Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris, yesterday, said that a proposal for appointing a caretaker government headed by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya was not acceptable under any circumstances.
Prof. Peiris said that the call for President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to resign to pave the way for a caretaker administration headed by Jayasuriya to undertake far reaching constitutional reforms, including the abolition of the executive presidency should be rejected.
Prof. Peiris said so addressing the media at the SLPP office at Nelum Mawatha Battaramulla.
The former External Affairs Minister was responding to a recent statement issued by Friday Forum.
Prof. Peiris said that against the backdrop of the latest battle between President Maithripala Sirisena and the UNP leading to the cancellation of yesterday’s Cabinet meeting marked a total breakdown of the administration. The SLPP Chairman said that President Sirisena’s decision not to chair Cabinet meetings would pose a daunting challenge to those struggling to cope up with the mega crisis caused by Easter Sunday attacks.
Prof. Peiris said that Parliament had to be dissolved in accordance with the 19th Amendment to pave the way for an early general election.
Prof. Peiris said that Speaker Jayasuriya had worked overtime both in and out of parliament to further the UNP’s interests.
A report in The Island of June 8, 2019, carrying the heading “Opposition demands halt to signing agreements with foreign countries in secret”, cites MP Dinesh Gunawardena as stating: “The other thing is handing over terminals in Colombo Port to foreign countries. Both these agreements (the ‘other’ referred to being ‘a corridor from Trincomalee to the Colombo Port’) will have a bearing on our national security. These are very crucial assets to us. But the government has handed them over to foreign countries without even consulting Parliament. This is a grave threat to the national security. Therefore, I suggest that such agreements be presented to Parliament and approved by a two-third majority before being inked”.
The Island report also cites MP Bimal Ratnayake of the JVP as stating: “How can you sign agreements with foreign countries in secret? What right you have to do something like that? That is why we came up with the suggestion. Before signing sensitive agreements with foreign countries you should present them to Parliament and get them approved by a two-third majority”.
IMPACT on SOVEREIGNTY
When any Government of Sri Lanka signs agreements or treaties with foreign governments, all commitments made therein are made in the name of the People of Sri Lanka, who are constitutionally recognized as being sovereign. It is imperative therefore, that such agreements or treaties are conducted in a manner that does not violate the sovereignty of the People. Article 3 of the Constitution states; “sovereignty is in the people and is inalienable. Sovereignty includes the powers of government…” which according to Article 4 states: (a) the legislative power of the People shall be exercised by Parliament…(b) the executive power of the People, including the defence of Sri Lanka, shall be exercised by the President…(c) the judicial power of the People shall be exercised by Parliament through courts, tribunals…”.
The wise and good People of Sri Lanka in their wisdom voted to divide their sovereignty relating to legislative and executive power between two organs of government, namely, the Parliament, elected by the People and the President directly elected separately, also by the People. The People of Sri Lanka were cautious not to grant both legislative and executive power to one body – the Parliament, and make it the “supreme instrument of State power” as in the previous Constitution of 1972. Therefore, between Articles 3 and 4 of the Constitution, the People of Sri Lanka made sure that their sovereignty would be better protected and safeguarded by separating powers between a Parliament and an Executive headed by a President. This interpretation was confirmed by Dr. N.M. Perera when he stated: “A President elected directly by the people and therefore entitled also to be an instrument of the sovereignty of the people…” (Critical Analysis of the New Constitution of the Sri Lanka Government). And according to the Supreme Court judgment on the 19th Amendment (S.D. No. 04/2015) “so long as the President remains the Head of the executive, the exercise of his powers remain supreme or sovereign in the executive field and others to whom such power is given (e.g. Cabinet of Ministers) must derive the authority from the President…”. Therefore, it is crystal clear that while the Legislative power of the People is exercised separately by Parliament, executive power is exercised separately by the President as part of the collective sovereignty of the People.
This principle of separation of powers is the foundation of Sri Lanka’s present Constitution. This means powers assigned by the People under the Constitution cannot be transferred to another organ of government without the consent of the People through a Referendum. This fact was emphasized by the Supreme Court in their determination relating to the 19th Amendment cited above. The Court stated: “It is in this backdrop the Court in the Nineteenth Amendment Determination came to the conclusion that the transfer, relinquishment or removal of a power attributed to one organ of government to another organ or body would be inconsistent with Article 3 read with Article 4 of the Constitution”.
For instance, powers assigned to Parliament cannot be exercised by the President and his Cabinet of Ministers. This applies conversely as well. Thus, it is an absolute imperative that if the sovereignty of the People is to be protected that either Parliament and the Executive act separately within their respectively assigned spheres of influence, or act together if the Peoples’ sovereignty is not to be violated whenever governments make commitments in the name of the People. Therefore, since international treaties and agreements are made in the name of the People, the Executive that initiates such instruments is constitutionally required to seek and obtain the required approvals of Parliament if the sovereignty of the People is not to be violated. It therefore follows that any agreements concluded by a Sri Lankan government without the approval of Parliament, would be in violation of the sovereignty of the People, the Constitution and therefore do not have any legal validity; a fact that needs to be confirmed by a Court of Law.
LEGALITY of AGREEMENTS
Successive governments have signed several agreements, some with foreign governments and others with foreign corporations and companies. Whenever governments do so they commit the People of Sri Lanka to fulfilling the terms of such agreements.
Since such commitments have an impact on their sovereignty it is imperative that all organs of government agree to commitments incorporated in such agreements. Agreements based on commitments made only by one organ of government – the President and the Cabinet of Ministers, or only by the Cabinet of Ministers, amounts to a violation of the People’s sovereignty since they represent only a facet of the sovereignty of the People. If the people’s sovereignty is not to be violated, it is imperative that approval is sought and obtained by the remaining facets of sovereignty such as Parliament, to make up the totality of sovereignty of the People. Since most agreements that Sri Lanka enters into are with sovereign States, approvals of Parliament should meet the threshold of a two-thirds majority of Parliament in keeping with the special majority called for in Article 157 relating to treaties and agreements. This Article states: “Where Parliament by resolution passed by not less than two-third of the whole number of Members of Parliament voting in its favour, approves as being essential for the development of the national economy, any Treaty or Agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka….’’ and the Government of any foreign State for the promotion and protection of the investment in Sri Lanka of such foreign State …such Treaty or Agreement shall have the force of law in Sri Lanka…”. Therefore, if any treaty or agreement requires a two-third approval of Parliament if the investments of foreign States are to be protected, it must follow that any treaty or agreement that impacts on the sovereignty of the People also should require a two-third approval as a minimum.
This means that Free Trade Agreements and any other agreements between Sri Lanka and any foreign State and/or agreements with private entities of foreign States would not only have the force of Law if it is approved by a two-third majority of Parliament, but also safeguarding the sovereignty of the People of Sri Lanka.
CONCLUSION
Successive governments have signed treaties and agreements with foreign States or with private entities of foreign States, some with and others without even Cabinet approval in the name of the People of Sri Lanka. Consequently, only the Executive branch of government has committed the People of Sri Lanka to the commitments in these agreements. Such arbitrariness amounts to a betrayal of the sovereignty of the People because Parliament that is also constitutionally empowered to protect the collective sovereignty of the People, is excluded from the process. Therefore, if the sovereignty of the People is to be protected it is imperative that both branches of government, namely, Parliament and the Cabinet are both associated with agreements that commit the People of Sri Lanka. This means all treaties and agreements should require Cabinet approval as well as two-thirds approval of Parliament if the collective sovereignty of the People is to be protected without which Article 3, an entrenched Article, would be impacted resulting in the Constitution being violated.
Advisors to governments do not appreciate the constitutional implications associated with agreements between Sri Lanka and other foreign States or its nationals, because they do not realize that when agreements are made in the name of the People of Sri Lanka what is at stake is the sovereignty of the People that is total, comprehensive and inalienable. Either due to their ignorance, or for reasons of personal profit, the implications involved in agreements such as the Acquisition and Cross Service Agreement; Status of Forces Agreement, Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact or the several Free Trade and other Agreements that have been signed or yet to be signed are trivialized on grounds that it is no big deal because such Agreements are commonly signed by many other countries.
While commending the Opposition for the initiative taken to propose that Parliament should be involved in the review and approval of agreements with foreign States and their nationals, there is an urgent need to institutionalize the procedures and practices that should be adopted in respect of treaties and agreements with foreign States and their nationals, if the sovereignty of the People of Sri Lanka is to be protected and the Constitution is to remain inviolate.
A battle between President Maithripala Sirisena and the government over ongoing Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probe on Easter Sunday attacks took a new turn yesterday as those loyal to the President questioned why Chief of National Intelligence (CNI) retired DIG Sisira Mendis had left the country days after receiving warning of impending terrorist attack.
Mendis stepped down over the weekend.
Addressing the media at SLFP Office at the T.B. Jayah Mawatha, SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayaskera MP found fault with the CNI for visiting Singapore from April 13 to 16.
The National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ) carried out coordinated suicide bombings on six targets in Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa on April 21.
Revealing the particular flights used by the CNI to and from Singapore, Jayasekera sought an explanation as to why he visited Singapore.
At the onset of the media briefing, MP Jayasekera declared that the cabinet of ministers couldn’t meet today due to President Sirisena’s decision not to chair the weekly meeting. The SLFP spokesman attributed the fresh crisis to the government refusal to halt the PAC in spite of the Commander-in-Chief’s request. The MP emphasized that the cabinet couldn’t meet without the President’s participation.
Alleging that the PSC was meant to cause harm to President Sirisena, MP Jayasekera accused Speaker Karu Jayasuriya of conducting the PSC contrary to Standing Orders. The SLFPer accused the Speaker Jayasuriya of being partial as he, too, was in the 2019 presidential election fray. Jayasekera alleged that Jayasuriya was involved in the ongoing political power struggle.
The MP emphasized that Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, CNI Sisira Mendis and IGP Pujith Jayasundera had the authority to act on the intelligence provided by SIS head Senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardena. MP Jayasekera said that Senior DIG Jayawardena furnished the report to CNI head following verification, MP Jayasekera said, emphasizing that there was no justification in Mendis’ claim he lacked the power to act. Had it been the case what was he doing for four years, Jayasekera asked, accusing the government of a deliberate attempt to blame the failure on the President.
Jayasekera lamented that President Sirisena and Premier Wickremesinghe hadn’t been aware of the intelligence warning. The lawmaker claimed that he, too, hadn’t been aware of impending April 21 attacks. When The Island asked MP Jayasekera to explain as to how the ailing father of Minister Harin Fernando knew of the impending Easter attacks -a warning not even available to the President, the PM and Jayasekera himself, a smiling MP said only Harin’s father could answer that question.
The Island also asked whether President Sirisena had been aware that the post of the CNI created by way of a cabinet paper during the previous administration to accommodate Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) veteran, Maj. Gen. Kapila Hendavitharana. MP Jayasekera explained the circumstances under which President Sirisena made such appointments.
The Island also pointed out that the specific intelligence warning available to the SIS hadn’t been shared with the DMI.
MP Jayasekera said that the CNI could have taken tangible measures to thwart the terrorist attack.
The SLFP General Secretary alleged that at the beginning the UNP and the JO cooperated on the formulation of the PSC. Subsequently, the government expanded the mandate of the PSC to inquire into allegations directed at Commerce and Industry Minister and All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) leader Rishad Bathiudeen. MP Jayasekera said that he on behalf of the UPFA strongly objected to the move as he felt the move was intended to clear Bathiudeen. As a result, the UPFA and the JO boycotted the PSC.
Chaired by Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasiri, the PSC includes Ravi Karunanayake (UNP), Dr. Rajitha Senaratne (UNP), Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka (UNP/DP) Dr, Jayampathy Wickremaratne (UNP/LSSP), Prof. Ashu Marasinghe (UNP), Rauf Hakeem (UNP/SLMC), Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa (JVP) and M. A. Sumanthiran (TNA).
MP Jayasekera questioned the composition of the PSC pointing out how such an important body included so many National List MPs. The SLFPer named Fonseka, Marasinghe and Wickremaratne as National List members not acceptable.
The MP said that consensus could have been reached on the PSC had it been held as an internal inquiry meant to find out shortcomings and decide on remedial measures. The idea should have been to thwart recurrence of a similar attack, Jayasekera said. Instead, the government launched a project targeting President Sirisena regardless of advice given by the Attorney General.
The lawmaker alleged Speaker Jayasuriya ignored a slew of fundamental rights cases filed in the Supreme Court in respect of the Easter attacks. The parliament couldn’t act arbitrarily, the MP said, warning of dire consequences unless the current course of action was changed.
Jayasekera also found fault with the SPC for not identifying who had received intelligence warning on behalf of Premier Wickremesinghe’s security. According to him, the UNP couldn’t absolve itself of the responsibility for the Easter attacks blamed on the NTJ headed by Zahran Hashim as that party held law and order portfolio till 2018 Oct.
Alleging that the PSC process had been directed at President Sirisena, Jayasekera said a deliberate attempt was being made to destroy the President. The entire government accepted the responsibility for its failure to thwart the attack without seeking political advantage.
Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa says that everything seen happening in the country now, such as the recent attacks on Muslim-owned businesses and the resignation of Muslim ministers, is directly connected to the presidential election that is due to be held in a few months.
He charged that the present government is seeking to retain for the next presidential election as well, the Muslim vote base that they organised around themselves using various stratagems” before 2015.
Delivering a speech at his official residence in Colombo, Rajapaksa said that opposition MPs tabled a no-confidence motion against one Cabinet minister on the grounds that he had connections with the terrorists responsible for the Easter Sunday attacks.
He said no confidence motions are an integral part of the parliamentary tradition and a right exercised by the parliamentary opposition and that when tabled in Parliament, it can either be debated and a vote taken, or the Minister concerned can resign and resume his portfolio if he is cleared of the charges.
He said that is a tradition that applies to all members of Parliament regardless of their ethnicity or religion. He said no-confidence motions had been tabled against Muslim Speakers like M.A. Bakeer Markar and M.H. Mohamed in the past, but that nobody looked at them in religious or ethnic terms at that time.
This time however, when a no confidence motion was tabled against one Muslim Minister, all Muslim ministers in the government resigned.”
This seems to be ploy on the part of the UNP government to organise and line up all Muslim politicians on one side and to obtain the Muslim vote at the forthcoming presidential elections,” he alleged.
The former President said that the en masse resignations have resulted in the opposition’s no-confidence motion being rendered void and that since public attention has been distracted by the mass resignations, the government has managed to sweep many other issues under the carpet”.
He charged that the Central Bank bond scam has been forgotten, the debt crisis has been forgotten and also that some of those injured in the Easter Sunday attacks are still in hospital but they too have been forgotten.
There is now no talk about extremists. The searches have stopped. The discovery of weapons has ceased. There is no talk of the steps being taken with regard to the terrorist suspects arrested.”
Thus, the government has killed about a hundred birds with one stone,” he said.
Rajapaksa also accused the UNP of making good use” of the Muslim community for their political purposes and claimed the UNP needs the votes of the moderates as well as the extremists within the Muslim community.
They don’t care where their votes come from.”
The Muslim leaders for their part, want a government they can manipulate at will. But this confluence of interests will not solve the problem that the ordinary Muslims of this country face today,” he said.
He stated that the ordinary people of the country want protection from extremists terorists and that the ordinary Muslims in the country want to weed out the terrorists from their midst and to resume their normal lives.
The Opposition Leader said that Buddhists, Hindus and Christians are joining hands in a common endeavour against that terrorism and that moderate Muslims should not be isolated from this unity of purpose that is being forged.
He said that Muslim religious leaders and intellectuals have admitted that as a result of the extremist ideologies that came into this country from outside, the Sri Lankan Muslim community had gradually isolated themselves from the rest of Sri Lankan society.
Due to the emergence of exclusively Muslim political parties from the 1980s onwards, Muslims isolated themselves in the political sphere as well. The en masse resignation of Muslim Ministers marks a high point in this process.”
Rajapaksa said that even M.H.M. Ashroff, who was the first to form an exclusively Muslim political party, later realised his mistake and towards the end he formed a political party that was open to all communities called the National Unity Alliance. But after his death, this trend towards integration stopped and the isolationist trend gained momentum.”
He added that due to the fact that Muslim political leaders are completely dependent on the Muslim vote, they need the votes of the extremists within their community as well.
The Opposition Leader stated that Muslim extremism spread throughout the country because the Muslim leaders were unable to oppose it.
There is the oft heard charge that the Muslim leaders speak of reconciliation in Sinhala but spread the message of communalism in Tamil. Islamic extremism has gained traction in this country due to that kind of politics,” he claimed.
Rajapaksa further said that the spread of extremist ideologies among the Muslim population in this country did not take place all of a sudden and that it took place over a number of years, in the midst of heated debates, threats, exchange of fisticuffs, the burning of mosques, the burning of houses and even murder.
Even in the midst of all that, Muslim political leaders provided patronage to the extremists and allowed them to flourish,” he said, adding that after the Easter Sunday bombings, Muslim leaders said that they never thought something as serious as this would happen.
Be that as it may, we now have to find a solution for what has happened. The people of this country will never tolerate terrorism. This extremist terrorism will have to be destroyed by whatever means necessary.”
He said that due to the JVP’s terrorism, Sinhala persons were arrested, Sinhala homes and temples were searched. Due to LTTE terrorism Tamil persons were arrested, Tamil homes and kovils were searched. If a terrorism that has emerged from within the Muslim community is to be crushed, Muslim individuals will have to be arrested, Muslim homes and mosques will have to be searched, he said.
Anyone who says that terrorism can be crushed without such measures, is not being truthful.”
Rajapaksa said that terrorism based on religion may be a new thing to Sri Lanka, but it’s a very familiar menace in all Muslim majority countries. The vast majority of Muslims in the world are moderates. In all the Muslim majority countries from Indonesia and Malaysia through Oman, Dubai and up to Morocco, the vast majority of Muslims live ordinary lives like we do.”
Adherents of other religious live in large numbers in most Muslim majority countries and they are secure to the extent that religious extremism has been suppressed in the country concerned,” he pointed out.
As in the case of Sri Lanka, religious extremism is the biggest enemy of the worldwide Muslim community, he stressed. This is the main tool used by imperialists to destroy Muslim countries.”
Rajapaksa said that imperialist powers have already destroyed Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libiya and Yemen by promoting religious extremism in those countries. He said that the extremist terrorism that has now come into this country will not do the local Muslim community any good.
I hope the danger of isolating local Muslims from other communities in this country would have dawned on our Muslim leaders at least at this late stage.”
The Opposition Leader said that all other communities must get together and protect the moderate Muslims at this juncture and that every Muslim for his part should use his own reason and eschew narrow religion based politics.
He said that change should come from within the Muslim community. When the people of different communities in this country are uniting against terrorism, we expect the moderate Sri Lankan Muslim community to join them, following the example set by the vast majority of the global Muslim community, Rajapaksa said.
I wish to emphatically state before the people of Sri Lanka that terrorism will not be allowed to exist in this country under a government led by me,” he said in conclusion.
Former Western Province Governor Azath Salley claims that terrorist leader Zahran Hashim’s group torched 120 houses belonging to traditional Muslims in Kattankudy in the Eastern Province in 2017, however the police did nothing regarding that.
He said that the people living in the area took to the streets and protested demanding the arrest of Zahran, but even then they didn’t arrest him.
They did nothing. The OIC who was preparing to arrest him was transferred immediately,” he said, testifying before the Parliamentary Select Committee probing the Easter Sunday attacks.
Salley also claimed that from 2005 onwards, the Police and the Thowheed Jamath completely worked together. That has to be said clearly. The Thowheed Jamath and the Police worked together.”
He also alleged that traditional Muslims who went and filed complaints with the police against them were either chased away or arrested.
Zahran was just allowed to go free.”
The former Governor further said that during a visit to Batticaloa by the President a week or so before the bombings, he had spoken to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara regarding the Thowheed Jamath’s activities.
Salley said that he informed the Police Chief that a section of the Sri Lanka Thowheed Jamath (SLTJ) had broken away and formed its own group, Ceylon Thowheed Jamath (CTJ). He said that he informed the IGP that this group is going into the Malwana area, which is traditionally a Muslim area, and that there can be a problem.
They have taken a house and conducting prayers. The area’s people have started objecting but they have assaulted them,” he told the PSC.
Salley said that the IGP called the ASP in charge of the area and asked what is the problem and to stop this happening.
Do you know what reply the ASP gave him? ‘We can’t stop anybody doing any prayers at home’,” he said.
He said these groups always went to areas where they were not going into the mosques, and that they were buying places.
How did this money come into the country? How did this Thowheed Jamaath buy all these properties? All their mosques were illegal. Where is the Wakf (Board)? Where is the Muslim department?”
They can’t conduct prayers without the mosque being Waqfed.”
So there was a big lapse there also,” he said, adding that when traditional Muslims went before anybody to make any complaints, nobody looked at it.
Former Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa could be the next presidential candidate, according to SLPP MP Basil Rajapaksa.
He mentioned this following a meeting with the Chairman of the Elections Commission along with Party Secretaries and representatives, today (11).
Commenting to the media, Basil Rajapaksa stated that the Elections Commission has made a promise on holding the elections today as well as on earlier occasions.
He also said that there might be a Presidential election soon and that a suitable candidate will appear on time.
That candidate might be Gotabaya Rajapaksa as well, he further said.
The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) said today the government had ceased to function in the wake of President Maithripala Sirisena refusing to convene the weekly Cabinet meeting.
He is reported to have informed the ministers that there would be no Cabinet meeting until the Parliament Select Committee (PSC) on Easter Sunday attacks was called off.
SLPP Chairman G.L. Peiris said no Cabinet meetings meant there was no government.
There will be no cabinet meetings until the PSC is called off. Meanwhile, Speaker says the PSC will not be stopped. The United National Party, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and the Tamil National Alliance say in unison that the PSC should continue. The only solution to this stand off is going for an early general election after dissolving the parliament by way of a resolution passed in Parliament with a two-thirds majority,” he said.
Responding to a statement by an NGO that both the President and the Prime Minister should step down making way for a caretaker government headed by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, Prof. Peiris said the Speaker cannot be considered unbiased and impartial.
He said the NGO had also proposed that the caretaker government should introduce constitutional amendments and abolish the executive presidency.
A caretaker government cannot bring in constitutional amendments. Only a government which has a public mandate can do so. It is not practical to abolish the executive presidency at this juncture and it is not the time to go ahead with the 20th amendment. We won’t support it in the current scenario,” he said. (
SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara admitted that the differences between the President and the government were widening by the day with another looming crisis in the absence of today’s Cabinet meeting.
Mr. Jayasekara criticised the questioning of former SIS Chief Sisira Mendis by the Parliamentary Select Committee and the answers given by him.
He told the weekly news briefing that the whole purpose of the PSC was to embarrass President Maithripala Sirisena but the way the sensitive information on intelligence was exposed through the media has put national security at risk.
The MP said the government, the joint opposition and the SLFP approved the appointment of a PSC to inquire into the allegations contained in the no-confidence motion against Rishad Bathiudeen. But the JO and SLFP members resigned when the government arbitrarily included matters relating to the Easter Sunday attack.
He said the UNP members of the PSC had no moral right to question ex-DIG Mendis as most of them are from the national list.
The PSC’s summoning of intelligence officers and questioning them is sub-judice because about half a dozen of court cases have been filed against the PSC probe. It also violates Parliament Standing Orders. It is sad to note that the PSC had met even today ignoring President’s request. The probe on intelligence and security matters and intelligence officers exposing sensitive evidence before the media is not only a disadvantage to litigants but a threat to national security. The Attorney General has also written to the Speaker on this matter,” the MP said.
He claimed that Mr. Mendis as the most senior intelligence officer had failed to do his duty and prevent the Easter Sunday carnage.
“Instead of performing his duties he left for Singapore on April 13 and returned on the 16th. Former defense secretary Hemasiri Fernando was in Diyatalawa. They had failed to inform the President on the impending threat, which is a major lapse on their part. But the select committee is trying hard to pin the blame on the President,” the MP said.
He said the sole aim of the select committee was to sling mud at President Sirisena and all its questioning are directed to tarnishing his image.
In a hard hitting speech, Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa said today the UNP was making good use of the Muslim community for their political purposes, especially aimed at the presidential election, while Muslim leaders, completely dependent on Muslim votes, want a government they could manipulate.
He said this at his official residence in Colombo while urging the leaders of the country and of the Muslim community to act in a responsible and circumspect manner.
All of us should understand that everything that we see happening now is directly connected to the presidential election that is due to be held in a few months. The present government is seeking to retain the Muslim vote base that they organised around themselves using various stratagems before 2015,” Mr. Rajapaksa said.
He said the Opposition tabled a no-confidence motion against one minister on the grounds that he had connections with the terrorists responsible for the Easter Sunday attacks.
However, all Muslim ministers resigned. This seems to be ploy on the part of the UNP government to organise and line up all Muslim politicians on one side and to obtain Muslim votes at the presidential elections. The UNP is making good use of the Muslim community for their political purposes. The UNP needs the votes of the moderates as well as the extremists within the Muslim community. They don’t care from where their votes come from. The Muslim leaders, for their part, want a government they can manipulate at will. But this confluence of interests will not solve the problems that the ordinary Muslims face. The ordinary people of this country want protection from extremist terrorists. The ordinary Muslim folk want to weed out the terrorists from their midst and to resume their normal lives,” Mr. Rajapaksa said.
He said a brutal terrorism that targets the followers of other religions has emerged from within the Muslim community today.
Buddhists, Hindus and Christians are joining hands in a common endeavor against that terrorism. Moderate Muslims should not be isolated from this unity of purpose that is being forged. Muslim religious leaders and intellectuals have admitted that as a result of the extremist ideologies that came into this country from outside, the Sri Lankan Muslim community had gradually isolated themselves from the rest of Sri Lankan society,” he said.
He said due to the emergence of exclusively Muslim political parties from the 1980s onwards, Muslims isolated themselves in the political sphere as well.
My friend M.H.M. Ashraff, who was the first to form an exclusively Muslim political party, later realised his mistake and towards the end he formed a political party that was open to all communities called the National Unity Alliance. But after his death, this trend towards integration stopped and the isolationist trend gained momentum. Due to the fact that Muslim political leaders are completely dependent on the Muslim vote, they need the votes of the extremists within their community as well. Muslim extremism spread throughout this country because the Muslim leaders were unable to oppose it. There is the oft heard charge that the Muslim leaders speak of reconciliation in Sinhala, but spread the message of communalism in Tamil. Islamic extremism has gained traction in this country due to that kind of politics,” he said.
Mr. Rajapaksa said the spread of extremist ideologies among the Muslim population in this country did not take place all of a sudden and it took place over a number of years, in the midst of heated debates, threats, exchange of fisticuffs, the burning of mosques, the burning of houses and even murder.
Even in the midst of all that, Muslim political leaders provided patronage to the extremists and allowed them to flourish. After the Easter Sunday bombings, Muslim leaders said that they never thought something as serious as this would happen. Be that as it may, we now have to find a solution for what has happened. The people of this country will never tolerate terrorism. This extremist terrorism will have to be destroyed by whatever means necessary,” Mr. Rajapaksa said.
Imperialist powers have already destroyed Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libiya and Yemen by promoting religious extremism in those countries. The extremist terrorism that has now come into this country will not do the local Muslim community any good. I hope the danger of isolating local Muslims from other communities in this country would have dawned on our Muslim leaders at least at this late stage. All other communities must get together and protect the moderate Muslims at this juncture. Every Muslim for his part should use his own reason and eschew narrow religion based politics. That change should come from within the Muslim community. When the people of different communities in this country are uniting against terrorism, we expect the moderate Sri Lankan Muslim community to join them, following the example set by the vast majority of the global Muslim community. I wish to emphatically state before the people of Sri Lanka, that terrorism will not be allowed to exist in this country under a government led by me.”
Politics may jeopardise investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks, Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said last Saturday at a function held in Akmeemana.
We see difference of opinion with regard to investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks. Politicians sabotaging important investigations seems to be part of the Sri Lankan culture. Therefore, one cannot be satisfied with the investigations,” he said.
Cardinal Ranjith said violence had made Sri Lanka a pool of blood since independence and that such an unfortunate situation was created by politicians.
The Easter Sunday bombings do not seem to have been planned hastily. It looks like the attackers have been planning the carnage for several years. Therefore, it is vital to conduct thorough investigations to uncover the truth,” he said.
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption yesterday (11), informed Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratna that as the probe into the bribe case involving the former Chief of the President’s Staff, Dr. Kusumdasa Mahanama and the former Chairman of the State Timber Corporation Piyadasa Dissanayaka has been concluded, they will shortly indict them at the Colombo High Court.
A complaint had been lodged at the Commission in this regard by Indian national K. Nadaraja who is an employee of M.G. Sugar Lanka Private Limited.
The Commission had nabbed the two suspects, when they were in the process of obtaining the bribe at a car park of a luxury hotel in Colombo during last year.
The suspects were arrested by the Commission for allegedly soliciting a bribe of Rs 20 million from an Indian businessman to transfer machinery and equipment belonging to the Kantale Sugar Factory.
The suspects had initially sought a bribe of Rs 540 million and had later reduced the amount to Rs 100 million.
The suspects were apprehended while accepting an initial payment of Rs 20 million.
By Shiran Ranasinghe and W.K. Prasad Manju Courtesy Ceylon Today
With weekly Cabinet Meetings not taking place, the main Opposition led by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday, called on the Government led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to move a resolution seeking the dissolution of Parliament to prevent the country from anarchy.
President Maithripala Sirisena, at a Special Cabinet Meeting summoned last Friday, threatened not to summon Cabinet Meetings, if the Government was adamant about continuing with the Parliamentary Select Committee appointed to look into the Easter Sunday attacks.
As a result of this stand-off between the Executive and the Legislature, the Government cannot continue. Without Cabinet Meetings to take decisions, the country will come to a standstill.
If the Government is planning on moving such a resolution, the Joint Opposition will support it, Opposition Leader Rajapaksa said, adding that the public must be given the chance to elect a strong government.
Rajapaksa also said he was in the process of writing the same to the President and Speaker Karu Jayasuriya to make necessary arrangements to dissolve Parliament and go for snap polls.
He noted that the President’s refusal to take part in Cabinet Meetings will deal a severe blow to the economy, as vital decisions regarding it cannot be either taken or approved, without the intervention of the President.
He affirmed that the only solution to the current political imbroglio was to call for a snap General Election, and allow the people to elect a stable government, to put the country back on track.
Meanwhile, MEP Leader Dinesh Gunawardena and SLPP Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris, during Media briefings held yesterday, also shared similar sentiments and called for the dissolution of Parliament.
At
the time of gaining independence many political parties, which are now
operating in the country as separate parties were united except Marxist
parties, which were persistent to achieve a just society considering the
liberation for proletarians. The
attention of Marxist parties was limited to proletarians or working class
except for farmers. However, the unity of political parties ended with the
separation of Mr. Bandaranaike, who had the interest to become a leader of the
country uniting sanga, weda, guru, govi and camkaru. Some attitudes promoted by
Mr. Bandaranaike laid the foundation to disunite people and political parties
of the country. There is no argument
that the policies of Mr. Bandaranaike were vital to the country at that time as
the wind of freedom was blowing throughout the world against colonialism.
Policies of Mr. Bandaranaike were hugely beneficial to the country, especially
they opened the leadership and participation of rural people in administration
and significant functional areas of the country.
However,
the dynamism began in the early 1970s and created unexpected problems and
narrowed the policy differences among political parties. All political parties had to accept realities
and adapt to the new environment. Now
the policies of political parties are similar, and especially, policies of
political parties represented by Sinhala people, who are 75% of the total
population of the country, are analogous and the disunity of Sinhala people
basis of political parties has created many problems to the country. Therefore,
it is essential to initiate talks between parties to combine UNP, SLFP, and
SLPP to a single party. This does not
mean that the unity of major political parties disregards the Tamil and Muslim
Parties. Like in India, Hindus networked to Janata Party, Sri Lanka needs creating
UNPP (United National Podujana Peramuna) party to tackle all internal problems.
The
Easter Sunday attacks to churches and tourist hotels did massive damage to
Islam faith and Muslim community in Sri Lanka since the inception of Islam
faith in the country because Muslim people cannot say that the incident has not
happened and suicide bombers were not belonging to Islam faith. It was a true
incident, that has been recorded in many documents and future generations could
refer to it and study it. Now the
incident has recorded in history and it cannot remove from history. In addition, Muslim people have incurred
massive economic losses as many consumers in the country, Sinhala people
reluctant to associate with the business of Muslim people. In this background, Sinhala people force
major political parties to unite and work together to remove the threat from
Sri Lanka’s soil.
The
building of unity shouldn’t be like 2015 Yahapalana unity, it should be broader
agreement with policy and programs and leadership should be given to a combine
leaders of three parties and it may be a new form of leadership that did not
exist in the world but it will not be a utopian style and it will be a truth in
this planet.
During
the period of the achievement of independence and after several decades
political parties in Sri Lanka had been maintaining policy differences in
relation to the management of the economy, especially they were focused on the
public enterprises’ management and the ownership of investments. Those ideas and policies were foregone years
and the modern environment forces all political parties to be in uniform in
relation to economic policies. In the
political side, it appears that minor difference but they are easily removable.
Religious and all other policies are similar and in such an environment why
political parties opted to be separated than uniting to single party with a view
to teaching a lesson to all citizens of the country that uniting political
parties can produce an excellent model to the country and the world that a just
society could be made of united political environment that isolates working of
divided political parties.
Past
leaders of political parties had family hegemony with a view to continuing it,
however, the history of Sri Lanka clearly demonstrates that family hegemony was
a temporary concept and utopia of present leaders. The Current parliamentary system seems to be
exist some ruins of past ideology and burring past ruins is the responsibility
of modern leaders and people.
Our
President Sirisena has donated the Samadhi Buddhist Statue to Prime Minister
Modi. I have heard from my mother never to give a Buddha Statue (
Budu Pilima) as a gift to another.
According
to her giving Buddha Statue could bring Bad Omen to both the Giver and the
Receiver.
The
following is an extract from the Paranormal Forum:
My
mother became very fond of Buddha statues after her trip to India and in 2006
she purchased a 40 inch statue here in South Africa. Over the next few months
some negative events took place at the house. The first event was the geyser
had burst, and then a few other small things around the house began to give
problems.
Our
neighbor came over the one day and explained to us that it’s apparently bad
luck to purchase a Buddha statue for yourself, it has to be given to you as a
gift. Anyway, we disregarded that as a little myth but events got worse. The
house was broken into and we were cleaned out of just about everything, and my
folk’s business began to hit rock bottom and had to close down. At this point
we still did not relate these events to the statue, but then two of our dogs
suddenly got ill and died of organ failure (which the vet could not find the
cause of).
We decided to humor the idea that the statue could be bringing bad luck, so we
decided to give it to my grandmother as a gift to put in her garden. After
doing so these bad events stopped almost immediately and nothing bad happened
at my gran’s place after the statue was moved there.
One very strange event took place the day we removed the statue, though. Just
before we took it to the car, our Great Dane was staring at the statue in an
alert manner, the hair on her back and neck were standing up and she was growling
menacingly at this statue. We have other statues in our garden and she’s never
done this with any of them.
To this day, I have yet to conclude whether the events that took place were
coincidence or not, but after seeing how the dog reacted to the statue, and how
the events just stopped suddenly, could there be a bit of truth behind what my
neighbor had told us? “
Nihal Jayawickrama has written
recently claiming the post of President will be merely ceremonial when
President Sirisena vacates office. The government will implement policies and
programmes of the prime minister and his Cabinet ministers (all of them
parliamentarians). The president will be notified of decisions. Though the
president will retain some powers like declaration of war, appointment of
ambassadors, etc. all these can be disrupted by the Cabinet of ministers by
withholding resources. These are mere fabrications of reality.
In truth, the next president will
have all the powers of President Sirisena until February 2020 and upon the
election of a new parliament (at a time of the next president’s choosing) the
president will get a Cabinet of his choice to implement his policies and
programmes.
This is by no means a justification
of the disastrous executive presidency that ruined this nation. Executive
presidency must be totally removed. However, the reality is it is as strong as
ever and there are no Constitutional provisions or transitional arrangements to
reduce the powers of the president from what President Sirisena now enjoys.
As a legal expert, I can state these
very clearly and with responsibility.
Claim 1: Under Article 45, only a Member of Parliament
may be appointed a Minister
There
is no such provision.
Article
45. (1) The President may, on the advice of the Prime Minister, appoint from
among Members of Parliament, Deputy Ministers to assist Ministers of the
Cabinet of Ministers in the performance of their duties.
It
does not prevent the president from retaining any of the ministries. He may
appoint a MP to become a minister for a subject or he may not appoint one and
retain it. What can anybody do about it? Absolutely nothing.
However,
what is more important is the President’s position in regards to the Cabinet
and the Prime Minister.
Article
42 (3) The President shall be a
member of the Cabinet of Ministers and shall be
the Head of the Cabinet of Ministers.
(4)
The President shall appoint as Prime
Minister the Member of Parliament, who, in the President’s opinion,
is most likely to command the confidence of Parliament.
The
last provision remains unchanged. This is how Premadasa (1978), Wijetunga
(1989), Rathnasiri (1999), Mahinda (2004), Jayarathna (2010) and Mahinda (2018)
were appointed Prime Minister by the president. The next president can do the
very same and no one can question his opinion.
The
President as Head of Cabinet can implement his policy and remove ministers who
do not implement his policy the way he wants it implemented.
Article
43. (1) The President shall, in
consultation with the Prime Minister, where he
considers such consultation to be necessary, determine the number of Ministers
of the Cabinet of Ministers and the Ministries and the assignment of subjects
and functions to such Ministers.
Thereafter,
the president may totally disregard the prime minister in deciding how many
ministries should be there and how to assign them.
Article
43 (3) The President may at any time
change the assignment of subjects and
functions and the composition of the
Cabinet of Ministers. Such changes shall not affect the continuity of the
Cabinet of Ministers and the continuity
of its responsibility to Parliament.
So,
the President can remove minister at will and there is absolutely nothing
anybody can do about it. The need to consult the PM is optional. Poor PM!
India’s Constitution does not allow this right to the President. President
Gopallawa didn’t have this right.
Claim 2: In terms of Article 42, which the 19th Amendment
appears to have overlooked, the next President will continue to be the Head of
the Cabinet of Ministers”. This probably means that he may chair meetings of
the Cabinet, as the Speaker does meetings of Parliament
As
explained above, the President decides the subjects of ministries and who hold
what ministry and change his mind as frequently as he possibly can. There is
nothing that hinders him. Equating the President as Head of the Cabinet to the
Speaker of parliament in terms of the power to control its affairs is way off
reality. After all the ministers have been appointed and assigned ministries by
the president. The Speaker does not appoint the parliament! The parliament
appoints the Speaker.
Claim 3: [The President] may offer his opinion on Cabinet
Memoranda and even initiate a discussion on a subject close to his heart.
What he will not be able to do is seek to implement his policy” in respect of
a particular subject, since that would be to trespass on the territory of a
duly appointed Cabinet Minister to whom that subject has been assigned.
It
is easier than that. If the minister fails to implement the policy of the
president, the latter simply removes the ministry from him and assigns it to
someone else willing to implement the president’s policy or keeps it without
assigning it. End of story. There is nothing a MP would do to get and retain a
ministry. Fearing the loss of the ministry, all ministers including the prime
minister will implement the policy of the president. Otherwise none of them
will be able to face their wife and relatives let alone the voters!
Claim 4: The 19th Amendment has already: (i) removed the
legal immunity enjoyed by the President, etc.
Not
so. There is no provision that brings the president under the purview of the
parliament or the Supreme Court. That would be the legislature trespassing into
the territory of the Executive and the Judiciary so doing. If 19A so proposed,
it would have been struck down by the Supreme Court. In fact, certain
provisions of the bill were struck down by the Supreme Court as they sought to
trespass into other branches of the government. The surviving little of the 19A
are harmless to the executive power of the president.
Claim 5: [The President] may declare war. However, his
declaration of war will not be effective or operational unless the Minister of
Defence provides the necessary manpower and weaponry to engage in warfare.
It
is far easier than that. Change the minister and appoint from the vast
parliament of 225 willing MPs a minister who carries out the policy of the
president or retain the subject of defence to himself. Given the near $2
billion worth of the ministry, the minister will be only too willing to keep it
and do what the president says than lose it by non-compliance.
Claim 6: Has no one yet realized that under the 19th
Amendment, the process of replacing presidential government with parliamentary
government will reach fruition on the day that President Sirisena ceases to
hold office?
There
are no such transitional provisions in the Constitution. I challenge anyone to
show such provisions. President Sirisena put a similar matter to the Supreme
Court. He wanted to know if he had 5 years as amended by the 19A or 6 years as
it was when he assumed office. The Supreme Court decided that after 19A, the
president’s term if 5 years and not 6 and there’s no transitional provision. A
similar verdict was given on the president’s ability to dissolve parliament
before 4 and a half years. Sirisena argued that since there was no such
provision in the Constitution when he assumed office, he should not be
subjected to it. The court correctly rejected it. There are no transitional
provisions for or against president Sirisena. The next president enjoys all the
powers President Sirisena enjoys today.
Strangely,
there is no mentioning of the president’s right to pardon convicted criminals
and that includes the president himself. There is no more imaginable power than
this. It means even if the judiciary decides on a felony, the President can
release him.
Another
key power is the president’s ability to declare presidential and parliament
elections. The president will time the election so well to get him the maximum
electoral advantage.
Once again, this is not to be taken
as support for executive presidency. On the contrary, executive presidency is
the bane of Sri Lanka and it must be removed. If it remains, extremist and
racist elements from mono-ethnic political parties will be kingmakers. No
matter who wins the next presidential election, all of them will be in his
Cabinet doing the very same thing. Foreign powers will manipulate the executive
president to get things done without impinging on the legislative sovereignty
of the people exercised by parliament. In July 1987 only one MP was by the side
of the president when India invaded the island nation. But the president
implemented the Indian agenda through parliament by locking them up in hotels
until they passed 13A.
One presidential hopeful has said a new constitution will be
presented to the people for a vote and upon passing it by the people, it will
be the constitution of the country. This is a valid claim as the people can
exercise direct democracy. Elected representatives are only the representatives
(agents) of the people and there is nothing that can take away the nation’s sovereignty
that is owned by the people and only delegated to the president, the parliament
and the judiciary. The agent can never take away the power of the principal.
The Principal can at any time take back any power delegated to the agent. This
is related to yet another power of the president – the power to call a
referendum where the parliament’s legislative power and the judiciary’s
judicial power are overridden by the people.
No
doubt, recent resignation of government Muslim MPs from their portfolios,
helped to widen the gap between the Muslim and Sinhala communities. It was
unexpected and no body asked for all of them to resign. Ven Rathana Thero
demanded only Eastern Province Governor Hizbulla, Western Province Governor
Azath Salley and Minister Rishad Bathiudeen to resign. Joint opposition brought
a no-confidence motion against only
Minister Rishad Bathiudeen. But in solidarity with Minister Rishad Bathiudeen,
all the Muslim MPs resigned en block. It is sad to see even Mr. Kabir Hashim,
who publicly accused a Muslim politician for interfering with the Wanathavilluwa
investigations, joined in hands with the solidarity group for Mr. Rishad Bathiudeen.
Now
it is perfectly clear that this is a temporary move to allow some time to
settle the dust and then start the same game again. Sri Lanka Muslim Congress
leader, Mr. Rauff Hakeem gave only a month to prove any allegation against any
of his colleagues. Is this a practical challenge? No way. Even a kid can
understand the plan is to reinstate them
in their former positions after few months. We haven’t forgotten what happened
with Tilak Marapana and Ravi Karunanayake. These politicians still think we are
idiots.
As
a positive gesture for the people’s demand, rather than giving time frames for
public to prove his colleagues are corrupted, Mr. Hakeem should have asked from
Mr. Rishad Bathiudeen to declare his assets before and after he entered the
politics, at least.
Irrespective
of who comes to the power next, Sri Lanka needs a change as soon as possible.
No body can disagree.
There
is a no confidence motion against the current government in the horizon. If the
Muslim MPs really want to win the hearts of the Sinhalese, best thing they
should do is, stay neutral at this critical point. If the Muslim MPs vote against this motion,
that will be an irreversible mistake
they are going to make in the history.
Hope,
in the name of Allah, they will stay neutral and not miss this golden
opportunity!
A former Sri Lanka diplomat and Foreign Secretary who allegedly
pressurised the Defence Ministry to rush through the Acquisition and Cross
Servicing Agreement (ACSA) between Sri Lanka and the United States is now a US
federal government employee.
Prasad Kariyawasam is employed by the US federal government
backed Agency for International Development (USAID), a federal entity. The
agency’s Colombo office has placed him as an Advisor to Parliament of Sri
Lanka. Erroneously, sometimes Mr Kariyawasam’s appointment has been referred to
as Advisor to the Speaker. The USAID has been periodically helping providing
experts to help Parliamentary Oversight Committees.
As reported in the Sunday Times last week, Sri Lanka’s
Ambassador in Germany, Engineer Karunasena Hettiaratchchi, former Defence
Secretary, told President Maithripala Sirisena on the telephone that Mr
Kariyawasam pressurised him to expedite the ACSA by obtaining Cabinet approval.
The ACSA was signed on August 4, 2017. This was when he was awaiting
observations from the armed forces commanders at that time expressing strong
reservations. Another who mounted pressure on him, Mr Hettiaratchchi told
President Sirisena, was then Foreign Minister
By virtue of his new USAID appointment, Mr Kariyawasam has found
his name in the guest lists of most western diplomatic missions in Colombo.
Last month, he attended a dinner at Jefferson House, the official residence of
the US Ambassador in Sri Lanka, for former envoy Robert O’Blake.
In terms of the ACSA, a large number of US defence and military establishments have been granted access to Sri Lanka, as exclusively revealed in the Sunday Times(Political Commentary) of May 19.
Never
in this country’s history has a government sunk to such a level of degradation
as this MS-RW government.
Venerable
Rathana’s history making walk to Mavil Aru, the roadway that all feared to
tread was the act that led the way for the government forces to unleash their
might against the LTTE. He was the trail blazer. By deciding on his fast unto
death, he has focused the eyes of the Sinhala majority on another trail to be
exploited for this country to be freed from the chains with which it is
enmeshed. That trail is well expressed by the word REVOLUTION. That fast unto
death shook the entire Sinhala majority from its accustomed complacency. The
spirit of revolt was spreading fast by the majority community siding with the
Venerable Thero. The government engaging in its customary procrastination
tactics was shaken to the core. And suddenly things happened. The demanded
resignations took place in the blink of an eye.
To
my mind what that fast unto death brought about was something similar to what
happened by the Marxist revolution of 1953 that sent Dudley and his cabinet
running helter skelter into hiding in a British war ship. Had the expected
resignations not taken place, then the lot of the Sirisena-RW government could
well have been the same.
All
major revolutions in this country, mainly against foreign rule, were led by the
Sangha. Just think of the Panadura debate, and the Kelaniya Declaration. The
monks have always been the custodians of the aspirations of the
Sinhala-Buddhist nation. It was this role the Venerable Rathana successfully
took on himself.
His
eminence the Cardinal was accused by various quarters of inciting religious and
communal hatred by his visit to the venerable thero. His visit to the monks was
a sign of compassion and solidarity. He did not use the occasion to cast
aspersions on the Muslims but on the government. He had in fact protected them
at the risk of his own life at a time when a tsunami of righteous rage
threatened their lives. The thrust of his message was that the government held
office on TRUST for the nation. His
words resonated what Mahinda Thero told Devanam Piyatissa. You are only a
Trustee. You hold office for five or six years said the Cardinal. The country
does not belong to you but to the nation.
This
nation is chained to Western values, among which is a system of democracy that
is totally inappropriate and unsuited to our condition as a multi-lingual,
multi-religions, and a multi-ethnic country. And then there is the sword of
‘human rights’ that the West holds over the country’s head. The Cardinal had on
previous occasions decried the notion of human rights as the lens through which
we were looked at by the west. The Cardinal pointed out that our religions were
sufficient path indicators to the nation and that they were in practice long
before the West discovered the idea of human rights. The Cardinal has
repeatedly warned, even as late as this very evening, that our system and
practices of governance has brought our country to the brink of
self-annihilation.
The
venerable thero had by his act opened the gates to a popular revolution. It
would be a revolution that ushered a new system of governance. This country is
one with a Sinhala majority, be they Buddhist or Christian. But since
independence it is the minority communities branding themselves with ethnic,
religious and linguistic branded names that hold the majority to ransom. This
system of parliamentary democracy is meant to divide and destroy the majority
community. It is a system that gives absolute leverage for the minorities over
the Sinhala nation.
This
system cannot be changed by the very system that has enchained it. Only a
revolution can do to. That revolution will not be a military one as the
military itself functions within the same subjugating system. That change can
only come through a revolution. That revolution can only be a RELIGIOUS
revolution. Such a religious revolution can only be set in motion by religious
leaders This was the crux of Rathana Thero’s unto death fast. By his presence
at his bed side, the Cardinal was assuring the monk of his support. We will
walk towards such a goal side by side, holding each other’s hands as we are now
doing, was what he said through his actions.
Ratana
Thero’s fast unto death and the Cardinal’s pledge of solidarity and support
MUST open a new era in the Sinhala nations thinking. This government must go.
This parliamentary system must go. Its institutions must go. In short the
British inspired constitution must go. What we need most of all is SECURITY,
not the democracy model that caters to minority ambitions and power stakes, and
to western aspirations and power politics as frequently warned by the Cardinal.
The Sinhala majority is a helpless community caught by the tail that is its
government, and wagged at the will of minorities (openly flouting their
religious, linguistic and racial identities), for their purposes and benefits. What
the Sinhala nation wants is a Revolution which will be a Revolt in the Temple
with which the country’s far sighted Cardinal has joined hands.
If
Hizbullah claim that it is big nation ,they should all go to the ISIS dream country and live .May be in Africa
or in Death Valley Nevada UN can form a ISIS ( Renamed to some other name like
Republic of Islam )
President of Sri Lanka should not tolerates
such people who aggravates the current impasse between Muslim and other Sri
Lankan consisting many nationalities
It
was reported that an individual from Polonnaruwa had proven his innocence to a
traffic cop by dropping the sarong he was wearing. The incident is as follows;
A young man had gone
to a nearby filling station in his lorry to get a barrel of fuel when his
tractor ceased due to fuel exhaustion when ploughing the paddy field. On his
return, he had been stopped by a policeman who was on traffic duty to check for
his insurance certificate and driving licence. After he had produced the
relevant documents, the policeman had taken out his notebook and recorded
certain remarks allegedly to file a case against the driver. When he had
inquired as to what offence he committed, the policeman had told that he was
using his mobile phone while driving. Denying the claim saying he did not have
a phone, the drivers had told he would accept any penalty if a phone was found
in his possession. When the cop had not found a phone after checking the driver
and searching his vehicle, he had asked the driver if he were wearing knickers
to which he responded “no” and to prove it, exposed himself by
dropping his sarong. He had then been released with a warning. (K.G.
Karunaratne)
Note
During the last few
weeks we have seen and heard many incidents where lot of people were
caught pants down .
In place of the pants
in is the sarong which was dropped to show his nakedness
In today’s context PSC
is trying hell bent to catch their leaders sarong down.
Only difference when
sarong is down , you are named and shamed
But the leaders were
trying to lift the sarong up and say so what ?”
I remember a small
incident when I was running the shipyard . I was walking around the yard just
before workers lay down the tools finishing their shift to ensure that none of
the workers are in changing rooms before the siren indicating end of the
shift
I was looking up the
windows of the changing room to ensure that they are empty.
One young man was
standing by one of the glass windows with his sarong down towards me! Giving the
message that I do not bloody care
I looked at his Crown
Jewels and Shouted Yakko, umdata oya thiyana ekata wada loku ekkak mata
thiyanawa”
He slowly retreated
Leaders should not
stand and watch that their sarong is down but lift it and say go to
hell I am innocent
That may be why the
leader has said I am not obliging to send any of my men to be crucified with a
motive to catch me with sarong down
International Terrorist Analyst Prof. Rohan Gunaratne says that three extremist terrorist groups were active in Sri Lanka.
He made these comments addressing a seminar on ISIS terrorism in Colombo.
He further said that suicide terrorists believe in five main objectives to become a suicide bomber. They are;
1. That they will be entering heaven instantaneously 2.That they will become members of the divine community there, 3.That all the mistakes and sin will be forgiven 4. 70 relatives can also be taken to heaven 5. That 72 virgins will be waiting for them
COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s battered tourism industry is trying to woo visitors back to beaches deserted after deadly Easter bombings, slashing hotel rates and pushing promotions in key markets like Russia.
Tourism, which accounts for 5% of Sri Lanka’s gross domestic product, tanked after Islamist bombers on April 21 attacked luxury hotels and churches, killing 250 people, including 40 foreigners.
England, India and the United States were among countries that issued travel advisories for Sri Lanka, a diverse island with pristine beaches, ancient Buddhist temples, and lush hills that Lonely Planet selected as its top 2019 destination.
Those advisories contributed to a flood of cancellations and a drop in bookings just as the monsoon-dominated low season was beginning.
To lure tourists back, Sri Lanka is hosting international sporting events and has mothballed a rule on minimum rates for hotel stays. State-owned SriLankan Airlines is offering special fares and pushing joint promotions with the government’s tourism board. Some hotels are waiving corkage fees on day trips, while tour groups are offering free airport pickups.
Lavanga Resort & Spa in the southern beach resort of Hikkaduwa, for example, is offering rooms for $35 instead of the usual $75 – with free breakfast. Travel agents are promoting the offer in Russia, with some success.
We have offered rock bottom rates for foreigners. We are getting bookings for the winter season,” said Lavanga’s managing director, Anusha Frydman.
Reservations for the next few months remain tepid, however, with occupancy around 10% versus 30% last year.
But some tourists are lapping up a dream vacation on the cheap.
I secured a six-night stay in a plush southern hotel for $200 which included complimentary ayurvedic treatment,” said 52 year-old Leif Ohlson from Sweden.
Data suggests more and more foreigners are emulating him.
A daily average of 1,400 to 1,500 foreign visitors are currently in Sri Lanka, up from 1,000 recorded immediately after the attacks, said Kishu Gomes, the head of the Tourism Bureau.
That is still down from around 4,500 last year, but with countries including India and China lifting their travel advisories, officials are optimistic.
We are expecting the recovery to commence. It is too early to say how fast and to what level it will be,” Gomes said.
A rebound could not come fast enough, however, especially for smaller hotels.
Lots of hotels have curtailed operations and shut down wings. They may have reduced or laid off (staff),” said Sanath Ukwatta, the president of the Hotels Association of Sri Lanka. He said he did not have any immediate data, however.
Leader of the Muslim Congress MP Rauff Hakeem, said that he believes that MP Wimal Weerawansa is the only person who spoke about the people related to extremism knowing the truth, and he has done the correct thing, at the correct time.
He said so while participating in the ‘Hard Talk’ programme of Hiru TV, and the discussion with the MP is as follows:
Were you in Cabinet when a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) was presented against Ravi Karunanayake?
A: Yes, of course.
Would you have resigned when an NCM was presented against Ravi Karunanayake, like you resigned this time?
A: He resigned according to his will, but MP Rishad was not willing to resign. Therefore, we didn’t have an alternative.
Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera said that a ‘senakeliya’ can be seen in the country if the Ministers did not resign before 12:00 p.m. That was putting pressure on the Muslims. With that, we saw there was a protest by exhibiting black flags. We didn’t have an alternative.
When the Muslim Ministers resigned based on racism, how can you say it was not racist?
A: It is not based on racism. This is important to stop the Muslim youngsters being extremists again.
Is this resignation an example for the Sinhala Ministers?
A: Sinhala Ministers didn’t face this pressure. We had a different pressure. I don’t believe that Zahrans were born internally. He was groomed by an external power.
As Wimal Weerawansa says, is that America?
A: He did the correct thing, at the correct time. He was the only one who spoke, knowing the truth. I can’t speak like him. That is dangerous. We can’t mess up by talking about it. I can’t save my people from a larger disaster than this.
Do you accept that the law of a country should be equal?
A: Now, the question is about private family lives. Now, it is said that the legal age for a marriage should be 18. Islam doesn’t say anything regarding that. This has been made by these people.
If a law is presented to Parliament to ban the burqa forever, would you agree with it?
A: If another race feels any difficulty regarding burqa, we should be ready for it. We should do it voluntarily. Although Mangala Samaraweera says this is not a Buddhist country, we should accept that this country is a Buddhist country.
Mangala Samaraweera says that racism was aroused through the Cardinal’s visit to Ven. Rathana Thera. Do you agree?
A: He is not Mangala Samaraweera if he doesn’t say so. I don’t talk like that, because I can’t be angry with anyone. But for Mangala Samaraweera it was okay. He tells directly.
Though you all resigned, you all are still enjoying perks and privileges?
A: I have returned the vehicles after I resigned. As I don’t have a house in Colombo, I haven’t handed over the quarters. If they ask me to return it, I will do so. There is no problem.
A.J.M. Muzammil accepted the Governorship when you all resigned. Isn’t he a Muslim?
A: He could not have accepted it, but there’s no problem in being symbolic.
By Ranmini Gunasekara and Thameenah Razeek Courtesy Ceylon Today
The tussle between the Executive and the Parliament should come to a stop, as this can lead to another incident such as that of 21/4, said Chairman of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Professor G.L Peiris yesterday (10). He said this at a Media conference held at the Party Headquarters in Battaramulla.
The Parliamentary Select Committee on the Easter Sunday attacks is going on amidst …objections from the President. The Speaker has decided that he will not stop it, whilst the President has clearly asked the Prime Minister and the Speaker to stop this as the PSC can be detrimental to national security. So what happens now? The PSC orders a certain State Intelligence, Police or Army official to attend, but the President orders them not to go and says that those who disobey would lose their jobs. So all this has become quite confusing,” he added.
He further added that both Police and Intelligence officials are now trapped in a tug of war between the President on one side and the Prime Minister and the Speaker on the other.
Meanwhile, the country could face anarchy in the coming days because of the calamity that has arisen between the Executive and the Constitution after the 7 June special Cabinet meeting held under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena, claimed Parliamentarian Dr. Bandula Gunawardena.
Addressing the media, at the Opposition Leader’s office, Dr. Gunawardena on 9 June alleged that the President and the Cabinet had started to quarrel between over the Parliament Select Committee (PSC) probing the Easter Sunday attacks. Dr. Gunawardena emphasised that shedding party differences, all MPs should agree to go for a General Election, with a two-thirds majority. He said that all the MPs should think about the public and allow them to decide their leader.
The President has threatened to boycott all Government activities and meetings until his demand is met. His demand was the suspension of the PSC probing the Easter Sunday attacks. However, according to the Leader of the House and Minister Lakshman Kiriella they have no intention of halting it. So if this continues, any document or Bill that will be presented to the Parliament will be illegal,” he alleged.
Speaking further, Dr. Gunawardena claimed that with the decision of the President, the Government had split and without the Head of the Cabinet, any Cabinet approval will not be legal.
Even the public does not have any clear idea about what is happening and what is going to happen. Some sort of extremists attacked innocent people and the Government could not prevent the carnage. So, morally they should resign their posts and give it for someone who can handle the portfolios. Without doing that, they not only pass the buck but also argue amongst themselves,” he added. Henceforth, every document that is approved by the Cabinet becomes illegal with the decision of President Sirisena to boycott all the activities and meetings until the suspension of the said PSC, claimed MP Sisira Jayakody.
Also addressing the media, Jayakody noted that each and every document should be presented to the Parliament after approval by the Cabinet. He alleged that now there is no legal Cabinet and there will no be legal documents or amendments. Minister Ravi Karunanayake’s daughter Onella Karunanayake gives a statement before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) over allegedly providing false evidence before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Bonds scam. But those officials who questioned her have to answer Ravi Karunanayake’s questions at the PSC,” he added.
Member of Parliament Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has written to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya emphasising that under Clause 74 of the Constitution, Parliament does not have the authority to appoint a Select Committee regarding powers possessed by the Executive in connection with State Security.
In the letter he states that he would like to focus attention on the law that is being currently enforced to punish anyone who reveals any facts, such as official State secrets that have been prohibited to be revealed by any person, that is either by the Speaker, Prime Minister, Ministers or any Parliamentarian and for meting out punishment if found guilty.
Rajapakshe has pointed out under a clause in the Constitution, Parliament does not have the authority to appoint a Select Committee regarding powers possessed by the Executive in connection with State Security.
It is clear, under the Official Secrets Act No. 32 of 1955, the Attorney General does not have the authority to launch any legal provision regarding any officer or person who comes to the Select Committee and refuses to give evidence in connection with something that has been prohibited by law.
In his letter, Dr. Rajapakshe has emphasised that according to that Act, documents, data and information collected by them as well as methods being used by the security forces, being revealed to someone is a criminal offence and under Clause 19 of this Act, the person who does reveal such details could be jailed without even a warrant being issued.
According to Clause 27, definition of the Act, it is an offence for someone who receives a post in the Government on for the mentioned tasks or someone who held such a post previously, revealing State intelligence information or influencing the revelation of such information or aiding and abetting the revealing of such information. That person can be subject to legal action under Clause 22 of that Act and the Attorney General has the authority to file a case. Under Clause 26(1) of that Act, a punishment of one of two types, which is a prison sentence of 14 years or a fine of Rs. 20,000 can be imposed on the offender. If not, both punishments can be meted out and according to Clause 26(2) a prison sentence meted out in two ways, either for 2 years or a fine of Rs 2,000 or both punishments can be imposed.
As the Speaker of the Parliament, you have made arrangements to allow the provisions of the above mentioned Official Secrets Act to be violated in the raw and as a result, if any officer of the Intelligence Division of the Republic of Sri Lanka or any member of their families face a threat to their lives or other danger, legal action can be taken against you and all others who have violated the provisions of the said Act. This will be the responsibility of the Government of Good Governance or the Government that will be elected next,” the letter mentions.
According to statements and announcements you have made or issued from time to time, regarding the above-mentioned Parliamentary Select Committee, it is clear that you are acting without a proper understanding of the authority that has been assigned to the Parliament and to you as the Speaker through the Constitution.
Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has also mentioned in his letter that he did not do this to protect either a Political Party or a group and that he does not represent any such Party or group.
The Parliamentarian has requested the Speaker further not to engage in activities that endanger the lives of people living in this country which is facing anarchy due to the power struggle between the legislature and the Executive.
![අසාද් සාලි පාස්කු බෝම්බ කමිටුව ඔළුවෙන් හිටවයි.. වරද ආණ්ඩුවේ යයි කියයි.. කමිටුව කෝප වී අවස්ථා කිහිපයකම විරුද්ද වෙයි… දැඩි අවවාද කරයි.. [Video]](https://lankacnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/4578799.jpg)
