By Sena Thoradeniya
(Continued from August 17, 2024)
- Political dynamics and unpredictable nature of voters
Modi’s recent electoral setback is a lesson for all election predictors of this side of Palk Strait. Modi managed to retain power with the help of a coalition of regional parties. BJP which held 201 rural constituencies was able to retain only 126 of them according to voter analysis.
With all fanfare and predictions, BJP bagged only 240 seats, narrowly scraping through the 270-simple majority with the help of its alliance’s 52 seats. Modi lost Faisalabad seat of which Ayodhya is situated, less than 4 months after the consecration of Ram Mandir; in January 2024 Modi opened the new Hindu temple, Ram Janbabhoomi Mandir, built over the destroyed Muslim mosque, Babri Masjid mosque built in 1528 located in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. Hindus believe that Rama was born there and that Babri Masjid was built on the ruins of a Hindu temple destroyed by Babar, the 1st Mughal Emperor. This triggered communal violence that killed more than 2000 persons; among the most vocal groups that pushed for the creation of the temple was Modi and his BJP using it as a vehicle to return to power. Widening inequality, inflation, lack of jobs, and dwindling farmer income were the reasons cited for Modi’s electoral setback, according to analysts.
With its recent loss of the parliamentary majority, for the first time since the end of apartheid, African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa has formed a coalition with the Democratic Alliance (DA), heir to the old apartheid regime; political analysts say that it is a dangerous move and a grave betrayal.
France’s National Rally (NR)like the NPP, was fully confident that it was winning the recently concluded elections in France in the early part of July. Reports said that hundreds of journalists had come across the world to Paris to report what was going on. When the election results were announced NR was beaten into third place by the Leftists and Macron’s Centrists. Like the NPP in Sri Lanka, RN thought that it was staging what it thought would be its victory rally. It was reported that champagne was in ice,” later to be changed to the glasses looked half empty than half full”! How would NPP indigenize this saying after its imminent defeat? Raw rice was on the hearth; had no coconut milk (to prepare kiributh)”. One set of supporters can be transported all over the country; but they have only one vote allotted to only one polling booth”!
How many times JVP in the past held its victory rallies” starting from Wijeweera’s victory rally” at Hyde Park esplanade on the eve of the April 5 insurrection? As an eye witness this writer recalls Wijeweera’s battle cry: Let Gajabahu (the only naval vessel of the Royal Ceylon Navy) be our Aurora and Achillan Square (then Army Headquarters) our Petrograd Garrison (Warship Aurora’s thunder ushered a new era, the Great October Revolution).
Leader of NR, Marine Le Pen had to say: The tide is rising; it didn’t rise high enough; but it continues to rise and as a result our victory has been delayed”. Has Marine Le Pen spoken on behalf of Anura Kumara too? Rallies were full; but rallies did not bring votes; rallies will be full again; filling ballot boxes has been delayed”.
Once when sniffer dogs were brought as a security measure to check a NPP rally ground, NPP youtubers propagated that the government has become alarmed and seen NPP meetings as victory rallies”; the gateway to power” has been opened!
In France, Left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) came first ahead of Macron’s Centrist Ensemble and NR. There were foolish analysts in Sri Lanka who compared Frances’s NFP to Anura Kumara’s NPP.
In the US Presidential race Trump was leading Biden miles away; his attempted assassination bolsteredhis chances of a win; but advent of Kamala Harris had receded the tide. Unlike in Sri Lanka it was reported that many voters want to hear from her more specifics about where she stands in key issues as the economy, renewable energy, green technology and abortion.
Central Bank of Sri Lanka, IMF, creditors, international community including foreign envoys emphasizing that the adherence to IMF remedies regardless of the outcome of the Presidential Election is beneficial to RW’s campaign. We pointed out in Part VII of this series posted on 17 August, how Bangladesh situation became advantageous to RW and a setback to NPP.
In our previous articles we have elaborated that the economic, political and socio-cultural factors which were favorable to SWRD in 1956, Sirimavo in 1970, JRJ in 1977, CBK in 1994, MR in 2005 and 2010 and GR in 2019 do not exist now in favour of an NPP electoral victory.
2. More and more pledges
Anura Kumara and his band began to make various statements as they have already won the Presidential Election, months ahead of declaring of an election. Now very few things remain for them to fulfill verbally; this force them to invent new promises at every election meeting, promises which do not require a President to grant; Grama Sevakas can provide those needs if they are allocated with necessary funds.
One day he says that his future government would streamline tax collection, widening the tax net bringing Inland Revenue, Customs and Excise Department into a common digital platform (may be copying from Harshonomics of SJB). We witness a comical situation where RW, Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara making similar pledges one following the other or copying from each other. Anura Kumara copying Dhammika Perera’s Pohosath Ratak” and Dilith Jayaweera’s Sathutu Deyak” catchphrases shows his lack of originality. We have stated earlier, which head to keep of this three-headed monster, turning the monster into a normal human being or are the people looking for a hero to slay this monster freeing the maiden chained to the cliff.
Anura Kumara pledges to bring back Arjun Mahendran, the former Central Bank Governor. For that we do not need a President as our police and Interpole jointly bring him back him with the concurrence of the Singaporean government. Head of State and Government must attend to more important tasks as the CEO of a reputed organization. Head of State and Government is not tasked to do the job of a bas unnehe”. Anura Kumara should study different managerial roles different managers play in the managerial hierarchy and what type of managerial skills needed to play his managerial role in his cloud cuckoo land!
Sri Lanka’s administration was made a mockery by Premadasa’s mobile kachcheries” and Gotabhaya’s gama samaga pilisandarak” programmes. We do not see any fault in a Head of Government making official visits, inspection tours in the countryside which are very much essential to meet the peasants and workers who are in the frontline of agricultural and industrial production. He needs much time to devote to problem solving and decision making, employing conceptual, diagnostic and analytical skills. If he does not have these skills he should acquire and develop them. The man who does not understand his role and who lacks these higher order skills will love to do the bas unnehe” job.
Sajith Premadasa pledged to abolish the Executive Presidency, up till now a pledge flushed in the water closet, a last-minute inclusion to his basket of promises, hitherto forgotten by all other contenders.
If platform speakers like Anura Kumara and Sajith Premadasa are the best men to lead the country, our old thel beheth karayas” (preachers and sellers of homemade medicinal oils of dubious nature) who hung at government hospitals and weekly fairs in yesteryears were a better choice than them.
3. Anura Kumara’s arithmetic error: Aesop’s frog and the cow” fable
Anura Kumara addressing the press made two startling statements. One, SLPP MPs could have voted for him in July 2022 in the election of the interim President (he got only 3 votes). Two, he will surpass not only the magical figure of 50%, it can reach between 60-70% and NPP is even assured of polling more than 70 lakhs of votes! He made some strange arithmetical calculations; of 69 lakhs of votes polled by GR 50 lakhs of votes were not SLPP votes; 55 lakhs of votes polled by Premadasa were votes cast against GR; no dispute about the latter.
In 2019 Anura Kumara polled only 418,533 votes (or 3.16%). Using Anura Kumara’s same crooked logic we would say that of the 13,387,951 of the electors who used their voting rights 12,969,418 (or 96.87%)voters had rejected Anura Kumara {GR: 6,924,255 (or 52.25%); Sajith Premadasa: 5,564,239 (or 41.99%); Others: 480,924 (or 3.59%)}. If it was a contest between NPP and other defeated contestants excluding Sajith Premadasa, Anura Kumara would have being defeatedby 62,391 votes!
Now let us make an analysis of this crooked logic of a Presidential aspirant. If he bases his future budget on similar calculations Sri Lanka will be broken into smithereens, some parts in the Arctic Circle and other parts in the Antarctic Circle never to find the fragmented pieces!
How canAnura Kumara say that 50 lakhs of votes polled by GR were not SLPPvotes?If so, GR has polled only 1,924,255 votes. At the 2015 PresidentialElection Mahinda Rajapaksa polled 5,768,090 votes and at the General Election held in 2015, UPFA, the precursor of SLPP obtained 4,732,664 votes. DoesAnura Kumara infer that all these votes polled by MR and UPFA respectively evaporated in 2019?
For the 2024 PresidentialElection 17.1 million voters are being registered of which 1million consist of first-time voters.For the argument sake Anura Kumara to obtain a 50%of the total polled heshould poll 8,530,000 votes, ( 8,111,467 votes more than he polled in 2019, an increase of 2038% ; to obtain a 60% , 10,260,000 votes more than he polled in 2019, an increase of 2351%; to obtain a 70% 11,970,000 votes more than he polled in 2019, an increase of 2760%). Votes are not something one can gather as jackfruit seeds. A President can become insaneafteracquiring power; but insane persons are not fit to contest a Presidential election. This applies to all candidates.
If Anura Kumara is so confident of obtaining 70% of the total polled why should he worry and now make absurd pledges as any other traditional politician? This confirms another hidden story behind the NPP. Although NPP boasts that it consists of academics, professionals, scientists and medical men why can’t they correct these irrationalities of its leader? Is not there any inner party criticisms and self- criticisms? Are these men and women mere receptacles? Are these men and women waiting for its leader’s doomsday? These are the first people to run away when things go bad from the current glory days.
Harini Amarasuriya, NPP’s LGBTIQ+ spokesperson addressing a meeting at Kolonnawa asked her listeners to give Anura lakshayak” (1 lakh of votes), 318,533 votes less than he polled in 2019! Later she corrected it as kotiyak”(1,000,000 votes).In another meeting, commenting on the issue of crossovers this pseudo academic stated that she has not witnessed these long jumps” and short jumps” even at Olympics! For the first time in our lives we hear a track and field event as short jump”, thanks to these half-baked academics. We know of short hair, short men, short memory and of men and women short on brains.
A candidate can take liberty to say that he is winning because at least some of them contest to win. But saying that he is winning with such a margin is ludicrous.
Now Anura Kumara has turned into a traditional Sri Lankan politician making promises to beat other candidates in a battle of making promises; his latest pledge is to abolish VAT on school bags and school books; reduce electricity and water tariffs; giving Rs. 10,000 to marginal families. If he is so confident in securing 60-70% votes why should he give false promises that cannot be fulfilled is debatable. Not to be outdone Lal Kantha addressing a rally in Gampola said NPP is poised to get a 2/3 rd majority at the next Parliamentary polls conducted by them soon after dissolution of the Parliament. From 3 seats to 150 seats, an increase of 147 seats, in 4 years! Pretty stupidity!
News emanating from Sri Lankans in Japan are fascinating: according to them Anura Kumara has employed some highly paid bodyguards while he was in Japan. Was there a threat from Yakuzas (remnants of wandering Samurais who oppose democracy, communism)? Nothing else other than over inflated ego! Who were his bodyguards while he was in America, Canada, England and Australia? Agents from Five Eyes” (intelligence alliance comprising US, Canada, England, Australia and New Zealand sharing intelligence)? It is a well-known fact that Five Eyes” establish close contacts with Third World politicians who can be used as their agents in regime change operations.
Had Anura Kumara learnt about Aesop’s Fables in his schooldays he would not have made such a statement. It’s time for him to learn the fable of the frog and the cow; a tiny frog was amazed by the size of a cow and tried to inflate until it burst.
4. Entrepreneurial State
The slogan put forward by the main constituent party of Sarvajana Balaya”MJP, Vyavasayakathwa Rajyaya” (an Entrepreneurial State) needs our attention since nobody has made any attempt to interpret what is meant by anEntrepreneurial State in Sri Lanka’s present political context. In Part V of this series, posted on 5 July 2024 we made a brief account on MarianaMazzucato’s concept of Entrepreneurial State, referring to her book, The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs Private Sector Myths” published in 2013.
Mariana Mazzucatoargues that US economic success is a result of public and state funded investments in innovation and technology. Entrepreneurial State is the primary risk taker in innovation-based investments; state influences on innovation and technological development within the private sector, which popularizes the government created technologies. Apple (iPhone, iPad devises), GPS navigation, touch screen technologies, voice recognition, smartphones are a few examples. She argues that the private sector undertakes the least risky part of technological innovation and entrepreneurship. She introduces the concept of Entrepreneurial State, where the state is actively takes risks by investing in innovation-based projects.
There are many more state led innovations. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of US Department of Defense is responsible for the development of many emerging technologies.
We do not believe that the Sarvajana Balaya” or initially MJP of Dilith Jayaweera has meant such advanced pathbreaking innovations. Debt-ridden Sri Lankan state cannot even think of such an Entrepreneurial State.
Sarvajana Balaya” The First Draft of the Strategic Plan for Public Discourse” explains Entrepreneurial State, under five headings viz, Pro Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Can, One National Identity, Shared Civilisational Values and Peaceful Coexistence in a Unitary State”. But does not explain what an Entrepreneurial State is. Under its The Governance Structure of an Entrepreneurial State”, (22 sub-sections) sub-section, Technology Beyond Boundaries” mentions: Advancing science, technology and digitalization and promoting innovation to create a nation that efficiently leverages technology to enhance the quality of life for all citizens”. All other structures supporting an Entrepreneurial State.
So Sarvajana Balaya” Entrepreneurial State has no resemblance to Mariana Mazzucato’s concept of Entrepreneurial State is evident excluding, what it says under, Empowering Entrepreneurship – State Ideology”: Transforming the mindset of the state machinery into a creative risk-taking entrepreneurial mentality, leading towards innovative solutions in the face of challenges instead of traditional methods”. But the Draft does not elaborate what, when, by whom and how. The other lacuna is not emphasizing, whether it envisages creating of a manufacturing economy or a service economy.
Joseph Schumpeter,the Austrian economist, best known as the author of, Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy”(1942), introduced the concept of entrepreneurship.According to him the entrepreneur was the keystone of capitalism, the source of innovation which is the vital force driving capitalist economy. In his book he outlined the theory of dynamic economic growth, coined the term known as creative destruction” which offers a methodological individualism in economics, how the old is being constantly replaced by the new. He argued that the innovation and technological change of a nation come from entrepreneurs or wild spirits; he coined the word (in German) entrepreneurspirit”adding that these individuals controlled the economy because they are responsible for delivering innovation and technological change. He asserted that doing things that are already being done in a new way” stemmed directly from the efforts of entrepreneurs.
Why a fashionable trope, sounding stylish and trendy, a synonym for bourgeois individualism, without thinking of creating a better state, industrial, socialist or proletarian state.
We observe a clash betweenEntrepreneurial State” and Sabyathwa Rajyaya” (Civilisational State”), the twin concepts advocated by Sarvajana Balaya”. In a Civilisational State” (I refer to Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera’s, Sabyathwa Rajyaya Kara” (Towards Civilisational State (2016)). In a Sabyathwa Rajyaya” there cannot be any space for bourgeois individualism. This needs a detailed study.
But the problem is how we can create a production culture that will produce forces of production (labour, capital etc.). In the Draft there is no word about production of machines and machine tools, which are essential for production of machines as e-Con e-News repeats in every issue as an index of a Real Economy, how a real economy would be measured.
Now RW, Premadasa, Anura Kumara have started talking about entrepreneurship development is the biggest joke. In agriculture old fashioned farmers copy pioneer farmers!
5. Past interventions in entrepreneurship
Has Sri Lanka not done anything to develop entrepreneurs andentrepreneurship in the past? There were plenty of interventions. Two three decades ago Industrial Development Board (IDB), National Institute of Business Management (NIBM) the latter with the funds allotted by the Konrad Adeneur Foundation (KAF), National Youth Services Council (NYSC), it’s arm NYSCO, and some women’s organisations conducted training programmes inEntrepreneurship Development;main focus of NIBM pogrammes was providing with accounting skills and managerial skills to poultry farmers, dairy farmers and agro-industrialists. Others conducted training programmes providing with technical skills in poultry farming, dairy farming, vegetable dehydration, orchid and cut flower growing, mushroom cultivation, yoghurt, ice cream and cake making , ornamental fish, beauty culture, making of leather and coir products, candles, papadam, candles, handun kooru (incense sticks),cordials and some handicraftsetc. At one time we trained people in hand crafted paper and bio-gas making (integrated with poultry farming and fish breeding) also. We have experimented with foreign funded Integrated Rural Development Programmes (IRDPs), appropriate technology”, export villages”, one crop to one village” programmes and many more.
But sad to say that manufacturing industries were not encouraged. There were no research and development and new innovations; entrepreneurship was limited to engage in making of some crude inferior products using archaic technology. There was no quality assurance of the products and marketing avenues for the entrepreneurs. There was no follow-up action taken to assess how many entrepreneurs theywere able to develop. With all these drawbacks skills inEntrepreneurshipwas imparted without achieving any far-reaching results and continuity.
Sri Lanka is a country which experimented with many development initiatives, a hothouse for experimentation from the days of gaining independence” from the colonial yoke. The list is too long. Research Reports are copious, enough to fill a well-stocked library. The irony is all Presidential candidates especially RW, Premadasa and Anura Kumara promising to implement same failed interventions, attempting to invent the wheel again and again in different sizes using different types of materials.
6. Future of Sri Lanka as an independent sovereign state under US and Indian hegemonic influence
It was affirmed that Easter Sunday attack helped Modi’s second electoral victory, that the planners of the attack took into consideration the Indian elections. Sajith Premadasa’s pledges to probe the Easter Sunday attack is only to woo the Catholic voters and deceive Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith. Still his vociferous frontline brigade attack GR that he was the mastermind of it or the politician benefited by the Easter Sunday attack. But the election results in the Catholic belt” were rather contrary to this malicious allegation.
Indian Externa Minister Jaishankar visited Sri Lanka again on 20 June,the firstbilateral visit after the formation of new Modi government. He met with RW and several Ministers, MR, Sajith Premadasa,leaders of various Tamil and Muslim and plantation Tamil political parties. His visit signified Sri Lanka’s increasing dependency on regional power India; he jointly with RW unveiled the virtual plaque for 106 houses in Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Matale Districts under the Indian housing project, formally commissioned the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) at Navy Headquarters, a nerve center for search and rescue operations at sea with an Indian grant of US $ 6 million; sub-center at Hambantota and unmanned installations at 7 other centers, another initiative demonstrating Sri Lanka’s armed forces’ dependency on Indian and external support .
On 20 August India’s Petronet LNG signed a MOU with LTL Holdings for LNG infrastructure and LNG supply to Sri Lanka, through a 150-container supply chain for development of LNG unloading, storage and regasification facilitates at Kerawalapitiya. Indian High Commission said that India has extended a grant assistance of US dollars 63.65 million for KKS harbor rehabilitation project. India’s so-called Connectivity Programmes, in this case Energy Connectivity and Maritime Connectivityare consequently being fulfilled.
India’s Neighbourhood First” policy and SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) policy have become a mockery when one looks at how Modi and his BJB took up Kachchativu as an election issue again prior to recently concluded Indian General Elections, declaring it as an Indian territory and attacking Indira Gandhi and Congress, for ceding” it to Sri Lanka in 1974.
The other burning topic is Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lankan territorial waters engaging in illegal unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, especially bottom trawling. This issue was aggravated by killing a Sri Lankan naval officer and damaging a naval craft by Indian poachers on June 25, 2024.
There is an influx of visits by US top administrators to Sri Lanka since pre-protest days. Latest person to visit Sri Lanka is US Acting Secretary for State, Bureau of Oceans, International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Jennifer Littlejohn. She has earlier served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in North Macedonia, Director for Central and Northern European Affairs of the US National Security Council, Director for Policy Planning and Public Diplomacy, Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, a Bigjohn” who has many accomplishments in big things than in international environmental and scientific affairs”.
In many of our articles we have reported Julie Chung’s activities in Sri Lanka. On 21, August she met with a group of USAID-aided Social Change Makers and Community Leaders”. Chung described them as innovators, advocators, thinkers and dreamers transforming Sri Lanka into a more vibrant society.” These were the Change Makers” active at Galle Face urban ghetto, 2 years ago.
Julie Chung visits every corner of the island without any hindrance meeting men and women and youth of her choice. US Embassy opens American Corners” at every corner of the country targeting Youth.
Recently UNHRC urged Sri Lanka to pursue urgent reforms and accountability after upcoming elections. Whoever wins he cannot escape from this millstone.
7. Chaos and hopeless confusion
The outcome of the September Presidential Election is cannot be predicted by either employing absurd quantitative techniques, quantifying numbers attendingpublic rallies, platform oratory, handouts the ruling party provides and playing savior role or pledges made by all contenders to hoodwink the gullible voters.
A similar situation as in Venezuela can arise refusing to accept the final verdict if the verdict is not favourable for certain groups. In Venezuela opposition volunteers managed to collect copies of voting tallies from 80% of the 30,000 polling booths nationwide showing opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez had won the election. Foreign observers including observers of American Carter Center determined the results announced by the authorities lacked credibility. It was reported that a cyber-attack staged by hackers from North Macedonia delayed the vote counting and release of results. (A few days ago, Venezuelan Supreme Courts certified that Maduro won the elections and said that voting tallies published online, showing he lost by a landslide were forged).
In Sri Lanka it was reported on 12 August that a US based Google server mimicking the website of the Elections Commission attempting to gather personal information. What plans NPP digital brigade has we do not know.
By any chance if Premadasa wins, the NPP will not allow him to govern. Premadasa will be a sitting duck at the onslaught of protests engineered by the NPP. How a timid overseas student who was chaperoned by a Ranasinghe Premadasa loyalist unlawfully assigned to the High Commission in London, an explorer of wild life (flora, fauna and other things), singer and a guitar player confronts them will be an unpleasant thing to witness.
Except RW all others would dissolve the Parliament immediately calling for fresh elections. In this context Parliamentary Elections become equally important as the Presidential election.
No single party is likely to win a majority in a future parliamentary election; new political alignments, alliances and coalitions are likely in the future than we witness now. No one of those so-called dissidents who talk aloud will emerge victorious unless they align with a party which has a more likelihood of winning according to their thinking; that is the reason for many pohottuwa MPs aligning themselves with SJB. It’s a shame some Viyathmaga grandees are among these defectors, those who were more responsible for GR’s downfall. Majority of political dregs of pohottuwa joined RW for their political survival. They know that RW would never conduct a Parliamentary election; there are many ways of extending the term of the current Parliament.
8. Sarvajana Balaya
Sarvajana Balaya muststrive to be the mantle of anti-imperialist, anti-hegemonic, anti-neoliberal nationalistic forces. To do so it must be very careful not to enlist driftwood and political dregs who has no base among the people.
Sarvajana Balayaclaims that the new alliance represents the interests of those 69 lakhs of voters who voted for GR at the last Presidential Elections and subsequently to pohottuwa at the Parlimentary Elections. If so, it must think again whether it is capable of marching forward attacking Rajapakshasas as NPP and SJB do. With or with no Rajapakshasas, without the support of Pohottuwa, Sarvajana Balaya cannot march forward is this writer’s contention. It should take into consideration that many of the so-called dissidents found their political fortunes and cut their political teeth with the help of either MR or GR. No one can deny that Rajapaksas are custodians of a strong vote base and it was MR who freed Sri Lanka from the shackles of Tiger terrorists.
Sarvajana Balayaallegation that MR, Basil R and Namal R, members of GR’s family are the chief architects of GR’s downfall nullifies the actual intervention of local and foreign NGOs, RW, JVP/NPP, FSP,SJB and black coated brigade headed by USAID funded BASL, foreign hands, especially the role played by the US envoy Julie Chung, which are well documented by some writers and corroborated by the Speaker of Parliament, sanitize local andforeign conspirators and overruling imperialistso-called colour revolutions as a figment of imagination. SomeSarvajana Balayasupporters whom this writer has met inferringNuland and Chung reaped what was sown by otherRajapaksas hold no water because the conspiracy against GR was hatched even before he paid his election deposit challenging his eligibility by foreign funded NGO cabal; the coup was staged immediately, when he came into power with Swiss Embassy incident. This is an irrefutable truth.
9. Symbol of Sarvajana Balaya
As Dilith Jayaweera of Sarvajana Balaya is contesting as the candidate of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka invariably his symbol becomes the star, the registered symbol of the Communist Party. No question about it. But for election campaigning the Communist Party used a red star. (Red star (of flat surface not filled) is the symbol of communist ideology; it has five points denoting 5 fingers of the worker as well as 5 continents; also, workers, peasants, youth, military and intelligentsia). Sarvajana Balaya star is blue and white, filled and has 6 points. Sarvajana Balaya graphic artistshave done an irreparable damage to it creating a blue and white star, colours of the star of the Zionist Israeli state, also having 6 points. Blue and white flat star in the centre of Israeli flag represents star of David, the symbol of Jewish people and of Judaism. Blue symbolizes God’s glory, purity and severity. This terribly clashes with the concept of Civilisational State”. It is true that the star symbol registered at the then Department of Elections has 6 points and filled and we know that the Sarvajana Balaya cannot use a red star for reasons well-known to them. But still Sarvajana Balaya has time to rectify this grave error, changing the colour combination of the star.
10. After the elections
GR missed the grand opportunity he had writing his book, to expose the conspiracy and conspirators; but failed miserably; if he had exposed foreign intervention in his ouster and ill-advice given by those who brought him into power, it would have been an international bestseller revealing how politics in the Global South are being manipulated by the US and India. In this context Sheik Hasina, the deposed Prime Minister of Bangladesh was stronger than GR. He should have used his book for a possible comeback, to test the public’s verdict of his ouster. Many political blunders were done by GR at the time of his ouster and after; why and the way he handed over power to RW is still questionable; was there an agreement related to power transfer? His installation of Nandalal Weerasinghe of IMF, a scion of anti- Rajapaksa elements in Tangalle as the Governor of the Central Bank and declaring Sri Lanka using him and a lawyer turned Finance Minister, a political novice although a silkin the Courts, aggravated the crisis. Which country acceptsLCs originated from a bankrupt country? Can a company declare bankruptcy? If so, that will be the end of that business.
Still the capitalist press say that GR fled the country; showed a clean pair of heels; what they say is he should have stayed where he was and be lynched as Sadam Hussain and Khadhafi by the marauders.
A section of the Galle Face Protesters also formed a group called Jana AragalaSandanaya” to contest presidential elections. It is another garb to FSP. In the last Presidential Elections FSP polled only 589(or 0.04%) votes from Colombo electoral district and 8219 (or 0.06%) all-island votes respectively. It will be interesting to see how it will poll this time around, whether it represents all the Galle Face merrymakers.
A new anti-imperialist, anti-hegemonic, patriotic political alignment is needed. RW, SP and Anura Kumara stand as obstacles to this front. It is well-known that both RW and SP represent imperialist, neo-liberal, interests internally and globally. When their positions are clear what is Anura Kumara’s position? He and his NPP/JVP combine are neither a Marxist, Socialist nor Social-Democrat outfit. It is only capitalist press and ill-informed foreign correspondents dub it as a Marxist party. Enough for what they understand as Marxism. Its political philosophy is Anarchism and if by any chance come into power anarchy, a reign of terror, will prevail; internecine -fighting among its own ranks will become the order of the day. In such circumstances NPP turning into the most anti-people political formation and the common enemy of allcannot be dismissed.
We have stated in Part VI of this series that there is no guarantee that the JVP/NPP will not hesitate to resort to acts of violence if they win with state power in their hands. Those who were against the JVP/NPP will be hounded, arrested and summarily executed without any trial.
Kuragamage Don Lal Kantha has already suggested to settle disputes at village level. Anura Kumara added to it that local level political machinery used for the election will be turned into peace councils to maintain law and order in the villages.
A supporter of the NPP, who enjoyed the benevolence of CBK, and then MR, elevated by them to high office in several establishments, who wrote a book hailing MR as the King Mahinda VII, threatened this writer that he will be bumped off by the NPP when they come into power for writing anti-NPP articles.
A Communist old guard warned this writer, a Civil War in Sri Lanka is imminent!
NEXT: Summarizing Janus-faced NPP, Myth of Malimawa and False Conceptions
