As per a news item
appeared in The Island dated 9th July 2019, the newly appointed Chief Executive Director of the
Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC,) Sean Cairncross has written to Prime
Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe stating that he looks forward to Wickremesinghe’s
continued leadership to advance their shared goals.
It is interesting to find out what
are the ‘shared goals’ and interests of the two parties involved, especially, those
of our local partner, Ranil Wickramasinghe.
The above news item is an indication
of the determination of the leader of the UNP to go ahead with whatever he wants,
disregarding the expression of concern with regard to the increasing levels of
speculation among the society at large on the consequences surrounding the
proposed Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), Acquisition and Cross-Servicing
Agreement (ACSA) and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Agreements
between Sri Lanka and USA.
Articles speaking extensively about
the above mentioned agreements were appeared in the printed and electronic
media. It is clear that the shared goals of the originator of these agreements,
USA, are nothing but plans to splinter Sri Lanka and turn it into a US Military
Base.
We remember how
Ranil Wickremesinghe signed the
“Ceasefire Agreement” (CFA) on February 22, 2002 on behalf of the
Government of Sri Lanka and by Velupillai Prabhakaran on behalf of the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Although the controversial agreement was unconstitutional and illegal, the UNP government leader had blindly given some areas of the North and Eastern Provinces to
the LTTE terrorists without the knowledge or the approval of the country.
The UNP leadership
also believed that the
government would have to give up the area it seized from the LTTE to facilitate
the so-called non-existed peace process. The
leadership also required
the
government of Sri Lanka to satisfy the requirements of the so-called
international community and the Norwegians, who were openly interfering with the internal affairs of a
sovereign nation (Sri Lanka) with sinister motives.
Unless the foolish CFA agreement signed by the UNP leader was abrogated by defeating him at the Presidential election held
in 2005 and LTTE was defeated militarily
to remove the so-called “LTTE territories”, arranged by the crafty
Norwegians, the wishes of
the separatist outfit and their international allies would have been made a reality long ago.
One cannot expect from a person who committed a treacherous act to
acknowledge it openly. Instead these traitors attempt to justify any of their
actions, in line with their political goals, by hanging onto power or to grab
power with the support of those who are anti-nationalistic and foreign powers.
The sovereignty status of the country is disappearing fast due the
serious political blunders made by Sirisena and Ranil combination, the former
joining the latter in 2015 and the latter’s willing to sign any agreement blindly
with foreign powers favorable to his existence (as done in the past), merely
for selfish reasons.
During
general elections for 4 Parliament on 19 March 1960, the leader of MEP
Phillip Gunawardene said: ” If minorities or majorities of Sri
Lanka unwilling to commit to our Constitution and Laws, they can leave Ceylon,
we will meet the cost of air passage and chop their passports as ” NOT
ALLOWED TO RETURN TO SRI LANKA”,
Had
Philip won the Election, today Sri Lanka would have been amongst the top
nations in Asia as he did provide the ground work for Paddy Lands Act, Peoples
Bank Bus and Port nationalisation, established CWEs. etc. within a
short period of time with Mr S W R D Bandanaike. Philip’s impatience over
took him, he left / sacked from government, the enemies of Sri Lanka
Buddharakkita Thero, Dicky Soysa, Ossie Corea, Wimala Wijewardene took control
of the government after Philip left 1959 and SWRD was assassinated just
few months afterwards. Philip protected SWRD whilst in government, but SWRD
could not bear the heat of the contractors, Lake House, corrupt buddhist monks
and untrustworthy Ministers like Wimala Wijewardene in his government.
During
March 1960 elections, Philip attracted massive crowds and there were high hopes
that Philip will become first ever true Sinhala Leader. But MEP secured
only 10 seats, Dr N M Perera’s LSSP also got 10 seats ( who ran on
divisive policies for equal rights for Tamils. )
Left
parties garnered 932,000 votes winning 27 seats, whereas UNP won 50 seats
with 907,000 votes. SLFP alone won 46 seats with 647,000
votes under first past post system. Noteworthy SLFP Leader was C P de
Silva from Minneriya.
LSSP
was largely responsible for the current political divisiveness in Sri
Lanka. They provided unwanted support for minorities.
WIMALA
WIJEWARDENE was a Minister in Bandaranaike government and was arrested as
a suspect. But later acquitted. Wimala was a key shareholder of Lake House
Group and now Ranil and Ruwan have de-facto management control of the Group as
shareholders.
SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekera, MP, yesterday, requested the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing the Easter Sunday carnage to investigate and find out the names of foreigners and local politicians who had stayed at Hotel Taj Samudra on April 21 as that would lead them to the persons behind the attack.
Testifying before the PSC, MP Jayasekera said that if the investigators went through the list of guests who stayed at Taj on the Easter Sunday morning, it would be easy for them to get a clear picture of the foreign powers and forces that orchestrated the attacks.
Yesterday’s committee comprised Dr Nalinda Jayatissa, Prof Ashu Marasinghe, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, Minister Ravi Karunanayake, Rauff Hakeem, Chairman Ananda Kumarasiri, M.A. Sumanthiran and Dr Jayamapathi Wickremaratne.
MP Jayasekera said that an investigation into the guest list of Hotel Taj could lead the probe in the right direction.
“All 225 MPs are accused of being privy to the warnings of the attacks. That is not so. For example, my security officers did not warn me. Similarly, not all 225 MPs were aware of them.
“This committee should pay attention to why and how only one five-star hotel was spared by the Easter Sunday attackers. It is said to have been spared because there were some powerful foreigners and local politicians there at that time. I think the PSC should investigate this.
Field Marshal Fonseka: You have told the media you also knew those who had prior knowledge of them. Isn’t it?
MP Jayasekera: The attackers blew themselves up at three other five star hotels. We saw, on TV, CCTV footage of the attacks. It also showed a suicide attacker come to Taj, change his mind and leave. Thereafter, he blew himself up at Dehiwala.
Field Marshal Fonseka: So, there are two conclusions. Either bomb did not go off or the attacker had been given instructions not to explode himself there. Is it so?
MP Jayasekera: I am making conclusions. It is you who make conclusions and try to force them on me.
Field Marshal Fonseka: It is that the bomb was not exploded at Hotel Taj because of some persons who lodged there?
MP Jayasekera: All I am asking the PSC to do is to get the list of names of persons who stayed at Taj on that day and the previous night. You could get the names of their room numbers. You can ask for the names of those who had breakfast there on that day.
This is a country which is highly manipulated by the foreign forces. Its agenda is set by some foreign powers. This is the truth. So, I believe that Zahran was controlled by some foreign powers. He and his team had been made use of by a foreign power which dictates the political agenda of this country.
Field Marshal Fonseka: Even a child of this country knows that the attack was carried out by the ISIS. Entire world knows that.
MP Jayasekera: No political leader has said so clearly. You can check Hansard. None of them have said so categorically. They only said ISIS might have carried out the attacks. You may credit this to the ISIS account, but the country is not ready to accept it.
Field Marshal Fonseka: But even the intelligence and security officials stated that the ISIS had carried out the attacks.
MP Jayasekera: If you can prove that, then I may change my mind. I state that there has been no concrete evidence. There have been only inferences and guesses. If the PSC really wants to prevent the recurrence of such attacks again, please do not turn this into a political circus. That would not solve the problem or save the country from terrorists. There is no point of leveling allegations against the President, Ministers and 225 MPs. Find the truth.
Minister Karunanayake: You are referring to foreign powers. If you name them then it would be easy for us. If you know the name of the country and could name it, for example if you think Swaziland is responsible for this then name it.
MP Jayasekera: I cannot hold Swaziland responsible for this attack.
MP Hakeem: Yes there are some doubts about the ISIS connection. There were reports that some persons had been in Syria to be trained by ISIS. And then there are new reports surfacing that ISIS did not know of the attack and it accepted the responsibility several days after the blasts. That, too, after a request from a very powerful politician in Sri Lanka to the ISIS to do so, according to the reports. What have you to say to that?
MP Jayasekera: I am telling the same thing. Now only certain matters are coming out. The attacks were attributed to ISIS and there was an attempt to instigate the Sinhalese against Muslims. I am asking you only to inquire and find out who had been there at Hotel Taj during that weekend so that you could find who had been behind the attacks.
Dr Wickramaratne: So you cannot name the country and have no intention of doing so?
MP Jayasekera: No, I still cannot do that. It is the duty of security and intelligence establishments to do the investigations and find the truth.
Prof Marasinghe: You attended a National Security Council meeting after this attack.
MP Jayasekera: Yes.
Prof Marasinghe: Did you raise those issues there at the NSC meeting.
MP Jayasekera: No.
Minister Karunanayake: Now according to your testimony, you have serious doubts and are you ready to tell us about them.
MP Jayasekera: I have doubts. I am not ready to talk of my doubts. I will have those doubts till I am in a position to clear them. It is up to the security establishments to get at the truth.
Field Marshal Fonseka: You say that a foreign power is there. You state that funds had been pumped and assistance given by a foreign country. Could you name it if you know it?
MP Jayasekera: Follow the money trail. You can find how Zahran and many others in his Thowheed Jamaath received funds for years as per the police investigations. You can easily find it. You can also find from where those funds came whether they were in dollars or they had come from India.
UPFA MP and SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekera finally chose to bite the bullet, yesterday; he appeared before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing the Easter Sunday attacks. He had previously ignored summons, claiming that the PSC proceedings undermined the judicial process and, therefore, he did not want to participate therein. Is he now convinced that he thought wrong?
President Maithripala Sirisena vehemently opposed the appointment of the Easter Sunday PSC and went so far as to threaten to suspend Cabinet meetings unless it was terminated. He viewed the parliamentary probe as a move to pin the blame for the Easter attacks on him. But he gave some other reasons for his objections. The identities of senior intelligence officers would be exposed if they were made to testify before the PSC with the media being given access to its proceedings, he said. Speaking at the monthly meeting with senior police officers, on 08 June, he also sought to justify his opposition to the PSC probe on the grounds that the Attorney General had sent him a letter, informing him that there were five cases pertaining to the Easter Sunday attacks, before the Supreme Court, and the PSC proceedings would affect the judicial process. Insisting that he had sent the AG’s letter to the Speaker, he said that Parliament had not been informed of it.
MP Jayasekera, earlier, cited the AG’s opinion, as the reason for his decision to skip the PSC proceedings. He demanded that the letter that the President had sent the Speaker be presented to the House. But having made such a hue and cry, he changed his mind suddenly after meeting the Speaker, on Tuesday. Is it that not even the SLFP General Secretary takes President Sirisena’s pronouncements seriously? It could also be that he appeared before the PSC to drop a bombshell.
The public has a right to know what is in the AG’s letter the President has forwarded to the Speaker, who was instrumental in bringing in right to information laws. Will that document be presented to Parliament so that it will be in the public domain? The government has released to the media two important letters during the last few days. One was from Chief Executive Director of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Sean Cairncross to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe; it says the former looks forward to the latter’s continued leadership to advance their shared goals. The other one is from the PM’s Office, faulting the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce for the latter’s ignorance of the SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) expected to be signed between the US and Sri Lanka. So, why can’t the President’s letter to the Speaker be released to the public through Parliament?
Meanwhile, Jayasekera, yesterday, testifying before the PSC, reiterated that the suicide bomber sent to Hotel Taj Samudra had not blown himself up due to the presence of some powerful foreigners and local politicians there. He said the bomber had gone to Dehiwala, where he triggered a blast though the government says the terrorist failed to explode the bomb at Taj. When he first made that allegation at a media briefing, we argued, in this space, that the PSC should question him on his claim. Now that the PSC has done so, the question is what the government is going to do about it. A suicide bomber obeys only his handler. Who prevented the suicide attack at Taj if Jayasekera is telling us the truth?
MP Jayasekera also told the PSC that he suspected that a foreign power was behind the Easter Sunday attacks. He refused to name names, but the people have a right to know what that country is. Declining to name the foreign dignitaries and the Sri Lankan politicians who, he says, were at Taj, on 21 April, he asked the PSC to find out who they were. Jayasekera’s boss, President Sirisena, who is the Minister of Defence is obviously aware of the identities of those persons.
Let the government and the President be urged to reveal what Jayasekera has stopped short of saying.
Priorities of the rulers at this moment is to finds funds to provide free health and education, subsidised fuel, services to public such as police protection, crime busting , eradicating drug menace, maintaining law and order,disposing garbage,upholding judiciary etc .
Once we find funds country , country should save part
and also spend carefully.
Yesterday I left work like many people working in the city
to home from port to Battaramulla via Galleface,Kollupitiya ;Borella;
Rajagiriya .
Yesterday It took me two long hours to reach home.Luckily I
was in my car doing some work in my computer,but others do not have that
privilege .
Some youngsters can use their smart phone and spend time in
public transport .Other state and private sector employees will be watching the
traffic sanarling in a frustrating speed and cursing .
Then we hear over the radio that IUSF consisting youngsters
who are enjoying all the facilities listed above ,particularly free
education have resorted to go on protesting in Kollupitiya near prime
minister’s office. They know that that sort of action will cause difficulties
to ordinary people including their mothers and fathers.
Executive and cabinet are behaving like bulls /horses
pulling a cart with worn wheels in two different direction hence they are
unable to anything.
Firstly both sections should work together and take bold
decisions to stop such somewhat Terrorising” the public-action instigated by
JVP and rival leftist parties with backing of opposition .
It can be done only by force if they are not ready to
understand the logic of doin* such demonstration will cause inconvenience to
their fathers ,mothers,uncles etc
They should be stopped before they congregate.
We have emergency law in force.
Why police allow them to act like this ?
If they want to show their power to politicians who live and
work heart of the city,political leaders should move out of the
city
My very unrealistic proposal is that rulers should put up
their offices in a place in the middle of Muthurajawela or at far corner
of Port City where IUSF or any other organisation cannot protest due to
difficulty to have access.
TV can give publicity using large TV screens like the
ones used they use to show Worldcup cricket funded by beer companies
where beer is sold in a happy hour mood at half price
All youngsters will prefer drinking beer thanking Mangala
and go home
Chaturanga Samarawickrama Courtesy The Daily Mirror
The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) said yesterday it had directed Sri Lanka Customs to re-export the illegally imported containers filled with industrial waste to the country of origin.
The shipments were reportedly imported from Britain.
The Director of the Chemicals and Hazardous Waste Management Unit of the Waste Management Division, Ajith Weerasundara said the containers contained hospital beds, mattresses, carpets, plastic and items like polythene, larvae, dead plants, fungus, bird feathers.
We heard that more than 100 such containers have been illegally imported. But Sri Lanka is not a country which has the capacity to destroy garbage belonging to other countries,” he said and added that the waste material in the containers were hazardous to the environment and to health.
According to a senior official of the Customs, an internal investigation is underway on how the shipment came into the country.
He said that inquiries had revealed that an institution in Katunayake had allgedly imported these hazardous material.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AFP) – Sri Lanka is negotiating a fresh military cooperation deal with the United States, its Prime Minister announced in parliament Wednesday, July 10, even as the country’s president vowed to veto any agreement.
Ranil Wickremesinghe said the government was discussing a replacement for a 1995 Status of Forces arrangement that would allow the militaries of the two countries to access each other’s ports and airports with fewer formalities.
The prime minister said negotiations were ongoing as the new document contained provisions Sri Lanka was not able to accept,” without elaborating on what they were.
His comments came days after President Maithripala Sirisena said he would not let the government headed by his pro-West arch-rival conclude any deal giving U.S. forces freer access to Sri Lanka.
I will not allow the SOFA that seeks to betray the nation. Some foreign forces want to make Sri Lanka one of their bases. I will not allow them to come into the country and challenge our sovereignty,” Sirisena, who faces an election this year, said at a rally last weekend.
The United States last year granted $39 million for maritime security to Sri Lanka as China develops its strategic hold in the region.
U.S. concern has increased as China steps up investment in ports and other projects on the island, which is a key link in Beijing’s ambitious Belt and Road” infrastructure initiative.
China has vowed to keep providing financial help, including loans, to Sri Lanka despite warnings about the nation’s mounting debt.
Sri Lanka in 2017 gave a 99-year lease on a strategic port to Beijing because it could not repay Chinese loans for the $1.4 billion project.
Hambantota port straddles the world’s busiest east-west shipping route and also gives a strategic foothold to China in a region long dominated by India.
Parliamentarian Roshan Ranasinghe says he received death threats from President Maithripala Sirisena’s brother, Dudley Sirisena.
The parliamentarian stated this joining Derana ‘Wada Pitiya’ political programme last night (09).
The Criminal Investigation Department even refused to accept his complaint in this regard, MP Ranasinghe alleged.
Commenting that a brother of a president has not behaved in such a manner before, MP Ranasinghe said the President’s brother is greedy of power.
In other parts of the world, the farmers who cultivate the staple crops are economically stable, but in Sri Lanka nearly 3 million of paddy farmers are suffering immensely, the parliamentarian said commenting further.
MP Dayasiri Jayasekara says that Sri Lanka’s authorities should investigate as to why one of the Easter Sunday attackers did not set off his bomb at the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo despite visiting it and to also find out who was at that hotel on that fateful day.
The SLFP General Secretary today appeared before the Parliamentary Select Committee inquiring into the terror attacks on several hotels and churches on April 21.
He was questioned about certain controversial comments made by him during an interview with Derana 360° following the Easter attacks, in which he had claimed that the attack did not take place at the Taj due to the presence of certain individuals at the hotel.
A section of the video of the interview was also played at the PSC hearing before the panel members commenced their questioning of the MP.
Explaining his comments, Jayasekara said that in the wake of the attacks even they had the question as to why the bomb was not detonated at the Taj Samudra.
The MP said that during the interview he asked the presenter and the media organization to look into this matter as investigative journalists and to find out who was at the hotel at that time.
He said that these questions about why the bomber did not blow himself up at the Taj and instead detonated the bomb in Dehiwala wee on everyone’s minds and everyone was talking about it.
That is why I raised this suspicion,” he said.
Jayasekara said that he believes that the country’s security forces or the Parliamentary Select Committee have to find out the reason why bombs exploded at three major hotels in Sri Lanka and did not explode at another.
He urged the select committee to direct their attention towards this issue especially because a conclusive finding has still not been made with regard to this.
He also said that authorities should also get the information regarding those who were at the hotel that day as some people are of the opinion that certain VIPs were staying at the hotel.
Generally,
all political parties in Sri Lanka have a common problem, which is they don’t
train the next leader for the party to take responsibilities on account of the
country. Next leader of a political
party should be a dynamic characteristic, which has a good education, excellent
attitudes, dynamic skills and broader experience as a person growing and
intelligent person to deal with a dynamic world where emerges unexpected problems
as a result of international or domestic reasons. If we look back the selection of leaders to
political parties it is observable that the election of leaders to political
parties has been the genesis of the destruction of the political parties because
elected new leaders failed to policy invention consistent to the dynamism of
the environment. In this sense, a leader
should not be a marionette of advisors, but an intelligent person to understand
the intention of advisors and the impact of advice.
Mr.
D.S Senanayake was the right leader for UNP at the beginning as his style of
administration and intelligentsia could address the issues faced by Sri Lanka
at the international and domestic level.
There may have disagreements among people on how Mr. Senanayake
addressed the problems. The most
superior aspect of his administration was he never betrayed the nation and the
religion, which highly recognized by any leader of the world. The characteristics of Mr. Dudley Senanayake
was people oriented and a follower of his father’s pathway but he was lack of
initiative in relation to changes in party policies adapting to
modernization. Mr. John Kotelawala was
an excellent determinant and good policy inventor in relation to economic
development and foreign relation, but his temperament was not consistent to the
culture of people and he was too aligned to the West. If the economic policies
and plans of Mr. Kotelawala were successfully implemented in the country, Sri
Lanka would be better than South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan with a strong
foreign asset base and domestic currency value.
However, economic and social inequalities in the country would have dominated
with differences among people.
Mr.
S.W.R.D Bandaranaike was a leader of uniting ordinary people and giving justice
to the rural community through education and cultural development. His economic policies provoked the West and
investors and promoted misguided attitudes among the working class, however,
his leadership promoted the transferring of power of the country from
feudalists to rural educated youths.
Mrs. Bandaranaike had excellent foreign advisors and attitudes to manage
good foreign policy. She continued weak
and inappropriate economic policies and failed to control the behavior of
family members’ influence on government administration and she as a leader had
not understood of modernization.
Mr.
J.R. Jayewardene did the best to UNP as a party leader who clearly understood
modernization and the way should the country go forward. He did many
international tasks that lead Sri Lanka to an internationally recognized
country with Mr. D.S Senanayake and Dudley Senanayake. At the funeral speech of
Mr. Dudley Senanayake before saying “Good Night Sweet Prince,” he
convinced the country that Mr. Dudley Senanayake did everything with him and he
continues Mr. Dudley’s policy in the country. Policymaking using capable leaders of the
party was his stewardship, but unable to successfully direct policies for
ethnic and religious issues. Mr R.
Premadasa had a serious weakness in uniting party heavyweights and according to
his experience with Mr. Gunassinghe, he committed to work for poor by offering
a carrot to them rather than developing strong policies for poor to emerge in
the economic and social field. Mr. Premadasa was a person easy to mislead by
considering his personal interest.
Mrs.
Chandrika Kumaratunga gained popularity, not because of the political dynasty
but the popularity of her actor husband and sympathy for him due to the
assassination. As a leader of the SLFP,
she could not show strong performance but she showed she was perusing for an
unseen recognition or a utopian status than the reality of the country. These
were not important to people from a party leader. Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa had to face a gigantic
problem as party leader as well as the leader of the country and he managed it
well with the strong support of his brothers.
He did two most vital tasks defeat of LTTE and attempting to reduce the
inequalities of economic growth between urban and rural. When the West refused to support his
government he successfully associated with China and obtained good economic
supports. Although he lost power in 2015, he was able to able secure the power
as a member of the opposition.
Mr.
Ranil Wickremasinghe had an excellent background to be the party as well as the
leader of the country. The first
negative point for him was the selection to the law faculty for studies because
Mr. Dudley Senanayake had to answer for questions at the upper house regarding
his selection and he became the prime minister when there were more popular and
educated party leaders. There were many fabricated stories about his behaviour,
but they are not important to voters if he works for people. The result of this situation was Mr.
Wickremasinghe did not get full support from the party heavyweight.
Now
the issue is who should be the next leader of UNP. Many talks about Mr. Sajith Premadasa,
however, he has fundamental weaknesses. What are his educational
qualifications, he should openly express to the country? He is too much taking or claiming his
father’s work. Can he produce a photo to
the country that shows he participated in his father’s funeral and produce the
speech given to people at the funeral? What is his policy opinion in relation
to many areas such as foreign policy, economic development, and growth, a new
constitution for the country and many matters?
As a leader like J.R Jayewardene, he must be able to talk about many policies
matters rather than claiming his father’s work. The behaviour of his mother and
his sister was not popular in the country.
Mr.
Rawan Wijewardena has excellent qualities to be the leader of UNP. He has an
excellent family background and relationship to the past leaders of UNP even to
Kings in the country. He has an
excellent education, policy knowledge, and attitudes. However, he cannot defeat Mr. Gotabaya
Rajapaksa as security, policy development, policy correction and a building a
cultural design are the priority in the country. The best thing Mr. Wijewardena
to do is support Mr. Gotabaya and then go to power as a different leader. The
only weakness of Mr. Wijewardena is media bias because his family members owned
Lake House, however, his background is strong, he can get the support of
Sinhala Buddhists and poor people if he convinces right policies to the
country. He has no corrupt behaviour and he is a person with possibilities to
get on with poor and have and share a lunch sitting on the floor. He is a
completely different person from Mr Ranil Wickremasinghe. He never makes hate speeches and very polite
and pleasant characteristic.
A daily paid labourer who was living in appalling condition along Dutch Canal in Alakanda near the CMC garbage dump was helped to build his house with my personal funds.
He tells me that his wife is having chronic asthma.
She had to attend regular clinic in Ragama Teaching.
Hospital. He complained about the service In the hospital.
She has to go to the Ragama Hospital by a three wheeler at 3
am to get number and she had to wait until 3 pm same day to be called by the
doctor
There are over 2000 patients lined up
I am not sure how true this is ,but authorities should look
into this and improve the service to poor people
As my wife works in Private hospital she was asked to come
for a private consultation and we agreed to bear the cost
Minister gets a honorary post in WHO and keep boasting about
the fact the Sri Lankan health service is one of the best In the world and GMOA
having s personalize agenda against him should try to help such poor people
rather than trying to topple the government.
The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) said yesterday President Maithripala Sirisena had no judicial power to pick out four convicts to be executed when there were many others on death row.
SLPP Chairman G.L. Peiris said there were more than a hundred people serving life imprisonment for drug trafficking and asked how the President had picked out four convicts – one woman and three men to be singled out for execution.
How can you pick four people from dozens of people? Is it a matter of chance or coincidence or for political reasons? The President has no judicial power. This is why the SC intervened suspending executions until October 30. The country is convinced that these are just dramas,” he said.
Prof. Peiris said the Justice Ministry has carried out a detailed review of the process of execution when Sirimavo Bandaranaike was Prime Minister and Felix Dias Bandaranaike was Justice Minister.
I saw these documents when I was the Justice Minister. I don’t know what happened to it since then. The main recommendations were that when a person is sentenced to death, first you called for a report from the presiding trial judge asking whether the death penalty should be carried out in all circumstances of the case. Then, there is a second report from the Attorney General.
If both these reports or one of these reports recommended that the death penalty should not be carried out, that is the end of the matter and the death sentence should be commuted to life imprisonment. If both of them recommend that there are aggravating circumstances and the sentence should be carried out then the reports should be sent to the Justice Minister and the Minister is expected to launch an independent investigation into the circumstances and make a final recommendation to the President,” he said. (Lahiru Pothmulla)
The Attorney General will file revision application before the High Court over granting bail to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara and former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, says the Attorney General’s Department.
Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne today (09) released the two defendants on bail imposing a surety bail of Rs 500,000 on each of them.
IGP Pujith Jayasundara and former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando were informed to appear before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on July 2nd.
However, the IGP was admitted to the Police Hospital in Narahenpita while the former Defence Secretary was admitted to the Coronary-Care Unit (CCU) at the National Hospital Colombo over sudden illnesses.
A group of CID officers had arrested the duo in the evening of the same day and ordered to be remanded until the 3rd of July.
Following a lengthy trial, Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne ordered to further remand the suspects until today (09).
The white man landed in Africa and set up his own systems to
rule and divide Africa to plunder. Ironically the same countries are now fine tuning
the very laws they set into motion to facilitate a new wave of plunder. However,
in most of Africa customary land laws prevail and is probably one saving factor
for Africa which unfortunately is not the case for Sri Lanka. What we need to
take stock of is the modus operandi that these global land grabbers are today
applying to Sri Lanka and mobilize ourselves to ensure not an inch of Sri Lanka’s
land is illegally taken from us by legally tweaking the laws & arm-twisting
officials. Let us not forget the future wars will be for water & food! Nearly
half of MCC’s overall budget of US$6.8 billion supports what it calls
market-based solutions to food security”.
Some of the investments on the pipeline across Africa questions
how far of these supposedly development projects are beneficial to the locals
& to the future environment of these countries. UN World Bank & a host
of other international agencies are partners in this crime to grab land by
re-writing laws, registering titles to enable quicker sale, setting up
satellite mapping and cadastral systems to facilitate foreign investors.
What is the MCC?
Millennium Challenge Corporation is a US govt agency created by
the US government in January 2004 supported by both Republicans &
Democrats. Since 2004, US has invested more than $13b on programs under MCC
worldwide. MCC was to replace what USAID had been tasked to do but with a
corporate twist & with USAID also involved. MCC programs are akin to IMF/World
Bank Structural Adjustment Programs for every grant (not loan) is dependent on
conditions committed by a host country & presented as a carrot. Countries
are supposed to feel elated that they have ‘passed’ MCC scorecard for selection
after which US consultants fly to the country & point out areas where
‘liberalization’ needs to take place
Though MCC is a govt aid agency its CEO is often a private
business individual but with previous links to govt. USAID and US Trade
Representative also sit on the board.
US Secretary of State is the Chairman of MCC while the US
Secretary of Treasury is the Vice Chairman.
Thus the MCC is a collaboration of US Govt together with US
corporates using foreign aid to enter developing countries using the tool of
development.
MCC CEO John Danilovich was U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica from 2001 to 2004 &
US Ambassador to Brazil
MCC CEO Daniel W. Yohannes served as US ambassador to OECD from
2014-2017
Cynthia Huger functioning as CEO of MCC from January 2019
following departure of Jonathan Nash
The grants provided claims to help a range of development
initiatives for developing countries but also ‘enhances American interests’.
The grants are dependent on countries meeting 20 ‘independent’
& ‘transparent policy indicators.
Countries are supposed to identify their priorities which begs
to answer who in Sri Lanka defined Sri Lanka’s priorities & how transparent
& independent these formulations were.
The implementation of compact grants is to give a sum of money
& get the local government to make all the necessary changes within the
country aligned of course to ‘America’s interests’.
The Compact grants are for 5 years while the Threshold programs
are smaller grants for institutional reform in countries.
Since 2004 the MCC has signed 33 grant agreements, known as compacts, with 29 countries spending $12billlion
MCC land projects clearly mean commodifying Africa’s land &
opening them for American agribusiness (seen in MCC projects in Mali, Ghana,
Mozambique & Benin)
2005
Madagascar – was the
first country to sign with MCC. MCC grant terminated in May 2009 due to
military coup
Honduras – MCC grant terminated in Sept 2009 due to change of
govt
Nicaragua – MCC grant terminated in June 2009 when Sandinistas
came to power
2006
Mali – awarded MCC grant of $461 million – US ‘interest’ linked
to Mali’s 2 major assets – Niger River (irrigation agriculture) &
Bamako-Senou International airport. Mali compact, put on operational hold in
March 2012 after a military coup, compact was terminated in August 2012.
2018
Sri Lanka – $450 million on an ‘economic corridor’ for 200 years
for a compact grant of $450m (increased to $480m) targeting Sri Lanka’s land,
infrastructure,
Armenia could
not qualify for the Millennium Challenges Corporation grants because MCC provides assistance to countries with low and
lower-middle-income economies.
1
July 2018 World Bank declared Armenia is a country with upper-middle-income
economy
WORLD
BANK HAS CLASSIFIED SRI LANKA AS A UPPER-MIDDLE CLASS ECONOMY TOO… WHICH MEANS
MCC CANNOT GRANT SRI LANKA.
https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL32427.pdf
Sri
Lanka must learn lessons from Madagascar
Madagascar became the 1st country to
launch MCC compacts. Agriculture & land titling was the focus. Madagascar
has a history of about 2000 years and a population of 24.4million people. The
Portuguese landed in 1500 and France, Germany & Britian have held power
over until full independence came in 1960.
MCC began proposals to decentralize
Madagascar’s agriland. It was in December 2008 that the natives of Madagascar
learnt from the media that their government which had been using MCC funds to
allocate land certificates to thousands of citizens were SELLING LAND to
foreign investors via the revised National Land Program (isn’t this what the
UNP Govt plans to do via the Land Privatization Bill?) 1.3million hectares of
land had been given to a Korean company Daewoo Logistics and certificates were
given to Madagascar land owners on the condition that they would make their
land available to an Indian company Varun. The Madagascar government was
negotiating giving 3m hectares of land to foreign investors on a 99 year lease.
These 2 scenarios are most likely to happen to Sri Lankans newly given title
deeds to privatized state land.
The anger of the Madagascar people as a result
of the Daewoo sale leaving their farmers destitute ended up in a coup in 2009.
MCC cancelled its project & departed. This
is no different to the 200year Economic Corridor with electric fence from
Colombo Port to Trinco Port proposed by MCC.
The
next example is Mali which commenced in 2006 with a $461m compact grant – US
‘interest’ was in Mali’s 2 major assets – Niger River & Bamako-Senou
International Airport. MCC Mali has taken over some 20,000 hectares of land – the
most important irrigated land in Mali to foreign investors which is an
extraterritorial zone putting its own land management & laws. Eventually
the people of Mali who want to irrigate land have to buy land from the MCC
compact foreign investors and loans given to settle in 20 years. So what has
happened is foreigners have bought over Mali land and agree to sell off land to
the natives obviously at a higher price! Those unwilling to buy land will
eventually have no land, no livelihood & no place to live!
US firms are teaching the people of Mali how to
grow agriculture! So many countries have arrived to irrigate in Mali and the
farmers of Mali are struggling to survive & even tap resources like water
which the foreign investors are taking preferential control over. Mali’s
compact was put on operational hold in March 2012 following a military coup and
was terminated in August 2012.
MCC
Ghana
Pineapple production was the focus of MCC Ghana
and demanded changes to land management. The government signed a Roadmap which
used satellite technology to map & delimit the zone thereafter the Ministry
of Land in Ghana declared ‘compulsory Title Registration Area’ the first such
in Ghana. In September 2009 – 100 land titles were given all with intent to
take over Ghana’s pineapple plantations.
MCC
Benin
Multinational company Stewart International
(title insurance & mortgage service company) desired to commodify Benin’s
as well as provide technology for land record systems & selling title
insurance (Sri Lanka’s MCC proposes a Land Bank computerized system) Foreign
investors buying in developing countries want title insurance to protect their
investments in instances of competing claims to land ownership or rights to
property (as was seen in Madagascar MCC where the Govt sold the same lands for
which they gave title deeds to their farmers)
A 2016 World Bank Policy Research Working paper
declares that 45-75% of wealth in developing nations is made up of land &
real estate which has been inaccessible to global capital. Stewart
International & similar foreign entities are now planning to through MCC
create a ‘global real estate market’ accessible by computer! One click is all
that is required for foreigners to grab any piece of land or property in a
developing country under MCC compact.
Another interesting feature is that it is US
companies that are doing all the proposals for countries hired by MCC – Chemonics
& International Land Systems compiled the Mozambique government’s land
proposal. CDM did the land proposal for Mali. Stewart International did Benin’s
land proposal. The MCC hands a grant but US companies set the stage for the
grabbing of land and this is what must scare Sri Lanka in looking at how and
what took place under MCC compact in Africa.
With Africa’s leader no less corrupt than Sri
Lanka’s it is no surprise that only a handful of politicians are coming out
publicly to warn the people of the likely outcome.
One major hope is that if Africa’s land changes
are merely on paper following fierce resistance from locals which are now
gaining ground across Africa.
It is baffling how UN & associate entities
are silent while these land grabs are taking place given that they are paid to
look into the welfare of the poorest too!
MCC land grabbing blueprint as seen across all compact countries
is
Initial surveying of land & land laws in the country
Lobbying central government to make necessary changes to
existing laws
Ensuring central government agrees to privatize state land &
offer title deeds to those leasing/living on State lands
Pilot project zone exclusively created & given special
status by Govt
Foreign NGOs co-opted to carry out programs to convince people
to accept new laws & investments
The MCC office decides the value of land for sale to foreign
investors
Customary land laws are buried for foreign investor profits
MCC funds are used to connect rail-port-airports-storage
facilities (no different to colonial rule)
It is most likely that these pitfalls will be
addressed in Sri Lanka’s takeover using the agreements ACSA and SOFA that will
probably enable foreign troops to provide the armed security for these US &
foreign companies. The legal avenues for locals to take are also being subtly
diluted to reduce locals taking their case to courts. These neocolonial
transnational investors are ironing out every possible loophole to grab land a
far cry from how it happened during colonial rule. Scramble for Africa then is
now taking place with a modern twist and includes Scramble for Asia as well.
Sri Lanka probably the latest guinea pig.
Did Sri Lanka propose an ‘economic corridor’ or
did the USA?
Why do we need an economic corridor if it
entails not only the privatization of all State lands but to give title deeds
to individuals for these privatized state lands if the compact grant is only
for 5 years while the economic corridor that is over 200miles from Colombo Port
to Trinco Port with an electric fence dividing it, is for 200 years and the
corridor does not apply Sri Lankan laws?
Moreover, if title deeds are being presented
given under existing laws why present a New Privatization of Land Bill – what is
the catch here for the entire Bill is prepared by foreign lawyers who have
studied all our land statues.
Why must there be a land bank of all privatized
land & after 10 years destroy all existing records?
We seem to be getting more questions than
answers and no government elected for a term of office has any moral right to
be dishing out land that belongs to the people & future generations to any
foreign investor simply because of a dangling monetary carrot.
Shenali
D Waduge
Further reading: The Great Food Robbery: How Corporations Control Food,
Grab Land and Destroy – Genetic Resources Action International,
Caught with his pants down, literally
selling off Sri Lanka to the Americans, a desperate Wickramasinghe has
reportedly called on his thugs to get onto the Streets to prevent and
intimidate law abiding citizens seeking Justice from Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court
of Justice.
Wickramasinghe has reportedly exhorted his
goondas to enforce the Rule of the Street over the rule of Law.
Seen by many Sri Lankans as a traitor in
the mould of a Don Juan Dharmapala, they see Wickramasinghe’s call for anarchy
as a call to the Americans to militarily intervene in the country.
Stunned law abiding citizens were openly
asking the question, If the Police fail to arrest and question Wickramasinghe
even with a State of Emergency in place, wont the new Attorney General who has
shown a great deal of spunk order the arrest of Wickramasinghe?”
A member of the notorious Mont Pelerin
secret society and the head of an equally obnoxious Nazi style organisation,
‘Independent Democratic Union’ Wickramasinghe has lived on the fringes of the
Law; he has a yet unresolved and an unsavoury past with the Batalanda murders
and with Sri Lanka’s Biggest Bank robbers.
Wickramasinghe’s reported call for anarchy
came in the wake of many exposures which revealed that he had secretly drawn up
agreements with the Americans to enable them to make the country a US Base.
One of the Compacts or Agreement with the
Americans. was the secret deal with the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
Before any monies could be even released
by the MCC, the MCC have in black and white laid out three pre-conditions.
The first is the issue of Land grants to
people with all rights of private ownership.
Sri Lanka has preserved its territory and
Land with the tight control exercised by the Centre in the issuance of land
grants. This way the people of Sri Lanka have been able to maintain tight
control of over 80 percent of its sovereign territory and prevent foreigners
taking over the land.
The second and third preconditions of the
MCC are that we legislate the ‘Land (Special Provisions) Bill’ and the ‘Land
Bank’ Bill, both drafted by the Americans.
Both these Bills together with the
Issuance of Land Grants would facilitate the US buying up the entire country.
Furthermore, when land is privatised political power over Land passes
from the Centre to the provinces which the separatists have always been clamouring
for.
If these two Bills are passed in
Parliament it would be in contravention of a Supreme Court Judgement
(Bulankulame Vs the State) which determined that Sri Lanka’s Constitution
secures the Fundamental Rights of the unborn generations to the Land.
In this attempt to privatise Sri Lanka’s
Land a legal expert commented that this again is in contravention of Sri
Lanka’s Constitution which does not consider the right to private property, a
Human Right.
With the American Indo Pacific forces outside
our shores, with a vulgar American Ambassador acting like ‘Ma Baker’ and with
an exposed Wickramasinghe peevishly threatening Sri Lanka’s people with
violence, the law abiding citizens are nervously waiting with abated breath to
see whether the rule of law will prevail and whether Wickramasinghe would
be arrested and tried. Indeed, is he not also in contempt of Court
The Ranil Wickremesinghe administration was attempting to create a cheap labour force needed to facilitate the implementation of neoliberal economic policies, by amending` land laws, Chinthaka Rajapakshe, Convener of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) said commenting on the scheme to grant outright ownership of land to one million people.
“Providing land deeds may look like a progressive move but we have to look at the reasons. On the one hand there is a serious crisis in the rural economy; created by the policies of successive governments, especially the present administration. On the other hand, large multinational companies have made small time farmers bankrupt and are buying off their agricultural land. There is also an attempt by the government to create a land bank. The only thing that has held back these predatory companies and the neoliberal economic policies are the so-called antiquated land laws. By giving desperate people, an asset that they can sell the government has ensured that these lands will be sold off.”
He said that in a recent study they had looked at all documents approved by the Cabinet between January 2015 and April 2019 on land reform, recommendations given by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) to the government on the land rights of the people and bi-lateral trade agreements between Sri Lanka and other countries had the potential projects that would deprive the people of their land rights.
“What is obvious was that the government wants to create a land bank that are not bound by any laws. The government has promised a lot of powerful entities access to our land and it also wants to create a large pool of cheap labour to be exploited by multinationals. This can’t be done as long as people have land and the government is creating an environment where people will sell off the land they had been using for decades. That’s why we oppose these evil mechanisms.
Former Corporal of the Army Intelligence Unit Lalith Rajapaksa has been arrested over the assault on the former newspaper editor, Upali Tennakoon.
The arrest has been carried out arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Hanwella last night (07), stated the Police Media Spokesperson.
https://youtu.be/tpkQyubNxds
On 23rd September 2009, the former editor of the Rivira newspaper, Upali Tennakoon, was assaulted by four individuals. The senior journalist and his wife left the country following the incident.
No Sinhalese person would receive the rights to land in Sri Lanka in the future through the Land Grants (Special Provisions) Act, stated UNP MP Wijeydasa Rajapakshe.
Rajapakshe expressed these views addressing an event held in Colombo.
He says that if Founder of United National Party (UNP) and late Prime Minister D. S. Senanayake were alive now, he would be gravely disappointed by the current state of the party.
The Parliamentarian stated that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe would be begging on the roads today if it weren’t for the women migrating for domestic work in the Middle East.
if it isn’t for the ‘Dollars’ from the women who leave the country for domestic work in the Middle East, the Prime Minister wouldn’t be able to ride in bulletproof vehicles. Even if he does travel in bulletproof vehicles he will not be safe. He should find himself a ‘curse-proof’ vehicle”, said Rajapakshe.
The Criminal Investigation Department is set to launch probes into the revelations made by Venerable Medagoda Abayatissa Thero over 20 persons being allegedly killed under the Sharia law, says Police Media Spokesperson SP Ruwan Gunasekara.
Reportedly, Abeytissa Thero has made the revelations on the 4th of July.
A fuller Bench comprising seven judges of the Supreme Court has been appointed to hear the petitions filed against Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara and former Defense Secretary claiming that they had violated fundamental rights by failing to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks.
The Judge Bench headed by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya will comprise of Justices Sisira de Abrew, Buwaneka Aluvihare, Priyantha Jayawardena, Prasanna Jayawardena, L.T.B. Dehideniya and Murdu Fernando.
The relevant fundamental rights petitions are set to be considered before the Bench on 12th July.
The petitions were filed by seven parties including the Sri Lanka Bar Association (BASL), a businessman engaged in the tourism sector named Janak Sri Vidanage and Saman Nandana Sirimanne, a father who had lost his son and daughter in the attack on April 21st.
The petitioners accuse that the IGP and the former Defense Secretary of infringing the fundamental rights of the people by failing to prevent the attacks on churches and hotels even when intelligence information had forewarned.
