Courtesy Hiru News

The Government Information Department stated that five more COVID deaths have been reported, increasing the death toll to 66. 

Courtesy Hiru News

Army Commander Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva stated that another 241 persons have tested positive for COVID-19.

All of them have been identified to close contacts of previous patients.

Courtesy Hiru News

In his capacity as the Finance Minister, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa presented the Budget report for the year 2021 in Parliament today (17).

This is the 75th budget report of the country and the Prime Minister while presenting the budget report stated that the expected economic growth in 2021 is 5.5%.

Below are the key highlights of the 2021 Budget

Increasing the daily wage of estate workers to Rs. 1,000 from 01 January, 2021.

Introduction of a Special Goods and Services Tax

A three-year tax holiday be granted for gem exports<

A special insurance scheme to be introduced for persons affected by the coronavirus pandemic

Establishment of technology parks in five districts namely Kandy, Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, Batticaloa and Galle

Ban single-use plastic and polythene products from 01 January, 2021

Income tax on revenue from agriculture, fisheries and animal husbandry will be removed for the next 5 years

The company taxation law will be amended from 01 April, 2021

The retirement age of both male and female public sector staff to be raised to 60 years of age

Interest rate on loans given to public servants to purchase houses and properties to be reduced to 7%

Allocating funds under the 2021 budget to resolve the issues concerning highways, electricity, water and human-elephant conflicts in rural areas and for proposals under ‘Gama Samaga Pilisadarak’

Allocating funds under the 2021 budget to provide modern facilities to develop the professional skills of Tri-Forces veterans

50% income tax will be exempted for local Companies that will be listed (new) in the Colombo Stock Exchange until December 31, 2021.

To encourage the permanent housing market, capital gains from income tax to be exempted and the stamp duty to be reduced to 0.75.

Up to Rs. 100,000 will consider as investment deductions to encourage personal savings.

Import duty on motor spare parts to be reduced

The primary phase of tourism, foreign and commercial activities in the Colombo Port City is scheduled to commence in the year 2021.

The Prime Minister stated that he expects to present a new legal framework in favor of the promotion and investment of commercial services in this economic zone to Parliament in January after the budget debate.

Commenting on the ETI and affiliated companies, Prime Minister stated that the report on malpractices of ETI & affiliated companies forwarded to the AG for further legal action.

The debate regarding the second reading of the budget will be held from tomorrow (18) until Saturday (21). The relevant vote will be held on the 21 November at 05:00 p.m.

The Parliamentary Communications Department stated that the Committee Stage of the Budget will be active from 23 November to 10 December and the third reading vote will be held on 10 December.

Courtesy  Hiru News

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lMO42oewnZzRT1SaMU2oWUOW5ieQUjrt/view

PM making the budget speeach today said “It is with great pleasure that I present the budget speech 2021, which focuses on strengthening the 2021-2023 medium term programme of poverty alleviation and economic revival as envisaged within the “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour”, the policy framework of the government of HE the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa”

Macro-Economic Road Map

According to the macro-economic programme of Vistas of Prosperity and splendour”, our target is to maintain an inclusive growth rate of 6 percent over the medium term.

Various proposals and concessions were shared by the Prime Minster (the full speach can be accessed <a href=”https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lMO42oewnZzRT1SaMU2oWUOW5ieQUjrt/view?usp=sharing“>Full Budget Speech English

Conclusions

Concluding the presentation the PM stated the following;

Honourable Speaker,

This is a development budget presented to elevate an economy that has been shattered. It covers all sectors under a macroeconomic vision aimed at fulfilling the Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour”. This is a budget that will open up numerous special investment opportunities to our business community for production of local goods and services under the competitive setting of the global economy. Producers of all scales should strive during the next 3 years to allow local economy to competitively enter to the global economy. The public sector should provide the necessary support in this regard.

For the benefit of the country, I request from all entrepreneurs to utilize the funds hidden locally or internationally in order to evade laws relating to taxes and foreign exchange. It is expected to make legal provisions to provide a tax pardon to entrepreneurs thus utilizing funds for any investment facilitated by this budget under the payment of taxes amounting to 1 percent.

The estimated Government Revenue for 2021 is Rs. 1,961 billion. The total Government expenditure is Rs. 3,525 billion and as such the difference between the revenue and the expenditure is Rs. 1,564 billion. It is planned to maintain the budget gap at 9 percent of the GDP since the private investments which amounted to 32.3 percent of the GDP in 2014 has decreased up to 27.6 percent in 2019 and since it is required to provide a robust start by the government to revive the economic growth which had stagnated recently.

I believe that we can manage this budget gap, due to enhanced opportunities to reissue local and international currency denominated debt at maturity. Interrelated development proposals presented under this budget are appropriate for rural as well as urban settings, traditional as well as modern contexts, micro financial as well as capital market objectives will lead to an increase of the present low level of economic capacity utilization. The expected economic growth rate for 2021 is 5.5 percent.

I emphasize that it is our medium term vision to reduce the budget gap through increasing the economic growth up to 6 percent and increasing the government revenue from its current level of 9.7 percent to 14.1 percent. By 2025, the budget deficit is targeted to be 4 percent due to growth in tax revenue through the expansion of the economy and the trust placed on the management of public expenditure and public enterprises. I request all of you to give your blessing to the development budget aimed at economic revival and poverty reduction”

Full budget speech of the Prime Minister can be accessed here

English <a href=”https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lMO42oewnZzRT1SaMU2oWUOW5ieQUjrt/view?usp=sharing“>Full Budget Speech English</a><br /><br />Sinhala <a href=”https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gZvY52j4_w8actKohSxutnZGJ4H92b1A/view“>Budget Speech Sinhala<br /></a>

RANJITH SOYSA

Recently , the Minister Sarath Weersekera clarified the present Government’s position about the a rumour regarding the future of ECT which is being given prominence in social media criticising the President and the cabinet. The Minister should be thanked as his response was timely and it quashed the one -sided anti -Government propaganda by interested parties,

He said that the Memorandum of Corporation was signed by Yahaplanaya government with India and Japan in 2019 when Sagala Ratanayake was the minister in charge of ports. The origin of the present issue of the 49% of the ownership of the ECT will with India and Japan and the management of the ECT to  be handed over to a well known Indian company can be traced to the MOC signed by the previous government in  2019. Minister Weerasekera in his clarification also discusses the mishandling and the mismanagement of the ECT project by the previous government which caused the delays of completing the ECT.

The Minister explains the difficulties involved in changing the conditions in the MOC which had been signed and clearly states that the present government does not see eye to eye with the agreement and is considering to change some aspects which are disadvantageous to the country. He also mentions the fact that the President was forthright in conveying to US Secretary of State when he was in Sri Lanka that the country will never accept agreements which are inimical to the interest of the country with special reference to the MCC.

The Sri Lankans who voted the President and the present Government are confident that the President and the decision makers such as the Minister Sarath Weeraskera will do their best to protect the sovereignty and the independence of the country.

RANJITH SOYSA

R.Dasanayake

It is alleged the take over of a television station in Sri Lanka was done surreptitiously by a company with diaspora connections.

Today we hear the SLC is looking to finalize the owners of the five franchises for their T20 league.

As per the contracts the Dubai based IPG group has the responsibility to find the owners on behalf of the SLC for the forthcoming LPL .

It is also mentioned the clearance from the ICC is a prerequisite in this process which one assumes is mainly on previous fraudulent activities.

However what is more important from Sri Lanka’s perspective is to rule out links with diaspora groups who could come as saviors to the SLC. 

Has the SLC in their desperation to find groups with investment ability overlooked this aspect of the vetting process no one knows.

As the Dubai based company has no apparent regard in this respect the country expect the SLC to be very wary of the real danger here. 

We earnestly hope the new sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa has no doubt taken the necessary steps to block such entities entering to have a foothold in our cricket.

R.Dasanayake

මතුගම සෙනෙවිරුවන්

              මහමදාගම්කාරයන් යනු මොහොමඩ් නබි තුමාගේ අනුගාමිකයන්ය.ඒ නිසාම නබිතුමා නිර්මාණය කල ආගමට මහමත් ආගම යයි ව්‍යවහාරයක් ඇත. මහමත් ආගම ඉතාමත් ආක්‍රමණශීලි ස්වභාවයෙන් ලෝකයේ නොයෙක් රටවල පැතිරීම  නිසා ස්වදේශිකයන් ඝාතනයට ලක් වූහ.එසේම මහමත් ජනයා ගේ වානිජ ශූරත්වය නිසා ඉතා ඉක්මනින් විදෙස් රටවල වෙළෙඳ ආධිපත්‍යද ගැනීමට ද හැකි වී ඇත. ඉන්දියාවට පැමිණි මහමත් අක්‍රමණිකයන් විශාල විනාශයක් කළහ.ඉන්දියාවේ පැවති බුද්ධ ශාසනය විනාශ වන්නේ මේ ආක්‍රමණ හේතුවෙනි. මහමත් සෙබලු ඉන්දියාවේ දකුණට සිය ආධිපත්‍ය පතුරුවන කල්හි එහි සිටි ද්‍රවිඩයන් රැසක් මහමත් ආගමේ ගොදුරු බවට පත් විය.මරක්කලයන් බිහිවන්නේ මෙකී මහමත්කරණයට ලක් වූ පිරිස් නිසාවෙනි.ලංකාව සමග වෙළදාමේ යෙදුණු බහුතරයක් වානිජයන් එකල හැටියට ද්‍රවිඩයන් විය. මෙම ද්‍රවිඩයන් මහමත්කරණයෙන් පසුව එම වෙළෙදාම අල්වා ගත්හ. ඔවුහු සම්පන් නම් යාත්‍රා වලින් ඉන්දියන් සාගරයේ පටු තීරුව තරණය කොට ලංකාවට පැමිණියහ.සම්පන් වලින් බඩු සැපයීම නිසා මේ මරක්කලයන් හම්බයන් බවට පත් වූහ.හම්බන්තොට ඔවුන් ගොඩ බට ප්‍රසිද්ධ තොටමුණකි.

        පෘතුගීසින් ලංකාවට පැමිණෙන කල්හි දෙස් විදෙස් වෙළදාම මේ මරක්කලයන් සතු වූහ. එසේම සෑහෙන පමණ නාවික යුධ බලයක්ද ඔවුනට හිමි වූහ.සිංහල රජවරු පවා මේ මරක්ලයන් ගේ බලඇණි තමන්ගේ සේවයට බඳවා ගෙන පරංගීන්ට විරුද්ධව සටන් මෙහෙයන ලද්දේ නවීන ආයුධ තාක්ෂණයන්ද ඔවුන් සතුව තිබූ බැවිනි.නමුත් කල් යෑමේදී මරක්කලයන් පළවා හැර පෘතුගීසි ආධිපත්‍ය ස්ථීරවම ලංකාවේ පිහිටුවන ලදී. පරංගීන් ගෙන් පසු ලන්දේසීන් මේ මරක්කල බලය සහමුලින්ම ඉවත් කිරීමට දැඩිව උත්සාහ දැරීය. නමුත් එය පූර්ණ වශයෙන් සාර්ථක වූයේ නැත.වර්ෂ 1796 දී ලන්දේසීන් විසින් ඉංග්‍රිසීන් සමග එළඹෙන ලද ගිවිසුම ප්‍රකාරව මුහුද බඩ පළාත් සියල්ල පවරා දී ඇත.  වර්ෂ 1766 දී කීර්ති ශ්‍රී රාජසිංහ රජු සහ නිලමේ වරු එකතුවී මෙකී මුහුදුබඩ පළාත් ලන්දේසීන් වෙත ගිවිසුමකින් පවරා දීම නිසා දෙවනුව මේ ප්‍රදේශ ඉංග්‍රීසීන් සතුවිය..

      ලන්දේසි නීති ආධිපත්‍ය පසුව ඉංග්‍රීසි නීතිය බවට පත් වීමෙන් ඒ පළාත් වල වැසියාටද ඊට යටත් වීමට සිදු විය. මුහුදුකරයේ තැන් තැන් වල විශේෂයෙන්ම පුත්තලමේ සහ මඩකලපුවේ සුලු වශයෙන් සිටි මරක්කලයන්ට  මුක්කුවාර් නම් නීතියක් තිබුණි. මේවා මලබාරයන්ගේ තේසවලාමෙයි නීති මෙන්ම ඉංග්‍රීසින් විසින් පිළිගත්හ. අනතුරුව 1806 අගොස්තු 05 වන දා මහමත් ආගම් කාරයන්ගේ විවාහ නීතිය වෙනුවෙන් ඉංග්‍රීසින් ආඥාවක් නිකුත් කළහ. පසුව අවස්ථා ගණනාවකදී මේ විවාහ හා දේපළ නීති වෙනස් වෙමින් පැමිණ සංවර්ධනය වී තිබේ.මේ රටේ සොහොන් පිළිබඳ ආඥ පනතක් ඉදිරිපත් කර තිබෙන්නේ වර්ෂ 1862 දීය. සොහොන් සඳහා වෙන් කරන ලද භූමි සඳහා වූ නීති රීති එහි සඳහන් විය. ඉංග්‍රීසීන් ගේ වරප්‍රසාද මධ්‍යයෙහි මෙරට වානිජ බලය සියතට ගත් මරක්කලයන් කොළඹ කේන්ද්‍ර කොට නැගී සිටින්නට විය. මේ නිසා මරක්කල පවුල් රංචු ගහනයන් ඇත්වන්නට විය. ඒ සමගම පල්ලි ද ඉඳි වන්නට විය.

    පල්ලියේ කොටසක් සූසානයට වෙන් විය. නමුත් මේ තත්වයෙහි වෙනසක් දකින්නට සිදු වූයේ වර්ෂ 1880 දීය. දෙමටගොඩ ප්‍රදේශයට විශේෂ සොහොනක් ඉල්ලා මරක්කලයන් ව්‍යවස්ථාදායකට කරුණු ඉදිරිපත් කර තිබේ. එම ඉල්ලීම එහි දී අනුමත වීය.1880 අංක 10   ආඥා පනත මගින් දෙමටගොඩ විශේෂ මහමත් සොහොන නමින් ආඥ පනතක් නීතිගත වන්නේ ඒ අනුවයි.     මහමත් ආගම දරන්නන් ගේ රංචු ගැසීමේ සිරිත තුළ ඔවුන් ගේ සෑම නීතියක්ම රීතියක්ම රැඳී පවතී. පල්ලිය තුළ ඒකරාශි වී ගන්නා තීරණ ඇතැම් විට නීති සම්ප්‍රදායන් බවට පත් වේ.ඒවා රටේ නීති පොතට එක් වන්නේ පාලකයන් ගේ විශේෂ අනුග්‍රහය ඊට ලැබෙන කල්හිය. 1980 ගණන් වලින් පසුව පත්වූ එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂ රජය එහි අමාත්‍ය මණ්ඩලයට පත් වූ මහමත් ඇමතිවරු ඉන්පසු පොදු පෙරමුණු රජයේ මහමත් ඇමතිවරු මේ සියලු දෙන ඒකම අරමුණක් වෙනුවෙන් කටයුතු කර තිබේ.ඔවුහු පියවරෙන් පියවර ඉදිරියට තබමින් තමන් විසින් පත් කර ගන්නා ලද සිය ආගමේ බලය හිමි ඇමතිවරුන් ලවා පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට පනත් රාශියික් ඉදිරිපත් කර තිබේ. 1980 -2000 දක්වා කාලයේ මේ පනත් විශ්ලේෂණය කරන කල්හි. එම පියවර අහම්බයක් නොවන බව පෙනේ.ඉංග්‍රීසීන් සහ ඔවුන් අනුව ගිය කලු සුද්දන් විදෙස් වලින් පැමිණි ආගන්තුකයන්ට මේ රටේ වරප්‍රසාද අත් කර දී ඇත්තේ එලෙසය.

   1978 ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාව තුළ බෞද්ධයන් පිළිපදින බුද්ධාගමට ප්‍රමුඛස්ථානයක් ලබා දී තිබේ.නමුත් එම ව්‍යවස්ථාවේම පුරවැසි බාවය දක්වන තැනදී මෙරට ලියාපදිංචියෙන් පුරවැසිබව ලැබූ මරක්කලයන් සහ දෙමළ ජනයා හා සිංහලයන් සමාන කරතිබේ.ඉංග්‍රීසින් මුහුදු බඩ පළාත් අත්පත් කරගත් පසු මරක්ලයන්ද ඔවුන් යටතේ පුරවැසියන් වූහ. එය තහවුරු කරන ලද්දේ 1948 දීය. නමුත් එහිදී පාරම්පරික පුරවැසිබව සහ ලියාපදිංචියෙන් පුරවැසි බව පිළිබඳව දැක්විය යුතු විය. 1978 දී නැති කරන ලද්දේ සිංහලයන් විසින් භුක්ති විඳි අයිතියයි. නමුත් බෞද්ධයන්ට  ප්‍රමුඛස්ථානයක් ඇතැයි යන්න බහුතරයේ සැනසීමට කාරණයක් විය.මේ කාරණය ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ තිබුණද පාර්ලිමේන්තුව නියෝජනය කරන කිසිවකු මේ ගැන සලකන්නේ නැත. මරක්කලයන්ට සහ දෙමලුන්ට මේ රටේ ප්‍රමුඛස්ථානයක් නොමැති බව කියන්නට මේ නියෝජියන්ගේ දිව නැමෙන්නේ  නැත. ඒ වෙනුවට මේ රට බහුජාතික බහුආගමික රටක් වශයෙන් දැක්වීමට ඔවුහු පසුබට නොවෙති.

    කොරොනා වසංගතය නිසා මියයන මරක්කලයන්ගේ මිනී ආදාහනාගාරයක් තුළ පිලිස්සීම සිදු කිරීමට තීරණයක් ගනු ලැබූයේ සෞඛ්‍ය අංශ විසිනි. වෛරස් විසබීජ මහ පොළවට එකතු වී සක්‍රීය වන්නේ යැයි සිතා ඒ තීරණය ගන්නට ඇත.  අතීතයේ සිටම සෞඛ්‍ය ගැන සැලකිලිමත්වීමට සිංහලයන් උත්සාහ කරති.  ඔවුහු කිසිදිනක ජලයට මුත්‍ර කලේ නැත. බීමට භාවිත කරන ළිඳට කකුල් ඔබා ගෙන සිටියේ නැත.. ජලය පිරිසිදුව බාවිත කරලීම පිණිස ඔවුන්ගේ චාරිත්‍ර රාශියක් විය.සිංහල අවුරුද්දේ දී  ළිඳත් සමග ගනුදෙනු කරන්නේ ඒ නිසාය. ලංකාවේ ජල මූලාශ්‍ර කෘෂීකර්මය ට සහ ජල උල්පත් වලට අතිශයින් වැදගත් වන නිසා ඒවා ආරක්ෂා කර ගැනීමට ඒ අය සැබවින්ම කැප වූහ.වර්තමාන සෞඛ්‍ය ලොක්කන් විසින් කොරෝනා අදාහන නීතිය ගෙනා විට පාංශකූලික චාරිත්‍රය පවා නොසලකා හැර ඊට එකඟ වූයේ මහ පොළවත් සමග ඔවුන් ඇති කරගත් සබඳතාවය ඉතා දැඩි බැවිනි. යම්කිසි අපරාධමය මරණයක් සිදු වූ විට මේ රටේ නීතියට අනුව අදාහනය නොකරති. ජාති ආගම් නොසලකා මනී වැළලීම කරති.නීතියට ගරු කිරීම සිංහලයන් එම නීතියටද අනුගත වෙති.මේ රටේ  සෑම අතකින්ම ප්‍රමුඛස්ථානයක් හිමිවන ජනතාවක් රටේ නීතියට අනුව සහ තමන්ගේ විශ්වාසයන්ට අනුව තීරණයක් ගන්නා විට එය එකම තීරණය බවට  තහවුරුවක් ඇති  වෙයි.

 එවැනි අවස්ථාවකදී රටේ ජීවත් වන ලියාපදිංචියෙන් පුරවැසි බව ලැබූ කිසිම ජනවර්ගයකට අයත් පුද්ගලයෙකුට හෝ ආගමකට අයත් පුද්ගලයෙකු ගේ විශ්වාසයන්ට ප්‍රමුඛස්ථානයක්හිමි නොවේ.එලෙස ප්‍රමුඛස්ථානයක් හිමිකර දී කොරෝනා නිසා මියගිය මරක්කලයන්ගෙ මිනී වැළලීමට අවසර දෙන්නේ නම් එක පැත්තකින් මේ රටේ සෞඛ්‍ය නීතිය උල්ලංඝණය වෙයි. අනෙක් පැත්තෙන් ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ නවවන වගන්තිය කඩ කරනු ලබයි. දැනට කටයුතු සිද්ද වේගෙන යන ආකාරයට සිංහල බෞද්ධයන් බහුතරයකගේ චන්දයෙන් පත්වූ ආණ්ඩුවක් මගින්ම මේ ‌ෙඑතිහාසික නීතිය කඩ කිරීමට උත්සාහ දරණු පෙනේ.එසේ සිදු වුවහොත් එය නරක පූර්වාදර්ශයක් වනු නිසැකය. අන්තවාදීන් විසින් අරක්ගත් අධිරකරණ බලය විසින් යම් කිසිදිනක නවවන ව්‍යවස්ථාව අහෝසි කළහොත් ඒ අවස්ථාවේ දී ඒ ගැන කතා කරන්නට කෙනෙකු ඉතිරි නොවන්නට ඉඩ අතැයි මට සිතෙන්නේ ඒ පූර්වාදර්ශය වත්මන් සිංහලයන් විසින් අනුමත කළහොතිනි.

මතුගම සෙනෙවිරුවන්

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය

ශ්‍රී ලංකාව සඳහා නව ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවක් වෙනුවෙන් ඉදිරිපත් කෙරෙන විකල්ප යෝජනා ඇතුළත් ග්‍රන්ථය අද 2020.11.16 දින  බෞද්ධ මහා සම්මේලනයේ සභාපති ජගත් සුමතිපාල මහතා විසින් ගරු අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මැතිතුමා වෙත භාර දෙන ලදී.

බුද්ධශාසන කාර්යසාධක මණ්ඩලය හා සමස්ත ලංකා බෞද්ධ මහා සම්මේලනය නියෝජනය කරමින් ගරුතර මහා සංඝරත්නය විසින් විජේරාමේ පිහිටි නිල නිවසේදී, මෙම ග්‍රන්ථය අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමාට පිළිගැන්වූහ.

සමස්ත ලංකා බෞද්ධ මහා සම්මේලනයේ, ජාතික ප්‍රතිපත්ති සම්පාදක මණ්ඩලය, නීතිය, රාජ්‍ය පාලනය, ජාතික ආරක්ෂාව හා විදේශ ප්‍රතිපත්ති අනුකමිටුව මෙම ග්‍රන්ථය සම්පාදනය කර තිබේ.

පූජ්‍ය වජිරාරාමාවාසී ඤාණසීහ හිමි හා ජනාධිපති නීතීඥ මනෝහර ද සිල්වා, ජනාධිපති නීතීඥ පාලිත ප්‍රනාන්දු, ජනාධිපති නීතීඥ ප්‍රසන්ත ලාල් ද අල්විස්, ජනාධිපති නීතීඥ කපිල වෛද්‍යරත්න, ආචාර්ය පාලිත කොහොන, මහාචාර්ය ලලිතසිරි ගුණරුවන්, රංජිත් තෙන්නකෝන්, ආචාර්ය නිමල් හෙට්ටිආරච්චි, විශ්‍රාමික නියෝජ්‍ය පොලිස්පති චන්ද්‍ර නිමල් වාකිෂ්ඨ මහත්වරුන්ගෙන් මෙම අනුකමිටුව සමන්විතය.

ග්‍රන්ථය පිළිගැන්වීමේ අවස්ථාව සඳහා  බුද්ධශාසන කාර්යසාධන මණ්ඩලයේ සභාපති, ආනන්ද මහා විද්‍යාලයේ විශ්‍රාමික සහකාර විදුහල්පති, ආචාර්ය දිවියාගහ යසස්සි හිමි, සමස්ත ලංකා බෞද්ධ මහා සම්මේලනය, ජාතික ප්‍රතිපත්ති සම්පාදක මණ්ඩලය, නීතිය, රාජ්‍ය පාලනය, ජාතික ආරක්ෂාව හා විදේශ ප්‍රතිපත්ති අනුකමිටුවේ සභාපති පූජ්‍ය වජිරාරාමාවාසී ඤාණසීහ හිමි, මාලිගාකන්ද විද්‍යෝයදය පරිවේනාධිපති බලංගොඩ සෝභිත හිමි සහ බෞද්ධ මහා සම්මේලනයේ සභාපති ජගත් සුමතිපාල, නියෝජ්‍ය සභාපති, විශ්‍රාමික නියෝජ්‍ය පොලිස්පති චන්ද්‍රනිමල් වාකිෂ්ඨ මහත්වරු එක්ව සිටියහ.

The Pathfinder Foundation

The Pathfinder Foundation’s Indian Ocean Security Conference was successfully concluded after 3-days of deliberations. The virtual event focusing on Maritime Security and Maritime Governance in the Indian Ocean saw participation of over 36 countries and an average of one hundred participants from around the world. Indian Ocean littoral countries including those members of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), its dialogue partners, Government officials from many countries including the Gulf States, diplomatic missions based in Colombo, experts representing think-tanks, research, business community and academia, were represented at this important forum. Among the major countries that participated were Australia, China, France, India, Iran, Japan, Russia, South Africa, the US and the IORA Secretariat.

The conference was the culmination of a process that commenced with ‘Trincomalee Consultations’ focusing on the Bay of Bengal, held in 2017 and 2018 and the proposal for a draft of a Code of Conduct for the Indian Ocean by the Pathfinder Foundation. The event, which was chaired by the former Foreign Secretary and National Security Advisor of India, Ambassador Shivshankar Menon, who also headed the meeting of the International Advisory Group last year to prepare for the conference, deliberated on 9 position papers submitted by a handpicked team of academics and professionals. Former Ambassador Geetha de Silva functioned as Secretary General of the Conference.

The conference discussed three broad areas covering Maritime Security; Enhancing Connectivity; and Mistrust and Trust Deficiency.  There was broad agreement that the situation in the Indian Ocean region has undergone a sea change since the Declaration of Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace by the United Nations in 1971. In the interim, major naval powers have found it necessary to converge on the Indian Ocean to safeguard their maritime interests and to keep the vital sea lines of communication open in an environment where non-state actors have seriously threatened international shipping.

Among some of the issues discussed, was the need have a mechanism to ensure good conduct at sea and freedom of navigation to be enjoyed by all parties without exception.  Chairman, Pathfinder Foundation and Co-Chair of the conference, Bernard Goonetilleke highlighted that there already was a Code of Conduct (CoC) for the Western Indian Ocean, based on the Djibouti CoC and observed that in 2018 the Foundation had proposed a draft of a CoC for purpose of discussing options to secure the Indian Ocean. Taking a page from the current developments heightened by mutual distrust, there was a strong case for developing a cooperative security architecture for the Indian Ocean, he said.

The conference also discussed the need for better arrangements to monitor the Indian Ocean and collect information on merchant shipping, in addition to movement of warships, which requires expansion of current arrangements for Maritime Domain Awareness.

The last session on ‘Mistrust and trust deficiency’, generated considerable discussion, which highlighted the need for an arrangement for Confidence Building Measures to be observed by all parties concerned. 

Apart from senior level participation in its inaugural and working sessions, the concluding session included special remarks by Mr. Dean Thompson, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs of the U S Department of State and Mr. Endo Kazuya, Deputy Asst. Minister and Director, Management and Coordination Division, Minister’s Secretariat of the Government of Japan. Concluding remarks were delivered by Co-Chairs of the event, Amb. Shivshankar Menon; Pathfinder Chairman, Bernard Goonetilleke; while Secretary General of the conference Geetha de Silva delivered the Vote of Thanks.

The Pathfinder team that supported the conference included Ameera Arooz, Director Programmes; Gayathri de Soyza; Yasalani Amarasinghe; and Uttara Wanigasekera. A report on the proceedings will be published and circulated among interested parties, which will also be available at the website of the Conference Secretariat: www.pathfinderfoundation.lk.  Contributing to the wider discourse on policy governing the Indian Ocean, the Pathfinder Indian Ocean Security Conference will be convened at regular intervals. 

By Shivanthi Ranasinghe Courtesy Ceylon Today

As early as January 2015 Teresita Schaffer predicted in her blog, ‘South Asia Hand’ Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s entrance to politics. This was an amazing forecast from one who was the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka from 1992-1995. It is especially so when according to Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s close associates, he did not at the time entertain any political aspirations. Until the very last days of the 2019 Presidential Election, he refused to be identified as a politician, but as a nationalist. Even as President, he prefers his Prime Minister and older brother Mahinda Rajapaksa be the politician, thereby freeing himself to be the administrator. 

Schaffer’s blog post coincided with Professor Ryan Goodman’s ‘Helping Sri Lanka’s New Democracy’, published also in January 2015. He noted that neither Mahinda Rajapaksa nor his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa are politically dead. However, the two Americans with an interest in South Asia advocated complete opposite strategies for their Government to follow. 

Schaffer, still an influential voice on South Asian matters, advised Washington to lower its voice” and for the UNHRC to suspend its probe on Sri Lanka’s alleged war crimes to overcome the impasse between US and Sri Lanka. The two countries are talking ‘at’ and not ‘with’ each other, she noted. She did not want Sri Lankans to see the Washington hand in the so-called reconciliation efforts. 

Different counsels, same objective

Goodman on the other hand observed, The United Nations investigation doesn’t have any teeth — the panel leading it doesn’t have the powers of a criminal tribunal, and cannot even impose a financial penalty.” Thus to eliminate the threat of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s return to power, he advised the US Government to target him specifically over the alleged war crimes. The United States has a perfect justification to go after Mr. Rajapaksa individually,” he notes as Gotabaya Rajapaksa was then a US citizen. Eliminating political opponents with the potential to challenge the Government is a very strange recommendation to promote democracy. 

Regime change

These two very different counsels however were to achieve the same objective. The objective was to strengthen then newly elected President, Maithripala Sirisena. As admitted by then State Secretary John Kerry, installing Maithripala Sirisena as the new President of Sri Lanka was a US-backed project. Others, including our closest neighbor, was suspected to have been part of this project. However, none took credit the way John Kerry did. He was quite proud of the role the US played in ushering democracy back to Sri Lanka after, what he claimed, a lapse of about ten years. He was very confident that the US-backed regime change would begin a new chapter for Sri Lanka.  It certainly was a new chapter for Sri Lanka – but not a happy one. From the word, go, it was a disaster. Maithripala Sirisena, who came as the champion of all those who oppose Mahinda Rajapaksa, realised the danger he was in of been turned into a puppet. He needed his own team and needed it urgently. 

It is also worth remembering the reason for Maithripala Sirisena to support the regime change operation. It was not because he genuinely believed the Mahinda Rajapaksa Administration was autocratic. It was because President Mahinda Rajapaksa did not then fulfill Sirisena’s long cherished dream of becoming Prime Minister.  

Bicephaly partnership

This was the root of the conflict between Sirisena and Ranil Wickremesinghe. As far as Wickremesinghe was concerned Sirisena’s role in the regime change operation had been fulfilled. He underestimated Sirisena’s own political ambitions. Their political ambitions and egos prevented either to fully understand their bicephaly partnership. 

Sirisena could not have become the President without the UNP’s block vote. However, that block vote alone was insufficient for Wickremesinghe to win the presidential elections. It was Sirisena who attracted the Sinhala votes that Wickremesinghe through his anti-national, separatist sympathetic policies lost forever. 

Thus, without either, they would not have been in power. Yet, once in power, instead of working together they began to undermine each other in a bid to gain a foothold in the power struggle. This became both the curse and the blessing. It was a curse because it put the country in jeopardy both in terms of economy and security as neither could agree with the other and spent the better part of their tenure either ignoring or attacking each other, and only agreeing grudgingly when forced to do so. The power struggle was a blessing because it acted as the hand brakes to the treacherous agenda that threatened the very sovereignty of Sri Lanka. 

Understanding geopolitics

Sirisena, an essentially local politician who had risen through the party ranks without an education to boast of, did not understand geopolitics. He thus did not realise who was buttering his bread. He did not even realise until October 2018 that he had lost the West’s support or that he could not lose Wickremesinghe without the blessings of the West. As far as the West was concerned, Sirisena had done his part in the regime change” operation and were waiting politely for him to exit from the scene at the next Presidential Elections. The hand brakes Sirisena applied from time to time to veto Wickremesinghe’s agenda and the constant whining of Wickremesinghe’s faults that discredited his own Government was a buzzing mosquito in the room for Western diplomats. 

Conversely, Wickremesinghe, who is worldly, educated and a neo-liberalist found a chord with the Obama Barack’s neo-liberal policies. He thus understood the need to show loyalty to the West. As a result one of the first things his Yahapalana Government did was to antagonise China by halting or terminating all of China’s investments in Sri Lanka. 

Playing fast and loose

It is assumed by many political analysts that at the time Wickremesinghe thought investments from the West would flow in and cover the hole left by the ousted Chinese. This writer however is doubtful that this was the case for two reasons. 

For one thing Wickremesinghe, despite his incompatible politics, is actually a man well versed in matters of the world. He would know that the West does not have China’s financial strength. With his long political experience he would also know that with China’s investments and loans the only thing the recipient government has to worry over are interest and repayment. The West on the other hand always tries to tie the recipient Government into obligations that are often unacceptable to the people of the country. This often puts the recipient Government into an embarrassing situation politically. 

Yahapalana financial mismanagement

The second reason for this writer’s doubt is the financial mismanagement of Yahapalana Government. Before the first three months were completed, the Yahapalana Government had:

Scuttled the operations of Avant Garde Maritime Services and deprived the Government coffers from some serious revenue. This action also weakened the security of the sea routes;

Increased the public sector salaries to amount to a whopping USD one billion annual bill for the Government;

Reduced taxes on imported commodities and fuel. This with the increased spending capacity from salary increments led to greater consumerism. This in turn put a huge strain on the FOREX, which caused the Rupee to depreciate unprecedentedly during the Yahapalana era;

The first Central Bank bond scam was committed. This caused the carefully managed interest rates by the Mahinda Rajapaksa to rise to two digit numbers and thereby affected all. 

Playing to the western gallery

None of these were accidents nor can be put down to wrong or foolish policies. It is just not possible for a Government, especially one that worked in consultation with the West to make such a muddle with our economy. Our growth rate was on free fall and there was not even an attempt to stop it. Wickremesinghe also had a need to discredit the victory over the LTTE. As the Opposition Leader during the most successful phase of the war, he continued to ridicule the  Sri Lankan military efforts. Hence, when the war was won he stood politically discredited. His only way to claw back to respectability” was to discredit the war itself. 

This worked with the Western agenda as well. The cries over war crimes” and human rights violations” work for the West on many fronts. It gives the Tamil Diaspora a voice to provoke a reaction within the Tamil expatriate communities domiciled in the West. By keeping this conflict alive, the Sri Lankan community stays divided in the West. This is a tactic the West uses to keep the colored” from becoming one community. That is the reason why Caucasians living in the West are only identified by nationality. The others are also with the prefix or tag to identify the origin. 

Tact and creativity

These allegations also give the West leeway to intervene in Sri Lanka’s matters to help” Sri Lankans to be inclusive”, tolerant” and not tribal” or xenophobic”. In Schaffer’s blog post she states that Sri Lanka’s foreign friends will need tact and creativity” to help Sri Lanka build stronger relations with US and India. When the kind of relationship that these countries need is unacceptable to Sri Lankans, tact and creativity are indeed needed. 

India and US can no longer be seen as two countries but as partners with the agenda to subdue China. The insistence of the 13th Amendment, one that had failed from all fronts, the ACSA-SOFA-MCCC that paints an incredulous scene needs to be viewed from this angle. This indicates that the economic disaster carried out diligently by the Yahapalana Government was in a bid to put Sri Lankans in a position that makes these solutions acceptable. 

New slogan and target 

The regime change operation was defeated on 18 November 2019 by the people in the most peaceful and democratic fashion. However if we think even for a moment the geopolitical project vis-a-vis Sri Lanka has been binned, we would be mistaken. The campaign to discredit the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa began almost immediately after the war. Using his own Army Commander, the project was initiated by calling him The Thief” (hora). Over the years this campaign steadily grew in momentum. 

Today, that campaign with a new slogan and a new target has re-emerged. The target is President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He is steering the country better than most other countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, it’s not his success that is noticed. Instead the running commentaries are on draconian measures”, the Muslim burial issue which are cast as racial discrimination, the need for lockdown, social calamities because of lockdown and the list continues endlessly. When his Administration’s economic management ought to be applauded, doubts are cast over the country’s credit worthiness. In short, the new slogan is ‘The Failure’. 

As citizens, we have a huge duty before our country. That is, to understand the real story and not just get carried away by headlines and never allow a replay of  the ‘Regime Change’.

Views of the writer

For the benefit of Dr Dayan Jayatilleka: these are the views of the writer alone and do not reflect on any organisation that the writer may be attached to.

ranasingheshivanthi@gmail.com 

– Maithripala Sirisena FB

හෙක්ටයාර 11000 ක සීමාවේ තිබූ සිංහරාජ වනාන්තරය හේකටයාර 36000 ඉක්මවූ සීමාවකට නීතිගත කර තිබේ.

හිටපු ජනාධිපති මෛත්‍රීපාල සිරිසේන මහතා විසින් අත්සන් කරන ලද අති විශේෂ ගැසට් නිවේදනයක් බලාත්මක වීමත් සමග මෙම තත්ත්වය උදාවී ඇත.

මේ සම්බන්ධයෙන් හිටපු ජනාධිපති මෛත්‍රීපාල සිරිසේන මහතා විසින් තම ෆේස්බුක් ගිණුමේ සටහනක් තබා තිබේ.

සමාජ ජාල පරිශීලකයන් විසින් ඒම සටහනට මහත් ප්‍රසාදය දක්වමින් ප්‍රතිචාර දක්වා තිබේ.

එම සටහන මෙසේය.

පළමුව උතුම් පරිසරය සුරැකීම වෙනුවෙන් පෙනී සිටින පරිසරවේදීන් සහ පරිසරයට ආදරය කරන සියලු දෙනාටම මාගේ ගෞරවය සහ උපහාරය…..

මතු උපදින දරුවන් වෙනුවෙන් මේ උතුම් මිහිතලය මතු අනාගතය වෙනුවෙන් ආරක්ෂා කිරීම අප සැමගේ යුතුකම සහ වගකීම වන්නෙමු.

අද දිනය මිහිතලයට ආදරය කරන මා මෙන්ම උතුම් හදවත් ඇති මිනිසුන් සැමට සතුටු විය හැකියි දවසකි.

මීට වසරකට ඉහත දි මා ජනාධිපති ධුරයෙන් නික්මයාමට දින කිහිපයකට ප්‍රථම මුළු මහත් විශ්වයේම පැවැත්මට ජීවය ගෙන දුන් ලෝක උරුමයක් ලෙස යුනෙස්කෝ සංවිධානය නම් කළ තෙත් සදාහරිත වැසි වනාන්තරයක් වන සිංහරාජ වනාන්තරයේ වපසරිය තුන්ගුණයකින් පුළුල් කොට අති විශේෂ ගැසට් නිවේදනයකින් සිංහරාජ අවට වන පද්ධතිය සිංහරාජ වනාන්තරයට එක් කරන ලදී.

හෙක්ටෙයාර් 11000 සීමාවී තිබූ සිංහරාජ වනාන්තරය හෙක්ටයාර 36474.93 ක ප්‍රමාණයකට මා විසින් වැඩි කරන ලදී.මෙම තීරණය උතුම් මාතෘභූමියේ දිවි පැවැත්මටත් මුළු මහත් ලෝකයේ මානව,සත්ව සහ තුරු ලතා ස්වභාව ධර්මයේ පැවැත්ම උදෙසා මා එක සිතින් ගත් තීරණයකි.

මීට වසරකට ඉහතදී මා මෙම විශේෂ ගැසට් පත්‍රයට අත්සන් තැබුවත් එය මුද්‍රණය ප්‍රමාද වූ හේතුවෙන් ජනතාවට දැකබලා ගැනීමට සහ පරිශීලනය කිරීමට නොහැකිවිය.
එම ප්‍රමාද වීම පිළිබඳව අවස්ථා ගණනාවක දී බලධාරීන් සමග මා දුරකථනයෙන් විමසු අතර හැකි ඉක්මනින් එය ඉටු කර දෙන බව මා වෙතට කාරුණිකව ප්‍රකාශ කරන ලදී.

වසරකට පසු එම ගැසට් පත්‍රය මුද්‍රණය කොට ප්‍රසිද්ධ කිරීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් රජයේ මුද්‍රණාලයෙන් කාර්ය මණ්ඩලයට ස්තුතිවන්ත වෙමි.

අදටත් ලෝව විශාලතම තෙත් සදාහරිත වැසි වනාන්තර 10ය තුළට ඇතුළත් සිංහරාජ වනාන්තරය සංරක්ෂණය කොට එහි ප්‍රමාණය වර්ධනය කිරීමට නිරන්තරයෙන් මා සමග අදහස් බෙදා ගත් සියලුම පරිසරවේදීන්ට සහ පරිසරයට ආදරය කරන දෙස් විදෙස් සියලුම මානව හිතවාදී මිනිසුන්ට මේ මොහොතේ මා ස්තුතිවන්ත වෙමි.

මීට අමතරව පරිසරය වෙනුවෙන් මා අත්සන් තැබූ (මුද්‍රණය කොට නොමැති) තවත් විශේෂ ගැසට් පත්‍ර 65 නුදුරේ දී ජනතාවට දැකබලාගැනීමට ප්‍රසිද්ධ කරනු ඇතැයි මා විශ්වාස කරමි.

උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා සී නිව්ස්

කොරෝනා මෘත දේහ සම්බන්ධයෙන් රජයේ ස්ථාවරය කුමක්දැයි රටට සෘජුව ප‍්‍රකාශ කරන්නැයි මහනුවර ගැටඹේ රාජෝපවනාරාමාධිපති පුජ්‍ය කැප්පිටියාගොඩ සිරිවිමල නා හිමියන් ඉල්ලා සිටිති.

තම අත්සනින් යුතුව නිවේදනයක් නිකුත් කරමින් උන්වහන්සේ මේ බව කියා සිටිති.

ඉස්ලාමීය කොරෝනා මෘතදේහ ආදාහනයෙන් බැහැරව භූමිදානයට අවසර දී ඇතැයි යන ආරංචියක් හේතුවෙන් සහ ඒ සනාථ කරමින් කැබිනට් ඇමතිවරයෙකු කරන ලද ප්‍රකාශයක් හේතුවෙන් කනස්සල්ලෙන් සිටින බවද උන්වහන්සේ කියා සිටිති.

එල්ලවන විරෝධය හමුවේ දැනට හකුළාගෙන ඇති එම තීන්දුව අද නැතත් තව මාස දෙකකින් හෝ ක්‍රියාවට නැංවීමට මේ රජයට කිසිදු සදාචාරාත්මක අයිතියක් නැතැයි ද උන්වහන්සේ අවධාරණය කරති.

එසේ කරන්නේ නම් රුවන්වැලි මහා සෑ මළුවේ දුටුගැමුණු පිළිරුව අබියස ජනාධිපතිතුමන් දිවුරුම් දෙමින් පෙන්නූ අභිමානනීය ප්‍රතිරූපය කෙලෙසා ගැනීමක් ලෙස සලකන බවද උන්වහන්සේ කියා සිටිති.

එමෙන්ම 69 ලක්ෂයක් වූ බහුතර සිංහල බෞද්ධ ජනතාව විසින් ආණ්ඩුව කෙරෙහි තැබූ විශ්වාසය විද්‍යාත්මක නොවූ කරුණක් නිසා හානි කරගනු දැකීමට කැමති නොවන බවද එහි දැක්වෙයි.

අන්තවාදී අතාර්තික හා අවිද්‍යාත්මක ඉල්ලීම් වලට සවන් දී තීන්දු ගැනීමට කැබිනට් මණ්ඩලයට ඉඩ නොදිය යුතු බව තවමත් මේ රටේ බහුතර ජනතාව ජනාධිපතිගෙන් බලාපොරොත්තු වන බවද උන්වහන්සේ එම ලිපිය පෙන්වා දෙති.

By P.K. Balachandran/Daily Express Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

The problem of e-waste looms large for Sri Lanka as unsafe disposal poses grave risks to the environment and human health

Colombo, November 16: Last week a news item reminded Sri Lankans of a major problem they might face in the coming years – the accumulation of e-waste, a dangerous environmental polluter.

In a significant development, a Sri Lankan company INSEE Ecocycle Lanka got together electrical and electronic waste comprising three tonnes of Printed Circuit Board, eight tonnes of plastic and 13 tonnes of metal for export to Japan, where Ousei Kankyo Shoji Co., will segregate the gold and platinum contained in the printed circuit board and pay Sri Lanka according to the weight of the gold and platinum recovered. The deal shows the way to the future.

E-waste comprises discarded electronic devices such as computers, mp3 players, televisions and cell phones. According to the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC), just one computer can contain hundreds of chemicals, including lead, mercury, cadmium, brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), many of which are known to cause cancer, respiratory illness and reproductive problems. These chemicals are especially dangerous because of their ability to get into the soil, water, and air, and accumulate in our bodies and the environment.

Increasing levels of electrical and electronic equipment and their improper and unsafe disposal through inferior methods of open burning or dumping, are creating grave risks to the environment and human health, says INSEE Ecocycle Lanka.

The annual E-Waste generation in Sri Lanka is nearly 70-75 MT. Accumulated Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT), mobile phones, CFL bulbs, batteries, computers are prominent among e-waste in Sri Lanka.

According to the Sri Lankan Central Environmental Authority (CEA), the problem is aggravated as people in Sri Lanka as in other developing countries, tend to go for low priced and poor quality electronic equipment. According to the Government Information Centre a considerable share of these imported items are not in working condition and have to be disposed of.

The sad part is that awareness of the dire consequences of simply dumping e-waste or burning them is sorely lacking. And so is encouragement of efforts to dispose them off scientifically.

Since recycling of e-waste is an expensive proposition, appropriately advanced recycling plants are not available in Sri Lanka. Therefore a part of the e-waste is exported to countries like China, India and Pakistan where they recycle and dispose in an environment-friendly manner.

Global problem

By 2021, the world is expected to discard over 57 million tons of e-waste. The phenomenal increase in electronic goods in both the developing and developed worlds is the main reason for the exponential increase in e–waste. Worldwide, 50% of households now have internet access, and 7.7 billion people have cell phones.

The problem of quantitative expansion is further aggravated by the fact that the life span of electronic devices is getting shorter and people are forced to buy again and again. It is said that the average life of an android phone is just two years. Innovations also motivate people to go for new devices discarding the used ones.

There is a conspiracy in this says a commentator. Companies manufacturers intentionally plan the obsolescence of their goods by updating the design or software and discontinuing support for older models, so that now it is usually cheaper and easier to buy a new product than to repair an old one. And because prices are dropping, electronic devices are in demand around the world as a growing middle class goes digital.”

Uses of e-waste

E-waste is not all evil. The components of electronic goods include gold, silver, copper, platinum, palladium, lithium, cobalt and other valuable elements. Combined global data for 2016 showed that the estimated value of recoverable materials was US$64.6 billion.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): One metric ton of circuit boards can contain 40 to 800 times the amount of gold and 30 to 40 times the amount of copper mined from one metric ton of ore in the United States.”A recent study in China found that mining copper, gold and aluminium from ore costs 13 times more than recovering the metals through the urban mining of e-waste!

However, the 2016 data revealed that only 20% of the wealth hidden in e-waste was properly treated to enable recover valuable materials. Much of the rest was dumped in landfills where toxic chemicals could leach from the e-waste and end up contaminating the water supply. Therefore, investments must be made to get the best out of e-waste and prevent human disasters at the same time.

Advanced Western nations also have problems of handling e-waste though they can afford to re-cycle it. The US, which is the second largest producer of e-waste after China, generated 10 million tons of e-waste in 2012, over 64 pounds per person. But only 29% of this was recycled. The rest were either land-filled or incinerated.

Advanced countries send about 23% of their e-waste to developing countries each year. This is happening despite the fact that the EU and 186 States have ratified the Basel Convention which aims at minimizing the transfer of hazardous waste from the developed to the developing countries. The US, the only developed country that has not ratified the Basel Convention, has agreements that allow it to ship hazardous waste to developing countries.

When China (which was accepting 70% of the worlds’ e-waste) banned 24 kinds of solid waste, Western nations (and also Japan) began shipping their e-waste to Southeast Asian countries. But these countries too have begun to curb import of e-waste.

Recycling e-waste is practiced both in an unprofessional and a professional manner. However, since recycling companies must adhere to health and safety rules and use pollution-control technologies recycling becomes expensive. This results in companies and countries exporting their e-waste to developing countries where recycling is cheap.

At the informal recycling workshops, men, women and children recover valuable materials by burning devices to melt non-valuable materials using mercury and acids to recover gold. This is done without taking even the simplest precautions. In Guiyu, China, 75% of the households are involved in the recycling business. Informal recycling is practiced in India also.

The way out

One way out of the problem is to make manufacturers to design electronic systems which are safer, and more durable, repairable and recyclable. But it is doubtful if companies will jump at this proposal. It is also suggested that the use of toxic materials be minimized. It is reported that chemical engineers at Stanford University are developing the first fully biodegradable electronic circuit using natural dyes that dissolve in acid with a pH 100 times weaker than vinegar. A group of scientists is pulverizing e-waste into nano-dust by cooling the various materials, then grinding them up into homogenous powders that are easy to reuse”.

There is also the concept of extended producer responsibility”. This requires companies which make e-products to be responsible for the management and disposal at the end of their lives. They could turn waste materials into a resource for producing new products. In the US, the New York State Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act requires manufacturers to provide consumers with free and convenient e-waste recycling. In Sri Lanka, the CEA, in collaboration with stakeholder companies, has initiated a program to collect discarded electronic items. It would be done from households, reports said.

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

Apart from 12 police divisions in Colombo already declared as under isolation Maradana, Fort, Pettah, Slave Island and Dam Street have also been isolated

Colombo, November 16 (newsin.asia) – President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will review the situation of isolated areas on a daily basis with the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and will order to lift the isolation as soon as clearance is received from health authorities, the Daily Mirror learns as several areas in Colombo have once again been placed under isolation from today.

Army Chief and Head of the National Operation Center for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak, Lt. General Shavendra Silva told Daily Mirror that arrangements will be made to send food and essential items through mobile vendors into the isolated areas and residents have been urged to stay indoors to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.

Further he said based on requests made by the police, drones will be deployed to monitor illegal gatherings and movements in areas which have been placed under isolation from today as well, as authorities look to prevent a further spread.

The additional areas which have come isolation from today apart from the 12 police divisions already declared as under isolation in Colombo are Maradana, Fort, Pettah, Slave Island and Dam Street.

The number of COVID-19 patients in the Colombo district, as at yesterday surpassed the 3,500 mark while the Poonani Treatment Center had the highest number of patients followed by the Bingiriya Treatment Center and the Neville Fernando Hospital.

Courtesy Hiru News

It was revealed before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry probing Easter Sunday terror attacks today (16) that former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen had visited the house of a suspect arrested in connection with the Easter attack on several occasions.

It was previously revealed that the former Minister had made several requests to the then Army Commander Mahesh Senanayake regarding the suspect arrested in Dehiwala on several occasions.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Another suspect was arrested by the CID in connection with the incident where a fake news was published on social media stating that a person collapsed and died on the road due to Covid-19.

Police Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said the suspect aged 28 was traced with the information provided by the Computer Forensic experts and was arrested in Hanthana, Kandy last evening.

He said three more suspects have been identified in connection with the incident and they would be arrested in the near future.

Meanwhile, DIG Rohana said 42 suspects have been arrested during the last 24-hours for violating quarantine regulations such as not wearing face masks and not maintaining proper social distance.

Yoshitha Perera Courtesy The Daily Mirror

The Court of Appeal today ordered MP Rishad Bathiudeen to reforest the Kallaru sanctuary in Wilpattu National Park on his own expenses ruling that clearing of the sanctuary was illegal.

 The court also ordered the MP to pay the cost of the petitioners. ()

Courtesy Adaderana

Sri Lanka has reported another three coronavirus-related deaths hiking the tally to 61 deaths in total.

The Department of Government Information confirmed that two men and a woman have succumbed to the virus in this manner.

An 84-year-old woman had passed away at her home in Moratuwa from diabetes and COVID-19.

A 70-year-old male from Colombo had been receiving treatment at the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) in Angoda upon diagnosis of COVID-19 when he had died from the virus. Reportedly, had been suffering from chronic kidney diseases prior to death.

Another male, aged 75 and residing in Colombo 13, has died upon admission to the Colombo National Hospital. The cause of death has been determined as the worsening of diabetes and cognitive heart diseases due to COVID-19 infection.

Courtesy Adaderana

The Ministry of Health confirms that 229 new cases of Covid-19 have been identified.

All new patients are close contacts of patients who already tested positive for the virus.

KAMALIKA PIERIS

This essay, which is the final essay of this set, summarizes the   reactions to the three agreements discussed, namely, ACSA, SOFA and MCC. All three agreements are with the United States of America  and all three were prepared by USA, In USA to benefit the USA. Of the three agreements, ACSA is already signed. SOFA and Millennium Challenge Compact are yet to be signed.    

If we sign these Agreements”, which are formal treaties,   not    ‘Agreements’ at all, we shall lose our independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, said critics.  USA will make Sri Lanka a military base and the whole country will become a colony. With our small armed forces Sri Lanka will not be able to get rid of the US troops if they wish to stay on in the country.

US control of Sri Lanka has become urgent since US may have to vacate its military base in Diego Garcia. International Court of Justice has ruled that the occupation of Chagos Islands by USA is illegal and that Chagos must be handed back to Mauritius ‘as rapidly as possible.’ Chagos Islands are home to the strategic US military base of Diego Garcia.  If Chargos Islands goes back to Mauritius in accordance with the UN ruling then US will need an alternative base, observed analysts.  That will be Sri Lanka.

A high profile agreement, between the US and Sri Lanka Parliament   was signed in September 2016 in Washington. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and Chairman, House Democracy Partnership of the U.S. House of Representatives J.Roskam signed the agreement on Sept 14, 2016 on behalf of Sri Lanka and the US, respectively. This agreement, it is known, has a bearing   on ACSA, SOFA and MCC.  However, we are not told the contents of this agreement said critics.

 In addition to ACSA, SOFA and MCC, US wants two new Acts of Parliament pushed through fast. They are the Land Special Provisions Act and the State Land Bank Act. These Acts of Parliament would facilitate acquisition of land by foreign investors and the formation of corporations for the development of these lands. The public will need to be on alert because once these laws are passed there is no possibility of judicial review, under the Constitution, warned Lasanda Kurukulasuriya.

The public, specially the intelligentsia are worried. The three US agreements are seen as  a major intrusion into the country’s sovereignty   It looks as though we are about to go into our fourth bout of foreign rule, this time under the United States of America, they said. They do not like this idea at all.   They wish to prevent it. We must look into the legality and validity of these agreements.

It was pointed out that ACSA is already signed. Sri Lanka must now accept this and respect the decision. Sri Lanka has no intention of accepting it. The public want ACSA revoked. ACSA will lead to a US Logistics hub in Sri Lanka, providing supplied and services at sea critics said.

Using ACSA an US aircraft carrier could to dock into Trincomalee under ACSA and USA could use it as a floating base for its military activity. USA army can come into Sri Lanka in   any ‘unforeseen situation’. The 2017 agreement, unlike the 2007 one, has annexures which list by name, the various US military units which can come into Sri Lanka. 

Though ACSA is said to be ‘reciprocal’, it is weighted heavily in favor of the US, since Sri Lanka army does not engage in military adventures abroad, said critics.  Analysts also wanted to know whether in the USA, the ACSA had the approval of two-thirds of the US Senate, in accordance with regulations. If it did not, what is its status in international law?

Apologists said that the 2017 ACSA had less number of pages than the ACSA signed in 2007. that the new ACSA signed had only five pages. Critics replied You don’t measure the harmfulness of an agreement by the number of pages, but on the content.”

Wimal Weerawansa had tabled the 2007 ACSA Agreement in Parliament. It has only eight pagesand no annexures. The recent ACSA document has 83 pages with more than 50 annexures.”I have a copy of it. I also have with me the Sinhala version forwarded to the Cabinet. That contains only the primary section”, Weerawansa said.”

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Admiral Wijegunaratne when asked by the media, about ACSA, said, I refused to say yes to ACSA when I was Commander of the Navy, because the navy could not agree to certain matters.” 

. MCC is still pending under the Pohottu government. Pohottu government is toying with the MCC and the discussion on these Agreements continues after Pohottu came in. The intelligentsia wants MCC agreement to go before Parliament. Under the Sri Lanka Constitution, ( dualist) the MCC draft , requires it to be submitted to and enacted by the Parliament (MCC Article 7, Section7.1), observed Palitha Kohona. One can detect the influence of the US lawyers and their thinking in the MCC draft.

During Yahapalana rule the intelligentsia objected to the manner in which the agreements were negotiated.  Critics complained that the Agreements   are known only to one or two pro-American Cabinet ministers who then push the matter through Cabinet. The public loudly objected to the secrecy involved.

It is outrageous that plans involving such drastic changes are not made available for public debate. The secrecy surrounding them shows that the government knows the Agreement will be unpopular, observed Lasanda Kurukulasuriya.”

Were ACSA, SOFA and MCC discussed in Cabinet and in Parliament, by the parliamentary Sectoral Oversight Committees handling foreign and defense issues, they asked.  If not, why not.

ACSA has not being presented to the Cabinet, Parliament and the people, they said. There was no government statement explaining the contents of ACSA, nor was it tabled in Parliament, they complained. In 2019, critics wanted to know why even after two years ACSA was not tabled in Parliament.

Agreements such as ACSA should be approved by Parliament, said critics. Parliament should have a role in discussing such agreements because they affect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the country.  (continued)

KAMALIKA PIERIS

Those supporting USA defended the Agreements. The Colombo-Trincomalee railway link   which the public associate with the MCC, would not be dividing the country, it would be linking it more strongly, they said.

 In Japan, there is a high-speed railway line between Tokyo and Nigata. The bullet train takes less than two hours to complete the journey and no one has access to the bullet train track. This train track has not divided the country or the people, but actually connected them with a fast and safe mode of transport.

 A high-speed railway link between Colombo and Trincomalee would   also connect the two places. It will accelerate income growth and job creation, bringing about economic benefits to people, as well.

Critics flatly rejected this.  Firstly, the Trincomalee –Colombo transport corridor is viewed with suspicion because it is suggested by the USA.  The Compact is designed to meet specific national interests of the USA. This is going to be Sri Lanka’s first electric rail link. It will be useful to USA, but no one else they said. It has a clear military importance to USA. USA brought in military items by plane to Katunayake and then transported them by road to their ships in the Trincomalee sea.  A high speed train will be better.

Harim Pieris pointed out that the MCC grant is non-repayable. A half a billion dollar grant is no joke.  A significant part of the MCC grant was for improving inter-provincial roads, improving access to markets, reducing transportation related losses on agriculture and lowering transport time and hence costs for industry.

The MCC grant would also   help the government to compile a complete inventory of all state lands and to improve the evaluation system of all lands. Also, to build on the government’s e-Land Registry and to improve the Deeds Registry by digitizing existing records. In addition, MCC   would improve tenure security for all land holders by moving properties from the archaic deeds system to a title registration system. These are all international best practice in   land administration of land. The reality is we have looked a gift horse in the mouth. MCC is a gift not a loan, concluded Harim.

Ranil Wickremesinghe   said in Parliament that SOFA was not an agreement but an exchange of letters signed between the US Embassy and our Foreign Ministry. These agreements generally establish the framework under which US military personnel operate in a foreign country. SOFA provides for rights and privileges of covered individuals while in foreign jurisdictions and how the laws of foreign jurisdictions apply to US personnel.

This has been going on from 1995, he said. Such letters were exchanged in May, 1995 during the Presidency of Chandrika Kumaratunga. One of the letters is as follows: The (Foreign) Ministry is pleased to inform the above-mentioned personnel that US military personnel, civil employees of the Department of Defence will be accorded the same status as provided to technical and administrative staff of the Embassy of the United States. The Ministry also wishes to inform that this reply shall be considered an agreement effective May 16, 1995. This shows that diplomatic privileges are already accorded to US military personnel and civil employees of the Department of Defence, he concluded.

Since there was so much opposition to SOFA, the USA changed SOFA’s name to ‘Visiting Forces Agreement.’ Lasanda Kurukulasuriya pointed out that Philippines President Duterte threatened to abrogate the VFA the Philippines had with the US, but found that the treaty can only be repealed by an Act of the US Congress. From the little that is known about the SOFA, its terms will reduce the host state to the level of a neo-colony, she observed.

A draft copy of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), under negotiation between the US and Sri Lanka, was obtained by the Sunday Times. Although the full details of the proposed SOFA pact still remain largely confidential what is now known should surely ring alarm bells among those in this country concerned about its sovereignty and security, said Sunday Times.

The agreement said The US is seeking that aircraft and vessels of the US Government to be free from boarding and inspection.” This means none of the state security arms, like the Navy, Coast Guard or the Customs can board any US military vessel or aircraft when it is in a Sri Lankan airport or sea port – or even vehicles on land and helicopters, an internationally accepted sovereign right of a country. The US wants exemption from licence, Customs duties, taxes and any other charges within Sri Lanka.

The US is also seeking authorization for its troops to wear uniforms whilst ‘on duty’ in any part of Sri Lanka, carrying arms and radio communications equipment. Both in terms of the Sri Lanka Constitution and normal laws, only the armed forces and the Police are empowered to carry out this task. The only exceptions are Sri Lankans who are authorized by licence.

 In addition, Washington wants US troops and contractors to be allowed to enter and leave Sri Lanka, individually or collectively, with the use of only their US identification. This will mean they will carry no passports or visas.”

Among the privileges that the US has asked for, is the right of US military personnel to carry weapons and be subject not to Sri Lankan jurisdiction but to US law in the event of some crime or criminal activity. They will be beyond Sri Lanka’s jurisdiction even if one of them kills or wounds a local person with his weapon.

Those stationed in Sri Lanka will be using their US driving licences which need not be produced before any local authority. Nor would their passports or other travel documents be inspected.

Their vehicles on Sri Lankan roads cannot be inspected or boarded. They could kill anybody and get away with it as they would just wave their diplomatic papers. There is also a clause that exempts US vessels and aircraft being boarded and inspected by Sri Lankan authorities. It also exempts equipment and other articles and material being used under this agreement, from inspection within Sri Lanka.

The proposed SOFAwould allow US military personnel to operate in any part of Sri Lanka, without restriction. Sri Lankans fear that SOFA would make the whole island a US-controlled super state operating above the Sri Lankan laws and state said Asoka Bandarage.”  (Continued.)

KAMALIKA PIERIS

This essay lists four set of objections raised against the three US treaties, by four separate organizations in Sri Lanka. They are objecting from different perspectives and they all show opposition to US rule in Sri Lanka.

In July 2019, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna held a news conference to protest against the two agreements. It was observed at this conference that there have been many problems wherever SOFA is signed by the US with other countries. An army base will come up in any country that signs a SOFA. We have a trained, experienced and world-recognized armed force which could meet any situation. We do not have any need to get military assistance from any country, said SLPP.

In July 2019 the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) requested a meeting, with the President and Prime Minister to clarify certain concerns they had regarding these agreements. BASL also met Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa to discuss the ACSA and the proposed SOFA and the Land Bill. They discussed action they could jointly take to protest over the ACSA and urge the government not to go ahead with the SOFA. BASL President Indatissa warned that if the SOFA was signed, Sri Lanka would become a target of anti-American terrorists.

Ceylon Chamber of Commerce wrote to the Prime Minister in July 2019. The Chamber said, The Ceylon Chamber expresses its concern with regard to the increasing levels of speculation among its Membership and society at large on the consequences surrounding the proposed SOFA and MCC.

The Chamber wants the government to clarify the exact position with regard to the current status of these two Agreements. What is the current status of the negotiations and/or execution of these agreements . The Chamber wants the government to be transparent with respect to these agreements and their consequences. The Chamber also wanted the agreements to be approved by Parliament. This will ensure that the national interest is protected.

In July 2020 LSSP leader Prof. Tissa Vitarana issued a statement where he strongly opposed SOFA, MCC and ACSA agreements with the US.”If these agreements become a reality, the USA can make Sri Lanka a military base and the whole country a colony. If we agree to these terms we shall lose our independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.

Therefore the Government should not under any circumstances sign the MCC agreement.  This agreement has the unusual requirement that some of the conditions have to be implemented prior to signing the agreement, and it appears that these conditions are already being implemented. These should all be stopped and reversed forthwith in the interest of our country and our people.

ACSA and SOFA agreements are military agreements that are thrust on our countries by the USA. The Acquisition and Cross Services Agreement (ACSA) is an agreement which allows American troops coming from outside to make use of our airports, harbors and military facilities and also engage in joint maneuvers with the Sri Lankan forces. They can also engage in bilateral and multilateral military exercises. 

 The Status of Forces Agreements (SOFA) has been signed periodically with over 80 countries throughout the world by the USA. These can vary from country to country and from time to time.

 In response to a question asked by the Mahanayaka of the Malwatte Chapter on 24th May 2019, referring to the ongoing discussion between the UNP and USA Governments on the SOFA agreement, the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Ms. Teplitz, stated that it was “to allow US forces to tour the country and to conduct combined security operations”.

 But in fact an unlimited number of US troops will be allowed to enter Sri Lanka wearing uniform with guns in hand and accompanied by heavy armaments at any time they wish to come. They will be given all diplomatic privileges and whatever they bring cannot be examined by Sri Lankan officials.

 They have to be given access to enter any institution or premises that they desire to enter at any time. If they commit any crime they cannot be tried by Sri Lankan Courts, but only by Courts in the USA. They are not liable to pay any taxes or duty on anything they import or export. The American troops will be free to move to any part of the country, at any time without prior permission concluded Vitarana.

USA RESPONSE

USA was so concerned about the virulent opposition to its Agreements that its Ambassador conducted a Face book live chat in July 2019 to counter misinformation and disinformation that has been propagated about US-Sri Lanka cooperation. The Ambassador emphasized that when the US extends support and assistance to the people of Sri Lanka, it is only at the invitation of the Sri Lankan government.

The Ambassador responded to public questions on the US-Sri Lanka partnership agreements, ACSA, MCC and SOFA. The Ambassador said that the MCC Compact would not be establishing an ‘economic corridor’ between Colombo and Trincomalee.   USA will not buy, sell, or own any actual land under the Compact, either.

SOFA,   now re-branded as Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) addresses the status of US military and civilian employees of the US Department of Defense, who may be temporarily present in Sri Lanka for exercises or official duty at the invitation of the Government of Sri Lanka, said the Ambassador. The title ‘VFA” shows that US has no intention to build a military base or establish a permanent military presence in Sri Lanka, she said.

 The US Forces would only come to Sri Lanka at the invitation of the Sri Lankan government and would then depart. No troops – even under a VFA – would enter Sri Lanka without proper documentation and prior approval. Sri Lanka would retain all sovereign rights to approve or deny entry or exit of U.S. personnel, vessels, and aircraft into Sri Lanka’s territory and territorial waters/airspace,   assured the Ambassador.

Regarding immunity of US defense personnel from Sri Lanka law, the Ambassador said that the two countries would come to an advance agreement on how to deal with such incidents should they arise. However, the draft VFA is still under negotiation and has not been concluded yet, she stated. US   said  in October that it will suspend talks on  SOFA  and take it up again after the Presidential election of November 2019. ( Continued)

By : A.A.M.NIZAM – MATARA

The Indian proxy Dayan Jayatilleke and JVP stooge Kumar David predict the overthrow or downfall of Sri Lanka government of President Gotabhabaya Rajapaksa under Biden-Harris duo

The Indian proxy Dayan Jayatilleke in his latest pro-American, pro-Indian article written to Sri Lanka Guardian and reproduced by Financial Times assuming the the status of the Heads of the Pentagon and the White House, the American institutions responsible for molding its future policies states that the Biden-Harris ‘event’ with the change of the global zeitgeist will impact Sri Lanka’s political destiny. He says that history will show that this was the turning point, where the world saw democracy alive, decline of Trump’s institutional obstructionism and polarizing incitement of far-right passions and the Biden-Harris victory marks the birth of a new American consciousness, with globalised resonance because the USA is more a mirror of the world, of humanity in all its plurality, than is any other country.

Under the sub-heading Lessons for Lanka this treacherous writer states that the planetary political pandemic of autocratic Alt-Right ultranationalism has just had its curve flattened in its epicenter – the country of its most dramatic height, the USA and Sri Lanka’s likeminded regime will feel secure that with the 20th Amendment and the grip it has on the institutions and electoral process, the ruthlessness will be its recourse to pre-empt a replay of the fate of its hero President Trump.

While the Biden-Harris ‘event’ won’t translate immediately and unmediated, into a decisive impact on Sri Lanka, the change in the global zeitgeist and the world          correlation of forces, starting with the overall balance of ‘soft power’, will transform the regime’s environmental conditions of existence and ‘overdetermine’ Sri Lanka’s  political destiny. 

Continuing his baseless diatribe, he states that GR presidential project was socially and psychologically powered by Trump’s 2016 victory. The Gotabaya regime this stupid guy says came into being as the last victory of global Alt-Right ultranaionalism, the parabola  of which has begun its descent with Trump’s defeat. The regime’s external factors of existence constitute a tripod: Trump and Trumpism; Israel’s Netanyahu, Netanyahu’s Israel; and Xi’s China. 

Quoting from a writing of Ben Rhodes, former American President Obama’s  Deputy National Security Advisor he adds For the last decade, the political project of an increasingly far-right Republican Party has become enmeshed with other right-wing movements in Brazil…and elsewhere…Right-wing parties share sources of financing, media and disinformation platforms, political strategies, and consultants.”

Ridiculing Sri Lanka this treacherous writer states that  The ‘Late Trumpist’ Lankan regime’s tripod just lost a leg. The second leg is Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israel. Biden is staunchly pro-Israel but he’s also pro- ‘two state’ peace. Netanyahu will be hoping that a Biden victory will not help his rival-cum-partner Benny Ganz, a more promising peace partner. The third leg  he says is President Xi’s China. In a reopened dialogue between the USA (with India in its corner) and China, that leg may prove flexibly retractable, and even if it doesn’t, perching on that particular leg will make the regime more vulnerable in the coming global re-set. 

The pig headed Dayan points out that Trump/Biden example shows that Trumpism (the Sinhala Buddhist supremacy in Sri Lankan context as he perceives) can be electorally defeated in a single term at a Presidential election. While it was a protracted struggle for the electoral college, culminating in victory, it was a much clearer sweep in the popular vote. Biden-Harris polled the highest number of votes that any presidential ticket did in US history, beating Trump by almost five million votes. 

In a presidential system with a direct popular election, it is perfectly possible to defeat a majoritarian-supremacist autocratic President in a single term. As Bolivia recently showed with the first round 55% win for the Movement for Socialism candidate Luis Arce, this is perfectly possible even against a tougher-than-Trump de facto dictatorial regime…which killed protestors” (President Arce).

This would be especially so if, like Trump, the incumbent President has been a success in other fields but has zero-experience of legislation and governance, and faces a progressive democratic candidate who by contrast, has considerable political experience. Sri Lanka’s democratic challenger lost to the incumbent President at the zenith of the latter’s post-Easter/pre-corona popularity as candidate, by only 10% (52%-42%). He conveniently avoides the subsequent mammoth 2/3 victory achieved in the August 5^th General Election.

This Indian servile poodle says that Sri Lankan democrats and liberal/neoliberal civil society intelligentsia must abandon their colonial hang-up on the Westminster model and absurd three-decade-long fixation on the abolition of the executive presidency (‘contact traceable’ to the abortive anti-Premadasa impeachment and the reactionary DUNF breakaway). What ended up abolished was not the executive presidency, but the UNP which was the project’s vehicle. The executive presidency stands reinforced. 

He says that the USA proves (as does Bolivia) that however autocratic the President, the task of democrats is not to abolish the Presidency, but to WIN the Presidency, defeating that President and adds that the former Obama strategist David Axelrod correctly said on CNN after the victory that Biden is a Centre-Left Democrat with a progressive agenda”. When the neoliberal-globalist Hillary Clinton was his opponent, Trump broke through the ‘blue wall’ that Bill Clinton and Barack Obama had built and Joe Biden rebuilt it. He asserts that Biden is an authentically caring, empathetic man with an appeal to the blue-collar working people of the white majority (who had deserted the party during the Hillary Clinton candidacy), able to breakthrough in the American heartland which Hillary had lost for the Democrats, while constructing the broadest anti-Trump coalition, especially with the African-American community which voted overwhelmingly for him. 

In a lesson for Sri Lanka’s ethnic/religious minorities, the Black community didn’t support the ideologically advanced Bernie Sanders (backed by young, college-educated whites) as they did that Democrat who could reassure the white majority and break through to it, giving the best chance of victory.

Under the subheading Chinese wall  this Indian servile poodle says that it could be déjà vu all over again”: the tale of the two submarines, he asks what could be the wider effect of the optics and the discourse of the SLPP-Chinese Communist Party seminar on Governance, including a banner with the symbols of the CPC in one corner and the Pohottuwa in the other, and the reference to the relationship of the ruling parties”?

He asserts that as the newspapers reported: Minister Song Tao of the International Department of Central Committee of CPC, Party Secretary Liu Cigui of CPC Provincial Committee of Hainan Province, SLPP Chairman Professor G.L. Peiris, Secretary General Sagara Kariyawasam, SLPP MPs including Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Namal Rajapaksa and Ramesh Pathirana together with some State Ministers and Mayors from the Western Province participated in the meeting. 

He further states thaty Ambassador Qi Zhenhon had emphasized that the experience sharing between the two ruling parties would play an important role in bilateral cooperation in the post-COVID era to come, and as ruling parties, CPC and SLPP should enhance experience sharing so as to better leading the two Governments and the two peoples for a brighter future.”’

He also states that it was President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who decided, in conversation with President Xi, and later with Politburo member Yang Jiechi, on taking the party-to-party relationship, as distinct from the purely state-to-state or government-to-government relationship, to the next level and the Chinese Embassy Spokesperson Luo Chong said that the meeting was aimed at implementing a consensus reached by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and President Xi Jinping in their telephone conversation as well as the recent high-level visit of top leader Yang Jiechi to Colombo.”

Commenting further, he states thattThe event was billed as an Opening Ceremony of CPC-SLPP Advanced Seminar on Governance Experience”, and asks would the Governance Experience” that the SLPP absorbed at this seminar make its way into the new Constitution? This stupid contrary to what has been achieved through election results claims that the SLPP is not a ruling party in the systemic sense that the CPC is and unless that transformation is the goal and enquires whether the regime seek to entrench itself behind a Chinese wall of an ‘Asiatic absolutist’ constitutional/political order? 

Delving further on the subject, he further asserts that the SLPP-CPC dialogue on Governance took place in the immediate aftermath of Pompeo’s messaging on his Sri Lanka visit, and while a naval exercise of the Quad was underway in the Bay of Bengal. Mike Pompeo was careful to target the Chinese Communist Party more often than China as such, an interesting attempt at an implicit distinction between state-to-state or intergovernmental relations, and the alleged expansionist impulse of the Chinese CP. 

He points out that just as the Trump administration built on Obama’s ‘Pivot to Asia’ (minus the Trans-Pacific Partnership), the Biden administration will build on elements of Trump’s China policy,just as the policy of ‘containment’ of the USSR was essentially bipartisan, albeit with varying emphases, so too will be the policy of the ‘containment’ of China.  

In his American pampering this foreign servile poodle says that the US Democrats are even more focused than the Republicans on the issue of democracy vs. the projection of China’s governance model by the CPC. On this, there is a bipartisan consensus and moreover, if Michelle Flournoy handles China policy, the Biden administration’s approach will be smarter and sharper in both soft and hard power dimensions. 

Tie this into the recently reinforced American relationship with India (billed as a relationship between ‘the world’s two greatest democracies’) which lies at the cente of the Quad, itself billed as an alliance of democracies. The Quad has a back-office backstop: The Five Eyes, an old (1951) but recently re-energised partnership for intelligence integration, comprising the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, he explains.

That’s the substructure/infrastructure in place. Add the coming ‘superstructure’: Biden’s stated commitment (in a landmark Foreign Affairs essay) to what I call ‘democratic internationalism’ – a global mobilisation and vigorous offensive, advancing the values of democracy and human rights while explicitly targeting autocracy and ultranationalism.

This Indian poodle discloses that there is a politico-corporate-managerial-bureaucratic-institutional conglomerate in Colombo with an economic stake in its vocation as China lobby/client, but Beijing’s umbrella will not sustainably extend so far south in the Indian Ocean, and it will be vulnerable to an Indo-US pincer or Quad encirclement, and be rolled up. In the great game in the Indo-Pacific, he saysSri Lanka may prove a dispensable bargaining chip, traded-in to protect a stake elsewhere. 

Under subheading International relations 101he points out that Sri Lanka’s rulers must know that in international politics, being within your rights when you choose to do something, is only one factor in the mix, and not the determinant, nor is being in the right in your own eyes. 

What counts ultimately, this treacherous commentator says,  is whether what you do, best serves your national interest, defined not as the interest of an ethnic/religious community, ruling party, ruling family or corporate-bureaucratic stratum, but the State and its citizenry and adds that in making that calculation it is important to know what the threat perceptions of others are and how your actions or inactions impact on those threat perceptions, what they might do about it, and whether you are capable of deterring, countering or absorbing their actions/counteractions.   

Once again pampering the Americans, he says that in the confident speech immediately preceding the Pennsylvania result, Joe Biden staked a global claim, saying there’s no reason that America cannot own the 21st century”. That riff on TIME/Life founder Henry Booth Luce’s definition of the 20th century as The American Century” may be over-ambitious for the 21st, because China apparently aspires to the same goal, and Russia to multipolarity, with both states entitled to fair and adequate space and status, commensurate with their achievement and power. 

Then he says that in his victory speech Biden said at its best, America is a beacon for the globe…we will lead not only by the example of our power but by the power of our example”, adding it’s always been a bad bet to bet against America.” 

Under another subheading Let freedom ring!” this treacherous poodle asks What if the Trump presidency was not, and had not been, constitutionally constrained? With presidential power unchecked and militarism rampant, liberty in Sri Lanka has no safeguards, enjoys no guarantees. The objectively enabling role that any external power assumes in relation to domestic tyrannical tendencies must therefore be externally contained and countervailed” and adds this is so not only in Sri Lanka.

He points out that humanity’s main threat today comes from the narrowing and darkening of human consciousness through parochial ultranationalism, racism and supremacism; the retrogression in human and social progress through reversion to tyranny and despotism; the anarchic breakup – not progressive transformation—of the world system through the irruption of walled-in ultranationalist tyrannies; and the sporadic, opportunistic, enabling and/or consolidation by rising great powers of these retrogressive trends and adds that the absence of a common, science-driven global response to COVID-19 and the much larger danger of climate change are symptoms of this situation.

He further states that humanity has to be reunited; the human consciousness broadened and enlightened; for internationalism to be reborn.

In conclusion of his article, he says that the ideas and ideals of the Biden-Harris campaign (including those of progressive and left Democrats) must be transferred and transmitted globally, uninterruptedly extended and expanded into an internationalist project of democratic solidarity against tyranny and for freedom, liberty, equality and justice and states that the new American revolution must be universalized.

Meanwhile, the JVP’s nationalist nominee, the pseudo-Marxist and Tamil chauvinist Kumar David(KD) in an article written to Colombo Telegraph under the title USA is less racist and bigoted than Sri Lanka” says that he had been a critic of American capitalism and imperialism, but on one point he had been firm and it was that America (and some other liberal democratic countries) are less racist, bigoted, and culturally primitive on these matters, than Sri Lanka, India, Burma, Japan and Islamic majority states.

This Tamil chauvinist and pseudo-Marxist states that America has now elected a person of colour of Indian Tamil origin as vice-president, and elected its second ever Catholic president; Kennedy was the first. He asks whether anyone in Sri Lanka can imagine the day when a Muslim non-Buddhist will be president of Sri Lanka or a Tamil not a Sinhalese prime minister?

This Tamil chauvinist asserts that he cannot  foresee the day when something like Black-Lives-Matter which mobilized tens of thousands of whites, unfolds in the majority community in Sri Lanka against carnage such as the 1983 massacre or violence against Muslims. MIRJE (Movement for Inter-Racial Justice and Equality) was led by Father Paul Caspersz a Burger Catholic and his principal lieutenants were a Tamil Catholic and a raceless Marxist. The radical monk of recent times, Sobitha Thero with whom he says he hsas  worked did not actively intervene against anti-minority pogroms.

On an allied matter, this Tamil chauvinist and pseudo-Marxist asserts that once again he renews his call for a National Cabinet to defeat covid.

Referring to American elections, he states that Biden has risen above partisanship and gone all out in a quest for national unity. He is facing a far worse covid and other challenges. By national cabinet he says that he refers to something like Churchill’s War Cabinet to meet an existential challenge after which parties resume their identities. There have been, and probably there will be no takers for his suggestion, he adds. Gota, Mahinda, Sajith and Sampanthan are too small minded to see the point.

This pseudo-Marxist claims that he sent a shorter version of this as an email to some people with the note The purpose of this email is to motivate you to never condone racism in Sri Lanka and not give up the fight to defeat it.

MALINDA SENEVIRATN​E

Draconian. Dictatorial. Authoritarian. Hitler-like. These are the words that were used when Gotabaya Rajaakssa first announced the decision to contest, throughout the election campaign and even now, as he approaches one year in office.

Interestingly, the Colombot twitterati understandably disappointed by the fact that their outcome preferences did not materialize, are the chief purveyors of this characterization. They were dead silent when the 19th Amendment was proposed, tinkered with (while giving the Supreme Court the proverbial finger) and passed with a) absolute disdain for established parliamentary procedure, and b) full of partisan content. It was a classic case of how constitutional amendment should not be done. And yet, they talk of the 20th Amendment, recently passed, as though it essentially repealed the 19th and reverted to the arrangement brought about by the 18th.

No mention of term limits being retained. Nothing on the Right to Information Act being retained. The non-issue of auditing processes has been raised. The SC ruling on the many objections they’ve raised is ignored. And yet, it’s draconian, dictatorial, authoritarian and Hitler-like. To support this incredible thesis, they bring up the doing away of the Constitutional Council and replacing it with a Parliamentary Council, mandated to do the same job, essentially overseeing appointments to various independent commissions. This, they tell us, will make the RTI useless. This would wreck the independence of the ‘independent commissions’ (which, they won’t tell you, weren’t independent at all but were chock full of party loyalists).

Alright, what did the Constitutional Council do with respect to judicial appointments? Did the Constitutional Council, as required by the constitution develop guidelines for appointments and have these ratified by Parliament? No. What was said at the time was that the rules formulated by the Commission headed by Dr A R B Amarasinghe under the 17th Amendment would be used. Were they used? No. It was essentially a matter of the Constitutional Council rubber-stamping the choices of the then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

We had seniority being brushed aside to promote loyalists from the lower courts or else shift people from the Attorney General’s Department. Did the aforementioned twitterati cry foul? No. Did the Constitutional Council offer any justification for the recommendations made? No. In fact the Constitutional Council, in those five years, made a mockery of the very spirit in which it was established, at least in word since ‘deed’ was marked by rank incompetence and partisan intent.

Contrast all this with the names that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has recommended to be appointed to the Supreme Court: Dilip Nawaz, Kumudini Wickremasinghe, Shiran Goonaratne, Mahinda Samayawardena, Achala Wengappuli and Janak De Silva. They are the most senior judges outside of the Supreme Court. Most of them have had impeccable records in judicial practice unlike some of the beneficiaries of yahapalana largesse. This is a revert to meritocracy and a move to fulfill a long-felt need.

Is it because of the 20th? Well, yes and no. Yes, because the 20th has empowered the president. However, the president could very well have done, say, a Ranil Wickremesinghe in this instance. The Parliamentary Council which, unlike the Constitutional Council, is accountable to the people, would have probably gone along. As things stand, practically speaking, it is unlikely that the Parliamentary Council would go against the president’s wishes in this matter, for two reasons. One, because of the political affiliation of the majority of members. This is not a good thing. Two, because, I would be silly at this point to object to an affirmation of meritocracy. That is a good thing but at best a fortuitous situation. Ideally, the Parliamentary Council should come up with definite procedural rules regarding all appointments.

Ideally, these rules should completely separate the Attorney General’s Department from the courts. That’s something for those drafting the new constitution to think about. Let me elaborate.

Consider the following questions: Check the career paths of the last 10 Chief Justices — how many of them held the position of Attorney General? Who appointed them? What was their track record in the AG’s Department in cases where high ranking politicians were involved? What kind of determinations did they give when opinion on constitutional matters was sought? How did they perform when they held the office of Chief Justice?

We have a situation where the AG’s Department is a veritable half-way house for those who aspire to serve in the Supreme Court. This can be correct. It cannot be impossible to set up systems where law students well versed in all aspects of the law can, if they so wish and satisfy relevant criteria can either choose to represent clients or hear cases. Such systems could have inbuilt mechanisms that facilitate acquisition of knowledge and relevant experience. The Colombot twitterati, could go to town on the British system in this regard. They didn’t during the yahapalana days and they are unlikely to do so now.  

For now, however, we have an unprecedented and indeed against the grain (as per the preferred narrative of the president’s detractors) statement of purpose. Gotabaya Rajapaksa has waived the power to do what his predecessors have done, i.e. fill the Supreme Court with buddies, either from the Appellate Court or from the AG’s Department. He has, instead, clearly reaffirmed the importance of power-separation and indicated beyond all shadow of doubt that the independence of the judiciary is important to him.

He is insisting on meritocracy and now the onus will be on the President to apply the principle across the board. It’s about formulating guidelines for appointment and promotion. The Parliamentary Council can do this and moreover a new constitution could give direction as well — it would be a big step forward in ridding the country of the vile culture of buddy-administration.

Now. Let’s shout out to the Colombots. Will you raise a cheer for Gotabaya Rajapaksa for correcting the horrible and indeed deliberate mistakes of your friends in the yahapalana government, the boys and girls who wine and dine with you? Will you now say ‘adey….this man is making us look like bloody fools…damn it, he’s making our guys in the Constitutional Council look like the morons and political lackeys that we never wanted to admit but they were but instead disguised them as saints…maybe pinning the ‘Civil Society’ badge was a mistake because they tossed it into the Diyawanna forthwith…’
 

So, okay, Mr President, good move. Good, but not enough. Let’s see meritocracy institutionalized. Good start but you have quite a ways to go still. As for your detractors, poor souls, maybe this will teach them a thing or two and even make them flip the pages of the American Heritage Dictionary for the meanings of the following words such as dictator, dictatorial, autocrat, authoritarian and draconian. Good luck to them!

ගාල්ලේ දෙව්සිරි පී. හේවාවිදාන ලන්ඩන් නුවර සිට

ආනන්ද බෝඩිමේ සිටි “ගෝඨා අයියා” ගැන ගාල්ලේ දෙව්සිරි පී. හේවාවිදාන ලන්ඩන් නුවර සිට ලියන රසවත් ලිපිය අද නොවැ 19 ඉරිදා සිළුමිණ පුවත්පතේ 17 වෙනි පිටුවෙන් කියවන්න

මා ගාලු මහින්දයෙන් අස් වී ආනන්දයට ආ දිනය මට කිසිවිටක අමතක නොවේ. ආනන්ද බෝඩිමට දෙමාපියන් සමඟ එදා පැමිණි සියලුම ළමයි පඩිපෙළ මතදී ආදරයෙන් පිළිගත්තේ එවකට බෝඩිම් මාස්ටර් වු කර්නල් රාජපක්ෂයන්ය. හැම මවුපියකු සමඟම ඉතා හොඳින් කතා කරමින් රාජපක්ෂයන් ඔවුන් අස්වසාලීය.

අම්මා තාත්තා මගේ ඔළුව සිඹ ආපහු මෝටර් රථයට නැඟී ගියේ කඳුළු පිරි මුහුණු වලිනි. මගේ අල්ලපු ඇඳේ සිටි යාළුවාට පමණක් එවැනි තනිකමක් නොතිබුණේ බෝඩිමේ උඩ සීනියර් ඩෝමැට්‍රියක සිටි ඔහුගේ ලොකු අයියා තම මල්ලීට අලුත් ජීවිතයට හැඩ ගැසීමට උදවු කරමින් සිටි නිසාය.

‘‘මල්ලී ඔයාගේ දත් බුරුසුව, සබන් කෑල්ල මෙතනින් තියන්න. උදේට ඕන වෙනවානේ..” මම මේ ලොකු අයියා මල්ලීට දෙන උපදෙස් වලට හොරෙන් ඇහුම් කන් දුන්නෙමි.

සීනියර් රූම් එකේ අයියා මල්ලීට කියන දේවලින් ආනන්ද බෝඩිමේ නීති රීති හා දෛනික චරියාව ගැන මම බොහොම දේවල් ඉගෙන ගතිමි. සීනියර් අයියා උඩ තට්ටුවේ පඩිපෙළින් නොපෙනී ගිය පසු මම පුංචි මල්ලී ළඟට කිට්ටු වූයේ ආනන්දයේ පළමුවෙනි මිත්‍රයා බිහි කර ගැනීමේ අභිලාෂයෙනි.‘

‘හලෝ මම දෙව්සිරි. මම මහින්දයෙන් මෙහෙ ආවේ. ඔයත් ගාල්ලේද”

‘‘නැහැ මම බෙලිඅත්තෙන්. මගේ නම රෝහණ” ඔහු මටද හිනාවෙමින් උත්තර දුන්නේය.

‘‘දෙව්සිරි ඔයා යූ. ඇන්. පී. ද ශ්‍රී ලංකාද.” මගේ ප්‍රථම ආනන්ද මිත්‍රයා ඊළඟට ඇසු ප්‍රශ්නයෙන් මම උඩ විසි වී ගියෙමි.”

‘‘අපේ මුළු පරම්පරාවම යූ. ඇන්. පී. බලකණු නේ. ඒ විතරක් නෙවි ඊළඟ මැතිවරණයේදී කඹුරුපිටියට ඉල්ලන්න කියලා ඩඩ්ලි සේනානායක අපේ තාත්තට ලියුමකුත් එවලා තියනවා” මම ආඩම්බරයෙන් රෝහණට කීවේ මා තුළ තිබූ මන්ත්‍රී සිහිනය යටපත් කර ගැනීමට වෙර දරමිනි.

‘ආ ඕක මොකක්ද. අපේ තාත්තා නම් දැනටම මන්ත්‍රීවරයෙක්” කියමින් රෝහණ මගේ හුළං බින්දුවටම බැස්සුවේය.

”අපි අලුත් ළමයි සියලු දෙනාටම එකිනෙකා හඳුනාගෙන යාළුවන් වීමට ගතවුයේ විනාඩි කිහිපයකි. මගේ අලුත් මිතුරාගේ පූර්ණ නම බැසිල් රෝහණ රාජපක්ෂ බවත් ඔහුගේ පියා බෙලිඅත්තේ මන්ත්‍රීතුමා බවත් දැන් මොහොතකට පෙර උඩ තට්ටුවට ගිය අයියා ගෝඨාභය බවත් අපි සියලුදෙනාම දැනගත්තේ ඉන්පසුවය.

බැසිල්-ගෝඨාභය අයියා මලෝ ද අතිශයින් නිරහංකාර ළමුන් වූහ.බෝඩිමේ සිටින තම පුතුන් බැලීමට එන සෑම දෙමවුපියකුම පුතු වෙනුවෙන් කේක්, දොදොල්, මස්කට්, මාස්මෙලෝස් වැනි රස ආහාර ගෙන ඒම පුරුද්දක් විය.

ඒවාට අපි කීවේ දොවොල්” කියාය.බෙලිඅත්තේ මන්ත්‍රීතුමා තම පුතුන් බැලීමට සැමවිටම පැමිණියේ පුහුල් දෝසි හෝ ටොෆි පාර්සලයක් දෙකක් අරගෙනය.

පැය බාගයක්ම තම පුතුන් සමඟ සතුටු සාමිචීයේ යෙදෙන මන්ත්‍රීතුමා ආපසු යන්නේ කොයිවෙලාවෙදැයි සිතමින් අපි නොඉවසිල්ලෙන් ඇගිලි ගණන් කරන්නෙමු.

මන්ත්‍රීතුමා කාර් එකට නැඟී වංගුව පහු කරන්නත් පෙර කාමර දෙකේ කොල්ලෝ දක්ෂ රගර් ක්‍රීඩකයන් මෙන් බැසිල් හා ගෝඨාභය බිම පෙරළාගෙන දෝසි පාර්සල දෙකට වැඩක් දෙති.

අන්තිමේදී ගෝඨා හා බැසිල්ට ඉතුරු වන්නේ දෝසි කුඩු පමණි.

සෑම කුඩා ළමයෙකුගේම ආසාව අයිස්ක්‍රීම් කෑමය. බෝඩිමේ අපේ ප්‍රියතම ආහාරය වූයේ එලිෆන්ට් හවුස් අයිස් චොක්ය. තාත්තලා අපිව බලන්නට ආ විට ලබා දෙන රුපියල් දෙක තුන පොකට් මනි දවස් දෙක තුනෙන්ම අයිස්ක්‍රීම් වලට වියදම් කරන අපි ඉන්පසු කල්පනා කරන්නේ ඊළඟ අයිස් චොක් එක කන්නට ශත 15ක් හොයාගන්නේ කෙසේද කියායි.

බැසිල්ට අයිස් ක්‍රීම් කන්නට දොළදුකක් හැදුණ අතේ සතේ නැති සමහර දිනවල ඔහු මම ඇදගෙන ගෝඨාභය හමුවෙන්නට යෑම සිරිතක් කරගෙන තිබුණි.

ඈත සිටම අපිව දකින ගෝඨා අයියා ආ මොකද දෙන්නට අදත් බඩගිනි වෙලාද? ආ මෙන්න අයිස්ක්‍රීම් කන්න ශත 50ක්” කියමින් අපට කාසියක් දෙයි.

ගෝඨාභයට පින් දෙමින් අපි ආනන්ද වැට එහා පැත්තේ තිබුණ අකුරැස්සෙ මාමාගේ පුංචි කඩයෙන් අයිස් චොක්ස් දෙක දෙක කන්නෙමු.කාමරේ අපි වැඩිදෙනෙකු යූ. ඇන්. පී. කාරයන් වුවත් බැසිල් සමඟ දේශපාලනය ගැන වාද කරන්නට අප කිසිවකු සමත් වූයේ නැත.

නමුත් ගෝඨාභය ඊට සහමුලින්ම වෙනස් චරිතයක් විය.ඒ කාලේ අපේ සුප්‍රසිද්ධ සිංහල ගුරුතුමා වූ බර්ටි විජේසිංහයන් මෙසේ කියයි.

ගෝඨාභයයි බැසිලුයි බෝඩිමේ ඉන්න කාලේ එකිනෙකාට වෙනස්. බැසිල් මහා සටන්කාමියා. කොල්ලෝ එක්ක රණ්ඩු අල්ලන්න කියාපු හාදයා. නමුත් ගෝඨාභය බෝඩිමේ හැදුණේ බෝ පැළයක් වගේ. කිසිම කාලෙක බෝඩිම ඇතුළේ නම් වැරදි වැඩකට අහු වුණේ නැහැ. එයා නිතරම හිනා වෙවී හිටි යහපත් ළමයෙක් ”

දැන් ඕස්ට්‍රේලියාවේ SPUR සිංහල සංවිධානයේ සභාපති හා ආනන්ද බෝඩිමේ එවකට හිටි ගුරුවරයෙකු වන රංජිත් සොයිසා ද එය අනුමත කරයි.

ගෝඨාභය හතරවන ශ්‍රේණියේ ඉන්න කොට ඉංග්‍රීසි ඉගැන්නුවේ මමයි. ඔහු උගන්වන දෙයට හොඳින් ඇහුම්කන් දුන්නා. වෙලාවට ගෙදර වැඩ කරපු ඉතාම නිශ්ශබ්ද චරිතයක්. නමුත් අද මට විතරක් නෙවි මුළු ආනන්දයටම ඔහු මහත් ආඩම්බරයක්…

”මහින්දයේ සිටි මගේ අයියා නිමල්සිරි හේවාවිදාන ද පසු කලක ආනන්දයේ නමවන ශ්‍රේණියට එක් විය. ඔහු ඇතුළු වූයේ ගෝඨා අයියා සිටි ඉන්ටර් බී කාමරයටයි.

අයියලාගෙන් පෑනක් නැතිනම් ඉරේසරයක් ඉල්ලා ගන්නට වැනි වුවමනාවක් වූ විට බැසිල් හා මා ඉන්ටර් බී කාමරය යටට වී ගෝඨායියේ නිමලයියේ ”කියා කෑ ගැසීමු. නමුත් ඔවුන් බැල්කනියට එන පාටක් නැත. අපි නැවතත් ඔවුන්ගේ නම් කියා කෑ ගසන්නෙමු. එවිට බැල්කනියෙන් ඔළුව දමන මාන්නප්පෙරුම බැසිල් මල්ලී! ගොඨායියා නාන්න ගිහින්.

නිමල් අයියාත් මූණ හෝදනවා වගේ තව පැයකින් එන්න” කියා අපිව ආපසු යවයි. අපිත් හොඳයි මාන්න අයියේ ” කියමින් ආපසු එන විට ඔහු හිතන්නේ අපි ගුළිය ගිල්ලා කියාය.

නමුත් අපේ අයියලාට වැඩිය අපි ලෝකේ කාපු අය බව මාන්නප්පෙරුම නොදනියි. ගෝඨා අයියා හා නිමල් අයියා මහ රෑ නාන ජාතියේ බඩු නොවේ. ඒ දෙදෙනාම එවෙලේ සිටින්නේ මරදානේ තෝසෙ කඩේ බව අපි දනිමු.

ගෝඨා අයියා බැසිල්ට වඩා හාත්පසින්ම වෙනස් චරිතයක් විය. ඔහු ඉතාමත් නිශ්ශබ්දකාරී බොඩිම්කාරයකු විය.

ගෝඨා අයියා කිසිවකු සමඟ හයියෙන් කතා කරනවා මා දුටුවේ නැත. නිශ්චල චරිතයක් වූ ඔහුගේ ප්‍රධාන ගති ලක්ෂණය වුයේ හැම විටම සතුටු සිනාමුසු මුහුණින් සිටීමය.

එතකදු වුවත් ගෝඨායියා අසාධාරණයට විරුද්ධව සටන් කිරීමට පැකිළුණේ නැත.

දවසක් අපේ ක්‍රිකට් පිටියේ සිදු වූ සිද්ධියක් මට තවම මතකය. ගෝතමී පාරේ පල්ලිය පිටුපස ආනන්ද බෝඩිමේ ක්‍රිකට් පිට්ටනිය තිබුණි. අපි එයට කිව්වේ ගල්ඔය කියාය. (දැන් එහි ඇත්තේ බාස්කට් බෝල් පිටියයි).

එහි ක්‍රිකට් පිච් තිබුණේ පහක් පමණී. දිනපතාම මේ පිට්ටනියේ එක ගොඩේ බෝඩිම් කොල්ලෝ ක්‍රිකට් මැච් පහක් ගැහුවා නේදැයි සිතන කොට මට දැන් පුදුම සිතේ.

හවස තේ පානය ඉවර වූ විගසම අපෙන් කවුරු හරි පණ කඩාගෙන ගල් ඔයට” දුවන්නේ සීනියර් ඩෝමැට්‍රියේ අයියා කෙනෙකුට කලින් ගොස් මැද පිච්” එක අල්ලා ගැනීමටය.

බෝඩිමේ ඩෝමැට්‍රි හතෙන්ම එක ළමයකු බැගින් මේ මහා ධාවන තරඟයකට සහභාගී විය. නමුත් කනිෂ්ඨ කාමරයක මල්ලියකු මැද පිච් එක අල්ලා ගත් විට පිළිගත් සම්ප්‍රදායට ගරු කරමින් සීනියර් අයියලා කළේ වෙනත් පිච් එකක මැච් ගැසීමය.

මේ කියන දවසේ පිච් එක අල්ලා ගැනීමේ ඩියුටිය පැවරී තිබුණේ මටය. ටී ඉන්ටවල් එකෙන් පසු පණ කඩාගෙන පිට්ටනියට දුව ගිය මම මැද පිච් එකේ බැට් එක තිබ්බේ ජයග්‍රාහක ලීලාවෙනි.

නමුත් මා ලුහුබඳිමින් පැමිණි මධ්‍යම සී කාමරයේ හරීන්ද්‍ර පිනිදිය (පසුව උප පොලිස්පති) ඒයි මල්ලී අද අපේ බිග් මැච් එකක්. ඕක අපිට දෙනවා” කියමින් මා තල්ලු කරමින් මැද පිච් එකේ බලය අල්ලා ගත්තේය.

පොඩි කොල්ලකු වූ මට මේ අසාධාරණය ගැන හඬනවා හැර වෙන කරන්නට දෙයක් තිබුණේ නැත.

මේ පිච් ධාවන තරගයේ තුන්වෙනියාට දුවගෙන ආ ගෝඨා අයියා ට මේ කෙරෙන අගතිගාමී වැඩේ හොඳින් පෙනුණේය.‘‘ඒයි පිනිදිය මල්ලී පල් වැඩ කරන්න එපා ” කියමින් එතනට ආ ගෝඨාභය‘ මේ පුංචි මල්ලි අපිට කලින් නේ මැද පිච් එක අල්ලා ගත්තේ. ඒ හින්දා එයාලට එකේ සෙල්ලම් කරන්න දීලා වෙන පිච් එකකට යන්න.” කියා පිනිදියව පසෙකට තල්ලු කර දැම්මේ තරහිනි.

ගෝඨා අයියාට පින් දෙමින් අපි එදා සවස රිසිසේ ක්‍රිකට් ගැහුවෙමු.ගල්ඔය ක්‍රිකට් පිට්ටනියේ අපි සෙල්ලම් කරන කාලයේ සිදුවු රසවන් කතා ලියන්නට මේ ලිපිය ඉඩ මදිය.

එක වර ක්‍රිකට් මැච් හතරක් පහක් ගැසු එම පිට්ටනියේ අපි Field කරේ එක ගොන්නටය. Inter B මැච් එකේ Mid on ස්ථානයේ Field කළ ගෝඨා අයියත් Junior B මැච් එකේ Mid off ස්ථානයේ රැක සිටි මමත් හිටියේ එකම තැනය.

කොහොමද මල්ලී තාත්තලා එහෙම ළඟදි ඔයා බලන්න ආවේ නැද්දැයි ” ගෝඨා අයියා සුහද බව දැක්වීම සඳහා මාව කතාවට ඇඳා ගනී. මමත් ඔහු සමඟ ගම් පළාතේ තොරතුරු කතා කරන්න පටන් ගතිමි. දැන් අපි දෙදෙනාටම අපේ මැච් දෙක අමතකය. හිටපු ගමන් සිරි සේනාපති හයියෙන් අහසට ගැසු බෝලය ගෝඨා පැත්තට කැරකී එයි. කැච් එක අල්ල ගනී මචං” Fielders ලා ගෝඨාට කෑගසති.

නමුත් මගේ පැත්තට හැරි කතා කරමින් සිටින ගෝඨාට ඒ ඝෝෂාව නොඇසේ. බෝලය ඔහුගේ කන ළඟින් වැදී බිමට වැටේ. ගෝඨාගේ කැප්ටන් නිමල් පියසේනට මාර ජුවල්ය.

ඊළඟ හිනායන සිද්ධිය වෙන්නේ ගෝඨාභයගේ ටීම් එක බැට් කරන විටය. ඔවුන්ගේ තුන්වැනියා ප්‍රසාද් පුංචිහේවා 32ක් ගසා අවුට් වෙයි. ඊළඟට බැට් කරන්න ඉන්නේ ගෝඨාභය වුවත් ඔහු පේන්න නැත.ගෝඨා ගෝඨා බැටින් වලට වරෙන්” ඔහුගේ සගයෝ කෑ ගසති.

ඒත් ගෝඨා දකින්නට නැත. මේ යෝධයා මොන මඟුලක ගිහිල්ලද?” ටීම් කැප්ටන් නිමල් පියසේන තරහින් කෑගසයි.බැසිල්, ලලිත් චන්ද්‍රදාස, කරන්නාගොඩ වැනි මගේ සම වයසේ බෝඩිං යහළුවන් ද සරත් වීරසේකර, රාජිත සේනාරත්න හා ෆොන්සේකා වැනි දවස්කෝලයෝ ද (Dayscholars) නිතරම ත්‍රිල් එකට සිසුන් කෝප කළ කොල්ලෝ වූහ.

අපි හය වැන්නේ සිටිය දී පවා ලලිත් හා බැසිල් හැමදාම ගල් එක්ක පරිප්පුයි ගුල්ලෝ ගහපු පානුයි කන්න බැහැ” කියා බෝඩිමේ කෑම වර්ජනයක යෙදුණ හැටි සුන්දර මතකයන්ය.

නමුත් ඉතා නිශ්ශබ්ද චරිතයක් වූ ගෝඨා අයියා තමන්ගේ පාඩුවේ හිටියා මිස සිසුන් ප්‍රකෝප කිරීමේ වැඩ වල යෙදුණේ නැත.

නමුත් පාසැල් වෙලාවේදී ඔහුගේ පන්තියේ කොල්ලන් කළ වීර වැඩක් අපිට ආරංචි වූ දා අපිට සිනහව නවත්ත ගන්නට බැරි විය.රාජපක්‍ෂ සර් උප විදුහල්පති ධූරය දරන කාලයේ සීනියර් පන්තිවල ළමයින්ට තරමක නිදහසක් දෙන්නට තීරණය කළේය.

පාඩම් නැති Free Period තියෙන අවස්ථාවල Senior පන්තිවල කොල්ලන්ට පෑනක් පොතක් වැනි අවශ්‍ය දෙයක් ගැනීමට පාසැලෙන් පිට යාමට සර් අවසර දුන්නේය.

එසේ යන හැම ළමයෙකුම ආරක්‍ෂක කුටියේ ඇති පොතේ තම නම ලියා යා යුතු බවත් කිසිම කෙනෙකු සතියකට තුන් වරකට වඩා පාසැලෙන් එසේ පිටව නොයා යුතු බවත් ඔහු නියෝග කළේය.හැමවිටම ඉංග්‍රීසියෙන් කතා කරන්න ලියන්නට හුරු වෙන්නැයි රාජපක්‍ෂ සර් දුන්න අවවාද අකුරටම පිළිපදිමින් ඔවුන් මුරකාරයාගේ පොතේ ඉංග්‍රීසියෙන් තම නම හා අත්සන යොදා පාසලෙන් පිටවී ගියේ කිසිම විරෝධයක් නොලබාය.

සිකුරාදා දිනය එළඹුණි. ඉංග්‍රීසි නොදන්නා මුරකරු ද ඉතා යටහත්ව ලොග් පොත රාජපක්‍ෂ සර්ට බාර දුණි. ලොග් පොතේ සටහන් කර තිබූ ගෝඨාභයගේ පන්තියේ ළමුන්ගේ නම් ටික කියවූ රාජපක්‍ෂ සර්ගේ ඇස් උඩ ගියේය.

එහි ලියා තිබුණු විස්තර අනුව එම සතියේ දී සර් අයිසැක් නිව්ටන් හා ශේක්ස්පියර්, හතර සැරයක් ද, අයිසන්හවර්, මාර්ටින් ලූතර් කිං හා ජෝන් කෙනඩි තුන් සැරයක් ද වින්සන් චර්චිල්, නැපෝලියන් බොනපාට් හා ජෝර්ජ් වොෂින්ටන් දෙසැරය බැගින් ද ආනන්ද ගේට්ටුවෙන් එළියට ගොස් තිබුණි.)

හොඳටම කෝපයට පත් වූ රාජපක්‍ෂ උප විදුහල්පතිතුමා ගෝඨාභයගේ පන්තියේ ළමයින්ට ලබා දී තිබූ ‘නිදහස’ වහාම අවලංගු කළේය.

එකල ගල්ඔය පිට්ටනියේ කොනේ පොල්, කොස්, තැඹිලි, පැපොල් වැනි නොයෙකුත් ගස් වර්ග වලින් පිරුණු පුංචි වනාන්තරයක් තිබුණි.ගෝඨාභගේ සගයකු වූ ප්‍රසාද් පුංචිහේවා ගෝඨාභයට සිදු වූ සිදුවූ අකරතැබ්බයක් මෙසේ විස්තර කරයි

Inter C ඩෝමට්‍රියේ ඉන්න කාලේ අපි ගල්ඔය තිබුණ පුංචි අඹ ගහක tree house එකක් නැතිනම් අට්ටාලයක් හැදුවා. ට්‍රී හවුස් එක හදලා ඉවර කරපු දවසේ ගෝඨාභයයි අපි තව දහ දෙනෙක් විතරයි ඒකට නැඟලා සින්දු කියලා විනෝද වෙලා මැච් එකක් ගහන්න බිමට බැස්සා.

‘‘අපි පොඩි විවේකයක් ගන්නවා” කියලා ගෝඨාභය, සමරකෝන් හා සමරතුංග ගහේ ලෑලි උඩ හාන්සි වුණා. අපි මැච් එක සෙල්ලම් කරන්න පටන් ගත්තා විතරයි දඩ බඩ ජර බරාස් ” ගාලා මහා ලොකු සද්දයක් ගල්ඔය පැත්තෙන් ඇහුණා.

මම දැක්කා අඹ අතු ලෑලිත් එක්ක ඡායා දෙකකුත් බිමට කඩන් වැටෙනවා. මැච් පහේම කොල්ලෝ එතෙන්ට දිව්වා.

දෙන්නෙක් බිම වැටිලා කෙඳිරි ගානවා. නමුත් ගෝඨාභය එතන නැහැ. ඒ පාර අතු අස්සෙන් අපිට ඇහෙනවා කෑ ගහන සද්දයක්.

ගෝඨාභය අත් දෙකෙන් අතු දෙකක් අල්ලගෙන නැගිටිනවා. ඉතින් මමයි මාන්නප්පෙරුමයි ගන්හේවා කියන යාළුවෙකුයි ගෝඨාභයව හෙමින් හෙමින් බිමට ගත්තා. ලේ පෙරා ගෙන බිම වැටුණු දෙන්නෙක් ඉස්පිරිතාලෙ ගෙනියන්න සිද්ධ වුණා

”ආනන්දයෙන් ඉවත් වී බොහෝ කලකට පසු ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ආරක්‍ෂක ලේකම් වැනි ඉහළම පදවිය දැරුවත් ගෝඨාභය පරණ ගුරුවරු හා යහළුවන් අමතක කළේ නැත.

ප්‍රාථමික අංශයේ තමනට ඉගැන්වූ සෝමා සූරියආරච්චි ගුරුතුමියව හමුවුයේ වරක් දෙවරක් නොවේ.ආර්ථික වශයෙන් අසරණ බවට දැන් පත්වී ඇති පරණ ගුරුවරුන්ට එතුමා අප්‍රසිද්ධියේ තම මුදලින් උදවු කරයි.

මට අවසන් වරට ගෝඨාභය මුණ ගැසුණේ ලලිත්- ප්‍රීති රාජපක්‍ෂ යුවළගේ දියණිය ගුවන් නියමු මාදිනී රාජක්‍ෂගේ විවාහ උත්සවයේදීය.

ලෝකයේ සිටි දරුණුතම ත්‍රස්තවාදී කොටි සංවිධානය පරදවා ශ්‍රී ලංකාව එක් සේසත් කොට මුළු රටේම ගරු බුහුමන් වලට පාත්‍රවෙමින් සිටි ආරක්‍ෂක ලේකම්තුමා මා නොදැක්කා වගේ සිටීවි යැයි මා අනුමාන කළෙමි.

නමුත් මා සිතුවා වැරදිය. අවුරුදු 50කට පසුවත් මා ඈත සිටම හඳුනාගත් එතුමා මා ළඟට පැමිණ දීර්ඝ ලෙස සුහද කතාබහක යෙදුණේය.ගෝඨාභය සමඟ කොස්ගහට නැග්ග මගේ අයියා නිමල්සිරි අකාලයේ මිය ගිය බව අසා අයියෝ දන්නවා නම් මමත් අවමඟුලට යනවා”යි කියමින් එතුමා තම ශෝකය ප්‍රකාශ කළේය.

එදා රටේ ආරක්‍ෂක ලේකම්තුමා වශයෙන් මට දශක පහකට පසුව හමු වූ ආනන්ද බෝඩිමේ ගෝඨා අයියා අද ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ පූර්ණ බලැති ජනාධිපතිතුමාය.

රාජ්‍ය සේවයේ උදාසින බව අල්ලස, දුෂණය නින්දිත සරසවි නවක වදය වැනි සමාජ පිළිල මුළුමනින්ම තුරන් කර ඔහු නව ශ්‍රී ලංකාවක් ගොඩනගනු ඇතැයි සිතමින් ජනතාව ගිය වසරේ නොවැම්බර්වල එතුමා අපේ ජනාධිපති වශයෙන් පත් කළ දිනයේ ලොව වටා සිටි ආදි ආනන්දීයයන් තරම් අාඩම්බරයට පත් වූ කිසිම පිරිසක් නැත.

ජාතිය අමතා කළ මංගල කතාවේදි තමන් උගතකු හා නැණවතෙකු කළ පාසැල් මාතාව ආදරයෙන් මතක් කළ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ එකම රාජ්‍ය නායකයාද ගෝඨා අයියා විය හැකිය.

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය

රටවැසි සහ ලෝවැසි ජනතාව මුහුණ පා සිටින කොරෝනා වසංගතයෙන් අත්මිදීම සඳහා ආශිර්වාද ප්‍රාර්ථනා කිරීමේ අරමුණින් ගරු අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මැතිතුමන් අද 2020.11.15 දින පෙරවරුවේ ජය ශ්‍රී මහා බෝධීන් වහන්සේ වැද පුදා ගැනීමේ අවස්ථාවට එක් විය.

සියම් නිකායේ මල්වතු පාර්ශ්වයේ උතුරු මධ්‍යම පළාතේ ප්‍රධාන සංඝනායක, අටමස්ථානාධිපති අතිපූජ්‍ය පල්ලේගම සිරිනිවාස නාහිමියන් බැහැ දුටු ගරු අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමා උන්වහන්සේගෙන් ආශිර්වාද ලබා ගැනීමෙන් අනතුරුව ආගමික වතාවත්වල නිරත වී ජය ශ්‍රී මහා බෝධීන් වහන්සේ වැද පුදා ගෙන ආශිර්වාද ලබා ගත්තේය.

අනතුරුව රුවන්වැලි චෛත්‍යාධිකාරී, රුවන්වැලි මහා සෑ විහාරාධිපති පූජ්‍ය පල්ලේගම හේමරතන නාහිමියන් බැහැ දුටු ගරු අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමා උන්වහන්සේගෙන් ආශිර්වාද ලබා ගැනීමෙන් අනතුරුව ‍චෛත්‍ය රාජයාණන් අභියස දී ආගමික වතාවත්වල නිරත වී ආශිර්වාද ලබා ගත්තේය.

මෙම අවස්ථාව සඳහා අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය ආර්යා ශිරන්ති රාජපක්ෂ මැතිණිය, අමාත්‍ය එස්.එම්.චන්ද්‍රෙස්න, රාජ්‍ය අමාත්‍ය දුමින්ද දිසානායක, පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී කේ.පී.එස්.කුමාරසිරි, අනුරාධපුර නගරාධිපති එච්.පී.සෝමදාස මහත්වරු ඇතුළු පිරිසක් එක්ව සිටියහ.

By, Sugeeswara Senadhira/Daily News

Sri Lanka is not a piece of real estate to be bartered away, says Foreign Secretary Adm.Prof.Colombage

Colombo, November 13: The media hype on Presidential Elections and General Elections in powerful countries has made almost every citizen an amateur analyst of international affairs and this has resulted in people worrying to death over real or imaginary adverse affects of regime changes abroad.

The most interesting pastime of Sri Lankans is to follow the General Elections in India every five years and Presidential Elections in the United States every four years and come out with pragmatic or imaginary – sometimes most astonishing – predictions about the impact on Sri Lanka.

There is no denying that it is essential for a country to closely monitor the political developments in other powerful nations and to analyze possible impacts. However, it is most essential for a country to formulate its foreign policy in such a manner that would ensure changes in leadership of global or regional powers would not adversely affect the country. No country wishes to compromise its sovereignty and territorial integrity due to the intervention of big powers.

Not only Sri Lanka, but the entire world can be happy about the victory of Joe Biden at the US Presidential Election as there was an apprehension about the actions of President Donald Trump, who took many ad hoc decisions, adversely affecting harmony and cohesion in international relations. Furthermore, the presidency of Trump was considered a disruptive period in global politics and his unpredictable actions such as stopping contributions to the World Health Organization (WHO) and sudden withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) were detrimental to healthcare and human rights of the people of many countries.

Not only South Asia, but also the South American countries could be happy about Biden’s choice of running mate – Kamala Harris, who will be the next Vice President. Kamala Harris was born to a Jamaican-American father and an Indian Tamil mother, both immigrants who met in the US. Her mother, Dr. Shyamala Gopalan Harris, was a breast cancer researcher and a bio-medical scientist by profession. Kamala succeeded as an attorney and became the first female District Attorney of San Francisco, first female Attorney General of California and first Afro-Indian-American in the US Senate.

In her victory speech, she made special mention about black women who contributed to the struggle for suffrage, equality and civil rights. Her stance on the ‘green new deal’ and her vow to keep oil and gas companies accountable were plus points that drove the Biden–Harris team to victory.

What Sri Lanka seeks is, as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa stated in his congratulatory twitter message to Biden–Harris, cooperation with the United States. Look forward to working closely with you to strengthen the bilateral relations between our two countries,” President Rajapaksa has said in his tweet. The Government and the people of Sri Lanka join me in extending our warmest congratulations to President-elect @JoeBiden and Vice-President-elect @KamalaHarris on this victory. We look forward to working together towards an even more robust, mutually-rewarding partnership.”

The ardent desire of the neutral countries in the world is to see a global order where states are respected on the principle of respect for sovereignty and a world in which rule-based multilateral trading systems are respected and international laws and institutions are upheld. They also believe that the superpowers in the world should resolve their differences without any confrontation and muscle–flexing, or pressurizing other countries to choose sides.

Many analysts view US–Lanka relations only in the context of US–China relations and India–China relations. The main reason for that is that Trump felt containment of China should be the top priority. However, Biden’s approach to China is different from Trump’s. Biden has acknowledged that China is making massive investments in energy, infrastructure, and technology that threaten to leave the US behind. He would attempt to reverse this trend to be able to face China credibly and peacefully. Under such a policy, Sri Lanka could derive certain advantages by speedily implementing plans underlined during the recent visit of the outgoing US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena gave a list of areas in which US investments will be welcome. The listed included: trade, investment, and tourism; assistance for building capacity of Sri Lankan business; enhancing bilateral cooperation in fields such as ICT, cyber-security, science, technology, and innovation; power (LNG) sector; energy sector and railways sector (locomotives); greater access to the US market including through the expansion of the US–GSP List. These could be pursued vigorously under a Biden administration.

One of the apprehensions expressed by Sri Lankans is that the Tamil separatist Diaspora in the US would try to influence Kamala Harris to get US support to achieve their separatist goals. This fear is mainly due to the fact that Kamala Harris is partly Tamil. It is very clear that she was selected as running-mate by Biden because for two factors – (1) she is a woman, and she would be able to woo women votes and, (2) as a woman of Black American–Asian ethnicity, she would draw the support of those two communities.

President Biden is likely to give the task of repairing heavily damaged relations between the Whites and the Blacks in the US to Harris and that would be her major role as Vice President. Under the circumstances, she is not likely to play a major foreign policy role.

Clearly elaborating the policy of the Lankan government, Foreign Secretary, Admiral (Prof.) Jayanath Colombage said that Sri Lanka will not cede control of strategic assets to another country. Sri Lanka is not a piece of real estate and so our national interests must be respected. We don’t want to be caught up in a major power game. We don’t want to choose between countries. We don’t want to be on the bandwagon with one against the other. We need to maintain our own strategic autonomy in the Indian Ocean,” he said, giving a clear outline of the foreign policy while speaking at the Pathfinder Foundation-convened Indian Ocean Security Conference on Tuesday (November 10).

Participating in the same webinar, American Ambassador Alaina B. Teplitz said that the United States will not impose its will on Sri Lanka or any other country. As a friend and partner, the US seeks to promote an inclusive approach to national sovereignty, independence and sustainable development,” she said and added, This is a call to rally around principles rather than a request to make alliances.”

Going by the policy pronouncements made by US President-Elect Joe Biden during the polls campaign and Ambassador Teplitz this week, it seems that Sri Lanka can hope for better understanding from, and fruitful bilateral cooperation with, the Biden Administration when it takes office on January 20, 2021.

END

By Frances Bulathsinghala/Sunday Observer

Why can’t the government use the 25,000 traditional Lankan medicine practitioners and the thousands of Ayurvedic doctors in Sri Lanka in the battle against COVID-19?

Colombo, November 15: With around 25,000 traditional Sri Lankan medicine practitioners and thousands of other Ayurveda doctors, why have we not incorporated a policy to use the expertise of each of these physicians/doctors in the country, towards our battle against Covid-19? Yes, there is no medicine for Covid-19 in the Western medical system just as there is no cure for Dengue.

The only closest alternative is the immunity boosters and diverse methods for respiratory ailment curative possibilities that are within our traditional medical system which can be used when the virus is at the early stages of incubation to eliminate it from the system. Ayurvedic medical specialists have explained methods, such as vapor inhalation/steaming that could be used, complementary to the science based analysis that the Covid-19 virus can be expunged from the body by killing it with certain heat levels.

People-centric health system

The Samastha Lanka Deshiya Waidya Sangamaya is finalising the recommendations to the Government for giving equal recognition for Ayurveda/traditional medical practitioners, as given to Western doctors through the Constitution. They would be lobbying for changing the disparity in recognition as initiated during the Colonial rule when the British introduced the Medical Act and placed the Western medical system in a superior position.

Why did we not, soon after independence from the British, in 1948, consider a nationalistic people centric health system and policy for the safeguarding, conserving and promoting Sinhala Wedakama/Sri Lankan Ayurveda and where needed establishing an integrated health system that offers diverse medical systems, including Allopathy, keeping in mind the holistic wellbeing of each person.

Today, even after seven decades of independence, we are nervous, jittery or afraid to learn from our ancestors and charter our own path and create our own future. We have learnt the art of rhetoric without practice. Hence, we may wax eloquent as needed about our past, but have failed where it matters; failed to give life to the richness of the past, especially in resurrecting, stabilising and promoting, not just as a peripheral appendage, but as the crux and backbone of the nation, our intangible cultural heritage. We have been happy to use the word ‘alternative’ to the medical systems that were practised in the country for thousands of years and never considered the word ‘parallel’ that would have given dignity to our past and our present.

If we had made every child and youth learn about the basic herbs of the country and its usages, and grow up to know as a matter of general knowledge, as our forefathers did, about the medicinal quality of our traditional food, about what herbs are used for Ath beheth, which every mother knew, and the herbs used in the Deshiya Chikitsa Kalka, Thaila and Guli and their scientific premise as proven over the centuries, and the basic Weda Wattoru for immunity boosting and respiratory health, we will not be quaking in fear today and locking up our economy.

Humaneness

Sri Lankan medical professionals, Allopathic or Ayurveda are the descendants of those who have been born and lived and died in the country; their grandparents have been raised in the tradition where giving medical assistance to another to save/prolong life is seen as the greatest gift and to take money for such a deed is considered beneath the dignity of humaneness. This is the reason that to date, there are indigenous physicians, especially from Weda paramparawas who will not receive money from the patient. It is the practice for the patient to keep whatever he can afford, on a Betel leaf discreetly.

This is because the medical culture of the country as well as India where Ayurveda was born, began with the rishis, the sages and the men for whom holiness, purifying and perfecting the mind, went hand in hand with healing. With the advent of Buddhism, this was further perfected and to heal another selflessly was one of the greatest acts of good Karma one could do to merit liberation. It is this philosophy that Sri Lankans must resurrect. The philosophy of the traditional medicine system is in stark contrast to the greed and exploitation of the Big Pharma industry that many Western doctors, scientists and others have exposed through hundreds of books.

Sri Lankans should take the time to study in depth their medical heritage to be able to defend in theory and practice the fact that Deshiya Chikitsa and Ayurveda have stood the test of time and the vicissitudes of mass health challenges over centuries. Like all things in life, diseases are not static, especially given that we have increasingly encroached into the animal world and the world of bio weaponry.

Impeccable results

Where the uninformed conclusions go, regarding the alleged so called ‘unscientificness’ of Ayurveda/Deshiya Chikitsa, it should be reminded that 19th century scientists in the medical sphere researching into the ancient Ayurvedic medical prescriptions for diseases had replicated curative methods on patients and stunned at the impeccable results.

Sri Lankan author, Dr. Seela Fernando in her book ‘Herbal Food and Medicines in Sri Lanka’ quotes Dr. George Clarke, M.D., M.A. of Philadelphia as stating as follows after reading the Charaka Samhita, the ancient text on the Ayurvedic medical tradition; As I go through a part of Charaka, I come to the conclusion that if present day physicians drop all modern drugs and chemicals from their Pharmacopoeia and adopt the methods of Charaka in treating diseases, there will be less work for undertakers and fewer invalids in the world.” Dr. Clarke was referring to the overall medical system of India and Sri Lanka.

Dr. Fernando stated in her book that Ayurvedic science in Sri Lanka shone at its best during the reigns of King Buddhadasa and Parakrama Bahu the Great. She stated: During these days, every Sinhalese of noble birth was expected to know Ayurveda; besides Royalty, they included Bhikkhus and poets. These physicians attained a high degree of efficiency in medicine and surgery, yet they did not work for pecuniary gain. Even the Sinhalese kings, among whom were famous surgeons and physicians, practised medicine as an act of service to gain merit.”

This is what Robert Knox, the British East India company sailor who was taken captive in 1659 had to say about Sri Lanka’s indigenous medicinal system/culture at the time: Here are professed Physicians but all in general have some skill that way and are Physicians to themselves. The woods are the Apothecaries shops, where with herbs, leaves and rind of trees they make all their physics and their plasters with which they do notable cures.”

Notable cures

A country’s medical culture is entwined, to the veins of the natural world of a nation; a world that needs to be protected from how modern science has been used for evils, such as slow poisoning and disease causing pesticide emerged from ‘Green Revolution’. It is this so called revolution which should be called black rather than green which has been for decades making our hundreds of endemic medicinal rice varieties that grow on different soils and other endemic plant varieties disappear as farmers were lured by the alleged ‘quicker’ and ‘easier’ money making potential of chemically induced agriculture and imported seed varieties which lead us all down the long path of wasting Lanka’s revenue and wasting the potential of human lives.

The memory of how our forests were the mother in whose bosom our medicines and food were nurtured have long been deleted from our brains. This is why we have not listened to Sri Lankan forestry and ecological professionals, such as Dr. Ranil Senanayake who has authored a book on exotic medicinal plants of Sri Lanka and who in the 1970s saw the dangers of Lanka taking the advice of the Western ‘experts’ who recommended the growing of Pine trees for reforestation. He instead recommended the growing of ‘village centric forests.’

These forests as per the vision of Senanayake (and put effectively into practice by him in his independent capacity over five decades) would enable cultivating all medicinal and other vegetation/plant species of the land, including our medicinal and nutritional power house Kos (Jak) trees and making the village the guardian of such ‘life sustaining’ forests. These forests would replace the need to cut forests and clear land for agriculture.

Food and medicinal goldmines

It would also while protecting the soil from the harm of monoculture, promote the health of the nation because we would not need chemicals or artificial fertiliser or imported seeds. This would have been a chance to give back to Sri Lanka the scenario that Robert Knox described and make our forests food and medicinal goldmines and help Sri Lankan Traditional medicine heal authentically not only Sri Lanka but the world through avenues, such as tourism.

Today, we have resorted to having to import turmeric, one of our staple herbs that every family grew in their backyards. Given that the medicinal culture of a country is determined by what grows on its soil, we cannot be blind to narrow-minded scenarios, especially when we have a raging pandemic.

What we have to remind ourselves is that if we continue to harness the incredible potential of our traditional medical practitioners, something that Western countries do not have, and turn around the immunity deficiency of people with our herbs and indigenous food, that we will be able prevent needless deaths.

If we harness our traditional medical expertise in a systematic matter, boldly, resolutely and with trust in what is ours, we will be able to help not only ourselves but a world which has made health a commodity.

A success story of ours in line with our medical heritage will be a success story for humanity because with it will come the legacy that we are known for; the legacy of valuing human life and treatment to save a human life is not about greedy money making sans ethics, but a mission and a Buddhistic act of compassion.

Courtesy Adaderana

Sri Lanka has reported another five coronavirus related deaths, the Department of Government Information confirmed.

Accordingly, the total number of deaths so far witnessed in the country due to the virus has risen to 58.

A 54-year-old male from Jinthupitiya, Colombo 13 had passed away at the Colombo National Hospital. Reportedly, the victim had suffered from cancer for a long period and the COVID-19 infection had worsened the condition.

A 39-year-old male from Colombo 15, who also had been a cancer patient, had succumbed to the disease and COVID-19 related pneumonia. He had been receiving treatment at the Homagama Hospital upon being diagnosed with COVID-19.

Another male, aged 88, residing in Colombo 12, has died from a COVID-19 related heart attack. He had been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital over chest pain.

A 79-year-old man with chronic lung disease had passed away at his residence with the worsening of his condition due to COVID-19 infection. He had been a resident of the Borella area in Colombo 08.

Another 88-year-old male, residing in Colombo 13, has succumbed to the virus upon admittance to the Colombo National Hospital. The cause of death is recorded as COVID-19 infection and a heart attack.

Courtesy Adaderana

Sri Lanka saw another surge in its confirmed Covid-19 cases this evening (15) as 160 more persons were tested positive for the virus.

All the new cases are close contacts of the Minuwangoda and Peliyagoda clusters, reports revealed.

According to the Government Information Department, 704 positive cases in total were registered today, recording the third-highest daily cases count. Sri Lanka witnessed the highest daily count of Covid-19 cases on the 23rd of October with a record total of 866 fresh positive cases. The second-highest was recorded on the 6th of October with 739 infections.

With the latest development, the country’s infections tally has soared to 17,287 while total infections from the dual cluster reached 13,788.

Health Ministry’s data showed that 11,495 of the confirmed patients have made complete recoveries from the virus.

The Epidemiology Unit says 5,734 active cases are still receiving medical treatment at selected hospitals across the island.

The death toll meanwhile went up to 58 earlier today, as five more patients fell victim to the virus.