් කර ඇතැයි පැවැසූ උන්වහන්සේ ජාතිවාදී වචනය ගෙනැත් තිබෙන්නේ කාලකන්නි දේශපාලනඥයන් යෑයි ද සඳහන් කළහ.
 
 වරදාන ලබා ගැනීමේ අරමුණින් රට පාවා නොදෙන ලෙසට ශ්‍රී ලංකා නිදහස්‌ පක්‍ෂයේ ඇමැතිවරුන්ගෙන් සහ ගමේ සුවඳ හඳුනන එක්‌සත් ජාතික පක්‍ෂ ඇමැතිවරුන්ගෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටින බව ද ඇල්ලේ ගුණවංශ හිමියෝ පැවැසූහ.
 
 මේ වන විට හිතාගන්න බැරි අන්දමට විශාල මුදල් ප්‍රමාණයක්‌ රට තුළ සංසරණය වන බව ද, මුදලට රට සහ ජාතිය පාවානොදෙන ලෙසට සියලුම දේශපාලනඥයන්ගෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටින බව ද උන්වහන්සේ ප්‍රකාශ කළහ.

හිටපු ජනාධිපති මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා ජාත්යන්තර බෞද්ධ හා සංස්කෘතික සම්මේලනයක ප්රධාන ආරාධිත දේශනයකට සහභාගිවීමට අද (28 දා) ඉන්දියාවේ මහාරාෂ්ඨ ප්රාන්තය බලා පිටත්ව ගියේය.

ඉන්දියාවේ මහාරෂ්ඨ ප්රාන්තයේ, අවුරංගබාත් නගරයේ බෞද්ධ හා සංස්කෘතිය පිළිබඳ ජාත්යන්තර බෞද්ධ සම්මේලනය මගින් මෙම ආරාධනය කර ඇත.

අවුරංගබාත් නගරයද ඒ අවට මහාරාෂ්ඨ ප්රාන්තය ප්‍රදේශයද ඉන්දියාවේ බෞද්ධයින් වැඩි දෙනෙක් ජීවඉත්වන ප්‍රදෙශයකි.

අවුරංගබාත් නගරයද ඒ අවට මහාරාෂ්ඨ ප්රාන්තය ප්‍රදේශයද ඉන්දියාවේ බෞද්ධයින් වැඩි දෙනෙක් ජීවඉත්වන ප්‍රදෙශයකි. මෙම නගරය ඉන්දියාවේ බෞද්ධ පුරාවස්තු කේන්ද්‍රයක් වන අජන්තා පුරාන විහාර පද්ධතියට නොදුරින් පිහිටා ඇත.

තෙදින සංචාරයක් සඳහා මහාරාෂ්ඨ ප්රාන්තය බලා පිටත්ව යන හිටපු ජනාධිපතිවරයා සමඟ මහාචාර්ය ජී. එල්. පීරිස් මහතාද සහභාගි විය.

By : A.A.M.NIZAM – MATARA                     

Double tongued Tamil slavish Sirisena who denies in the South what he says in the North and says in the North whatever that pleases the Tamls and denies to the Maha Sangha and the people of the South of steps being taken to bring a new constitution has told in Qatar that due to the freedom and democracy existing in Sri Lanka many people use the internet to project a wrong picture about the new constitution that is being formulated.   In Sri Lanka.  Having examined the views of the Maha Sangha, other religious dignitries and prominent prominent personalities belonging to other communities in Part V of this article, let us now examine the comments made by the former President Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa on the proposed constitutuon.

The former President Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa said the government did not receive a mandate to repeal the existing Constitution. In a special statement issued commenting on some of the key proposals that have been made in the Steering Committee report he states the following:

The constitutional reform pledges made at the last presidential election was restricted to changing the system of elections and abolishing the executive presidential system. This government never received a mandate to repeal and replace the existing constitution. We are completely opposed to the following proposals made in the interim report of the Steering Committee of the Constitutional Assembly.

“It has been proposed that the Sinhala word ‘ekeeya’ be retained in the Sinhala version of the proposed new constitution, while the English word ‘unitary’ will be dropped from the English version together with the conceptual framework it denotes. Thus the local population will be under the impression that Sri Lanka still remains a unitary state, but in the eyes of the international community, we will be considered a country that has relinquished unitary status. That such chicanery can even be contemplated is indicative of the mentality of the people driving this constitutional reform process.

“The intent behind these reforms is made clear by the proposal in page four that the northern and eastern provinces be considered one province. Furthermore it has been proposed that the territory of Sri Lanka which is described in Article 5 of the present Constitution as consisting of the 25 administrative districts named in the relevant Schedule, be instead described in terms of an unspecified number of provinces named in a Schedule rather than the specific number of districts – which gives an indication of the intent behind these proposals.

“It has been proposed to devolve to the provinces all powers and functions that can be carried out at the level of the province on the basis of the principle of ‘subsidiarity’. It is on the basis of a similar conceptual framework that the separatists have been agitating for an independent state in the northern and eastern provinces since 1972.

“Once powers are devolved to the provinces on the basis of ‘subsidiarity’, it has been proposed that Parliament should not have the power (even with a two thirds majority) to make any changes to that arrangement without the consent of each and every provincial unit. It has also been proposed that Parliament should not have the power to legislate into law, national standards and national policies without the consent of the proposed second chamber of parliament which would consist mostly of representatives of the provincial units. Furthermore it has been proposed that the list of concurrent powers which confers a certain leadership role on the central government be abolished and those powers also be transferred to the provinces. In addition to all that, the implementation of certain matters coming under the central government is to be assigned to the provinces, thus greatly reducing the role of the central government as befits a federal system.

“The executive powers of the provincial Governors are to be transferred to the provincial boards of ministers and the Governors are to carry out their duties on the advice of the former to the extent where the Governor will not have the authority even to inform the central government of an emergency situation that has arisen in a province without instructions from the chief minister. Furthermore the time given to the Governors and thereafter to the President to either assent to a provincial statute or refer it to the Supreme Court for a determination on its constitutionality is to be fixed at two weeks and upon the expiry of this period, the statute would automatically be considered to have received executive assent. This will severely restrict the ability of the Central government to control the provinces. Sri Lanka’s system of devolution has been borrowed from India. According to Article 201 of the Indian Constitution, the President of India has a veto power over any law passed by a state – a power the President of Sri Lanka never had. Therefore we cannot agree to a further reduction of the powers of the central government over the provinces.

“It has been proposed that land powers which belong to the central government under the provisions of the present constitution and the relevant Supreme Court judgments, be transferred to the provinces. Thereafter if the central government makes a request to obtain a state land coming under the provincial councils and the request is turned down, the matter will be referred first to arbitration and thereafter to the proposed constitutional court. In stark contrast to this in India, if the central government requires land in a state, it can be acquired regardless of the consent or otherwise of the state government concerned. Hence no change should be made in the land powers under the present constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court.

“It has been proposed to set up a second chamber in parliament with 45 of its 55 members being representatives of the provincial councils. The purpose of this body is to give the provincial representatives a veto power over the law making powers of parliament by making a two thirds majority in the second chamber mandatory to amend the constitution. According to Article 249 of the Indian Constitution, the Rajya Sabha can by a resolution passed with a two thirds majority, confer on Parliament the power to govern one or all of the states. Subject to its renewal each year, this arrangement can be continued for as long as is necessary. This is one of the main constitutional safeguards put in place to preserve the territorial integrity of India. Unless it is vested with powers analogous to Article 249 of the Indian Constitution, a second chamber of Parliament would not be necessary in Sri Lanka.

“Even though the number of MPs to be elected on the proportional representation system which favours minor parties has been increased to 40%, it has nevertheless been proposed to create small constituencies and multi member constituencies to ensure the representation of various communities. It has also been proposed that an additional number of seats be allocated to the northern province on the basis that those who went overseas due to the war and have not returned after the war ended are displaced people. Making changes to the system of elections so as to promote ethnic and religion based politics is counterproductive. It has also been proposed that the base for electing MPs on the proportional representation system be changed from the district to the province – which is another way of promoting federalism.

“The reason why this latest set of proposals does not mention police powers even though it was mentioned in the earlier documents released by the Constitutional Assembly, could be because the provisions needed to divide the police service into nine units already exist in dormant form in Appendix I of the Ninth schedule of our Constitution due to the 13th Amendment. We believe the national police force should continue to function countrywide as it does at present. Appendix I of the Ninth Schedule of the present Constitution should therefore be amended to suit the prevailing practical reality.

“There are many other unacceptable provisions in these latest constitutional reform proposals such as; the proposal to abolish the constitutional jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and to confer it on a special constitutional court, various proposals to imbue the prime minister with the characteristics of a president after the executive presidency is abolished, and restrictions on dissolving parliament for a given period following an election etcetera. However we have not commented on such matters here because they are not immediately relevant to what we see as the main objective of these constitutional proposals.

“Even though a proposal has been made to amend Article 9 of the present Constitution which accords the foremost place to Buddhism, it is clear that this is not one of the yahapalana government’s actual priorities at this point in time. Analysts have opined that this proposal to amend Article 9 has been brought in so that it can be abandoned at the last moment in a seeming compromise to mislead the Maha Sangha. Another such proposal which can be abandoned in a seeming compromise so as to mislead the majority community, without doing any harm to the ultimate constitutional objectives of the yahapalana government is the proposal to include in Article 7, the Tamil version of the national anthem.

“The interim report thus includes several provisions which can be abandoned at the last moment as bargaining points. Everyone knows that the yahapalana government has mastered the art of constitutional and legal deception and dissimulation. The objective of the yahapalana government at this point in time, is not to change the provisions relating to Buddhism or the national anthem but to change the structure of the Sri Lankan state from unitary to federal. The purpose of these constitutional proposals is to meet commitments made to the local and international forces that helped them to capture power in January 2015. The proposed constitutional reforms if implemented will put in place the legal and conceptual framework needed to have in Sri Lanka a Kurdistan or Catalonia style referendum for independence at a future date.

“The vast majority of the Tamil and Muslim people live outside the northern and eastern provinces. Therefore, the carving out of federal units based on ethnicity or religion and the conferring of sweeping powers on such units should never take place in this country. My request to the government is that they abandon this destructive proposal for a new constitution tand to bring forward proposals to implement the original constitutional pledges they made.”

As Mr. Rajapaksa has pointed out the Maha Sangha and the people should be very cautious about the tricks being made by this cheating government to mislead the Maha Sangha and the people in respect of Articles 9 and 7 and attempts being envisaged to display bogus compromises and there by dilute the opposition to the whole constitution package.  They perhaps may take these measures to make double tounged Tamil slavish Sirisena to claim that they are fully democratic and oblige to people’s demands while granting federalism, devolution, and self rule through the backdoor. This despicable government could also adopt the proposed constitution something similar to the way they cheated the people in respect of the Supreme Court ruling on the proposed 20^th amendment by incorporating its crucial clauses of the envisaged amendment on the sly in the Provincial Council Election (Amendment) Act making the TNA and excessively bribed JVP to vote with them.  Speculation in the grapevine said that the JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake received Rs. 300 Million, all Tamil diaspora money. The Islamd” editorial of 25th October pointd out the original Bill had only one page containing four sections. By the time it was steamrollered through Parliament, it had as many as 21 pages. The government leaders had smuggled 27 sections into it at the committee stage so as to circumvent a Supreme Court ruling.

Meanwhile,the former President has decided to lead the joint opposition team against the steering committee proposals when it comes for debate in the Parliament.

Bar Council of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, the highest body of the legal fraternity of Sri Lanka at a special meeting held on 23rs October resolved to express its grave concern about the proposed amendments to Articles 1 and 2 of the present Constitution.

The Bar Council also noted that proposed amendments in the Interim Report of the Constitutional Assembly of Sri Lanka had the effect of converting the Unitary character of the State to a Federal structure.

The Bar Council resolved to write to the government, urging it to respond precisely and with clarity to inter-alia the following questions:

1. What is the need/requirement for a new Constitution?
2. a) Will Sri Lanka continue to be Unitary?
3. b) If so, what [in brief] is the concept of a Unitary State?
4. What powers will be devolved on the Provinces?
5. a) Can the Central Government/ Parliament get back such powers if necessary?
6. b) if so, in what manner?
7. In appropriate circumstances, would the President have the power to exercise direct rule in the Provinces?
8. Will the Executive Presidency be abolished?
9. a) What would be the Court structure?
10. Will there be a Constitutional Court?
11. If so, how are the Judges to that Court to be appointed?
12. a) How are Judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal appointed?

8) i. Will there be criteria for such appointment?

1. If so, what are they?
2. How will the judges of the Superior Courts be removed?
3. Will all Judges of the District Courts and Magistrates Courts throughout the country be appointed by the Judicial Services Commission and will their transfers and discipline subject only to the judicial Services?

11.a. What are the Fundamental Rights that would be justiciable?

1. In what Courts would the Rights be justiciable?
2. Would the Courts have the power [up to a limited period of time] to review legislation if inconsistent with the Constitution?

The  BASL communique issued regarding the Bar Council Special meeting was signed by its President U.R. De Silva, PC.

The Bar Council has been forced to take this stance as they being professionals in legal matters have sensed the imminent danger being persued by the government in despicably changing the legal foundations and safeguards in this country on the behest of foreign elements.

(To be continued)

Senaka Weeraratna

An expanded version of the Opening Address of Welcome from Senaka Weeraratna, Chapter Leader, Dharma Voices for Animals (DVA) Colombo, Sri Lanka Chapter delivered at the 2nd Asian Buddhist Animal Rights Conference held in Colombo on October 26, 2017.

Most Venerable Aggamaha Pandita Kotugoda Dhammawasa Mahanayake Thera, and Venerable members of the Maha Sangha, Hon.Speaker, Mr. Bob Isaacson, President of Dharma Voices for Animals and Chapter Leaders of Dharma Voices for Animals, President of the Anagarika Dharmapala Humanitarian Foundation, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.

On behalf of the Dharma Voices for Animals, Colombo Chapter, being a Jt. Convenor together with the Anagarika Dharmapala Humanitarian Foundation, of this 2nd Asian Buddhist Animal Rights Conference, I welcome you all to this unique occasion. It is unique because we are gathered here not to discuss problems affecting members of our species, which are what almost all meetings of humans tend to discuss but to focus attention on the plight of other species that we humans share this planet with. It is this aspect which makes this gathering extraordinary.

It is a conference not to discuss the commercial exploitation of animals under the seemingly inoffensive terms such as animal husbandry, livestock industry, inland fisheries, goat farming, cattle farming and the like, but to direct attention to their suffering on a mind boggling scale mostly at the hands of humans that can no longer be treated as a closed book. We take great pride in the progress of civilization in regard to human rights but we have failed to maintain ethical coherence when it comes to our treatment of the other eight million species that inhabit this planet with us. We place high value on human life but almost zero value on non – human animal life. All our pretences to be civilized are put to shame by our double standards and sheer hypocrisy.

This big gap must be bridged. This Conference is a step forward in that direction.

The main objectives of this Conference are:

1) To promote DVA’s Sri Lanka Project which calls on all Buddhists to refrain from harming animals and become vegetarian or vegan
2) To require all Buddhists to become vegetarian or vegan for at least one day per week and forego flesh foods in the month celebrating vesak
3) To appeal to Buddhist clergy to consume a vegetarian/vegan diet while calling on the public to serve only plant-based food as dana to clergy.
4) To call for a ban on cattle slaughter.
5) To call for the enactment of the Animal Welfare Bill without further delay.

This Conference has two main platforms:

1) To draw attention to animal suffering, and
2) To work out remedies including personal transformation through change of diet by humans to reduce such suffering.

In this context it must be mentioned that in 2015 after evaluating more than 800 case studies the World Health Organization (WHO) gave its verdict on the cancer risks of red and processed meat. It is alarming to note that processed meat is now being classified as a ‘definite’ cause of cancer, and red meat being identified as a ‘probable’ cause.

In the wake of these findings it has therefore become a matter of urgency for all concerned people to take active steps to promote a vegetarian/ vegan diet. Buddhists in particular must set the example because Buddhism by and large recognises animal rights more than any other religion except Jainism. Buddhism holds that all life forms are sacred.

The Buddhist first precept

“I undertake to abstain from taking life.” can be given also an implied and pro active meaning ‘I undertake to save lives in danger from abuse and slaughter’ . This is exactly what the Buddha did in his time. He walked from Devale to Devale asking people to cease killing animals by way of animal sacrifice.

The first precept is not only about abstaining from taking life but it can also be interpreted to contain an implied calling to save lives in danger. Buddhism opposes all forms of animal exploitation. Killing of animals for food is contrary to Buddhist teaching. Kill and eat is not a Buddhist principle.

Greed, craving and desire to eat meat constitute a mental defilement. To eat meat without bothering to consider its true source is not right mindfulness. Kindness and compassion, and craving for meat cannot go together.

When the celebrated Russian writer Leo Tolstoy said ‘As long as there are slaughter houses there will always be battlefields”, he was merely echoing in different language what the Buddha had said in the Sutta Nipata 2, 600 years ago, Of old there were only three diseases -desire, want of food, and decay. Owing to the killing of the cattle, there sprang ninety-eight diseases.” (Suttanipata: 2:7:27-30:)

Wars, ethnic and religious riots and other forms of related human unrest and violence are collective karmic results of generated hatred when group-slaughtered animals, which die in great fear and hatred, are reborn as humans. Moreover the pain vibrations of dying animals are not without adverse consequences for humanity.

For hundreds of thousands of years

the stew in the pot has brewed hatred and resentment

that is difficult to stop.

If you wish to know why there are disasters of armies and weapons in the world,

listen to the piteous cries from the slaughterhouse at midnight.”

-Ancient Chinese Verse translated by Gold Mountain Monastery Staff

An Indian Scientist, Dr. Madan Mohan Bajaj in his book ‘A New Approach’ claims that the slaughtering of innocent animals and their cries before death is responsible for a large number of natural disasters such as Earthquakes e.g. Gadhimai Festival in Nepal in 2014 where over 500,000 head of cattle were slaughtered brutally was followed shortly afterwards by a Nepali Earthquake in April 2015 that killed nearly 9,000 people and injured nearly 22,000.

The daily butchering of thousands of animals continually for several years generates acoustic anisotropy due to Einsteinian Pain Waves (EPW) emitted by dying animals. And the accumulated acoustic anisotropy is found to be related to the stress history of rocks.

The French Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard in a recent article ‘ A Plea for the Animals’ explains the double standard of humans by use of the expression ‘ Cognitive dissonance ’.” You split your mind. You do terrible things to others including animals and play the role of good father at home on the other”. He says ‘if you keep on being ethically incoherent there is something in you that is not being healthy, that undermines your flourishing. It is not physically and mentally healthy to have this deep incoherence”

Public Policy in Sri Lanka

It is a national shame that the Animal Welfare Bill which the Law Commission released in 2006 is still languishing in the pipeline without any single Political party making a concerted effort to ensure its enactment. Both main rival political camps in the country are fighting shy to better the lives of animals though law reform providing greater protection and care. Animals have no votes and therefore they fail to get into the radar of public policy making except in the instances of commercial exploitation.

We must re – fashion public policy to be animal friendly like in the pre-colonial era. The Mahavamsa and the Chulavamsa provides specific examples of how Sinhala Kings cared for animals worthy of being recorded in historical chronicles as good meritorious deeds.

The concept of Justice in the Sinhala Legal Heritage was much wider than the idea of Justice rooted in the western legal tradition because it included protection of animals not only from mere cruelty.

The challenge we face is to revive Buddhist values that save lives. The view that animals are there to serve human ends even at the expense of their lives is not part of Buddhist teaching.

Heavy emphasis is placed on the idea of Reconciliation. It is the Buzz word. Why should it be confined to members of only one species? Ideally speaking Reconciliation in a Buddhistic sense must apply across the Board. Humans have been engaged in wrong doing since time memorial to other species. The least we can do is to apologise to them in the form of a catharsis though their lives cannot be restored. We are today still struggling to achieve accountability for wrongs done to various groups by more powerful forces by way of intra – species accountability. The day is not far off when there will be calls for inter – species accountability as part of ethical co – herence.

Bar Association of Sri Lanka

The legal profession especially in Sri Lanka must become proactive in the animal rights field. A life of an animal is dear to it as much as it is to us humans. It is not only a moral or ethical issue. It is also very much a Justice issue. Animals are the most inhumanely treated and victimized members of our moral community.

No lawyer worth his salt can deny this plain simple fact. To do otherwise is to draw attention to one’s insensitivity towards others or lack of a true sense of justice.

I call on the Bar Association of Sri Lanka to join us in demanding the enactment of the Animal Welfare Bill. Its deafening silence on Animal related issues including inhumane killing of stray dogs does no good to its overall image. The world is changing to accommodate animals even in national constitutions. Sri Lanka too must march forward with the times.

Public commissions of Inquiry are established at the drop of a hat in Sri Lanka to probe every conceivable alleged wrong doing except in the case of heinous crimes committed on animals e.g. slaughter houses, ritual slaughter, home slaughter, animal sacrifice and the like. The crimes perpetrated against animals live in the black hole of our collective amnesia unable to awaken our moral conscience.

Religious Festivals should be slaughter free

The screams of animals being slaughtered under most primitive unregulated conditions and in the backyards of homes during times of religious festivals go unheard and unnoticed in the corridors of power of this pre-dominantly Buddhist country. In England home slaughter is banned. Ritual slaughter is regulated and required to be performed only in registered abattoirs by skilled persons carrying a certificate. Women and children sometimes carrying blunt knives are prohibited from slaughtering animals in the backyards of their homes in England as part of ritual animal sacrifice.

All Religious Festivals in Sri Lanka should by law be made slaughter free.  A vigorous advocate of Vegetarianism, the Italian monk, Ven Lokanatha wrote a Book on the subject entitled ‘ The Crime of Killing’ which remains unpublished.

There he boldly declares

” Any religion that allows killing is false. and Why? because it is impossible to kill with any trace of love left in the human heart. The first thing that dies in the act of killing is love. A religion which permits animal slaughter is based on Greed, Selfishness, and Hatred. How can you eat animals by killing them. Your love is in your text, not in your heart. You tell the animals” Your death is my life”. I am a vegetarian Buddhist and I tell the animals: ‘ Live and Let Live’.

Buddhism is the religion of boundless loving – kindness”

Extracted from ‘ The Western Contribution to Buddhism ‘ by William Peiris

Buddhist Cultural Centre: 2017

Page 226

Our children are the protectors of animals in the future. Hence the importance of animal protection education from the very beginning of a child’s education. Legal education in both the Law Faculties and Sri Lanka Law College must offer study courses that also include units on Animal Rights along with Human Rights, or special courses on Animal Rights.

Today you will hear many voices speaking on behalf of animals at this Conference. They are drawn from a variety of fields e.g. nutrition, medicine, religion, veterinary science, law, humanities, politics etc. and backgrounds local and foreign. Animal Rights activists who are well represented in this Hall can be expected to have a field day in the ensuing deliberations. We have arranged for Conference meals in line with our animal friendly beliefs and practices – all vegan food. Vegetarianism and veganism are both gestures of renunciation. A Meatless Sri Lanka is a noble ideal worth pursuing as part of our ethical and moral advancement.

This esoteric Conference is the fruit of the labour of a number of people too numerous to mention by individual name. However it would be tantamount to an unpardonable lapse and a dereliction of duty if I fail to acknowledge three outstanding efforts, namely, the magnanimity of the DVA parent organization led by Bob Isaacson in funding a sizeable part of the expenses, the contribution of Dr. Lanka Dissanayake and her enthusiastic team from the Anagarika Dharmapala Humanitarian Foundation, in handling the logistics with great attention paid to detail, together with constant guidance in negotiating numerous twists and turns along the way, and Ms. Renuka D. Nagodavithana, DVA Colombo Chapter Co – ordinator, for her invaluable services in several areas to ensure the success of this Conference.

I thank you all once again for your kind presence at this noteworthy gathering.

Senaka Weeraratna

Dr Hector Perera. London

To understand high blood cholesterol, it helps to learn about cholesterol. Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that’s found in all cells of the body.

Your body needs some cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help you digest foods. Your body makes all the cholesterol it needs. However, cholesterol also is found in some of the foods you eat. Butter, ghee, hard margarines, lard, dripping and goose fat, fatty meat and meat products such as sausages, Full fat cheese, milk, cream and yogurt, Coconut and palm oils and coconut cream. These food are supposed to have lots of bad cholesterol but if we limit the amount we eat then it would not do much harm.

Oatmeal, oat bran and high-fibre foods

Oatmeal contains soluble fibre, which reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol. Soluble fibre is also found in such foods as kidney beans, apples, pears, barley and prunes. Soluble fibre can reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream.

Cholesterol travels through your bloodstream in small packages called lipoproteins (lip-o-PRO-teens). These packages are made of fat (lipid) on the inside and proteins on the outside. Two kinds of lipoproteins carry cholesterol throughout your body: low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL). Having healthy levels of both types of lipoproteins is important. LDL cholesterol sometimes is called bad” cholesterol. A high LDL level leads to a build-up of cholesterol in your arteries. (Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to your body.) HDL cholesterol sometimes is called good” cholesterol. This is because it carries cholesterol from other parts of your body back to your liver. Your liver removes the cholesterol from your body.

What Is High Blood Cholesterol?

High blood cholesterol is a condition in which you have too much cholesterol in your blood. By itself, the condition usually has no signs or symptoms. Thus, many people don’t know that their cholesterol levels are too high.

People who have high blood cholesterol have a greater chance of getting coronary heart disease also called coronary artery disease. The higher the level of LDL cholesterol in your blood, the GREATER your chance is of getting heart disease. The higher the level of HDL cholesterol in your blood, the LOWER your chance is of getting heart disease.

Coronary heart disease is a condition in which plaque builds up inside the coronary (heart) arteries. Plaque is made up of cholesterol, fat, calcium, and other substances found in the blood. When plaque builds up in the arteries, the condition is called atherosclerosis. Over time, plaque hardens and narrows your coronary arteries. This limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart.

Eventually, an area of plaque can rupture (break open). This causes a blood clot to form on the surface of the plaque. If the clot becomes large enough, it can mostly or completely block blood flow through a coronary artery. If the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your heart muscle is reduced or blocked, angina or a heart attack may occur.

Angina is chest pain or discomfort. It may feel like pressure or squeezing in your chest. The pain also may occur in your shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back. Angina pain may even feel like indigestion.

A heart attack occurs if the flow of oxygen-rich blood to a section of heart muscle is cut off. If blood flow isn’t restored quickly, the section of heart muscle begins to die. Without quick treatment, a heart attack can lead to serious problems or death.

Plaque also can build up in other arteries in your body, such as the arteries that bring oxygen-rich blood to your brain and limbs. This can lead to problems such as carotid artery disease, stroke, and peripheral artery disease.

Recommended normal cholesterol levels in the UK

NHS guidelines recommend that total cholesterol levels should be 5mmol/L or less for healthy adults, and 4mmol/L or less for those at high risk. But what is a normal cholesterol level when it comes to LDL-cholesterol guidelines? Well, out of this total, LDL-cholesterol levels should be below 3mmol/L for healthy adults, and 2mmol/L or less for those at high risk. According to NHS figures for the UK in 2011, around half of all people over the age of 18 have a total cholesterol level above the recommended level of 5mmol/L. It is recommended that you have 1mmol/L of HDL-cholesterol (good cholesterol”) in your blood.

What are triglycerides?

Triglycerides are another type of fatty substance in the blood. Like LDL cholesterol (the bad type), triglycerides are also bad. They’re found in foods such as dairy products, meat and cooking oils. They can also be produced in the body, either by the body’s fat stores or in the liver. Ideally, your triglyceride level should be less than 1.7 mmol/l.

If you have high triglyceride levels, you may have a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease than people with lower levels. If you are very overweight, eat a lot of fatty and sugary foods, or drink too much alcohol, you are more likely to have a high triglyceride level.

Eat a healthy balanced diet

Eating lots of fruit, vegetables, and wholegrain is better than eating foods high in saturated or trans fats. You can replace saturated fats with the healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as olive, rapeseed or sunflower oils and spreads. Choose foods that are high in soluble fibre such as oats, beans, pulses, lentils, nuts, fruits and vegetables. Soluble fibre can help lower cholesterol.

Do regular exercise

Regular physical activity can help increase your HDL cholesterol (the good type of cholesterol). Staying active is great way to keep your heart healthy. When I mentioned about exercises, it does not mean to lift weights in a gym but a simple one such as walking is a good exercise. If possible walking in a park is an advantage because of fresh air. Busy cities have polluted air with dust particles and toxic air from   vehicles. No wonder some people prefer to live in country side.

Quit smoking

Anyone can mention this term even hundreds of times but some people turn a blind eye or deaf ear to these terms. I have seen some people smoke just outside the hospital entrance and some people were on wheel chairs, perhaps they are not aware of the disadvantages of smoking. They may be smoking due to sheer habit. Quitting smoking can help to lower your cholesterol and improve your heart health. I am sure you all heard that smoking is bad but however much it is mentioned that smoking is bad for your health, still people smoke at home, in the office also in pubs and restaurants also when their friends and families get together for a meal. If you happened to go pass a pub then you would notice, lots of people smoke followed by a drink such as a beer. I have my doubts some people would stop smoking altogether.

Will I need to take medication?

Whether or not you need to take cholesterol-lowering medicine depends on your overall risk of cardiovascular disease. Cholesterol-lowering medicines such as statins are prescribed for people who are at greatest overall risk of cardiovascular disease. If you have questions about your medicines, speak with your doctor. Statins are the medications to lower your cholesterol and there are several types of Statins that include: Atorvastatin (Lipitor), Fluvastatin (Lescol), Lovastatin, Pitavastatin (Livalo), Pravastatin (Pravachol), Rosuvastatin (Crestor) and Simvastatin (Zocor). Your doctor would decide which one is suitable for you.

Will eating too many eggs raise my cholesterol?

For most people, the amount of saturated fat they eat has much more of an impact on their cholesterol than eating foods that contain cholesterol, like eggs, liver, kidneys and shellfish. Unless you have been told otherwise by your doctor or dietician, if you like eggs, they can be included as part of a balanced and varied diet. Your comments are welcomed perera6@hotmail.co.uk

Courtesy: Daily Mirror ( Editorial) October 27, 2017

Health aspects of vegetarianism or veganism and therefore a more healthy and more compassionate society, were the theme of the second Asian Buddhist animal rights conference held in Colombo yesterday, co-hosted by the Sri Lanka branch of the California based Dharma Voices for Animals (DVA) and the Srimath Anagarika Dharmapala Foundation.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, himself a total vegetarian as is his immediate family, was the chief guest, but he expressed concern that meat eating in Sri Lanka was on the increase though many western countries were turning to vegetarianism. The co-hosting movements also appeal to the government to expedite the Animal Welfare Bill which was drawn up years ago but is now probably being eaten by moths.

At the well attended conference, the main speaker was one of Sri Lanka’s most highly qualified and people friendly nutritionist Dr. Damayanthi Perera who spoke on the topic of  Perils of Meat and Milk and the Power of Plant Foods”. According to the nutritionist, for many decades western medical and nutrition authorities have been promoting foods of animal origin such as meat and milk as healthy food. But now many informed western consumers are turning to vegetarianism.

The nutritionist says the modern, western food and agriculture system is killing or maiming the global consumers and polluting the environment. Therefore the people need to have a deeper insight into the complex, interconnected issues between food, nutrition, agriculture, environment, food related economic policies and premature death.

We have been told that animal origin foods are superior to foods of plant origin. However, the latest scientific research and epidemiological data tell another story. Conventional nutrition doctrines have changed inside-out and upside-down.

Dr. Perera says if we are ready to give up meat, it could be not only a game changer but also a life saver.Vegetarianism and veganism are part of a growing revolution. Most western consumers have belatedly realised they have been hoodwinked by the food industry, policy makers and the professional associations. Millions of western consumers are therefore turning to vegetarian or vegan diets and are seeking organic food.

According to Dr. Perera, food, nutrition, agriculture and food based economic policies are inter-connected subjects and have a strong bearing on public health, life expectancy, healthy aging and the environment – in essence the entire eco-system. Every citizen has a fundamental right to receive the correct information about food, agriculture, free trade and health and also a voice in national policy planning.

The reputed nutritionist says there is an epidemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) globally and locally. There is a major increase in cancer across all age groups. Aetiology of cancer is multi-factorial and the diet and environment play a major role. It has been known for some time that there is a link between cancer and processed meat, barbecued meat and red meat. Shockingly, scientific research shows that a certain type of fresh, white meat, widely promoted as a healthy and a nutritious food by medical and nutrition authorities and professionals, is also associated with some types of deadly cancers.

Dr. Perera appeals to the people to be informed consumers. All is not doom and gloom. On the bright side, people can learn about the health benefits of plant foods and phyto-chemicals.  Available data demonstrate that the western food, nutrition and agriculture models have failed to serve humanity and the world needs a ‘Paradigm Change’. It is time to formulate eco-friendly people and nature friendly, truly sustainable, truly national food, nutrition and agriculture policies.

According to her, truth is a powerful policy tool. Truth is a highly effective, economical and ethical policy tool.However, the truth about harmful meat and meat products, milk and milk products, ultra-processed food products, GM food — for instance GM salmon and fish berries — agro-chemicals, unnecessary and unhealthy medicinal drugs are suppressed or distorted due to vested interests. In a market based economy, knowledge is the key to survival.

http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Power-of-Plant-Foods-139244.html

Mahinda Gunasekera

A new Constitution has been drafted and is being presented in parliament on October 30, 2017 for three days of debate and adoption which would lead to the formation of a federal state, and even the ultimate break-up of the country as sought by the Tamil separatists at an early date in the near future.

The present Sri Lankan government came to power with a mandate to abolish the Executive Presidency and reform the electoral system, but had no mandate to introduce a new constitution or change the structure of governance from a unitary to a federal state. This is an attempt to satisfy Clause 16 of the UNHRC Resolution proposed by the US and UK which was co-sponsored by Sri Lanka in Geneva on October 1, 2015, which calls on the government to devolve power to the peripheral units based on the controversial 13^th Amemdment imposed on us by India in 1987.

There has been a lack of transparency in the constitution making process with little information available to the public from the Consultative Committee headed by NGO representatives and the Parliamentary Steering Committee headed by TNA, MP M.A. Sumanthiran and Jayampathy Wickramaratne, MP, a known federalist.

360 with Manohara De Silva ( 09-10-2017 )

The draft is vague and elusive, with mere mention of a National List which will protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity without providing an itemized list of subjects to be administered by the Centre. It sets up a new Constitutional Court not envisaged by 13A, outside the purview of the Supreme Court, for arbitrating disputes between the Centre and Provinces. The rulings of the Constitutional Court shall be conclusive and final. Three tiers of government, namely, Central Government, Province and Local Authorities are identified, with the local authorities being brought almost entirely under the Province. The Concurrent List of subjects shared by the Centre and Provinces has been scrapped, and the Centre will not have authority to override statutes passed by Provinces on matters in the Provincial List. It advocates the abolition of the Executive Presidency and the election of the President by Parliament. This undermines the authority of the President to intervene promptly on issues affecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity as his decisions are subject to Parliamentary approval and judicial review.

The Northern and Eastern Provinces are to form a single Provincial Council even though the Supreme Court demerged the temporary merger as unconstitutional, illegal and invalid in October 2006. The Governor of the Province has been reduced to a nominal status thereby reducing the authority held by the Center.  Land required for national projects has to be sought from the Provincial authorities, and any disputes will be reviewed by a National Land Commission with equal representation of the Centre and Provinces, with appeals to be decided on by the Constitutional Courts. Development projects could be delayed due to prolonged arbitration/litigation.

Pathikada 12.10.2017

http://www.col3hd.net/pathikada-12-10-2017/115899

The words being used in the proposed constitution to describe the structure of governance is totally deceitful, as the very word ‘unitary’ has been deleted from the English version, and therein substituted with the Sinhala and Tamil words ‘Aekiya/Orumiththa Nadu’, which is redundant, especially as the English word ‘unitary’ has a well defined meaning, understood and accepted by the public. Aekiya is a Sinhala word coined to mean unitary, whereas the new Tamil word ‘Orumiththa Nadu’ means ‘joined together’ or ‘united’ and not the same as ‘unitary’ earlier represented by the Tamil word ‘ottriachchi’ as  contained in the national constitution since 1972. This is a fraudulent attempt to cheat the public by making the Sinhalese think there is no change, while at the same time it is a foolish move to try and please the Tamils who seek a federal structure as an interim measure prior to separation.

The wording contained in the proposed constitution does not confer the same recognition given to Buddhism as bestowed in the previous national constitutions per Chapter II, Article 9, which allows the foremost place and at the same time enjoins the state to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana, despite such assurances given by both the President and Prime Minister. Buddhism has held the foremost place for over 2,300 years while accommodating all other religious beliefs and practices that arrived later. Since the acceptance of the Buddhist Teachings by King Devanampiyatissa and his subjects and establishment of the Buddha Sasana, the sublime philosophy which highlighted mental development and inner peace, heralded a unique civilization that gave an impetus to advancements in the arts, architecture, hydraulic system to harness water, social customs and values, that has enriched the lives of the island’s people. Even today, with over 70 percent of the population being adherents of Buddhism, the constitution grants all citizens the freedom to adopt, practice in private or in public, and teach any religion of their choice per Articles 10 and 14(1)(e). The leader of the Tamil National Alliance who is also the leader of the opposition and the Cardinal heading the Catholic Church have publicly stated that they have no objection to the retention of these Articles allowing the foremost place to Buddhism as already granted. Contrary to assurances by the head of state, the responsibility entrusted to the state to protect and foster Buddhism has been watered down by removing the word state, and instead providing that ‘Sri Lanka’ would ‘protect and foster Buddhism’, thereby making it vague by not fixing responsibility.

There is a serious threat to the unitary status, territorial integrity and Buddhist heritage of our motherland which would be drastically changed if the draft constitution is adopted with the required 2/3^rd majority in parliament, which is aimed at pleasing the TNA and the rump of the LTTE resident overseas who seek a federal system, and the major western powers who seek to downgrade the Buddhist influence and create divisions among the resident population that would lead to a break-up of the island nation. We need to support the NATIONAL JOINT COMMITTEE (NJC) headed by Dr. Anula Wijesundera and Lt. Col. Anil Amarasekera, with Manohara de Silva, PC, Dr. Hema Goonatilake, Dr. T.L. Gunaruwan, Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera, Gamini Gunawardena former DIG, Dr. Ranjini Ratnapala and others taking the lead to campaign against this unwanted constitution.

You could direct your contribution to Mrs. Badra de Zoysa at ………. Huntingwood Drive, Scarborough, ON ……………. to be remitted to the NJC’s bank account number 0040 6000 0757 in the Narahenpita Branch of the Sampath Bank for educating the public and taking up a court challenge if necessary. Your kind cooperation and prompt contribution to safeguarding our motherland will be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,  

SL VLOG

https://youtu.be/ny6v0iqvGFY

ජනිත සෙනෙවිරත්න උපුටා ගැන්ම දිවයින

යෝජිත නව ආණ්‌ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්‌ථාව, සයිටම් අර්බුදය , මහා බැංකු බැඳුම්කර වංචාව, ජීවන වියදම, වැඩවර්ජන හා උද්ඝෝෂණ ආදී ප්‍රශ්න නිසා දිගින් දිගටම රට තුළ නොසන්සුන්තාව පැතිර යද්දි මේ ප්‍රශ්න එකිනෙක විසඳා ගන්නවා වෙනුවට ආණ්‌ඩුවේ ඇතැම් ඇමතිවරු දැඩි මුරණ්‌ඩු ස්‌ථාවරයක සිටීම ආණ්‌ඩුවේ පැවැත්මට අහිතකර ලෙස බලපාන බව පෙනේ. මේ මුරණ්‌ඩු ඇමතිවරුන් දෙතුන්දෙනකු නිසා සමස්‌ත ආණ්‌ඩුවේ පැවැත්ම අනතුරේ පවතින බව ආණ්‌ඩුව මතකයේ තබාගත යුතුව තිබේ. විශේෂයෙන්ම මැතිවරණ කීපයක්‌ ඉදිරියේ තබාගෙන ඇතැම් ඇමතිවරු හැසිරෙන අන්දම පුදුම සහගතය.

විශේෂයෙන්ම මේ වන විට යෝජිත නව ආණ්‌ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්‌ථා කෙටුම්පතට මහාසංඝරත්නය ඇතුළු රටේ දසදෙසින් විරෝධය එල්ලවී තිබේ. පවතින ආණ්‌ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්‌ථාව වෙනස්‌ නොකරන ලෙස මේ වනවිට මල්වතු – අස්‌ගිරි සංඝ සභාවන් ඇතුළු අනෙකුත් නිකායන් දැඩි ලෙස ආණ්‌ඩුවට දැනුම් දී තිබේ. රටේ ජනතාව තුළිsන්ද නව ව්‍යවස්‌ථා කෙටුම්පතට ඇත්තේ දැඩි විරෝධයකි. එසේ තිබියදී ජාතියේ මුර දේවතාවුන් වහන්සේලා වන මහා සංඝරත්නයට කන්නොදී ආණ්‌ඩුවේ ඇමතිවරුන් හා එන්ජීඕ ඒජන්තයන් ලවා මහා සංඝරත්නයට අපහාස කරමින් රටේ ජනතා කැමැත්තට කන්නොදී ආණ්‌ඩුව නව ව්‍යවස්‌ථාවක්‌ ගෙන එන්නට උත්සහ දරයි. මේ නිසා රටට අනවශ්‍ය ව්‍යවස්‌ථාවක්‌ මේ තරම් විරෝධතා මැද ගෙන එන්නට උත්සාහ දරන්නේ කවුරුන් සතුටු කරන්නට දැයි අප තුළ ඇත්තේ දැඩි සැකයකි.

ආණ්‌ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්‌ථාවක්‌ යනු කිසියම් රටක පාලන ක්‍රමය හා සම්බන්ධ වූ ආයතන එනම් ව්‍යවස්‌ථාදායක, විධායක, අධිකරණ යන ආයතනවල සැකැස්‌ම, කාර්යයන්, බලතල ක්‍රියාකාරිත්වය එකිනෙක ආයතන හා එම ආයතනත්, පුරවැසියන් අතරත් පවතින සබඳතාවයන්, පුරවැසියන්ගේ මූලික අයිතිවාසිකම් හා ආණ්‌ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්‌ථා සංශෝධන පිළිවෙත් පිළිබඳවත් වූ මූලික නීති මාලාවක්‌ ලෙස හැඳින්විය හැකි ය. ඒ අනුව ආණ්‌ඩු ක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්‌ථාවක්‌ රටේ මූලික නීතිය වන අතර එය රටේ සාමාන්‍ය නීතියට ද ඉහළින් පවතින ශේ්‍රෂ්ඨ නීතිය ලෙස හැඳින් වේ. එම නිසා එය නිර්මාණය විය යුත්තේ සමස්‌ත ජනතා අවශ්‍යතාවයන් හා කැමැත්ත මත පදනම් කරගෙනය. එම නිසා රටේ බහුතර ජනතාවට හොරෙන් එන්ජීඕ නඩයකට රටේ ජනතාවගේ අනාගතය තීරණය කරන්නට ඉඩදිය නොහැක.

කිසිදු ලෙසකින් අලුත් ව්‍යවස්‌ථාවක්‌ මේ මොහොතේ රටට උවමනා නැති බවත් ඊට වඩා විසඳිය යුතු ප්‍ර්‍රශ්න අද රටේ ඇති බවත් කෝට්‌ටේ ශ්‍රී කල්‍යාණි සාමග්‍රී සංඝ සභාව තීරණය කර ඇත.

එම පාර්ශවයේ අනු නායක බෙල්ලන්විල විමලරතන හිමියෝ සඳහන් කරන්නේ සංඝ සභාව විසින් ගත් මෙම තීරණය ඒකමතික තීරණයක්‌ බවය.

දැනට ඉදිරිපත් වී ඇත්තේ කෙටුම්පතක්‌වත් හෝ පනතක්‌ නොවන බව දන්නා නමුත් ඉදිරිපත් වී ඇති යෝජනා මාලාව මත පිහිටා ඉදිරි කටයුතු සිදුවීමට ඉඩ ඇති බවත්, මෙම යෝජනා කෙටුම්පතක්‌ හෝ පනතක්‌ වීමට පෙර තම අදහස්‌ පළ කරනු ලැබුවේ ඒවා සලකා බැලීමට යයිද උන් වහන්සේ පවසති. මේ මොහොතේ නව ව්‍යවස්‌ථාවක්‌ ගෙන ඒම කාලෝචිත නැති බවද උන් වහන්සේ සදහන් කළහ.

නව ව්‍යවස්‌ථාවක්‌ ගෙන ඒමට මේ මොහොතේ කිසිදු උවමනාවක්‌ නැති බව ශ්‍රී්‍රS ලංකා අමරපුර ධම්මරක්‌ත මහා නිකාය වෙනුවෙන් ත්‍රිකුණාමලයේ ආනන්ද නාහිමියෝ පවසති.

මේ අතර ආණ්‌ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්‌ථා සම්පාදන මණ්‌ඩලය විසින් ඉදිරිපත් කර ඇති අතුරු වාර්තාවට සම්පූර්ණයෙන් විරෝධය පළ කරන බව එක්‌සත් ජාතික පක්‌ෂ ජාතික ලැයිස්‌තු පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී්‍රS පූජ්‍ය අතුරලියේ රතන හිමියෝ පවසති.

උන්වහන්සේ පෙන්වා දෙන්නේ ඉදිරිපත් කර ඇති යෝජනාවලිය මගින් ජාතික සමගිය සහ සංහිඳියාවට යැමට තිබූ ඉඩකඩ සම්පූර්ණයෙන්ම අහුරා දමනු ඇති බවයි.

මේ සදහා වන ඡන්ද විමසීමේදී තමන් වහන්සේගේ ඡන්දය ඊට විරුද්ධව ප්‍රකාශ කරන බවද මෙම විසංවාදී ලියවිල්ලක්‌ හේතුවෙන් රට සම්පූර්ණයෙන්ම අවුල් ජාලයක්‌ වනු ඇතැයිද පැවසූ රතන හිමියෝ අදාළ යෝජනාවලිය සැකසීම සදහා කිසිවෙකුගෙන් අදහස්‌ විමසා නැති බවටද චෝදනා කළහ.

මේ අතර මෙරට අතිශය ප්‍රබල වෘත්තීය හා සිවිල් සංවිධානයක්‌ වන ශ්‍රීලංකා නීතීඥ සංගමය ද නව ආණ්‌ඩු ක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්‌ථාව සම්බන්ධයෙන් දැඩි මතයක සිටී.

ආණ්‌ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්‌ථාව සංශෝධනය කිරීමට යන වගන්තීන් වලින් ඒකීය රාජ්‍ය, ව්‍යqහය, පෙඩරල් ව්‍යqහයක්‌ දක්‌වා පරිවර්තනයකට ලක්‌ වන්නේද යන්න පැහැදිලි කරන්නැයි ඉල්ලමින් ශ්‍රී ලංකා නීතීඥ සංගමය රජයට ප්‍රශ්නාවලියක්‌ යොමු කොට ඇත.

නව ව්‍යවස්‌ථාවක අවශ්‍යතාවය, නව ව්‍යවස්‌ථාව මගින් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව තවදුරටත් ඒකීය රාජ්‍යයක්‌ වන්නේද? එසේ නම්, ඒකීය රාජ්‍යය යන සංකල්පය , පළාත් වලට කුමන බලතල පවරන්නේද? මධ්‍යම රජයට හෝ පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට අවශ්‍ය නම් එම බලතල ආපසු ලබා ගැනීමට හැකියාවක්‌ තිබෙන්නේද? ඒ කුමනාකාරයෙන්ද?, යම් සුදුසු තත්ත්වයන් යටතේදී ජනාධිපතිවරයාට තම බලය සෘජුව පළාත් තුළ ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීමට හැකියාවක්‌ ඇද්ද විධායක ජනාධිපති ධුරය අහෝසි කරන්නේද? අධිකරණ ව්‍යqහය කුමක්‌ද? ව්‍යවස්‌ථාවක අධිකරණයක්‌ තිබේද? එසේ නම්, අධිකරණ සඳහා විනිසුරුවරුන් පත් කරන ආකාරය කෙසේද ?, ශේ්‍රෂ්ඨාධිකරණයට හා අභියාචනාධිකරණයට විනිසුරුවරුන් පත් කරන්නේ කෙසේද? එම පත් කිරීම් සඳහා ක්‍රමවේදය, ශේ්‍රෂ්ඨාධිකරණයේ විනිසුරුවරුන් ඉවත් කරන ආකාරය, දිවයින පුරා ඇති දිසා අධිකරණ හා මහෙස්‌ත්‍රාත් අධිකරණවල විනිසුරුවරුන් පත් කරන්නේ, ඔවුන් ස්‌ථාන මාරු කිරීම් හා විනය පියවර ගනු ලැබීම අධිකරණ සේවා කොමිසමෙන් පමණක්‌ සිදු කරනු ලබන්නේද? යන්න, ආණ්‌ඩු ක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්‌ථාවෙන් බලාත්මක කළ හැකි මූලික අයිතිවාසිකම් මොනවාද, එම මූලික අයිතිවාසිකම් බලාත්මක කරන්නේ කුමන අධිකරණ වලින්ද, ආණ්‌ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්‌ථාවට අනනුකූල පනත් සීමාසහිත කාලයක්‌ තුළ විමර්ශනය කිරීමේ බලය අධිකරණයන්ට ලැබේද යන්න එම ප්‍රශ්නාවලියට අයත්ය.

අලුත් ව්‍යවස්‌ථාව වෙනුවෙන් ආණ්‌ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්‌ථා මණ්‌ඩලයේ මෙහෙයුම් කමිටුව විසින් සකස්‌ කළ අතුරු වාර්තාවේ දෙමළ පිටපතේ සඳහන් පරිදි ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ඒකීය රාජ්‍යයක්‌ ලෙස පිළිගැනීම බැහැර කොට ඇතැයි ශ්‍රී ලංකා නීතිඥ සංගමය පවසයි. එහී ඒකිය යන අරුත් ගැන්වෙන වචනයට යොදා ඇති දෙමළ වචනයෙන් අරුත් ගැන්වෙන්නේ “ඔරුමිත්ත නාඩු” යනු ප්‍රාන්ත කිහිපයකින් සැදුම්ලත් රාජ්‍යයක්‌ බවද ශ්‍රී ලංකා නීතිඥ සංගමය කියා සිටී.

“ඔරුමිත්ත නාඩු” යන වචනය යොදමින් සිදුකර ඇති මෙම කමිටු වාර්තාව ඉතාමත්ම බරපතළ තත්ත්වයක්‌ බැවින් වහාම රජයෙන් ඒ සම්බන්ධයෙන් පැහැදිලි කිරීමක්‌ ලබාගැනීමට නීතිඥ සංගමය බලාපොරොත්තු වේ.

රටේ ආර්ථික තත්ත්වය එන්න එන්නම අයහපත්ය. මේ නිසා රටේ ජනතාව දැඩි අපහසුතාවන්ට මුහුණ දෙමින් සිටිති. අත්‍යවශ්‍ය භාණ්‌ඩ සඳහා මිල පාලනයක්‌ අවශ්‍යම මොහොතක රජය ඒ සම්බන්ධයෙන් නිසි අවධානයක්‌ යොමු කරනු නොපෙනේ.

ජීවන වියදම සම්බන්ධයෙන් ආණ්‌ඩුව වැඩි අවධානයක්‌ යොමු නොකරන නිසා එම ප්‍රශ්නය විසඳන්නටද ජනාධිපති මෛත්‍රීපාල සිරිසේන මහතාට සිදුව තිබේ. ඒ සම්බන්ධයෙන් වගකිවයුතු පාර්ශ්ව ගෙන්වා කරුණු විමසා ඇති ජනාධිපතිවරයා වහාම ජීවන වියදම අඩුකරන්නට කටයුතු කරන ලෙස උපදෙස්‌දී තිබේ.

මේ අතර පාතාලයට සම්බන්ධ බවට හෙළිවුණු එජාප පළාත් සභා මන්ත්‍රීවරයට එරෙහිව විනය පියවර ගන්නට එජාප නායකත්වය තීරණය කර තිබේ. මෙය ඉතාම හොඳ ප්‍රවණතාවයකි. මේ ආකාරයටම මහා සංඝරත්නයට හා අධිකරණයට අපහාස කළ එජාප ප්‍රබලයන්ට එරෙහිව විනය පියවර ගැනීමට එම පක්‌ෂය කටයුතු කළ යුතුය.

දේශීය නිෂ්පාදකයන් හා ව්‍යාපාරිකයන් රැක ගන්නට ආණ්‌ඩුව වහාම යම් යම් තීරණ ගත යුතුව තිබේ. විවිධ බදු සහන යටතේ මෙරටට එන විදේශීය ව්‍යාපාරිකයන් විසින් මෙරට වෙළෙඳපොළ ආක්‍රමණය කිරීම වැළක්‌වීමට ආණ්‌ඩුව වහාම පියවර ගත යුතුව තිබේ. අපේ රටේ දේශීය ව්‍යාපාරිකයෝ ශ්‍රී ලාංකිකයන් දහස්‌ ගණනකට රැකියා ලබාදී තිබේ. යම්ලෙසකින් මේ ව්‍යාපාර කඩා වැටුණහොත් මේ පිරිස්‌වලට රැකියා අහිමි වේ. එම නිසා කිසියම් හෝ වෙළෙඳ ගිවිසුම් ඇතිකර ගන්නට පෙර මෙරට ව්‍යාපාර ගැන රජය සිතා බැලිය යුතුය.

By Dr. DAYAN JAYATILLEKA Courtesy The Island

October 27, 2017, 9:48 pm
“Ranil used the term asymmetrical federalism, which is federalism [but] with more powers given to the Tamil Northeast…” (Solheim, in To End a Civil War,Salter, p96)
“…the only viable solution was…a federal constitution…” 
(Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, SJV Chelvanayakam memorial lecture, April 2015)
“…Which makes it clear that it is a federal state, but without the label”.
(Jayampathy Wickremaratne, Salter, Ibid p 59)

When the Sri Lankan Government keeps saying that the proposed Constitution will be unitary in character, why should we suspect and mistrust it? One reason is simple. Recall the phrase “would you buy a used car from this man?” Well, would you buy a new Constitution from the same folk who defrauded the entire country by pulling the Central Bank bond scam?

The less flippant answer is that extreme suspicion and vigilance is needed over the likelihood, nay, probability, of Sri Lanka’s unitary status being constitutionally scammed because two of the three leading figures of the Sri Lankan government today are on the record proposing non-unitary, federal systems.

I hope I will be pardoned by readers for commencing the presentation of evidence of a federalist Constitutional bond scam by recycling something I surfaced in recent articles. I have already identified the mother of the new federalizing Constitution, namely, ex-president Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga who as far back as 1994 is quoted as having said:

“…The present provincial council system is useless…The word ‘federal’ has been abused in the past. Therefore we will avoid that word and implement devolution in a meaningful manner. The country can be divided into five units of devolution, and wide powers can be granted to them. It will be possible to find a solution to the ethnic problem by bringing the North and the Tamil areas of the East under one unit and giving it the necessary powers”. ’ (Tamil Times, 15 July 1994)

But as we shall see in a moment, this turns out to be only the tip of the iceberg.

The “present provincial council system” which she described as “useless”, was precisely the one that her late husband welcomed, defended and lost his life defending. In fact that “useless” system of provincial councils was almost exactly the one that Vijaya Kumaratunga and the Left, including Dr. Colvin R de Silva and Pieter Keuneman, had designed in considerable detail (the printed text was over 40 pages), over several weeks of deliberation, and had been agreed upon by President Jayewardene in mid-1986 at the Political Parties Conference (PPC), which itself had been convened upon a written request made by Vijaya to that President. Certainly Chandrika’s fealty to the policies of her late husband was far less than Madam Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s fealty to the policies of her late husband, which she would constantly invoke.

Two decades later, as the Yahapalana government came into office, she reiterated her commitment to federalism in her SJV Chelvanayakam memorial lecture in 2015 and confirmed that her efforts at constitution making as President in the 1990s were of an explicitly and decidedly federal character:

“Hence we adopted a strategy of honest, public discourse to inform the people that the only viable solution was to choose the path of dialogue, negotiations and peace achieved by means of a federal constitution and by building a cohesive Nation and an inclusive State.”

(https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/winning-the-war-is-not-establishing-peace-full-text-of-chandrika-kumaratungas-sjv-chelvanayakam-memorial-lecture/)

By regarding federalism as “the only viable solution” and seeking to implement it, Chandrika not only avoids the question of why her late father SWRD Bandaranaike did not acceded to SJV Chelvanakayam’s federal demand and opted instead for devolution/autonomy within the unitary Soulbury framework, but also why her mother Sirimavo Bandaranaike regarded federalism as a deadly danger to the nation.

While we have established beyond reasonable doubt the federalist commitment of ex-President Kumaratunga and therefore the fact that she is the Mother of Federalization in Sri Lanka, we now have to conduct the paternity test to establish who the Father of Federalization is.

The DNA test leaves no ambiguity about paternity. The evidence comes not from a hostile Sinhala xenophobe but from friendly Western sources. Mark Salter, formerly of the BBC, wrote a large, well-researched volume on the Norwegian peace effort in Sri Lanka entitled ‘To End a Civil War: Norway’s Peace Engagement in Sri Lanka’ published by the prestigious Hurst, London. The book was quite sympathetic to the Norwegians and the west in general. In it he quotes ErikSolheim pretty conclusively on federalism, and what is worse, an ethnically lopsided model of federalism:

“Ranil used the term asymmetrical federalism, which is federalism [but] with more powers given to the Tamil Northeast. At this point such a solution would have been acceptable to nearly all Tamils and a vast majority of Sinhalese as well. Then there could have been a referendum: police, land, and other such powers would be given over. And Prabhakaran could have been the Prime Minister of that area.” (Salter, p 96)

Salter’s quote from Jayampathy Wickremaratne, described as “current advisor to the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs”, clearly gives the lie to his current, publicly stated position that the intention is to retain the unitary character of the state and that there is no covert federalist purpose at work:

“In 1999 we had a strategy workshop and thought we should propose something different: ‘Sri Lanka shall be one’…An independent state consisting of institutions of the centre and the regions, who shall exercise power in accordance with the constitution. Which makes it clear that it is a federal state, but without the label”. (Salter, p 59)

To conclude, one must raise and confront the question as to why the Prime Minister would advocate federalism and such a biased form of federalism too. The answer that Solheim reveals in Salter’s book is disturbing indeed and reveals an anti-Sinhala racism:

“Moreover Helgesen came away with the impression that Wickremesinghe’s basic agenda was to ‘let the Tamils have whatever is needed, short of independence’…Wickremesinghe’s essential agenda was ‘…liberalise, privatise’. And in this context, Solheim recalls, the fact that he [Wickremesinghe] and Helgesen were conservatives ‘definitely helped’.” (Salter p78)

“Further he [Solheim] suggests that ‘Ranil took the view that the Tamils are generally more successful, that the Sinhalese should learn from the Tamils, [and that way] Sri Lanka would develop better. Economic prosperity was his agenda.’ ” (Salter p 96)

So, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe’s vision of “economic prosperity” is revealed as one that isn’t about building a strong nation or state. His ethnic and economic perspectives are two sides of the same coin, or more accurately, his is an ethno-economic perspective, biased towards one and against the other ethnic community.

By Lucien Rajakarunanayake Courtesy The Island

Rising cost of living would make it difficult to face elections – President

Does the government really want to face elections?

The record of the past two years would show the government is, in fact, running away from elections, than wanting to face and contest them. This is true of both Local Government and Provincial Council polls. We will certainly have to wait and see if it wants to face another Presidential Poll and, more importantly, the next General Election.

A Presidential Poll, may not be needed if the Executive Presidency is abolished; but the General Election – could there be new legislation to delay it by some devious and errant means, as we saw happen for the Provincial Council polls? Will there be a new category of voters with rights to parliamentary representation? Why not have representatives of Sri Lankans living abroad elected? I’m sure the Poll Delay Minister Faiszer Musthapha will have a package ready for it.

Because the President’s worry was about the Cost of Living, let’s look at the Costs of Government that have contributed to rising living costs, in case the Yahapalanaya President does not know of these.

How much have political vehicles – luxury cars for MPs, Ministers, and senior officials, contributed to the budget deficit – that lead to the cost of living? The many millions in foreign exchange are not readily counted. They are brought for MPs and Ministers to serve their voters – to win the next poll; is that true?

Attached to this import of luxury travel, is the cost of the duty waiver on these vehicles, not just once in a term of government, but many times over, with the politicians and other official beneficiaries, raking millions through the sale of Duty Free permits. This is certainly a cost of corruption that will be in the minds of future voters at any election.

How much does each voter have to pay to maintain the MPs who will seek re-election, or their parties – through the Rs. 100,000 provided each month to 225 MPs to manage the political offices in their electoral districts? Did the public ever call for such a parliamentary bribe to its honourable members? Very costly, indeed!

How much do the house and office costs of MP and Ministers add to the cost of living that has to be borne by the voter? Does the President not know how much of this staggering cost, is for the long unoccupied Ministry of Agriculture – headed by the General Secretary of the SLFP? That is hardly the stuff of election-winning politics.

Talking of what is so common today – the cost of Bond Scams. How much would the Treasury Bond Scams have added to the Cost of Living? We are not talking about the cost of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry; the people would readily meet such costs. But the massive crooked activity that has been exposed – by Treasury bond dealers and also the manipulators in the Central Bank, Finance Ministry, several State Banks and the Employees’ Provident Fund. Surely this staggering amount – many billions of rupees, about which the Prime Minister of Yahapalanaya, too, must have much to explain– would also contribute to the Cost of Living that is beginning to frighten the President.

The President’s concerns about the Cost of Living posing a threat to the next election – obviously to those who hold the reins of power has much of political reality today. But there are bigger concerns that could very well shake up whatever confidence the people had in electing this Yahapalanaya Team, which has now turned out to be a team for their own crooked power, and not the service of the people.

While the rising Cost of Living will hang in the rear, there are bigger issues much more in focus that will affect any and every coming poll – whenever they are held. These include how much has been achieved in the promised fight against corruption in government – the theme of the Yahapalanaya Campaign, and the pledge of the Common Candidate – the President himself.

How can the people be convinced that a genuine fight against corruption is taking place when many who were suspected of corrupt deals in the past are now in the governmental embrace?

Also, whenever the next election that matters comes along, can the government show that it was genuinely interested in Sri Lanka having a New Constitution, and not the watered down farce that is most likely to be presented to the people: or even worse, no new constitution at all, being frightened by the so-called religious chants against it, as well as the bomb threats and warnings of the killings of those who call for such political change.

Yes, the next election is a poser – not only to the President but to all Sri Lankans.

Editorial Courtesy The Island

October 27, 2017, 9:45 pm
Police Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekera, on Thursday, vehemently denied recent media reports that there had been political interference with the ongoing CID investigations into a complaint that a person, known to former Minister Ravi Karunanayake, threatened a key witness in the bond scam probe. He claimed the IGP had not come under any political pressure.

Sri Lankans usually don’t believe anything until the government officially denies it! What this country lacks is only a Ministry of Truth in the Orwellian sense. The whole world saw on television last year how the IGP obsequiously gave in to political pressure at a public function; he cringingly promised a ‘minister’, over his mobile phone, that a certain lay custodian of a shrine would not be arrested. That telephone conversation alone is sufficient proof that, in spite of the 2015 change of government, ministers still decide who should be arrested or not.

Police spokesmen are known for their flair for storytelling. Under the Rajapaksa regime a gang of pro-government thugs once operated, carrying poles, alongside the riot police to crush a UNP protest, in full view of the media in Colombo. When the then police spokesman was asked at a media briefing why no action had been taken against those underworld characters, he argued that they could not be considered thugs! Asked why they had been armed with poles, he had the temerity to say they may have tried to ward off stray dogs. Today, the big guns of the previous regime complain of stone-throwing yahapalana thugs operating alongside the riot police! The boot is on the other foot.

However, in fairness to the IGP, let the benefit of the doubt accrue to him anent the recent media reports at issue. Let’s pretend that the Police Spokesman has told us the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. But, the question is why nobody has been arrested for issuing death threats to a witness.

The government is making a song and a dance about a loose-tongued Opposition MP’s recent utterance that a bomb should be dropped on Parliament if the MPs don’t deny the government a two-thirds majority for its new Constitution in the making. The Speaker has seen red and promised action against the MP concerned. Strangely, no action has been taken against the man who threatened to kill a bond probe witness and her family!

Police, more often than not, show their mettle by rounding up lovers in parks and on beaches, bundle them into waiting paddy wagons before taking them to police stations. A drunkard was arrested in Kalutara a few moons ago for urinating in a public place. A woman was recently arrested for stealing three mangoes. A child was once taken into custody and hauled up before courts for stealing a few coconuts to pay her school fees. Another small girl was taken in for walking off with a five rupee coin from her neighbour’s house. But, no arrests have been made in respect of the bond scams which have cost the state and the workers’ superannuation fund billions of rupees and, anyone, connected to the government, is free to threaten those who have the courage to give evidence against them.

The present government consists of many self-righteous politicians, who came to power, vowing to restore the rule of law and rid the country of bribery and corruption. But, they and their henchmen remain ‘more equal’ than the ordinary citizens before the law. The message the public has got from the government is apparently this: ‘Stop stealing mangoes and coins if you want to go scot free. Instead, join the ruling coalition and carry out billion-rupee rackets and threaten, with impunity, anyone who dares give evidence against you.”

by Lakshman I. Keerthisinghe Courtesy Ceylon Today

On the basis of the evidence available to this Commission and the prevailing law, the suggestion that the crime of genocide was or may have been committed during the final phase of the war is without foundation.-Paranagama Commission

At the ongoing 36th session of the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) although there is no agenda item on Sri Lanka, a number of countries have already referred to Sri Lanka’s human rights situation following the strong statement made by High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein. High Commissioner’s indirect warning during his opening statement on 11 September 2017 to the effect that “the absence of credible action in Sri Lanka to ensure accountability for alleged violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law makes the exercise of universal jurisdiction even more necessary,” is significant. The High Commissioner also called for a time bound action plan for the implementation of transitional justice process in Sri Lanka.

In the meantime, UN Special Rapporteur Pablo de Greiff, on a two- week visit to Sri Lanka, announced before his visit that he intends to “review the progress made thus far, to identify obstacles and bottlenecks in the implementation of the transitional justice and reform process”. The Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry for its part issued a media release insisting that “Governments are not bound by the advice or recommendations of Special Rapporteurs” and that it was up to the government of Sri Lanka to decide whether it will “draw on his knowledge, expertise and advice and consult him further in any manner.” This statement was an indication that the government will not capitulate before continuing international pressure on alleged human rights violations which are said to have taken place during the last stages of the war against terrorism in Sri Lanka. Although there is an allegation of 40,000 civilians being massacred during this period, there is hardly any credible evidence to substantiate this obviously false allegation. Such a large number of dead bodies have never been found. Even the channel 4 videos fabricated at the instance of the Tamil Diaspora representing the sympathizers of the LTTE hell-bent on taking revenge from the victorious armed forces, fail to produce such evidence.

Paranagama Commission

The 2nd Mandate Report of the Paranagama Commission, whose conclusion stated that allegations of genocide are without foundation as quoted at the outset was compiled with the advice of legal luminaries of international stature. It included a legal Advisory Council made up of Sir Desmond de Silva, QC (UK) as Chairman, with Prof. Sir Geoffrey Nice, QC (UK), and Prof. David M. Crane (USA).

It is of paramount significance that recently Lord Michael Morris Naseby, a British Baron told the British Parliament: “The West, particularly the US and UK, must remove the threat of war crimes and foreign judges that overhangs and overshadows all Sri Lankans, especially their leaders,” Michael Morris, Baron Naseby PC, who started the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Sri Lanka in 1975, expressed these views during a debate on Sri Lanka. The debate focused on what assessment the UK government has made of the progress made by Sri Lanka in meeting the requirements on reconciliation established by the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Lord Naseby further said he hoped that, as a result of the debate, the UK will recognize the truth that no one in the Sri Lankan government ever wanted to kill Tamil civilians. Furthermore, the UK must now get the UN and the UNHCR in Geneva to accept a civilian casualty level of 7,000 to 8,000, not 40,000. On top of that, the UK must recognize that this was a war against terrorism, so the rules of engagement are based on international humanitarian law, not the European Convention on Human Rights,” he said.

Ruthless activist

Lord Naseby stated in his address: “The Tamil youth have been activated by two people in particular. One is Balasingham, a British citizen after Blair’s government gave him that, and the other is a man called Prabhakaran, a single-minded ruthless activist. In 1973 Prabhakaran killed the Mayor of Jaffna, along with six soldiers whose bodies were brought to Colombo. …Fast forward to 18 May 2009. The Tamil Tiger terrorists are defeated in a military solution, and after nearly 30 years of war there is peace across the whole island, as there is today.”

In conclusion, it must be stated that the international community is being misled systematically by the Tamil Diaspora, sympathizers of the barbaric LTTE once known as the world’s most brutal terrorist organization, with their immense financial resources to initiate unwarranted international inquiries. Both President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have assured the people of Sri Lanka that there will be no foreign judges sitting upon judgment on our armed forces who ensured peace in our motherland.

 lanka C news

මහින්ද ගේ ආණ්ඩුව පෙරලා දැමීම සඳහා සාකච්ඡාවක්, යුරෝපීය රටවල් දෙකක අනුග්‍රහයෙන්, 2013 වසරේදී සිංගප්පූරුවේදී සිදු වූ බව ටැමිල් නෙට් අඩවියේ වාර්තාවක සදහන්ය.

මීට සහභාගි වී ඇත්තේ මංගල සමරවීර, සුමන්දිරන්, ජයම්පති වික්‍රමරත්න, තමිල්මාරන් (කොළඹ නීති පීඨයේ පීඨාධිපති ) ඇතුළු පිරිසකි.

මහින්ද ආණ්ඩුව පෙරළා දැමීමට මෙහිදී මංගල සමරවීර ඉල්ලා සිටි අතර ඊට කොන්දේසි වශයෙන් දෙමළ බෙදුම්වාදි පාර්ශවය කරුණු දහයක් පාදක කොට ගත් ව්‍යවස්ථා වෙනසක් ඉල්ලා ඇත.

මේ වනවිට පාර්ලිමේන්තුව වෙත ඉදිරිපත් කොට ඇති අතුරු කමිටු වාර්තාවේ ඇත්තේ මේ කාරණා 10 ඒ ආකාරයෙන්ම පාහේ ඇතුලත්ව තිබීම විශේෂය.

එමෙන්ම මෙම සිංගප්පූරු මූලධර්ම එලෙසම මීට පෙර එල් ටි ටි කොටි සංවිධානය විසින් පවත්වාගෙන ගිය දැන් දෙමළ ඩයස්පෝරාව විසින් පවත්වාගෙන ටැමිල් නෙට් වෙබ් අඩවියට පිවිසිමෙන් මේ සියල්ලම ඒ ආකාරයෙන් දැකගත හැකිය.

ටැමිල් නෙට් අඩවියේ මුල් ලිපිය මෙතනින්

By Srian De Silva Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Concerns have been expressed about the possibility that in consequence of the Government’s ratification of the Convention on Enforced Disappearances, Sri Lanka would appear to have submitted to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, and is therefore legally bound by the Convention.

Therefore it is vitally necessary to examine and be clear about the point at which Sri Lanka is legally bound by International Conventions it has ratified.

The Bill on the subject of disappearances, which was to be presented to Parliament, is deeply flawed as explained by several writers.

Crucially, Neville Ladduwahetty has earlier clearly and succinctly explained why the Bill was contrary to the provisions of our Constitution, and highlighted those provisions which even contradict each other.

The Bill is an attempt to pass a law which in particular respects is even contrary to the Constitution and therefore would be unenforceable in those respects.

The fact that the President stymied the debate on the Bill in Parliament does not necessarily mean the end of the matter.

Attempts have been made to mislead the public by claiming it is the same as our statute on torture, but the latter is confined to extradition of non-nationals, while the Bill refers to extradition of 

Sri Lankan nationals 

Attempts have been made to mislead the public by claiming that the extradition clause in the Bill on disappearances is not a problem since it is the same as in our statute on torture, when in fact the latter is confined to extradition of non-nationals, while the Bill on disappearance refers to extradition of Sri Lankan nationals to foreign countries.

Obviously there must be a whole body of Sri Lankans who have been identified whose extradition to foreign countries has been already planned if the Bill is passed.

Signing or ratifying a Convention/Multilateral Treaty does not automatically make its provisions part and parcel of our national legal system [known in International Law as municipal law”], so as to create rights and obligations for the State. To explain why this is so, it is necessary to distinguish between two concepts in International Law – the Monist and Dualist systems of law. These concepts have been the subject of considerable discussion and debate for over seventy years among eminent international jurists. Whether Sri Lanka has submitted to international laws in the form of Conventions by only ratifying them, depends on whether Sri Lanka operates the Monist or Dualist system. The very fact that the Government finds it necessary to get Parliament to ‘transform’ international Conventions into our law, is an admission that such transformation into our legal system is necessary through our own legislative process to make such a Convention binding on us, and therefore Sri Lanka operates under a Dualist, and not a Monist, system of law.

Those advocating the Monist Theory have claimed that both national and international law are based on one principle, which has been variously described as ‘right’ or social solidarity or that agreements must be implemented [pacta sunt servanda].

The large majority supports the Dualist theory. While the State may have consented to a Convention by ratifying it, the Dualist theory requires that to be bound by such Convention, a State should have, by whatever means it promulgates laws, incorporated the International Law into its own legal system. There is, of course, nothing to prevent a State providing in its own Constitution for automatic incorporation into its laws by mere ratification.

That would make it a Monist system.

The Dualist Theory is implicitly based on the supremacy of the State. It claims that International and Municipal [national] laws exist as separate systems, and cannot over-rule each other. Liability under International Law, where there is provision for enforcement, can arise when a State which has violated the International Law [such as a Convention] has, in accordance with the doctrine of transformation”, incorporated such law into its own legal system. The position has never been different where Sri Lanka is concerned. It is a matter of prime importance that no so-called developed country has submitted to the Monist theory.

The overall conclusion is that Sri Lanka, operating under the Dualist system, can incur legal obligations under international Conventions ONLY if their provisions have been incorporated into our legal system through the proper procedures.

The conduct of officials of UN Agencies such as of the UNHRC for example, which includes sponsoring palpably false reports and threatening small/defenceless countries to please certain powerful countries, whilst turning a blind eye to their abuses, stands in stark contrast to that of a major UN specialised agency, the International Labour Organisation [The ILO, founded in 1919].

Its impeccable Constitution ensures its governance through its tripartite structure of Governments, employers’ and workers’ organisations, all of which are represented on its Governing Body and participate in its decision-making processes.

This makes it impossible for a few powerful Governments to control its agenda. It has passed 189 Conventions – more than any other body. ILO Conventions become a part of national law not on ratification by States, but by incorporation of their provisions in their national laws.

Unlike individuals in some UN agencies, ILO officials treat members with the utmost respect and in a civilized manner – a culture alien to many of these Human Rights specialists.

What if a Sri Lankan Government finds a way to incorporate foreign laws into our law through a process inconsistent with the law making procedure, even unconstitutional, and by-passing the Supreme Court?

In such an event, it would require the development of a doctrine of nullity [As the law has in other areas] applicable to such law.

Our Constitution debars a challenge of a law passed by Parliament and has received the Speaker’s assent. We need to develop a principle that if a law is passed by means which are surreptitious, a process which denies adequate scrutiny to prevent opposition, uses language in the Bill/Law which signifies different meanings in the three languages – such laws should not be covered by the constitutional bar to challenging it in the Supreme Court after it has received the Speaker’s assent.

Prior to December 1968 Courts in England took the view that a statutory provision that a Minister’s decision on a particular matter shall not be called in question in any court or otherwise, ousted the jurisdiction of the courts to examine and rule on such decision. However, in what came to be a famous decision of the House of Lords in Anisminic Ltd. v. Foreign Compensation Commission [1968 2 AC 147] the Court held that the principle of the exclusion of the Court’s jurisdiction to challenge a Minister’s decision in the earlier mentioned circumstances, did not apply where the Minister acted without jurisdiction [i.e. outside his jurisdiction].

A similar doctrine could be developed to the effect that the Constitutional bar to a challenge of a law after it was enacted would not apply where such enactment was improperly obtained through means earlier referred to.

The Government has resorted to a strategy of introducing amendments at the last moment into Bills which are unrelated to the subject matter of the Bill. In essence, the Government introduced a Bill to increase female representation in the PCs, but subsequently added at the Committee Stage, provisions contained in the proposed 20th Amendment which had failed to find acceptance by the Supreme Court.

These additions were unrelated to the subject matter of the Bill. What should have been done at that stage was for the Bill to have been returned as being inconsistent with proper legislative procedure.
The standard work on the subject, Erskine May’s Parliamentary Practice [17th ed.] refers to types of Bills returned by the Speaker in the House of Commons. Significantly it includes a Bill which has gone beyond its title” [page 248]. The chief characteristics of the Speaker’s Office are authority and impartiality [May, page 247]. He further states: Confidence in the impartiality of the Speaker is an indispensable condition of the successful working of procedure, and many conventions exist….. to ensure the impartiality of the Speaker…..” We thus need to develop a doctrine of nullity or an equivalent in the context of what is happening in the country, or else remove the constitutional bar to challenging a law after it has been enacted and the Speaker’s assent obtained.

Legislative powers are too important for the well-being of people in a country to allow laws improperly enacted to be protected from challenge due to a failure to dispute them prior to the Speaker’s assent. Legislation pushed through by curtailing the right to proper examination of its provisions or through other practices which amount to deception and/or a lack of transparency and/or a fraudulent procedure, is surely not valid law and is therefore a nullity.

If a law is enacted through such means before it can be challenged in Court authorising the Government to seize the assets of any citizen, or even order his/her imprisonment without due process, such would not be a law that would enjoy our Constitutional protection because it must surely be deemed a nullity.

These extreme examples raise questions such as: what is a law, what procedures must be followed for a law to acquire that status, etc.

If the Bill on Disappearances had been passed by Parliament before being challenged in Court, it would not qualify as a valid law due to its conflict with the Constitution, and therefore should be regarded as a nullity.

If it is not a nullity and therefore it cannot be contested in the Supreme Court after the Speaker’s assent, then the implication is that a government can change most of the Constitution by slipping unconstitutional provisions into other Bills. Even a fully fledged dictatorship could be established through the means presently being resorted to. If they are not contested before the Speaker’s assent, such would become law. We would then reach the situation that even non-laws become laws.   All this calls for an appropriate legal fraternity willing to challenge the actions of the Government.

Chanaka Bandarage

 Introduction

The Sinhalese are continuously being denied from settling in the North by Tamil politicians.  This has been a systematic, very successful campaign by them for more than 60 years.

The irony is that the Southern politicians do not want to acknowledge and rectify this racist policy.

The recent rhetoric of some TNA MPs and the Chief Minister of the  Northern Provincial Council is clear that they are hell bent on preventing  the Sinhalese from relocating to the North and establishing homes there.

The Elagu Tamil Movement was established under the patronage of the Northern Chief Minister, whose primary aim is to stop Sinhalese settlements in the North.

Press the links below and view the video clips that show how two TNA MPs opposed the return of a Sinhala woman (born and bred in Jaffna) to the North after the end of the war (www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKfrUS–twIs, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWfucC_o270).

Herein, she was fighting the right to live in the North for herself and her fellow Sinhalese (obviously without any assistance from the Government and NGOs). The remarkable thing is that she speaks better Tamil than the two TNA MPs!

History

A foolish acknowledgement in the Indo-Lanka accord (1987) was the recognition that the North and the East are the historic habitation of the Tamil speaking people.  Even though he was under extreme pressure of the foreign power, the then leader should not have agreed to this recognition, as it is a fabrication of the country’s history.

Upon Vijaya’s  arrival the Sinhalese civilization was established in Sri Lanka. This happened more than 2500 years ago. Vijaya himself landed in the North – Thambbapanni, located in the present Mannar district.

Upon Vijaya’s rule, the Sinhalese population expanded rapidly and they were initially confined to the North, North Central, Wayamba and Eastern provinces.  The Sinhalese citadel was established in Anuradhapura.

It is a fact that Sangamitta Theri reached Sri Lanka (around 290 BC) after landing in Jaffna – Dambakola Patuna.  Thereafter, she and her fellow nuns walked along the Malvatu Oya (via Mannar) to Anuradhapura, where the King, Devanampiyatissa lived.

Gradually, the Sinhalese settlement expanded to the South. During the time of Elara rule (an invader from South India), the Sinhalese kingdom  was moved to the South (Ruhunu) in Thissamaharama.  King Kavantissa’s son, Dutu Gamunu (107 – 77 BC), killed Elara and reinstated the Anuradhapura  kingdom.

From Anuradhapura and later from other capitals, the Sinhalese kings ruled the entire country including the North and the East.

In the early 16^th century the North was ruled by the kingdom of Kotte. Prince Sapumal, the son of  the Kotte king, 6th Parakramabahu, was planted as the ruler of Jaffna (Yapa Patuna).

Since the mid 16^th century, the North was intermittently ruled by the Portuguese who firmed their grip in1591.

When Sri Lanka received independence in 1948, the British acknowledged that the North and the East are parts of the Sri Lankan state and never contemplated an India/Pakistan type partition, to give the North to the Tamil (this was their unequivocal acknowledgement that Sri Lanka has always been a One Nation).

The Tamils never made such a demand either – that the North be given exclusively to them. Though they now make a loud claim, they want the East too (from the Sinhalese), the Tamil knew it was a futile attempt to demand a separate state from the British. They simply could not produce a case for such a demand.

DS Senanayake was accepted by all as Sri Lanka’s first head of state and he ruled the entire country. Henry Monck-Mason Moore was  the Governor General, appointed by King George VI of Great Britain.

It is believed that when the Sinhalese were ethnically cleansed by Prabhakaran in late 1970s and early 1980s, there were at least 50,000 Sinhalese permanently living in the Northern province.  Today, beyond Vavuniya and disregarding the Sinhalese villages from Bogaswewa to Janaka Pura in largely Vavuniya District (Veherathenne, Nandimithragama, Namalgama, Welioya and HelambaWewa included),  this number could not be more than 500.

We should not forget that soon after the war ended around 150 ex Northern Sinhala families returned to the North and camped in the former Jaffna Railway station demanding their Northern lands back.  The then government forced them to return to the South. Some were promised with 2 acres of land in Mihinthale should they give up the demand. Most of them were repatriated to the South within 6 months of arrival in the North in SLTB buses. Some ‘hardcore’ Sinhalese ex Northerners dogged on. It is through their valiant effort that the Nawatkuli Sinhala Village was established (in 2010), about 7 km south of Jaffna.

The then government in 2009 soon after winning the war had the golden opportunity to allow the Sinhalese and Muslims to live in the newly liberated North. Instead, that government showed an extreme desire to maintain the existing provincial council system (13^th Amendment) and to establish a new Northern Provincial Council, knowing well that the new Northern provincial government will be a threat to the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The government was not brave and forthright in thinking about the country’s future as One Nation – that, it is our paramount duty to preserve the country’s sovereignty, and for this the 13^th Amendment should be abolished by way of a referendum; furthermore, that both the  Sinhalese and Muslims must be allowed to settle in the North, if they wish to do so.

The then leadership so desperate on holding CHOGM, very much wanted to hold the Northern Provincial Council election mainly to please the western world. The government knew that holding of the Northern Provincial Council election meant  giving power to a TNA led Northern Provincial Council that will not allow the Sinhalese to buy land and/or live in the North. We all know CHOGM ended as a publicity disaster for the then government and the new Northern Provincial Government as expected has become racist. One example is that it does little to stop elements from trying to remove Buddha statutes from their current places of religious worship. There is a virtual ban on erecting new Buddha statutes in public places of the North. Examples of racism that the Sinhalese have suffered in the North since 2013 (after the establishment of the Northern Provincial Council Government) will be elaborated in a future article.

Even today there are thousands of ex Northern Sinhala residents who are earnestly wanting to return to their lands in the North. But, they do not receive any assistance from the government in this regard (the Nawatkuli Sinhalese built their own houses (59) without the Government’s help– some still have tin like sheds, some do not have any funds to erect their houses; in contrast the Tamils of the area received assistance both from the Sri Lankan and Indian governments. They live in comfortable houses).

A racist policy

Tamils are able to freely move in the country and live and work wherever they like. Today they live in almost every part of Sri Lanka, even in the remote South such as Hambanthota and Thissamaharama. There is nothing wrong with that. But, the same rationale should apply to the Sinhalese.

The Sinhalese who wish to establish farms, businesses or those who simply want to relocate to the tranquil North to live there  with their families should not be prohibited or discouraged from doing so. But, this is exactly what is happening today.

This is totally contrary to the concept of ‘Sanhindiyawa’ (reconciliation), loudly propagated by the present government. These days the television and radio stations constantly ask people not to be racist and engage in Sanhindiayawa. This is very good. But, Sanhindiyawa must work in both ways, not one way only (do they promote this ideology only among the Sinhalese, especially the school children, or do they spread the message equally among the three ethnic groups?).

It is important to bear in mind that Freedom of Movement is implied in our Constitution. It is also embodied in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966, which Sri Lanka is a signatory.

By disallowing and discouraging the Sinhalese from living in the North the governments and Tamil politicians are breaching both domestic and international laws.

Why Sinhalese settlements in the North are required?

The North and East consist of 1/3 of Sri Lanka’s land mass and about 2/3 of the coast. These are the best parts of Sri Lanka and where empty land is available in plenty.  The South is chock-a-blocked, and people build houses even on 2 perches of land.

Basically, there is hardly any new land available in the South for citizens of Sri Lanka to live except in the North and East. The situation will become very grave in the future, given that the South’s population is ever increasing. The South’s natural environment has almost been destroyed and the forest cover has been reduced to the minimum. There is an enormous amount of pollution (air, water, soil, noise etc) in the big cities like Colombo, Kandy, Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, Galle and Mathara. Garbage disposal has become a nightmarish issue.

Furthermore, we need more population living in the North, which is still sparsely populated, to halt any future Tamilnadu invasion. This population can only be provided by the South (most of the Northern Tamils have migrated to various parts of the world).

Historically we have been subjected to Tamilnadu invasions commencing from Elara to Soli, Pallava, Kalinga-Magha invasions. They had caused enormous destruction to the country.  There is still a lot of sympathy in Tamilnadu for the creation of the Tamil Eelam. The current waves of poaching by Tamilnadu fishermen is a major problem faced by the country.

Knowing well about the Tamilnadu threat, it was a decision by the British in the early 20^th century to populate the North and the East with Sinhala colonists.  The North and the East then had an extremely small population.  The British did not want to fill these two provinces with indentured labour  from Tamilnadu (using coolies who were brought to work in the tea plantations), but only from natives of the land, the Sinhalese.

Like in Australia, the British in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) too believed  that a ‘populate or perish’ policy is required to save Sri Lanka.

The British also wanted to develop the rice cultivation of the country. They knew of the vast tanks that are located in the North and the East that would irrigate thousands of rice land.

The British handed the colonization task to DS Senanayake, who had served in their government as the country’s Minister of Agriculture and Lands (since 1932). He carried out the British policy meticulously well, where thousands of hardworking Sinhalese from the South were settled in the new settlements of the North and the East (eg Padaviya, Sri Pura, Helamba Wewa, Kanda Kaduwa, Ampara, Gal Oya, Seruwila, Kanthale, Gomarankadawela etc).  During the war period, these areas were called the ‘marginal villages’.

After he became the Prime Minister, DS Senanayake continued with the British’s policy. His son, Dudley Senanayake, who was also the  country’s Agriculture Minister and later the Prime Minister continued with the same policy. It was SWRD Bandaranaike who stopped the Sinhalese colonization program after he came to power in 1956.

A sad misconception

There is a misconception among the Sinhalese that the wet zone that they largely live in is the country’s best zone, it has the country’s best agricultural lands and that the North is an arid, unproductive and an uninhabitable area. It has been embedded into the Sinhala DNA (in the last 60 years), that they should not even think of settling in the North.

Very few Sinhalese now visit the North even for a holiday. Soon after the war ended thousands of Sinhalese travelled to the North every week hiring buses, especially to see LTTE memorabilia. The then government destroyed or removed most of them including Prabhakaran’s houses, his swimming pools, underground bunkers and the Sea Tiger’s submarines etc. Now the Sinhalese believe that there is hardly anything for them to see in the North except Nagadeepa and Naga Viharaya (this is another misconception on their part – there is so much to see in the North). The emergence of violent gangs in the North has also frightened the Sinhalese.

True the North has a plenty of dry, arid land, but, what the Sinhalese do not know (or do not want to know) is that it has some of the best fertile and productive lands of the country.

The North consists of hundreds of   tanks. It is believed they were built by Sinhala Kings like Mahasen (334 – 362 BC) and Wasambha (127 -71 BC).  There are scores of tanks in Vavuniya alone – along the North – Eastern boarder. The vast area around Mannar’s Yodha Wewa is named as the country’s Rice Bowl.  The land around the tanks in Iranamadu and Kalmadu (Kilinochchi) and Vavunikkulam (Mulatiwu)  are excellent agricultural lands of Sri Lanka.

The areas beyond Elephant Pass towards Point Pedro (including Jaffna) are excellent for setting up industries plus for the development of fisheries and tourism. Due to less population, unlike the South, these are fairly neat and tidy areas. There is less pollution in the North.

The North has a fine forest reserve, a large saltern, the potential to grow cotton on a large scale, lots of precious mineral sands and metals; its natural beauty often surpasses that of the South.

Encouraging and assisting the settlement of people of all three nationalities  in the North and East is the best remedy to prevent an impending population explosion in the South, to achieve self-sufficiency in food, and most importantly to safeguard the Country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity

Future settlements in the North comprised of the three ethnic groups should be encouraged, this is a policy that will best serve Sri Lanka. Adaptation of such a policy will be in the best interests of the country.

Tamil politicians who genuinely love the country should support this policy rather than oppose it. It is important to bear in mind that this will not disadvantage the Tamils but will assist them too.

It will be the best medicine for ethnic reconciliation. If Tamil politicians of the North really believe in ‘Sanhindiyawa’, why do they not consent to establishing a ‘Sinhala Wellawatte’ and a ‘Sinhala Kotahena’ in Kilinochchi and Mulatiwu respectively?

This article has articulated that allowing and encouraging the Sinhalese to settle in the North will benefit Sri Lanka enormously, including the Tamils. It will be one of the best ways to prevent the emergence  of another terrorist war – we have just come out of a 30 years long civil war. The war  happened largely because less Sinhalese live in the North. It is well known that Prabhakaran and his cohorts had little knowledge about the Sinhalese, very few even spoke Sinhalese. If the governments desperately try to keep the Sinhalese away from the North, which is unfortunately the policy of all the recent governments, the Northern Tamils will hardly have the opportunity to get to know them. And, that is the worst recepie for Sanhindiyawa.

By : A.A.M.NIZAM – MATARA                      

In the state of Sirisena and Ranil not heeding the objections being raised by the Maha Sangha and the people against the proposed constitution we must appreciate the former Prime Ministers S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike and Dudley Senanayake for bowing down to people’s demand and abrogating the agreements they reached with the father of Tamil separatists S.J.V.Chelvanayagam.  We must also appreciate the former President J.R.Jayawardene for deliberately placing restrictions hindering the the full implementation of the despicable 13^th Amendment forcibly imposed on the Sri Lankab constitutiin by the hegemonic Rajiv Gandhi.

Now we are facing a similar situation as a result of the envisaged new Constitution. Appreciably the Venerable Maha Sangha together with the patriotic people have entered the battle ground to defeat this envisaged move being attempted to implement by the government on the behest of the anti democratic western powers, western slavish UNHRC, hegemonic India, the Tamil diaspora, the local Tamil separatists and theTamil slavish NGOs and politicians.

Under mounting objections from the Maha Sangha for the proposed constitution the Tamil National Alliance which is determined to have the proposed new constitutions approved by hook ot crook or by bribing anyone with any amount of money or some other enticements, called for a special Central Committee Meeting on 24^th October and decided to visit Kndy and obtain the consent of the Maha Nayake Theros of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters to the new constitution.   MP Sumanthiran said that they will make every effort to persuade the two chief prelates to consent for the new constitution. It reminds us that recently Wigneswaran also attempted to persuade the Mahanayake theros explaining the virtues of the federal system and try to convince them that the federal system is not a separatist system.

The Chancellor of the Sri Jayawardene University Ven. Prof. Bellanwila Wimalarathana thero said that if Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhita thero was alive he would be the first person to oppose the proposed constitution.  The Ven. Thero made this statement at a media conference held on 24^th October at the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress premises following a meeting on the proposed constitution held by a group of erudite members of the Maha Sangha. Around ome hundred members of scholarly monks from Colombo and other parts of the country participated in this discussion. Highlighting the dangers embedded in the proposals Ven. Wimalaratne thero explained if this constitution was approved as it is being proposed that it will not be possible to get any national policy approved.  He said that the rulers seem to be deaf dumb and blind to all protests made by the Maha Sanfga so far.  The Ven. Thero urged the government not to mislead the public by beguiling private ambitions behind technical terms.  He said former President Chandrika Kumaratunga too unsuccessfully attempted to bring about certain constitutional changes and the present government is attempting to implement the same amendments in a different manner. The Ven.Thero further stated that the government will make use of all ruses to get the federal constitution approved similar to the disgraceful method it used to get the Provincial Council Election postponement Bill apptoved  The Ven. Thero said when the constitution will be be placed before the people for a referendum, they will bring out all members of Maha Sangha to the streets to defeat it.  He aso stated that a close examination of the proposals clearly revealed that there are some proposals that would not only jeopardise peaceful co-existence of the citizens of Sri Lanka but also help promote separatism. Stressing that the alternative proposals in the main document camouflaged the real intention of the government and some terms had different and conflicting meanings in Sinhala, Tamil and English, Ven. Wimalaratana Thera said that even though the proposals did not use the term federal directly, it had been subtly introduced by use of words that had different meanings in the three languages.

Venerable Muruththettuwe Ananda Thero said that although they are not against the existing Constitution, they oppose the presenting of new amendments to the Constitution.  He was speaking at a press briefing of the ‘National Movement to Protect the Motherland’ at the Abayaramaya Temple in Narahenpita on 24^th October. . The Ven. Thero said that that they will never allow any constitutional amendment being carried out to fulfill the needs of non-governmental organisations (NGOs).  He said thar the President and Prime Minister are making contradictory remarks regarding the constitutional amendment.  He said that the attempts by the government to change the constitution in the face of the displeasure of the Maha Sangha cannot be condoned.

The chief incumbent of the Sunethra Devi Pirivena, Ven. Dr.Medagoda Abeytissa Thera said it would be better to have Tamil speaking leaders as President and Prime Minister than to divide the country on ethnic lines. Addressing the media at the National Library and Documentation Centre, on 24^th October, Ven. Abeytissa Thera said ththe mahanaayake Te government was trying to implement the 13th Amendment fully on the pretext of introducing a new Constitution. Ven. Dr. Medagoda Abeytissa Thera said that Jathika Sangha Sabhawa, the Federation of National Organisations, Patriotic National Movement, Mahajana Rajjya Sabhawa and the Global Sri Lanka Forum (GSLF) met President Sirisena on Monday 23rs October night and Sirisena was unwilling to halt or reverse the ongoing constitution-making process.  Ven. Abeytissa told the media that Sirisena had said the northerners were unhappy as they had been denied their rightful place. Dr. Abeytissa thera also stated that as the Tamils, too, had immensely contributed to the Independence struggle and development of the country there couldn’t be any issue with having a Tamil speaking President or Prime Minister. The monk referred to the great contribution made by the late Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, in his capacity as the Foreign Minister of this country.

The AmerapuraNikaya is considered as the largest Nikayaa in this country.  The Mahanayake Thero of the Amarpura Nikaya said that there is no need at present to bring a new constitution. The Mahanaayake Thero of the Nikaya Ven. Trincomalee Ananda Thero said yhat they would agree only for the change of election system and warned that proposals being made in the steering committee get incorporated into the constitution it would become a death trap.  He said that the incumbent government cannot be trusted under any circumstance and warned that this despicable government would take any measure to get the proposed constitution approved.

The Chief Registrar of the Asgiri Chapter `of the Siyam Nikaya Ven. Dr. Medagama Dammananda thero said that for them rhere is no preference either for Mahinda or Maithri and they totally reject the proposed constitution and they wholly commit by themselves to protect the Sinhala Buddhists. Explaining the long discussions they held separately and jointly among the committee members and togetherwith the Mahanayake Theros of both chapers following the receipt of copies of the Steering Committee from Minister Kiriella, Ven. Dammanaanda Thero said that there are many proposals in the steering committee report that are dangerus to country as a whole and for the Sinhala Buddhists and for Buddhism and hence they totally reject the proposals. Ven. Dr. Dammananda thero also said that both the President and the Prime Minister will e summoned ti Kandy for a meeting with Mahanayake Theros of both Malwatte and Asgiri chapters and members of the Sangha Councils to discuss on the proposed constitution.  He also stated that they have no trust about the proposed constitution and on those who are entrusted with the task of formulating it. ,

Photo : Courtesy – Mawbima

An appeal letter signed by more than 100 Mahanayake Theros and the Chief Incumbents in Colombo and the suburbs requesting to totally abandon all attempts related to formulating a new constitution has been handed over to both the President and the Prime Minister on th 24^th of this month.  The signatories of this appeal letter ibclude the Mahanayake of the Amaarapura Dharmraakshita Nikaya Ven Tribcomalee Ananda Thero, Ven. Prof. Bellanwila Wimalaratne Thero, Ven. Balangoda Sobhita Thero, Ven. Diviyagaha Yasassi Thero, Ven. Welamitiyawe Kusaladamma Thero, Ven. Gonaduwe Gunananda Thero, Ven. Nakulugaamuwe Pematilleke Thero, Ven. Pallattara Sumanajothi Thero, Ven. Akuratiya Nanda Thero, Ven. Yatuana Gnaawaasa Thero, Ven. Prof. Agalakada Sirisumana Thero, Ven.  Wadduwe Dammawasa Thero, Ven. Nelumdande Wimalasaara Thero, Ven. Prof. Medagampitiye Wimalasiri Thero, Ven. Talalle Chandakitti Thero, Ven. Prof. Kongastenne Ananda Thero, and Ven. Walpola Gothama Theo.

The appeal letter has emphasize that members of the Maha Sangha and the religious leaders while enlightening all people’s representatives and the general public about the emerging nation disaster situation would muster all forces to reject the constitution proposals.  They have said that these activities will be carried out devoid of personal or political objectives.  They have also called to establish a dialogue on this matter.

n Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera has said he that he opposes the Steering Committee’s Interim Report and added that there are several other burning issues in the country that need to be addressed, other than bringing in a new Constitution. He pointed out that the new constitution proposes the merging of Northern provinces and the merging the Northern and Eastern provinces would lead to racial issues among the people. As such, he said, many members of Muslim communities in the East are not in agreement with this proposed constitution.

Rev.Fr. Vimal Tirimanna, CSsR, in an analytical article in The Island of 11th October, 2017 titled “Yahapalanaya govt. has neither valid mandate nor credibility to draft a new constitution” concludes “The only way the government can have both a mandate and the necessary credibility to drnew constitution is to call a general election and muster a clear-cut majority rather than hoodwinking the people with their fairy tale arguments, for postponing all elections. A new Constitution should not be a façade to achieve the egoistic agendas of its drafters irrespective of what the citizens really desire at this moment through such a Constitution”.

Archbishop of Colombo and Head of the Roman Catholic Church in Sri Lanka  Rev. Dr. Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith publicly declared his opposition to any constitutional dilution of the foremost place granted to Buddhism in Article 9″,. Dr. Malcolm Ranjith participating at a religious ceremony held under the patronage of Chief incumbent Ven. Daranagama Kusaladhamma Nayaka Thera at the Sri Sambodhi Viharaya in Colombo said that the right status and respect deserved for Buddhism should remain intact in the constitution, He said that the prominence of the country relies on Buddhism and there should not be any decision to change its due place secured by the constitution as we all live in a country nourished by Buddhism.

Archbishop of Colombo, His Eminence Dr. Albert Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith

Attorney at Law Rushdi Habib speaking at the inaugural event of he Eliya” movement stated that we seem to be moving from a unitary state to a federal state and that in such a situation it is important to study the implications that such change will have for the peaceful coexistence among communities, He stated that he had seen the proposals to amend the constitution and queried whether by putting forward a proposal to amend Article 9 (which gives foremost place to Buddhism) anyone can really expect reconciliation to take place in this country. He stated that the mere suggestion itself is counter productive.

He also pointed out that by devolving police and land powers and abolishing the concurrent list and giving all such powers to the provincial councils, whether there is any guarantee that the rights of the Sinhala and Muslim minorities living in the North and East will be protected. He drew attention to the fact that the Muslims were expelled from the north by the LTTE within 24 hours and that in a backdrop where such incidents have taken place, to create autonomous units which are not subordinate to the sovereign power in the country, would heighten the danger of parts of the country moving away from the state. He stated that the TNA has proposed the merger of the North and East and if a referendum is to held, that it be within the provinces to be merged. He stated that the majority of the Tamil and Muslim people in this country do not live in the North and East but elsewhere and if the North and East goes its separate way, he wanted to know what will happen to the majority of the Tamil and Muslim people living in other parts of the country? He said that the Tamil and Muslim people should oppose this proposed constitution and that they cannot agree to the arrangement being proposed.

He stated that by going for a foreign solution imposed upon us, the majority of the Tamils and the Muslims living in the South are being placed in danger by creating Tamil areas, Muslim areas and Sinhala areas and  a Tamil police, Muslim police and Sinhala police etc. He stated that they have no issue living in a unitary state and that they don’t want separatism in this country.

Former Ambassador Tamara Kunanayagam speaking at the same function said, at the same time that a new Constitution was being discussed, a plethora of radical reforms” was also being rushed through. The fact that many of these reforms are being challenged as unconstitutional, indicates that the new Constitution is aimed at making what is unconstitutional today, constitutional tomorrow. In other words, making legal, what is illegal by a simple trick of changing the Law.”She said, efforts to draft a new Constitution is a project sponsored by the United States and that, through its intervention, what began as an agenda to abolish the Executive Presidency, has become a full-blown reform of the Constitution.

Meanwhile. The tiger terrorist website TamilNet in an article on 21^st October under the titled ‘Unitary Constitution impossinle choice, irrelevant to fundaments, needs rejection by Tamils says that Eezham Tamils are a distinct nation with sovereignty-based claim to exercise their right to Self-Determination. A framework for political solution should therefore recognise the nationhood of Eezham Tamils, their geographically contiguous homeland and their inalienable right of self-determination. It outlines four essential elements of any framework to be qualified as a solution model to resolve the national question and which are 1) recognise Eezham Tamils as a nation 2) recognise their distinct sovereignty for self-governance 3) recognise that Eezham Tamils are entitled to exercise their right to self-determination without any compromise and 4) propose a model of governance ensuring their parity on the above three fundamentals. This shows that these separatist Tamils will not change their hardcore standard under any circumstances.

Why this Tamil and foreign slavish government cannot abandon this despicable constitution process as the respectful and exemplary paradigms shown by late Prime Ministers S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike and Dudley Senanayake?

(To be continued)

Ranjith Soysa Media Coordinator For Global Sri Lankan Forum

Lord Michael M Baron Naseby
House of Lords

Your Lordship,

We, the Global Sri Lankan Forum, GSLF write to convey our grateful thanks to you on behalf of the threatened Sri Lanka for you excellent presentation of facts at the recent All Party Group” debate on Sri Lanka.  You have been contributing your unbiased views on Sri Lanka in the past without being pressurized by or caving into the lies and distortions spread by the separatists who supported the LTTE terrorism , so called NGO fronts and the politicians who are swayed by the vote banks of persons of Tamil origin in the UK and other countries.

For them the parroting of all the anti-Sri Lanka  slogans and the false stories of perceived discrimination of Tamils, the exaggerated number killed at the war against LTTE terrorism and attempting to create instability in the small but a country with a  long and proud history of being a unitary state is the unwavering agenda. With the present Sri Lankan government accepting the UNHCR resolution moved against the country in the guise of reconciliation Sri Lanka has been placed at an unenviable position.

As you recollected in your speech, the threat of war crimes on Sri Lanka should be removed for the country to progress with confidence.

Historically, was an exemplary co-existence among all the groups in Sri Lanka, if not for the attempts of the Tamil Vellalahas (so called high caste Tamils) who wanted to dominate  Sri Lankan politics by demanding “the rights of the Tamils” at the expense of the territorial and the nation integrity of Sri Lanka,

We send herewith an article written by Mr HLD Mahindapala, on this important subject to identify the false story of Temil grievances.

We take this opportunity again to thank you for relating the true story of Sri Lanka in the public arena and request you kindly to continue your invaluable contribution to highly prejudiced case championed by the anti Sri Lanka fora.

Thanking you

Yours sincerely

Ranjith Soysa

Media Coordinator

For Global Sri Lankan Forum

වෛද්‍ය රුවන් එම් ජයතුංග 

විශේෂඥ ශල්‍ය වෛද්‍ය එස් එස් ජයරත්න මහතා සමග වැඩ කිරීමට ලැබීම භාග්‍යකි. එතුමා සමග මට වැඩ කිරීමට හැකි වූයේ කොලඹ යුද හමුදා රෝහලේදීය​.  

විශේෂඥ ශල්‍ය වෛද්‍ය එස් එස් ජයරත්න මහතා මනෝ චිකිත්සනය සඳහා මවෙත බොහෝ රෝගීන් යොමු කොට තිබේ. මෙම රෝගීන් අතර අවිඥාණික මානසික ගැටුමක් නිසා උදර වේදනාවෙන් පෙළුණු රෝගියෙකු පිලිබඳව මුලින්ම සඳහන් කල යුතුය​. මෙම රෝගියාට දිගින් දිගටම වේදනා නාශක වලටද අඩු නොවන උදර වේදනාවක් තිබුනේය​. ඔහු සබැඳිව කරන ලද සියළු පරීක්‍ෂණ සාමාන්‍ය වූ අතර එන්ඩොස්කොපි සහ උදරයේ ස්කෑන් පරික්‍ෂාවද කිසිදු වෙනසක් පෙන්වූයේ නැත​. මේ නිසා මනෝ විද්‍යාත්මක තක්සේරුවක් කිරීම සඳහා මෙම රෝගියාව විශේෂඥ ශල්‍ය වෛද්‍ය එස් එස් ජයරත්න මහතා විසින් මාවෙත එවන ලදි. එම මනෝ විද්‍යාත්මක තක්සේරුවේදී යුද ආතතිය සමග බැඳුණු අවිඥාණික මානසික ගැටුම් හඳුනා ගන්නා ලද අතර ඒ සඳහා මනෝ චිකිත්සන ප්‍රතිකාර ලබා දෙන ලදින් ඔහුගේ උදර වේදනාව සුවපත් විය​. 

අවිඥාණික මානසික ගැටුම් නිසා මනෝ කායික රෝග ලක්‍ෂණ විශේෂයෙන් වේදනාව මූලික කර ගත් ලක්‍ෂණ පෙන්වන රෝගීන් සිටිති. බොහෝ විට   මනෝ කායික  උදර වේදනා තිබෙන රෝගීන් කෙලින්ම යන්නේ ශල්‍ය මේසය මතටය​. මෙම රෝගියාගේ රෝග ලක්‍ෂණ කායික හේතූන් නිසා හට නොගත් බවට උපකල්පනය කිරීමට අවලෝකනයක් විශේෂඥ ශල්‍ය වෛද්‍ය එස් එස් ජයරත්න මහතා තුල තිබුනේය. මින් පෙනී යන්නේ එතුමා තුල පවත්නා සායනික දැණුමයි. 

වෛද්‍ය එස් එස් ජයරත්න මහතා විසින් මවෙත යොමු කල තවත් රෝගියෙකු නම් දබර ඇඟිල්ල පක්‍ෂාඝාතයට ලක්වූ සොල්දාදුවාය​. මෙම සොල්දාදුවාගේ දකුණු අතේ දබර ඇඟිල්ල හිටි හැටියේම පක්‍ෂාඝාතයට ලක් විය​. මෙවැනි තත්වයන් සායනික මනෝ විද්‍යාවේ හඳුන්වන්නේ trigger finger palsy කියාය.  බොහෝ විට යුද ආතතිය නිසා මතු වන අවිඥාණික මානසික ගැටුම් නිසා මෙම තත්වය ඇති විය හැකිය​. මෙම පක්‍ෂාඝාතයේ සංකේතාත්මක අර්ථය නම් යුද භූමියෙන් ඉවත් වීමට තිබෙන අචේතනික උවමනාවයි. දකුණු අතේ දබර ඇඟිල්ල පණ නැති වීමෙන් සොල්දාදුවාට තුවක්කුවේ කොකා ගැස්සිය නොහැක​. මේ නිසා ඔහුට තව දුරටත් සංග්‍රාමයට සහභාගී විය නොහැක​.  මෙවැනි trigger finger palsy පිළිබඳ සිද්ධි අධ්‍යනයන් සිග්මන්ඩ් ෆ්‍රරොයිඩ් ඉතා විචක්‍ෂණ ලෙස ලියා තිබේ. මෙවැනි රෝගීන් මෝහන ප්‍රතිකාරය සඳහා හොඳ ප්‍රතිචාර දක්වති. 

2005 වසරේදී වෛද්‍ය එස් එස් ජයරත්න මහතා විසින් උපදේශනය සහ මනෝ ප්‍රතිකාර සඳහා විශ්‍රාම ලත් ජ්‍යෙෂ්ඨ සොල්දාදුවෙකු මා වෙත යොමු කරන ලදි. 1988/89 කාලයේ බොහෝ සැහැසි ක්‍රියාවන් වල යෙදුනු මෙම ජ්‍යෙෂ්ඨ සොල්දාදුවා දක්‍ෂ මෙන්ම ක්‍රෑර පුද්ගලයෙකු විය​. ඔහු බොහෝ යුද මෙහෙයුම් වලට සහභාගි වී තිබුනේය​.  අධික දුම් පානය නිසා ඔහුගේ දෙපා වල රුධිර නාල අවහිර වී පා ඇඟිලි කෙමෙන් කෙමෙන් මිය යන්නට පටන් ගෙන තිබූ අතර වෙනත් විකල්පයක් නොවූ හෙයින් දණ හිසට පහලින් ඔහුගේ දෙපා කපා දැමීම තිබූ එකම ප්‍රතිකාරය විය​.  එම ප්‍රතිකාරය නොකලේ නම් ඔහුගේ ජීවිතය පවා නැති වීමේ ඉඩකඩ තිබුණි. 

ඔහුගේ දෙපා කළුවී තිබුනේය​. ඇඟිලි තුඩු මියැදී රුධිර නාලිකා ගසක මුල් මෙන් දිස් විය​. නමුත් ඔහු අංගච්ඡෙදන  ශල්‍යකර්මයට අනුමැතිය දුන්නේ නැත​. තවද මෙම රෝගියා තමා අසලට එන හෙදියන්ට සහ අනෙකුත් වෛද්‍යවරුන්ට කෙළ ගසන්නට විය​. ඔහු කෙළ නොගැසුවේ විශේෂඥ ශල්‍ය වෛද්‍ය එස් එස් ජයරත්න මහතාට සහ මට පමණි. 

මෙම රෝගියාගේ බිරිඳ සහ දරුවන් මගින් ඔහුට ශල්‍යකර්මයේ අවශ්‍යතාව තේරුම් කර දීමට මම උත්සහයක් ගත්තෙමි. ඔහුගේ බිරිඳට සහ දරුවන්ට පණිවිඩයක් යැවූ අතර ඔවුන් වාට්ටුවට පැමිණ මා හමු වූහ​. ඔවුන් පැවසූ පරිදි මොහු නිවසේද අක්‍රොශකාරී චර්‍යාවක් ගෙන ගිය අයෙකි. මේ නිසා ශල්‍යකර්මයෙන් පසු ඔහුව භාර ගැනීමට බිරිඳ  සහ දරුවන් අකමැති වූහ​. අප බොහෝ සෙයින් කරුණු පෙන්වා දුන්නද ඔවුන් තම තීරණය වෙනස් කලේ නැත​. 

මෙම සොල්දාදුවා බොහෝ කාලයක් පුර තම බිරිඳට සහ ළමයින්ට කායික සහ වාචික වශයෙන් හිරිහැර කර තිබුනේය​. ඔහු රෝහලේදී පවා තම බිරිඳට කුණු හරපයෙන් බනිනු අපට ඇසුනි. කෙසේ නමුත් දැන් ඔහු අන්ත අසරණ අඩියට වැටී තිබේ. සිය පවුලෙන් ඔහුට සහයක් ලැබෙන්නේ නැත​. මේ නිසා මම ජෙනරාල් තිස්ස පරණගම මහතාගේ ආධාරයෙන් උස්වැටකෙයියාව ප්‍රදේශයේ මහළු නිවාසයක් ඔහු සඳහා සූදානම් කලෙමි. 

තමා දිනෙන් දින කායික මානසික වශයෙන් පිරිහෙන බවත් බිරිඳ සහ ළමුන් පෙරදා මෙන් තමන්ට බිය නොවන බවත් ඔහු වටහා ගත්තේය​. දැන් ඔහු අසරණ මහළු මිනිසෙකි. තමන් ගේ තථ්‍ය තත්වය අවබෝධ කර ගැනීම නිසා ඔහු හිටි හැටියේ මා ඉදිරියේ මහ හඞින් හැඞුවේය​. ළමා කාලයේ  හැඞුවාට පසු  හැඞුව ප්‍රථම අවස්ථාව එය වන්නට ඇත​. ඔහු බොහෝ වේලාවක් හඞමින් තමා විසින් අතීතයේ පවුලට සහ අන්‍යන්ට කරන ලද පාපකාරී ක්‍රියා ගැන කීවේය​. මම විනිශ්චය විරහිතව ඔහුට සවන් දුන්නෙමි. අවසානයේදී ඔහු ශල්‍යකර්මයට අනුමැතිය දුන්නේය​. පසු දිනම  ශල්‍ය වෛද්‍ය එස් එස් ජයරත්න මහතා අංගච්ඡෙදන  ශල්‍යකර්මය කරන ලදි. ඉන් පසුව ඔහු තවත් සුමාන කීපයක් අපගේ වාට්ටුවේ සිටි අතර පසුව පෙර කී වැඩිහිටි නිවාසයට මාරු කර යවන ලදි. 

දියවැඩියාව නිසා දණ හිසට උඩින් දෙපා කපා දමන ලද තවත් වියපත් සොල්දාදුවෙකු ශල්‍යකර්මයෙන් පසුව ආහාර ගැනීම අඩු කලේය​. එසේම ඔහුගේ දෙපයේ ශල්‍ය තුවාලද ආසාදනය වන්නට ගත්තේය​. මොහු තුල විශාදය වර්ධනය වන බවට සැක කල විශේෂඥ ශල්‍ය වෛද්‍ය එස් එස් ජයරත්න මහතා උක්ත සොල්දාදුවා මාවෙත යොමු කලේය​. පසුව හෙලි වූ පරිදි මොහු දෙපයේ ශල්‍ය තුවාල ආසාදනය වීම සඳහා රාත්‍රියට එම තුවාල මත අසූචි තවරන බව හෙලි විය​. කෙසේ නමුත් උපදේශනය සහ ප්‍රති විශාද ඖෂධ මගින් ඔහුගේ එකී අසාමාන්‍ය චර්‍යාව නිම විය​. පසුව පූර්ණ සුවය ලබා ඔහු රෝහලෙන් පිට විය​. 

තවත් වරක් එතුමා මවෙත සෙබලකු යොමු කලේය​. මේ සෙබලා උතුරේ සේවය කරමින් සිටියදී  ඇතැම් ජේෂ්ඨ සොල්දාදුවන් විසින් කරන හිරිහැර නිසා බඩවතට වෙඩි තබා ගත්තේය​. පසුව ඔහුව කොලඹට හදිසි ශල්‍යකර්මයක් සඳහා ගෙන එන ලදි. වෛද්‍ය එස් එස් ජයරත්න මහතා ශල්‍යකර්මයක් සිදු කොට මෙම සෙබලාගේ ජීවිතය බේරගත් අතර උපදේශනය සහ රාජකාරී ගැටළු නිරාකරණය සඳහා අපගේ සායනය වෙත එවන ලදි 

මම පුත්තලම දිස්ත්‍රික් මානසික සෞඛ්‍ය සම්බන්ධීකරණ වෛද්‍ය නිලධාරී ලෙස සේවය කල කාලයේ දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ වෛද්‍යවරු සහ හෙදියන් ඇමතීම සඳහා වරක් විශේෂඥ ශල්‍ය වෛද්‍ය එස් එස් ජයරත්න මහතාට  ආරාධනය කලෙමි. මගේ ආරාධනය පිලිගත් වෛද්‍ය එස් එස් ජයරත්න මහතා මාදම්පේ පුත්තලම් දිස්ත්‍රික් නියෝජ්‍ය පළාත් සෞඛ්‍ය සේවා කාර්‍යාලයේ ශ්‍රවණාගාරයේදී වෛද්‍යවරු සහ හෙදියන්ට  රෝගී සත්කාරය ගැන දේශනයක් කලේය​. 

විශේෂඥ ශල්‍ය වෛද්‍ය එස් එස් ජයරත්න මහතා මානුෂික ගුණයන් ගෙන් පරිපූර්ණ වූ වෛද්‍යවරයෙකි. ඔහුගේ දැණුම කුසළතාවට අමතරව කාරුණික ගුණය නිසාද රෝගීන් සුවය ලබති. මෙය මම වෛද්‍ය එස් එස් ජයරත්න මහතා ඇසුරෙන් ප්‍රත්‍යක්‍ෂ කලෙමි. 

වෛද්‍ය එස් එස් ජයරත්න මහතා බුදු දහම ගැඹුරින් හදාරන්නෙකි. එතුමාට බුදු දහම පිළිබඳව කැළනිය විශ්ව විද්‍යාලයෙන් ගෞරව උපාධියක්ද තිබේ. එතුමා සමග සේවය කල කාලයේදී මම ඇතැම් විට බටහිර මනෝ විද්‍යාව සහ බුදු දහම පිලිබඳ කරුණු තර්ක කිරීමට පුරුදුව සිටියෙමි. එතුමාගෙන් බොහෝ දැණුම මම උකහා ගත්තෙමි. තවද මා විසින් ලියන ලද “ජාතක කථා මනෝ විද්‍යාත්මක ඇසින් ” කෘතිය සඳහා පෙරවදන සපයන ලද්දේ එතුමා විසිනි. 

වෛද්‍ය රුවන් එම් ජයතුංග 

Somapala Senarath 

Quoting from The Island newspaper,  Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara, addressing the weekly Cabinet Press Briefing, at the Information Department, said that finding solutions to the problems faced by the Tamils did not mean dismembering the country into pieces or combining the Northern and Eastern Provincial Councils into one, as demanded by some Tamil parties.

Then he went on to ask  “Let me ask you’ll a question. The Tamils fought for autonomy for nearly 30 years. If you now tell them that devolution even within a united Sri Lanka is not possible, then you cannot rule out the possibility of another conflict.“

The main problem with this type of foolish arguments which purposely avoid specifying the so called ‘problems faced by the Tamils’ is they tend to covert the baseless discrimination allegation to a FACT. After many years of repetition more people will simply quote it assuming it is a true allegation which was proven long time ago.

Then he went on to ask the most foolish question shamelessly. It proves how unintelligent and uneducated our ministers are.

If Tamils demanded a fair ‘autonomy’ why did the successive governments did not listen to it and gave what they  wanted ? Why did the two sides fought a war? How unfair was our successive governments?

Hitler wanted to liberate Germany from evil Jews (as he claimed) and waged a war. Did the victors took action against Jews to give  Germans what they demanded after winning the war ?

The truth is a war was fought to end terrorism by Tamils, not because they demanded ‘autonomy’. They did not demand ‘autonomy’ but a sperate state and started terrorising the country and to kill innocent poor villages and then spreading it to kill indiscriminately abusing their own children and sabotaging the whole country for 30 years. It was Tamil politicians ( most of them were killed by Tamil LTTE) who demanded 50/50.  If the government had given the 50/50 autonomy they wanted back in 1970’s would they have been silent and shaken hands with ministers to share power?

These foolish ministers should think before they open stupid mouths. The truth was LTTE ( Tamils) , which is still very much well organised overseas and now in the island as well, will never be satisfied with any sort of autonomy. It is only the Tamil politicians who are asking for a race based ‘devolution’ under ‘Orimitta Nadu’ whilst LTTE Tamils are getting re-organised in ‘Tamil Nadu’ under Viko. When the power is devolved, they will receive more power to evolve again, get things organised again in the North and start with killing of those very foolish Tamil politicians who are now asking for ‘devolution’. They will get ‘revolution’ instead and the History will surely be repeated.

‘Orimitta Nadu’ will be the ‘Kolaiyaali Nadu’ in no time with more intensity than ever before.

Say NO to racial discrimination, racist devolution and autonomy and  YES to integration, friendship and compassion to work as single nation to make this country great again ! Whole country is the homeland for everyone, not that part to Tamils and this part to Sinhalese and in the end whole country to foreign powers.

lanka C news

මැතිවරණ කොමිසමේ සභාපති මහින්ද දේශප‍්‍රිය ඇද සිටි ඇදුම් මෙතෙක් කාලයක් තිස්සේ එක් එක් අය විසින් ගලවාගෙන ගිය බව පිවිතුරු හෙල උරුමයේ නායක පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත‍්‍රී උදය ගම්මන්පිල මහතා පවසයි.

ඉතිරි වී තිබූ යටම ඇදුමද ඇමති මනෝ ගනේෂන් ගලවාගෙන යනවා තමන් දුටු බවද මන්ත‍්‍රීවරයා සදහන් කරයි.

පළාත් පාලන මැතිවණය පවත්වන්නේ ජනවාරි මස 27 වැනිදායි ඇමති මනෝ ගනේෂන් විසින් ප‍්‍රකාශ කර ඇති නිසා දැන් මැතිවණ කොමිසමට කරන්න කිසිම දෙයක් ඉතිරි කර නැති බවද ඔහු කියා සිටියේය.

මන්ත‍්‍රීවරය මෙම අදහස් පල කලේ පිවිතුරු හෙල උරුමය මූලස්ථානයේදී පැවති මාධ්‍ය හමුවක් අමතමිනි.

Editorial Courtesy The Island

October 26, 2017, 12:00 pm
Megapolis and Western Development Minister Champika Ranawaka declared the other day that the first phase of the Chinese-funded Colombo Port City project was nearing completion. He was in seventh heaven! We thought he would weep or at least mewl in public when he made that announcement. Why did we expect him to cry?

Ranawaka wraps himself in the flag. He wears his heart on his sleeve and keeps telling us that he will even risk his life to prevent anything bad from happening to the country. He is also surrounded by some patriotic environmentalists. So, how on earth can he rejoice when the Port City project makes some progress?

It may be recalled that on Dec. 16, 2014, in the run-up to the last presidential election, the then Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe declared that the Port City project, which had been approved by the Rajapaksa government, would destroy the coastal belt from Negombo to Beruwala and, therefore, he would scrap it after forming a yahapalana government. He earned plaudits from the yahapalana camp, of which Ranawaka is a prominent member, various environmental and religious organisations and poor fishers; the protesters voted for Maithripala Sirisena, in the presidential race, overwhelmingly, hoping for an end to the Port City project after a change of government.

But, alas, the yahapalana government did an about-turn. It initially suspended the Port City project, which was subsequently allowed to be built on a bigger land area to be reclaimed from the sea because it was desperate for Chinese loans. China had the last laugh. It dug up land to build an inland port in Hambantota and started filling up part of the sea to construct a city in Colombo, under the Rajapaksa government. After the 2015 regime change, it got the Hambantota Port for a song on a 99-year lease besides thousands of acres of land in the area and also resumed the Colombo Port City project. Now, the yahapalana leaders are all cock-a-hoop about the Chinese projects while the protesters they took for a ride are gnashing their teeth!

Ranawaka is lucky that he has, at last, got something to hold on to as the Megapolis minister; without the Port City project, he would have been left with some menial tasks such as removing stray dogs and cattle from roads in the Western Province in the name of urban development. That may be the reason why he is happy about the progress of the Port City project. But, there are some mega issues he will have to sort out before the project reaches completion.

An electrical engineer by profession and one of the few intelligent politicians in the current Parliament, Ranawaka can’t be unaware of the massive strain the national grid is sure to come under when the Port City gets fully functional. The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is already struggling to meet the increasing demand for power and buying electricity at extortionate prices from the private sector. There are complaints that even the export processing zones experience frequent power cuts. Blackouts and brownouts are not infrequent in all parts of the country. If rains fail for a couple of months, the CEB complains of massive losses due to thermal power generation and power purchasing (fraught with corruption). How does the government propose to ensure a reliable power supply to the Port City? Does it have plans to increase the CEB’s generation capacity substantially within the next few years?

The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) cannot even provide a satisfactory service to the ratepayers within the existing city limits. Piles of waste have appeared in some parts of the city during the past several months. Motorists complain of the bad road conditions in the city. Some roads are hardly motorable for want of repairs. Underground sewers burst because they are as old as the city itself. So, how does the government propose to manage garbage and sewage in the Port City?

Cities are known for their enormous thirst. The National Water Supply and Drainage Board cannot ensure a reliable water supply even in Colombo. Spells of drought lead to water cuts as the Kelani Ganga water levels recede. How will the government quench the thirst of the concrete Godzilla rising from the sea?

The ongoing Port City construction work may help the government satisfy its yen for dollars and give it something to flaunt by way of infrastructural development, which is conspicuous by its absence in most parts of the country. But, it has also exposed the yahapalana leaders as a bunch of hypocrites and is bound to cause unforeseen problems which they had better prepare themselves for if disastrous consequences are to be averted.

By Dr. DAYAN JAYATILLEKA

October 26, 2017, 9:44 pm

We live in a time of dwarfs, against whom we have to defend the achievements of giants.We have SWRD Bandaranaike’s historic rupture with the UNP to found a moderate nationalist anti-UNP formation and inaugurate a two-party system, reversed by Chandrika Bandaranaike’s realignment/reintegration of the SLFP with a markedly rightist UNP. We have the Sirimavo Bandaranaike-Felix Dias Bandaranaike-Colvin R. de Silva unitary Constitution assaulted by Chandrika Bandaranaike and Jayampathy Wickremaratne. We have the Gaullist executive presidential Constitution of JR Jayewardene besieged by Ranil Wickremesinghe, who failed twice to be elected to the presidency. Mercifully, President Jayewardene’s grandson Pradip has come forward to take on his distant cousin the Prime Minister, and defend the logic of the Jayewardene Constitution.

Can you think of anything worse than a referendum on a new Constitution which generates a massive NO vote in the South vocally mobilized by the Buddhist clergy and expressing economic protest, and a massive YES vote in the North? That would display to the world’s media a clear picture of a divided island, and through the international media, the impression would stick in the minds of the global public at large. Just for starters, what sentiments and enterprises will that trigger in Tamil Nadu? Well, that is the scenario that a new constitution, which indubitably needs a referendum, will bring about. Who would be wicked enough or crazy enough to want that?

The mother of the new, non-unitary constitution is Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. This was what two publications with a largely Tamil readership, the Uthayan and the respected Tamil Times (London) published in 1994, quoting Wasantharajah, soon to be President Chandrika’s appointee as Chairman Rupavahini:

‘Chandrika replied as follows: “…The present provincial council system is useless…The word ‘federal’ has been abused in the past. Therefore we will avoid that word and implement devolution in a meaningful manner. The country can be divided into five units of devolution, and wide powers can be granted to them. It will be possible to find a solution to the ethnic problem by bringing the North and the Tamil areas of the East under one unit and giving it the necessary powers”. ’ (Tamil Times, 15 July 1994)

This was CBK in 1994. The same toxic, corrosive and highly inflammable stuff was in her ‘Package’ of 1995 and 1997 and in the Steering Committee interim report presented by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and prepared by Jayampathy Wickremaratne. Riding on the back of a popular vote of over 60%, President Kumaratunga could not push through her new Constitution in 1995, 1997, 2000 or at any time during her two terms in office, including her popular first term.

CBK squandered the popularity of her first term on the ‘package’ and the ‘Sudu Nelum’ Movement of which Mangala Samaraweera was in charge. As Anuruddha Ratwatte told me (and reiterated in his book) it was because of the Sudu Nelum enterprise and its effect on recruitment that she could not win the war even after the liberation of Jaffna. What she should have done, certainly after Jaffna was won, was to accept her ally Douglas Devananda’s advice (later tendered publicly at the 50th anniversary of the founding of the SLFP) and implement the 13th amendment, starting with an Interim Administration of which he would be in charge. She just didn’t do that. She knew better, as she always does.

Her laser-like intellect (reinforced by the no less laser-like intellects of her crew of cronies, both retired and young NGOistas) tells her that what she couldn’t do under such favorable circumstances, i.e. a new non-unitary Constitution, she can get done now, when she isn’t even the President and isn’t even popular, but is a has-been ex-President and a wanna-be Sonia Gandhi. Go figure!

The legitimacy of the government or at least the UNP and the PM have been undermined by the revelations at the Bond Commission. The economy is growing at a slower rate than during a long, mid-intensity war. The government is running scared of elections. And it wants to weaken itself by abolishing the executive presidency and moving ahead with controversial, emotive ethnic reforms? Seriously?

This government is afraid not only of Provincial elections, it is apparently afraid of even municipal and Pradesheeya Sabha elections. Hence the likely postponement beyond January 2018. Would such a government, which is afraid of elections at a subnational level, at which the factor of incumbency gives the advantage of being the obvious source of future patronage, and at which there would be a three way split, take the risk of a nationwide referendum with a zero-sum outcome, at which a protest vote on economic issues and abstentions by the disgruntled UNP voters could cause an anti-government landslide? Almost certainly not.

That puts paid to a brand new Constitution for the foreseeable future, because it would indubitably require a nationwide referendum. The Supreme Court has correctly ruled that federalism is not coterminous with separation or separatism, but that does not mean that the same Supreme Court will rule that a dismantling of the executive Presidency and an unethical conversion to undeclared federalism, amounting to a constitutional bond scam, can be effected without a nationwide referendum.

With the government on the run from any and all elections, dodging a ballot bullet, it will get boxed into a Presidential election in late 2019. That can be postponed only by the abolition of the presidential system or by an amendment, but that brings us back to the starting point, namely the requirement of a referendum that the government is anxious to avoid or postpone; one that it cannot risk; MR and the JO’s silver bullet that it is trying to dodge.

What then can those who fear that a Sinhala electoral backlash in 2019-2020 would put paid to a political settlement with the Tamils, do now, and how can they do it? The answer is obvious if only logic and reason are your guides. The problem is that ideology intervenes. The logical answer is to effect a reform well before 2019, but keep it well within the limits that do not risk the reform being referred for a referendum. The most recent model is the 19th amendment which trimmed the excessive powers of the presidency. That is what a reform can do—trim the surplus or put more meat on the bones, but not undertake a complete change.

This is both feasible and easy. But there is a problem and that is of ideological extremism of two entirely contradictory, actually antipodal, varieties. The first is that of neoliberalism. Those of neoliberal persuasion insist on going beyond constitutional reform to total constitutional transformation i.e. a new Constitution. These are not merely fringe elements. This seems to be the view of the UNP, the TNA and the large, loquacious, sporadically logical lady.

Then there’s the other ideological extreme, namely these who do not want any constitutional reform whatsoever if it impinges on center-periphery relations. These are the neoconservatives and the New Right, located in the anti-government space and increasingly apart from the mainstream Joint Opposition.

The problem could be resolved if there is a mainstream consensus on pragmatic reform which eschews both the total transformation option as well as the zero change one. It will not be resolved because the main driver of the project for a new Constitution is lodged well within the ruling troika while by contrast, the anti-reform extremists are nowhere near the center of Joint Opposition decision making and are increasingly critical of both the JO and MR. What then is the way out?

‘The One and Only Path’ is the title of a recent article on the blog of a world renowned scholar. The friend I most respect and admire, Richard Falk, Emeritus Professor of International Law at Princeton, who teaches these days at the University of California, Santa Barbara, argued in a recent speech in Europe that the two-state solution to the Israeli/Palestine problem is no longer an option and that the focus should instead be on a one-state solution in which Israel’s apartheid structure is dismantled.

It seems to me that we in Sri Lanka could learn from Prof. Falk’s diamantine thinking. The ‘two-state solution’—Sri Lanka/Tamil Eelam– the Tamil separatists barbarically pursued was buried at Nandikadal. It may be revived someday through other means (leveraging the Indo-US axis, a Pongu Thamil civic uprising, a referendum etc.), but as Iraqi Kurdistan shows, that bluff could be forcefully called too.

The Tamil ‘one-and-a-half state’ solution of federalism by any other name is not going to work either, not least because it requires a referendum at which it will almost certainly be shot down by the Sinhala majority for whom federalism by any other name smells as bad.

What does that leave? A state of denial in which one pretends that there is no Tamil problem is one option, i.e. playing ostrich? That apart, there is a one-state solution, in which existing subnational autonomous units are strengthened while residual discrimination is legislatively eliminated.

If we apply that to Sri Lanka today, now that the Sudu Nelum Syndrome is back and CBK has driven the government into a minefield, what can be done? Be realist and effect political triage. The whole messy project of a new Constitution,and the internally (intra-governmentally) divisive issue of the abolition of the executive presidency which divides the coalition, should be junked in favor of a stand-alone effort which addresses the North-South Question. There too the aim must be a recalibration which does not risk a referendum by impinging on an entrenched clause.

What we are really talking about is the adjustment of the existing system of Provincial Councils which we have worked (ironically, except in the North) for thirty years this year;a constitutional adjustment, pressing the re-set button on the 13th amendment. With a solid phalanx of the Buddhist hierarchy from the Malwatte Chapter through Asgiriya to Amarapura having just come out decidedly against a new Constitution, the abolition of the Executive Presidency and the envisaged dramatic further empowerment of the Provinces, such a revision and upgrade of the existing 13A is not merely the best that can be achieved on the devolution front during thisadministration’s tenure, it is also the only thing that can be achieved. The window for such re-engineering is closing fast.

Courtesy The Island

The Foreign Ministry said yesterday that war crimes allegations would be dealt through national independent judicial mechanisms. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mahishini Colonne said so when The Island asked her whether the government would request UK and Geneva to review the allegation that 40,000 civilians had been killed during the Vanni campaign, in the light of Lord Naseby statement int he House of Lords disputing the figure on oct. 12.

The following is the full text of SM spokesperson’s statement:

“As you would recall, the 100 Day Programme ‘United for a Change. Dawn of Maithri Rule. A New Country in 100 Days’, in point 93, stated the following: “Since Sri Lanka is not a signatory to the Rome Statute regarding international jurisdiction with regard to war crimes, ensuring justice with regard to such matters will be the business of national independent judicial mechanisms.

“What this means is that the new Government of Sri Lanka pledged to re-assert lost sovereignty by taking ownership of processes that were in the international domain, by bringing them to the local domain, and that the Government of Sri Lanka, as a sovereign state that is responsible for all its citizens, and responsible to uphold the rule of law, democracy, and justice, would take responsibility for credible investigations, locally (by this time, as you would recall, there was already an international investigation on Sri Lanka by the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL), set up by Resolution 25/1 of March 2014).

“As promised to the people by the 100 Day Programme (point 93), the National Unity Government proceeded to present its own set of national proposals for a transitional justice process, involving truth, justice, reparation, and guarantees of non-recurrence. For the first time, people were invited to present their views through a consultation process on reconciliation mechanisms that was set up locally, so that anyone could present their own ideas for reconciliation mechanisms to the Government.

“The Government of Sri Lanka remains committed to national processes aimed at realising the vision of a reconciled, stable, peaceful and prosperous nation.  Engaging in arguments and debates  in the international domain over the number of civilians who may have died at a particular time in the country will not help resolve any issues, in a meaningful manner, locally, except a feel good factor for a few individuals who may think that they have won a debate or scored points over someone or the other.

“This country has seen violence many times – for example in 1971, and also during the period between 1987 and 1989 when civilians died and went missing in the south. Once again, after the end of the conflict in May 2009, certain incidents took place in the south, such as the Welikada Prison incident, shooting at protesters in Rathupaswala and in the Katunayake Free Trade Zone. And today,  there are attempts  once again to  instigate violence in the south by branding people as traitors and trying to create divisions in society. These indicate,  whatever community one belongs to, one cannot be guaranteed of safety. All communities have been affected by violence at some point or the other in this country.

“Therefore, systems that restore trust in investigations and judicial processes, and systems that strengthen individual rights  will benefit all communities and also enhance social trust over the long-term. This is what the Government seeks to carry out, for the benefit of all citizens,  present and future, in the interest of long-term stability and prosperity of the nation.”

Sandun A Jayasekera Courtesy The Daily Mirror

President Maithripala Sirisena has instructed the apex economic management body, the National Economic Commission (NEC) to renegotiate a dialogue with two international airlines in a bid to resuscitate the national carrier Sri Lankan Airlines (SLA) including the old partner Emirates and the latest rounds of talks have been satisfactory, a reliable senior government source said.

‘The issue of the future of the national carrier SLA was taken up by President Sirisena at the last NEC meeting held before his official visit to Qatar. It was pointed out by Public Enterprise Development Minister Kabir Hashim, who is also a member of the NEC that negotiations would begin very soon to set up a joint venture or outright sale of the SLA which has an outstanding debt of US4 600 million (more than Rs. 90 billion),” the source said on condition of anonymity. This large debt portfolio is holding back investors who are unwilling to partner with the SLA but reluctant to take up the liability,” he added.

Earlier, the cabinet appointed negotiating committee comprising Special Assignments Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama, Minister Hashim and Development Strategies and International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrama had a several rounds of detailed discussions with Emirates. The airline has raised its disappointment on the unilateral abrogation of the management agreement agreement with the SLA by the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime without considering the impact on Sri Lanka’s economy, tourism and the fate of the SLA. The sudden and imprudent decision had been taken reportedly on the instructions of UPFA national list MP and former President Rajapaksa’s right hand man and consultant Sajin Vaas Gunawardana, he noted

A large question mark is hanging over the deals negotiated to purchase 6 brand new Airbuses as the price quoted has been much higher than the prevailing market price and the FCID is investigating the deal right now, he said.

Tim Clark, the CEO of Emirates has stated during the first round of negotiations that the Emirates was willing to be partnered with the SLA once again but not ready for an equity partnership. However, the current negotiating team of the government is confident that further discussion would be continued until an agreement in a win-win situation is reached to both, he added.

Meanwhile, a Japanese airline has also expressed interests for a partnership agreement sponsored by a leading Sri Lankan businessman with interests in tourism, banking, insurance and milk products, he said.

The dispute arose when the Emirates refused to bump 35 passengers from a full London-Colombo flight to make way for former President Rajapaksa and his entourage in December 2007.

By Dr. Nalaka Godahewa

(Dr. Nalaka Godahewa is the former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Sri Lanka and the former Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism)

Newspapers these days cover more or less the same subjects. Corruption allegations led by the infamous bond scam, opposition to the proposed Constitution, the cry for elections, the rising cost of living, student protests and Police violence, plans to sell national assets, and United Nations (UN) pressure on the government to deliver on commitments are frequently highlighted.

The author of ‘The Great Hand Book of Quotes,’ Israel more Ayivor says:

“If the problems you have this year are the same problems you had last year, then you are not a leader. You are rather a problem on your own that must be solved.”

Isn’t this true in the case of the current leadership of Sri Lanka? For almost 3 years, we have been hearing sad stories from our leaders. They keep blaming the previous administration for all their problems. They seem to have completely forgotten the fact that the mandate of a democratically elected government is only for five years and at one point you must stop complaining and get on with the work.

What is the current status of our economy? The national debt, which was Rs 7.3 trillion in 2014, had gone above Rs 10.1 trillion by June 2017. The current figure is worse. Inflation, which was 3.3% in 2014, has now reached 8.6%. The economic growth rate, which was above 7% in 2014, is below 4% this year. Unemployment had increased from 4.3% in 2014 to 4.5% by June 2017.

The Sri Lankan Rupee has depreciated by over 17% from January 2014 up to now causing a negative impact on the economy. The budget deficit which was Rs 591 billion in 2014 is expected to increase threefold to Rs 1.8 trillion in 2018 according to the latest Appropriation Bill that has been submitted to Parliament.

Bond scam

The economic impact of the bond scam is over Rs 1 trillion according to the State Minister of Finance and that has been confirmed by several other analysts as well. The number of people employed in the country in 2016 was 476,000 less compared to 2014 according to the respective annual reports published by the Central Bank. The three most reputed international rating agencies;

Fitch, Moody’s, and S&P have all downgraded Sri Lanka’s ratings compared to 2014. Bloomberg now ranks Sri Lanka as one of the highest risk countries for investment. These facts raise the question, why do people need a government? A government is needed to protect the rights of all the people. It should promote peace, harmony, justice, and equality. The government has a responsibility to provide people with the right economic development opportunities. It should facilitate what the private sector cannot or wouldn’t do like providing people with infrastructure and public services and continue to improve the living standards of people. The government has a responsibility to protect its citizens from external forces and to hold together territory. To what extent is our current government living up to these expectations? In order to win, it is always important for political parties to bring novelty and excitement to an election campaign, but the real challenge goes beyond just winning the election. A government once formed cannot be catering only to those who supported them politically. A national government is responsible for all the citizens in the country. As President Abraham Lincoln said in his famous ‘Gettysburg Address’ in November 1863, “the government should be of the people, by the people, and for the people.” Those inspirational words should be true for every democratically elected government in the world, Sri Lanka included.

Needs of people

To lead a government, “of the people, by the people, and for the people” the political leadership must understand the real needs of the people. These needs manifest in different ways at different times. In the most basic form, people want a government that can assure ‘peace, happiness, and prosperity’ for the citizens. Isn’t this what we say to our neighbours, co-workers, friends, and relatives at the dawn of every New Year? How can these expectations be translated into action by the government? We can identify three contributory factors in achieving ‘peace, happiness, and prosperity’ namely; stability, progress, and dignity. A critical analysis of these factors helps us understand the reasons for the defeat of the previous regime.

Stability means one’s ability to meet the basic needs of his or her family. Essential requirements include a regular income helping one to take care of basic requirements of oneself and the family such as food, clothing, transportation, medicine, and other needs, a place to live, a home which is in close proximity to schools, ease when it comes to admission to school for children, and availability of quality education, affordable healthcare, healthcare facilities in close proximity to the home, affordability of medicine, the ability to pay for hospitalization in the event of an emergency, not being subject to social crimes, ethnic violence, religious violence, social tensions and enjoying a peaceful, safe, and secure environment.

People not only want stability, they also want to progress in life. So, it is important that the economic management of the government create these opportunities for its citizens to progress in their lives which include; opportunities to supplement income, career advancement opportunities, opportunities to start a business, convenience of doing business, investment opportunities, advancement in living standards, better education opportunities for children, better housing, vehicle ownership, entertainment opportunities, and a clean environment.

Dignity of people

The third and perhaps mostly frequently ignored factor is the dignity of people. Dignity is the honour and respect one seeks in life which manifests in different ways such as national pride, need to be identified with an ethnic group, freedom to practice one’s faith, need for recognition as a member of a social group, need for respect as a citizen, freedom of expression, assurance that one’s rights as a member of the general public are not taken away, and satisfaction that one has elected the right leader.

The stability and progress of the society come with the implementation of the macroeconomic strategies of the government. There was an unprecedented focus on infrastructure development since the end of the war. There were clear signs that the country was on the path of economic development, but something was not right despite those economic indicators.

Better governance

It is quite interesting how ‘the need for better governance’ evolved to be the main theme of the last two election campaigns; the presidential and the parliamentary. The primary issue was not just the cost of living as in many other previous elections. It was also not patriotism as in the 2010 election. It was mainly the anger of citizens, who felt their dignity had been compromised. This had an impact on the results of the election.

A government should always aims at ensuring stability, progress, and dignity for its citizens. If the voter feels comfortable in all these areas then they are less inclined to vote against the existing government. When they are uncomfortable with any one of those factors they vote against the existing government. For example, it is the lack of stability or people’s inability to meet the basic needs of their families, which brought the 1970-1977 coalition government down. It was the opportunities for citizens to progress, which kept the UNP in power for 17 years thereafter. It was dignity in the form of national pride that helped the former President to win the 2010 election. It was the perceived violation of the people’s dignity that made him lose in 2015.

If the leaders of the present government were smart, their focus from the beginning should have been to ensure economic stability, opportunities for social progress and protection of personal dignity for all Sri Lankan citizens, but it looks like they are already 2 years and 10 months late.

When are they going to learn?

By : A.A.M.NIZAM – MATARA                      

Maithripala Sirisena has a chronic disease of telling flagrant lies, shamelessly denying anything and everything, conveniently pretending that he was not aware of certain things and has a forked tongue to speak differently to the people of the North and to the people of the Soouth. On 15^th November, 2015 standing before the mortal remains of the venerable monk Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero, minutes before they were consigned to the flames, and shedding crocodile tears the double tongued Sirisena swore to abolish the executive presidency. He said: I pledge that I will, to the best of my ability, take steps to abolish the executive presidency in order to create a just governance, to establish a democratic and just society and to usher in a just social system, in the manner the venerable Sobitha envisaged.”

The Maha Nayaka Theros of the Thri Nikayas issued a statement on 5^th July decreeing that there is no need for a new constitution and it is also not necessary to make any amendments to the existing constitution and wanted the government to abandon the constitution formulating process. The Maha Sangha guiding the rulers to take the right path and restrain them from venturing into or undertaking measures abominable to the people and the country was a hisroric tradition and the rulers of the past strictly adhered to this age old practice.  Buddhist history claims even Lord Buddha was involved in social matters and offered saner advice to the rulers whenever crisis situations occurred.

The present Constitution accords the “foremost place for Buddhism” and states that it is the “duty of the State to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana”. There are over 30,000 Buddhist monks in the country and they are ordained by these three Nikayas and they represent 14 million Buddhists in the country. Under these circumstances the State is bound to oblige to the decree of the Maha Nayakas as Buddhists form 72% of the population of this country. It is sad to note that certain NGO vultures, particularly fellows like the illiterate and idiotic Male Nurse Saman Ratnapriya who is a bootlicker of Viyangoda and who some months ago was alleged to have received from a powerful Minister a property worth Rs. 212 Million from the Nugegoda area have scoffed the decree of the Maha Nayake theroes saying that the Maha Nayaka Theroes belong to an insignificant minority compared to the population in the countey and their opinions should be shunned.

On 6^th July Maithripala Sirisena on a visit to Kamdy met the Maha Nayaka Theros of the Thri Nikayas at the Kamdy Presidential house and said that there is no draft constitution and vowed that if a new Constitution is to be drafted it would be done only in consultation with the Maha Sanga and other stakeholders. The outcome of this discussion between the Maha Sangha and the President was disclosed to the media by the Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Nayake Thera.

The double tongued Sirisena has breached this vow already and the Parliament is to discuss on the Steering Committee proposals for three days starting end of this month and then start drafting the so-called Federal and Secular constitution and adopt it in the Parliament in January completely ignoring the Maha Sangha.

In the meantime Sirisena has started saying many things about the proposed new constitution.  He has stated that the devolution of power should occur within the country not to benefit politicians, but to empower the people. Speaking to a gathering in Vavuniya, he has stated that the devolution of power will occur to ensure that each and every citizen reaps the benefits of financial progress and have the opportunity to better their lives.

 Speaking in Ampara on 29^th September he has said that the Government is paying its prime attention to provide solutions for the problems faced by the people in the North and the East, ensuring sustainable peace in the country, building reconciliation among all the communities in a way which will prevent the recurrence of war.  Completely forgetting his July 6^th vow to the Mahanayake Theros, he has made a request to the Mahanayaka Theros and all the religious leaders including Hindu, Islamic and Christian religious leaders to discuss, sitting at the same table, on ways and means to be adopteed for building reconciliation among all the communities.

Sirisena seems to be very much obliged to please the Tamil people and provide them whatever they need and whatever they aspire.TNA Parliamentarian Sumanthiran has told in an interview given to the London based website Tamil Guardan on 1^st December, 2016 that Sirisena asked the TNA to come out with proposals for development, even if it’s a plan for the entie North-East and has promised that he will implement them without any hesitation.  He has added that Sirisena is working on developing a mechanism under which the MPs and provincial councillors of the region will look after the development in the North-East.

The double tongued Sirisena while spuriously boasting in the South that he is the son of a farmer has told a meeting in Kilinochchi that it is in the North that the best farmers of Sri Lanka are found.  He has said that in the past farmers in the North shed their sweat with determination to make our country a self sufficient country and a special programme should be implemented to save them from their debt burden and raise them once again as a strong farming community. He has further stated that he would discuss with officials of the State and Private Banks on the means to help the Northern farmers.  It seems that when he goes to North he feels that it is his genuine country.

Sirisena’s this claim of Northern farmers making this country self sufficient goes against the history of this country and the Tank and Temple (Vaewai Daagaebai) concept and was it to have as swimming pools that large tanks such as Parakrama Samudray, Minneriya wewa (in his own district Polonnaruwa), Kantale wewa, Tisawewa, Tissawewa, Nuwarawewa etc, were built by Sri Lanka’s ancient kings?

Minneriya Wewa

Reports said that prior to addressing the Kilinochchi meeting Sirisena held a special meeting with a group of people who claim that their family members are missing.  Sirisena has requested them to come and meet him at his office and promised them to do whatever it is possible to help them.

While telling to the people of the South there is no constitution being drafted, he has asked that if the people of the South oppose devolution of powers what is the alternative they have to propose? He has pointed out that power should be devolved not for the benefit of the politicians but for the benefit of the people.  He has made these comments at Vavuniya on the 21^st of September.  Ranil Wickremasinghe has also attended this function.

Speaking further at this function Sirisena has said that on the January 8^th Presidential Election 77% of the people of Vavuniya voted for him and he will give priority for the development of Vavuniya area which remains backward.  He has said that newspapers whch claims as national newspapers publish distorted and spiteful false news most of the time to mislead the people of the South and to create disharmony and communal divisions among the people misusing the freedom of expression that has been bestowed to them.  He has further stated that all those who speak against devolution of power should visit the Northern and Eastern provinces and see for themselves whether these provinces have the development as the developments that had been achieved by the Western province or even the Sabaragamuwa province. He has said that we have similar people throughout the country and all should have equal benefits and equal facilities without any form of discrimination and shortages.

Reports said that the parents of the slain Jaffna student Vidya met Sirisena at this function and he visited their house in Vavuniya at the end of the function.  The reports further stated that during this visit Sirisena promised to help Vidya’s brother for his educational activities and to provide all possible assistance to Vidya’s family. It is strange that he remains completely aloof on speaking about mayhem and destruction caused by the LTTE in the Northern and Eastern provinces, let alone the other parts of the country including Dalada Maligawa and Sri Maha Bodhiya, Anuradhapura.

Under these circumstances it is pertinent to ask Sirisena what is that it is lacking for the people of the North and East despite their receiving many concessions and special favours.  Since the end of war they had been receiving special concessions in almost all the fields including financial assistance. There are countries which had been at war and still the people in the war torn areas living in misery and as destitutes many years after ending the wars in those countries.  For example people in Iraq, newly created states of former Yugoslavia, Afghaanistan etc.

In Sri Lanka Tamils in the North discriminates the Sinhalese and Muslims nott allowing them to buy lands due to the despicable ‘Desavalamai’ Law. Why a separate Land Law for Tamils and the general Law for others? This is what that should be eliminated if all should be treated on an equal basis as Sirisena professes.  In the recently announced Grade V scholarship examination results it was shown that the cutoff marks for the Tamil medium students were much lower than the Sinhala medium students. My neighbour’s son got 159 marks and did not become qualified because the cutoff mark for Matara was 164.  If he wrote the exam in Tamil medium he would have become qualified. Were these discriminations or special favours?  Why Sinhala medium students get discriminated in this manner?

It was the so-called high class Wellala Tamils such as Sambandan Sumanthiran and their ilk who discriminated and still discriminates against the non-Wellala Tamils saying that they are low caste people, inhuman like animals and dogs and animals cannot be allowed to enter their Temples.  Sirisena can go to Nallur, Koneswaram and other Temples but not the Tamils branded as Low Caste Tamils.  Where is Sirisena’s much professed equality when Tamils get married? Can an upcountry or Eastern Province Tamil girl (even if she is highly qualified) can get married to a Tamil boy of Jaffnaa.  It was the late Prime Minister Mr. S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike who enacted laws in 1957 to eliminate discriminations and ill treatment of Tamils by Tamils. It was the Wellala Tamil former Minister of the D.S.Senanayake government Vavuniya MP Mr. C.Sunderalingam who slept across the Nallur Kovil gate obstructing low class Tamils from entering the Temple.   Karuna Amman has said that even in the LTTE Tamils of the Eastern province were ill treated and they were sent as front line soldiers in critical battles. These are the discriinatons and what Sirisena should think of eliminating without lecturing to the people of the South to build reconciliation with the Tamils.

During the unfortunate politically inspired riots in the South many Sinhalese saved the Tamils sheltered and fed them in their houses amd later personally took them to refugee camps.  Has any example of Tamils doing such things but there were reports (authencity not confirmed) that during the anti ‘Shri’ campagn in the North the Tamil ‘Shri’ symbol was painted on the breasts of Sinhala women with Tar.

What Sirisena is going to do for the Sinhala people who owned bakeries, groceries and restaurants (Matara Bath Kades), and who were engaged in fishing with their own boats who were chased out from the North by LTTE barbarians and had to languish in Southern areas having become paupers overnight? I have a cousin sister whose family was among those who were chased out from Jaffna in this manner.  Will Sirisena compensate them and facilitate them to return to their original habitats under Sirisena’s equal treatment policy?  Before returning the lands allegedly being held by the security forces return the lands and properties that belonged to these people.

Passing through Wellawatte, Bambalapitiya, Pamankada and many other areas of Colombo one can see high rise muulti storied housing and shopping complexes belonging to Tamils.  Will Sinhalese or Muslims be allowed to build housing and shopping complexes like this in Jaffna or Kilinochchi?

It also seems that Sirisena has become a spokesman of the Tamils.  Participating in a meeting in a meeting in Colombo on Monday 23^rd October he has said that Tamils claim that they have been discriminate for a prolonged period and because of that their faces look pale without signs of a drop of blood. He has said that hence something should be done to make them happy and lively.

Sirisena should read the marvellous speeches made by Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera, Dr. Nalaka Godahewa and Mrs. Anuraadha Yahampath at the 36^th UNHRC sessions to find out how the Sinhalese and non-Tamils were discriminated prior to 1956 and details of high posts held by Tamils and still being occupied by Tamils and then he would realize the folly of his Tamil slavish attitude and the extent of treason he is committing against this country. Will this Aappa Drohyya have an iota of patriotism to realize it?

(To be continued)

ආචාර්ය පී.ජී.පුංචිහේවා

මීට අවුරුදු එකසිය පනහකට දෙසියයකට පමණ පෙර අපේ සීයලා, ආච්චිලාගේ ජීවිතයේ සන්ධ්‍යා සමයේ තිබූ එකම ආශාව වට වන්දනාවේ යාමයි.  මා අසා තිබූ අන්දමට ඔවුන් වට වන්දනාවේ ගියේ ඔවුන්ගේ වතුපිටි, ගෙවල් දොරවල් ආදිය තම දරුවන්ට පවරා දීමෙන් පසුව ය.  මඟතොටවල් නොදියුණු, යාන වාහන දුලබ එකල එසේ කිරීම අරුමයක් නොවේ.  තිස්ස සිට කතරගමට ගියේ ගොන් බැඳි කරත්තෙනි.  දක්ෂිණ මහාමාර්ගය ඔස්සේ පැය 3 කින් කතරගමට දැන් ලගාවිය හැකිය. සේරුවිල රජමහා විහාරයට යා යුතු වූයේ පාරු පාලම් හතක් පසු කරමිනි.  දැන් ඒ පාරු පාලම් එකක්වත් නැත.  කැළණි විහාරයේ සිට සිරිමෙවන් කැළණියට යාමට තිබූ පාරුව ද දැන් අවශ්‍ය නැත.

වට වන්දනාව වශයෙන් හැඳින්වුවද, බොහෝ විට ගමනාන්තය වූයේ අනුරාධපුරය යි.  බුදුරජාණන්වහන්සේ තුන්වන වරට ලංකාවට වැඩි අවස්ථාවේ උන්වහන්සේ සමාධියෙන් වැඩ සිටි ශ්‍රී මහා බෝධිය, රුවන්වැලි සෑය ඇතුළත් අටමස්ථානය වට වන්දනාවට ඇතුළත් විය.

ගමනාගමන හා නවාතැන් පහසුකම් වැඩිවත් ම අනුරාධපුරය බලා එන වන්දනාකරුවන්ගේ සංඛ්‍යාව වැඩිවීම ස්වාභාවික ය.  දැන්  කොළඹ සිට අනුරාධපුරයට ගොස් අටමස්ථානය වැඳ පුදා ගෙන එදින ම ආපසු ඒමට පුළුවන.  සමහර වන්දනාකරුවෝ සංචාරයට පොළොන්නරුව හා සෝමාවතිය ද ඇතුළත් කර ගනිති.  කොටි උවදුර මඟහැරි යාම ත් සමග දිවයිනේ පූජනීය ස්ථාන වැඳ පුදා ගැනීමට යාමට දැන් අවස්ථාව ලැබී තිබේ.  ත්‍රිකුණාමලේ දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ විල්ගම් වෙහෙර, සේරුවිල, අම්පාර දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ අරන්තලාව, එදා කොටි ප්‍රහාරවලට ලක් වූ ස්ථාන ගණනාවෙන් කීපයකි.  දිවයිනේ නැ‍ගෙනහිර ද බෞද්ධ පූජනීය ස්ථාන රාශියක් ඇතත්, ඈත අතීතයේ වුව ගම් මට්ටමෙන් වන්දනා නඩ සංවිධාන වූයේ ඉඳ හිට ය.  රජයේ වුව අවධානය යොමුව ඇත්තේ ඉන් කීපයකට පමණි.  දීඝවාපියේ පවා පුනරුත්ථාපන කටයුතු නිමා වී නැත.  ඉඳ හිට එන වන්දනාකරුවන් ට පවා අවශ්‍ය පහසුකම් නැත.

ලාංකික බෞද්ධයන්ගේ අවධානය නැගෙනහිර ශුද්ධ භූමි කරා වඩ වඩා යොමු විය යුතු කාලය පැමිණ තිබේ.  තපස්සු භල්ලුක දෙබෑයන් බුදුරජාණන් වහන්සේගේ කේශධාතු නිදන් කළ තිරියායෙන් අරඹා, විල්ගම්වෙහෙර, බුදුරජුන් පාද ස්පර්ෂයෙන් පූජනීය වූ දීඝවාපිය, මිහිදු හිමියන්ගේ භෂ්මවශේෂ තැන්පත් රාස්සගල, ඵෙතිහාසික මූදුමහ විහාරය, නිලගිරි විහාරය,  මගුල්මල් විහාරය ලාහුගල විහාරය ඇතුළත් වන සේ නැගෙනහිර අටමස්ථාන, වටවන්දනාව සංවිධානය කළ හැක.

වර්තමාන ලංකාණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ 13වන සංශෝධනය අනුව, පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමි අයත් වන්නේ සමගාමී ලැයිස්තුවට ය.  යෝජිත නව ව්‍යවස්ථාව අනුව සමගාමී ලැයිස්තුව පළාත් සභා යටතට ගැනීමට යෝජනා කෙරේ.  නැගෙනහිර පළාතේ ඉහත සඳහන් කළ පූජනීය ස්ථානයන් ට අමතරව, තවත් ඵෙතිහාසික ස්ථාන ඇත. එය අනුමත වුවහොත් මේවා සංවර්ධනය කිරීම තබා, නඩත්තු කිරීම හෝ ආරක්ෂා කිරීම අනාගත ප්‍රාදේශීය පාලකයන්ගෙන් බලාපොරොත්තු විය නොහැක.  අප අසල්වාසී රටවල බෞද්ධ සිද්ධස්ථාන වලට වූ නස්පැන්තිය අප ඇස්පනාපිට දැක ඇත.

රුවන්වැලි සෑය අබියස නිතර පැවැත්වෙන විවිධ මල් පූජා වැනි ආමිස පූජාවන් නැගෙනහිර පුදබිම්වල ද ආරම්භ කිරීම වන්දනාකරුවන් මේ ස්ථානවලට යොමු කිරීමට හේතුවනු ඇත.  දැනට දඹදිව, තායිලන්තය, මියන්මාර් වැනි රටවලට සංචාර සංවිධාන කරන සමාගම් හා බෞද්ධ සංවිධාන නැගෙනහිර ගැන ද අවධානය යොමු කිරීම ජාතියේ නාමයෙන් සිදු කළ යුත්තකි.

ආචාර්ය පී.ජී.පුංචිහේවා

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

The GMOA today accused the Finance Ministry of attempting to reduce the tax on liquor through the 2018 budget and said this would encourage the liquor use.It said despite the national policy of the country which is to prevent the easy access to liquor, the Finance Ministry was attempting reduce tax with the intention of promoting the tourism sector. GMOA spokesman Samantha Ananda said the Finance Ministry’s move would destroy the values of the country as it would encourage alcoholism.

Meanwhile, GMOA Secretary Haritha Aluthge said the GMOA was informed of an attempt to open liquor outlets countrywide at SATHOSA outlets. He said if it was done it would influence liquor consumption. Dr. Aluthge said liquor and tobacco were not essential to the tourism industry and tourists could visit the country to view its landscape and nature.”

(We should be happy that a Muslim Minister in charge of Sathosa is encouraging liquor sales despite threats from ISIS!)

First and foremost when did GMOA or their members were worried about health issues of the people? They go on strike for planning abolition of vehicle permits .Do they complain importation of vehicles and three wheelers which generate much ait pollution which affects the health of the nation ?Are elite GMOA goes on strike mercilessly for any minor issue and threaten the state inconvenience people.

Vietnam and Thailand and even Indonesia and even Male Resorts  are growing faster because many tourists come to those countries .In Vietnam people drink so much of beer against  consuming hard liquor. These countries are growing fast despite being Buddhist country We should liberalize and reduce beer prices and allow selling them in any grocery shop with toddy .Encouraging  beer and wine drinking is not only good for health but also the discharges urine will enhance Urea content in soil ! Increase in beer sale will create more jobs for capitalist tycoons and also build more beer factories. .Abundant water flowing along Kelani and Kalu  Ganga etc. to the ocean can be used to make beer .We can ask beer companies to filter and clean river water and provide part of it to water- board so that they fulfil Corporate Social Responsibility

We should liberalise liquor  trade and also  increase production of wines so that ordinary people can take a glass of red wine ( which same doctors advice to heart patients to consume) ,This industry will flourish and grape and other fruit growing will increase which is use to make wine .We can make rice wine so that rice production increases. All restaurants will have more business

Regarding Sathosa planning to sell liquor means more people will visit Sathosa and buy other products for  their taste We will sell more meat which means we can also export.

More beer drinking can cure many kidney failures as your organs will work more efficiently ‘???

Sri Lank will have more and Machans .where people and youngsters will gather stop going for demonstrations where they provide hard liquor.

Beer Tycoons will flourish and they will re- invest the money .More tourists will come for Beer Festivals like in Germany and national income  will increase, More beer sales will increase sale of fridges and bottle coolers .People will sip beer and wine and forget about SAITM and problems of amending constitution .

My final advice is we should allow legal prostitution also where all of them are checked by the same GMOA members to give a clean health bill to stop women going to middles east and be victims of Arab Vultures and return with illegitimate children. Condom production will go up and rubber industry will flourish .We may also liberalize same -sex trade so that more youngsters from Europe and Scandinavia. West is becoming more and more liberal in same-sex marriage and hotels can advertise the service and we get more tourists.

Impose traffic rules like in Norway where you cannot drive even after a glass of wine which means people will not use cars but some other means to travel, our accident rate will reduce

Our Lion Flag can fly all over the world with a brand name like that and whole world will know about the branded beer in Sri Lanka. (Currently we are quite famous for illegal same sex trade!)

So GMOA should look at the pros but only cons,

They should stop  conning” the whole nation.

Dr Sarath Obeysekera