India has provided Sri Lanka phone numbers of five Sri Lankans who were suspected to be linked to Islamic State (IS).
The Indian Express reported that India has also shared call logs and details of some phone calls which happened between some Indians and two Sri Lankan families who were linked to Easter Sunday attacks which happened on 21 April in Sri Lanka.
A team from National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted investigations in Sri Lanka last week. They have revealed information about several Sri Lankans who had direct connections and communicated with some Indians who were suspected to be Islamic State terrorists through social media.
Indian Ministry of Home Affairs further added that it is unknown whether these people are directly connected to the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka.
Northwestern Province doctors of the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) have decided to launch a protest campaign over several points including protesting Dr. Mohamed Shafi of the Kurunegala Hospital who is currently under arrest.
The protest will be held before the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital this afternoon (12), stated GMOA Northwestern Province Coordinator Dr. Indika Ratnayake.
The protest has been organized based on 10 points including the actions of the accused Dr. Shafi, removal of Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne from his post, he said.
The protest will be held in parallel to the island-wide protest week organized by the GMOA, Ratnayake further said.
Meanwhile, the number of complaints against Dr. Mohamed Shafi, who is accused of allegedly performing illegal sterilization, has surpassed 900.
Dr. Mohamed Shafi, attached to the gynecology and obstetrics section of Kurunegala Teaching Hospital, was arrested on May 24th for allegedly amassing wealth in a suspicious manner. He is being interrogated at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
As the doctor had been charged with illegal sterilization, mothers, who had delivered through Caesarean surgeries under him and experienced complications or inability conceive following the surgery, have been asked to submit their complications to the Dambulla and Kurunegala hospitals.
Accordingly, 943 complaints have been submitted to the hospitals so far.
The committee set up in the Police Head Quarters to receive complaints against Rishad Bathiudeen and M.L.A.M. Hizbullah and Azath Salley has received 21 complaints by 3 pm this evening (12).
Reportedly, 11 of these complaints are against the former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen.
On June 4th, a three-member committee comprising of three senior police officials has been set up at the Police Head Quarters to receive any complaints against former governors M.L.A.M. Hizbullah and Azath Salley and MP Rishad Bathiudeen.
The public was allowed to lodge complaints at the Police Headquarters until 4.00 p.m. this evening (12).
Changing land laws with the entry of
electronics is a breakthrough for our country after a century. However academic
legal community or lawyers from Sri Lanka are not driving the changes, it is
driven by the donors from international organisations, prosperous nations,
paraprofessionals, technologists and politicians. This is not a very healthy
scenario legally.
Ironically, globalisation warrants us to
introduce laws practiced in the prosperous nations, according to the
availability of funds provided by these affluent countries. We change our
laws, merely to reach higher levels in their indices’ example Doing Business
Index, rather than, look into the effect they will have on the future
generations and the professionals of our country.
On the contrary changing land law is very
well managed by their own academic legal professionals in the prosperous
nations. In, European countries, UK, USA, New Zealand Australia and
Scandinavian countries the Professors of law have achieved high level of
performance in this field of change with new legal subjects, hitherto unknown
to us.
A
good example is the introduction of Title Registration [Bim Saviya law] a law
practiced in the prosperous nations for over one hundred years to
replace the land law practiced in Sri Lanka for over a century. The law
was once prevented from being introduced in 1970’s by the intervention of
Justice A. R. B. Amerasinghe which is discussed in this article .
The
difference is that the invaluable legal knowledge from the legal fraternity
makes the difference to determine whether the changes could serve the people of
this country. I refer to the article written by Shenali Wduge, whichhighlights the case of
Bulankulama and six others v. the Ministry of Industrial Development and seven others
– SC (FR) Application No. 884/1999. This case relates to the agreement forexploration
and mining of the richphosphate deposit in
Eppawala, where our erudite & patriotic judges, channeled the
hand of God to save the archaeologically important land, Cultural
Triangle, Sri Maha Bodhiya, Ruwaweli Seya, Jaya Ganga and Yoda Ela ,
The article makes
special mention of the judgment where Hon Justice A.R.B Amerasinghe’s refers e
to Mahawansa where land usage in our country was subject to the rule of law
laid down by the kings of our country, for the benefit of the people.
In
the said case the legal agreement to remove tons of phosphate for the profit of
one generation was set aside with the advanced legal knowledge of our judges
for the benefit of the future generation of our country. The judgment
reiterates as follows ‘Indeed, an hypothesis has been advanced that the
Eppawela deposit was not discovered” in 1971, but was known to our rulers and
people for thousands of years and shared the thought that the deposit should be
utilized. The difference between them and us is how this should be done. The
ingenuity of the rulers gone by, it is suggested, had created a stable and
sustainable agricultural development system harnessing the key natural
resources available within their natural habitat, including the Eppawela
deposit. The natural processes of weathering, microbial activity and
precipitation might have released plant nutrients which were carried overland
by flowing into the rivers as well as permeating into the soil and possibly
reaching underground aquifers. (see Ivan Amarasinghe, Eppawala; Contribution to
Nutrient Flows in the Ancient Aquatic Ecosystems of Rajrata) ‘
As said earlier this
great historian, erudite scholar Hon Justice Amerasinghe had always reflected
on the countries culture and historical background when introducing land laws
to the country.
He intervened when the
World
Bank then referred to as the International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development [ IBRD,], conducted research relating to our land statutes.
According to their report they were out dated old colonial statute.
Further, the laws existing side by side with different
systems of law with, co-ownership, life interest, servitudes such as
right to crops and possessory rights etc, were reasons
for lands to be unmarketable. Their main issue was the
inability for the banks to grant loans as the lands were not marketable. The
remedy recommended was to introduce Title registration” to resolve the
problem; a law that was practiced in the prosperous nations.
Hon Justice Dr A.R.B. Amerasinghe pointed out that Title
registration law” has major issues, it deprives a person of his
fundamental right to access court if the land is affected by fraud, it repeals co-ownership
and possessory rights enjoyed by the people for centuries.
At that time he had the support of the Hon Minister in
charge and the high officials of the Government and the Governor of the Central
Bank to work out a solution; to find a way forward to extend credit facilities
from banks to lands that were unmarketable.
He
made a scholarly contribution with his research to the country’s land law by
formulating a specialized system to facilitate those who did not have
marketable title to land to obtain bank loans. He did not allow changes to the way
people enjoyed their land rights; that is with coownership rights, possessory
rights, access to water through lands etc.
He says in his book on ‘Title Insurance ‘ that,
marketability does not have a universal definition as pointed out by the
IBRD, it is an ethereal sort of thing enshrouded in the mist
of conflicting minds. Marketability of land is affected by the manner in which
customs and habits and practices vary from one community to another. A parcel
of land in Jaffna co-owned with access to wells of another’s land and trees
such as Palmyra were marketable in the area. Lands in Ratnapura will have
gemming rights and access to pits they were marketable. The people in the area
would never say the lands are unmarketable, and if offered for sale there
will be sufficient buyers.
1969 His Excellency the Governor General announced in the
Throne Speech about the new legal process adopted by Justice Amerasinghe
to be introduced in lieu of Title Registration proposed by the World Bank. This
was the first step taken to improve land law after a very long period. In his
book on Title Insurance he mentions Ordinance No 8 of 1863 drafted by legal
experts to be followed to engage in continuous research to establish land Title
registration with our own systems. His research was not continued and
after 20 years the World Bank again introduced Title registration repealing all
the customary laws of our country by Act 21 of 1998.
Difference today is that, when funds are received with foreign
advice land laws are changed. There is no legal intervention to introduce
the knowledge
relating to our cultural heritage, and our ancient administrative
structures which are the higher values that lie behind the
law.
The
question arises as to whether we have lost this bargaining power?
Sri
Lanka’s land laws are changing rapidly; some of the new changes are —.
Land
privatization act ––- amend the Land Development Ordinance of 1935 to give full
control of all Government lands to the recipients, Repeal of Land Reform law
which took control of lands at one time, Land Bank Act,, Title
registration Act 21 of 1998 mentioned above, E Register to function with
the old colonial statute, Act 6 of 2018 with a law to identify owners with
photographs for Trust deeds, Gazette notifications and statutes altering the
position of foreigners buying land from time to time.
Hope
that the younger generation of lawyers will emulate the learned members of the
legal profession who used their legal knowledge; will also commence
research to protect the country’s wealth for the future generations,
specifically as technology is transforming every segment of the
legal ecosystem
Cassandra ends her piece ‘Cry the
Beloved Country’ (The Island/June 7, 2019) with an ominous note contained in
these words, where she refers to herself in the third person, as she usually
does in her weekly column to give her writing a dramatic touch:
Honestly Cassandra has lost hope in the government after seeing
good in it for so very long. She is tired. Hence she jotted down her weekly
ramblings, some with worth, early in the week, to take a rest. Much more will
happen until Friday comes along. Take care of yourself!”
She foresees trouble which, she
seems to hope, will provide her a convenient excuse to continue with her
ramblings. ‘Ramblings’ can be rendered as ‘baila’ in Sinhalese colloquial
parlance. That is what Ven. Galaboda-aththe Gnanasara Thera, the controversial
monk who heads the Bodu Bala Sena organization, in his first meeting with
the media after his release from prison, demanded those in authority to stop,
concerning growing Islamic extremism in Sri Lanka including Wahhabist
terrorism. It is primarily his concerted activism targeting Islamic extremism
beginning with his agitation against halal certification in 2013 that
earned him the undeserved notoriety that dogs him constantly wherever he is or
goes, or whatever he does or says in spite of the absolute righteousness of his
cause. Cassandra’s apprehensions may have at least partly resulted from her
unquestioning acceptance of the bad reputation that detractors uncritically
associate with him.
At his first media briefing as a
free person again, he said bluntly, Baila epa! Talk no more rambling
nonsense!” He spoke words to the effect Let’s get down to brass tacks.
Politicians of the government and the opposition cannot, or have no actual
commitment to, address this issue with earnestness and without hypocrisy. Let
us, the clergy of the nation belonging to all faiths, the Buddhist monks being
the majority among them, handle the problem in a nonpolitical nonviolent way
through our spiritual leadership and through dialogue”. The problem that the
monk is talking about is the same Islamist extremism that the late Alawi
Moulana, a veteran trade union leader and SLFP stalwart, and a past governor of
the western province, warned Sri Lankans against, as early as 2007, as making
inroads into the diverse but peaceful religious fabric of the country with the
help of Saudi money. It is the Sri Lankan face of the global Islamic extremism
that is threatening the whole secular democratic world.
Incidentally, the awkward
Shakespeare adaptation in the subtitle (‘let slipped are the Dogs of Hate’)
is entirely inappropriate in this context because Ven. Gnanasara’s coming
out of jail is not at all likely to lead to communal hate inspired Sinhala
Muslim clashes that are eagerly wished for by those who want to fish in troubled
waters (I am sure Cassandra is informed enough to understand who I mean). Mark
Antony the Roman general, after the assassination of his friend Julius Caesar,
in the Shakespeare play that bears the latter’s name, contemplates avenging the
murder by fomenting violent civil strife, confusion, mischief and chaos in
Rome; he even invokes Caesar’s spirit, that, he imagines
Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice
Cry Havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war,”…….
…………………… .
Ven. Gnanasara never raised his
voice for such a wicked purpose, as a riotous rabble rouser would have done. He
did so only to awaken the political authorities and the Ven. Mahanayake Theras
who were indifferent to his early warnings and pleas about the worsening
danger of religious extremism for their own selfish reasons. It is only the
satanic propaganda that turned him into a hate figure, particularly in the
biased media eyes. It can be seriously suspected that money plays a central
role in it. Otherwise, how could the true situation in this regard be
misrepresented in the press in the distorted manner it usually is?
The fear that the release of Ven.
Gnanasara Thera from prison would cause a conflagration of racial or religious
conflict because of the alleged devilry on his part is entirely misplaced. His
roughneck-like conduct when demonstrating his ‘righteous anger’ at the failure
of politicians successively in power and the leading Buddhist clergy to address
the chronic problem of Christian and Islamic fundamentalist religious invasion
of SrI Lanka’s Buddhist cultural space must now be consigned to the past. (The
idea of righteous anger is, however, alien to the Buddhist teaching). This
cultural infringement (i.e., fundamentalist religious intrusion) is sometimes
done by virulently aggressive methods (e.g., forced conversion of,
particularly, helpless impoverished Buddhists and Hindus in remote rural areas
through blandishments, or by causing ritual desecration of their religious
symbols at their own hands, such as trampling on Buddha statuettes, something
revealed in the public media during the pre-Yahapalana years, as I remember).
Religious subversion is sometimes done in more sophisticated ways in urban
areas, something difficult to criticize or condemn without arousing opposition
both among the proselytizers and the potential proselytes. For example, there
is the case of a Christian Father who preaches well on ethical matters that are
superficially identical between Christianity and Buddhism. He, having
mesmerized a mixed crowd by the manner of his preaching, suddenly exclaims
‘Jesus is the SupremeTruth’!
Now, no two religions agree
totally in terms of their metaphysics, nor in terms of their ethical
principles. The differences between Theravada Buddhism preached/practiced in
Sri Lanka and Catholicism professed by the majority of Sri Lanka’s Christians
are unbridgeable, as the first is based on the idea of Causality, and the
second on Creationism. To ignore these differences is hypocrisy. The audiences
in these programs consist not only of Christians, but Buddhists, Hindus, and
probably others as well. Even Buddhist monks are sometimes present on the stage
with this Catholic Father. If the Buddhists in the audience and the monks on
the stage have an iota of brains, they should realize that what the preacher is
implying is that Buddhists and others who are not Christians are spiritually
deluded, and that his intolerant, totalitarian assertion is not consonant with
his purported desire to generate goodwill among diverse religious communities.
No Buddhists will quarrel with Catholics or Muslims about their beliefs; nor
will they oppose conversion through conviction. But, they will object to them
trying to convert Buddhists by unethical means including force or deception. (
If a courageous monk or layperson, hearing the proselytizing Father’s assertion
of his personal religious belief or conviction, had raised objections, they’d
have been roundly condemned on all sides. Of course, what is ‘unethical’ in a multicultural
context is problematic. So, it is best to avoid such situations in the interest
of religious harmony among the people.)
Ven. Gnanasara Thera’s is an
unimaginably worse predicament than that hypothetical monk’s or lay Buddhist’s.
What he exposed and challenged were infinitely greater and much more public and
even violent instances of fundamentalist aggression. He endeavoured to do this
in the calm and composed way characteristic of a Buddhist monk, without
expecting any reward (‘nissaranadyashayen’ as he puts it); he has no
political or other materialistic ambitions. For many years he tried to alert
the lay Buddhist leaders (politicians in power and those out of power) to the
danger. They (those of both the present and previous governments) didn’t listen
to him, while pretending to do so, because they thought that if they took any
decisive action against the handful of powerful communalists among minority
politicians responsible for questionable acts such as alleged anti-Buddhist
subversion, illegal felling of trees in the state forest reserve in Wilpattuwa,
settling foreign illicit immigrants there, encroaching on and even
vandalizing historic Buddhist places of worship in the North and East, and so
on, they would lose the support of the mainstream Christian and Muslim
communities, which being minorities, naturally tend to form themselves into
‘block vote’ bastions at the instance of opportunistic politicians.
The polity consisting of the
majority community (Sinhalese) cannot behave like this. It is always divided
into rival parties, and at parliamentary elections, under the existing
electoral system, it is extremely rare that a major party is able form a
viable government without the assistance of one or more minority parties, a situation
where the latter become kingmakers despite the insignificance of their
numerical strength. The slightest movement towards redressing the balance in
favour of the disadvantaged majority Sinhalese in any anomalous situation would
invariably earn the label racist or extremist or chauvinist for the individual
Sinhalese or the group behind that initiative. So, the Sinhalese (Buddhists,
particularly) get criticised and condemned as racists, tribalists, etc., while
in reality being victims of the racism, fanaticism, and extremism of others.
This applies to Ven. Gnanasara as well in the performance of the duty that has
historically devolved on him as a Buddhist monk.
Ven. Gnanasara Thera approached
the Ven. Mahanayakes in Kandy and pleaded with them beseechingly, not once, but
several times, and explained to them this problem with video evidence of
outrageous Buddhism-bashing speeches of Wahhabist fanatics, to no avail. Once
the monk led a large procession of well behaved young activists (more than 2000
strong) from Getambe to the Sri Dalada Maligawa, and then they proceeded to the
Malwatu Vihara, the monastery of the Ven. Mahanayake of the Malwatte Chapter.
The Mahanayake, at first, very unfairly, refused him an audience. Later, having
found that they were not ready to leave without seeing him, he allowed Ven.
Gnanasara and a few of his companions to come before him. Nothing resulted from
that meeting also.
The BBS leader wants the Maha
Sangha to assume their historic role as moral leaders without stooping to
politics, and is determined to resolve the Islamic extremist problem through
rational dialogue with the participation of the clergy of other religious
groups (which is what he always wanted to do from 2013 onwards, because even
groups of traditional Muslims, he claims, approached him and pleaded with him
to rescue them from Wahhabist and Salabist extremism). Unlike him the UNP
national list MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera is engaged in a one man
political show (an ostensible crusade against Islamist extremists, though it
is) which, unless he is decent enough to call off in time, and join with the
mainstream Sangha who are being galvanized into action cued by the activism of
Ven. Gnanasara and help form a united Sanga community that speaks with one voice
on matters that come within their purview, is bound to undermine emerging unity
among the clergy of different religions in the face of ISIS terror.
The impression among political
analysts Ven. Ratana is a typical politician and a pragmatic political strategist
(Pragmatism is amoral, or rather immoral). That he is clever at dissembling was
evident to the less gullible onlookers during his fake ‘fast unto death’ before
the Sri Dalada Maligawa. It is obvious that he was not alone in staging the
show. The Ven. Mahanayake Theras severely criticised him after the event. He
had approached them before and told them about his intention, but cunningly he
did not reveal the venue to them. Had they been told beforehand that he was
going to have his fast in the hallowed precincts of the Maligawa, they would
not have permitted him to do so; that would have been a serious setback for
him. But now he is being exposed in an even more damaging manner, as he should.
Because of Ven. Gnanasara’s
exertions, unprecedented prospects of different religious communities standing
up to the common enemy of murderous religious extremism are brightening. It is
only now that we are witnessing the first stirrings of a spring in the Sangha
Sasana, that is potentially freed from abominable Nikaya divisions, which are
based on caste in stark contradiction of the compassionate Buddha’s teaching.
Ven. Gnanasara has made the largest contribution to this most positive
development.
Soon things will be seemingly returning to normalcy.
Or another national disaster or an issue of national importance
will make a fresh wave galvanizing us with it.
The tragedies happened so far will be put under the carpet by
omission or commission.
Politicians of various hue will promise to do things which will
all turn out to be of little importance.
Even the few steps this yahapalanaya so far has taken like banning
face veil will be just a window dressing until the emergency rules prevail.
Commenting on the illegal sterilization story,Prof H.Senanayake,
Head of Obstetrics & Gynaecology of Colombo Faculty of Medicine has said the
sterilization story is unlikely and lamented this could make a huge
negative impact on Sri Lanka’s achievements in maternal care and health which
has been globally admired so far.
There comes the cat out of the bag, not only politicians but the
medical fraternity would like to close this case as soon as possible to
maintain their own good names rather than getting the truth out.
Therefore we should not depend on the politicians or the medical
profession to declare their biased reports.
The LRT programme run by the DOH to sterilize the women in the
government hospitals should be abolished immediately as only
Sinhala women seem to get this done. The DOH should release the
statistics of the number of LRTs done so far on Sinhalese,Tamils & Muslims.
The doctors are given an incentive by cash for each LRT they do on women
therefore the doctors are keen on doing these on any woman
without paying attention on whom they do it.The Sinhala Buddhist groups should
canvass the DOH to stop the LRT programme as soon as possible.
There is only one thing the general public can do to safeguard
themselves not to fall victim again to the fundamentalist Jihadists grip. We
don’t have to rely on bungling politicians who would sell the country for their
existence. We will look after ourselves. We should not ever get fooled by the
reports of committees who may exonerate the culprits .
It is simple and easy on the one hand but absolutely a MUST.
Never ever a Sinhala woman of child bearing
age should go to a Muslim doctor, male or female for a
caesarean or any gynaecological surgery. Not even for any
abdominal general surgery.
As it stands even for a simple consultation for a medical
reason in a family practice may end in getting medicine harmful to
fertility. Sinhalese should turn away from their Muslim family doctors
as they could be smiling assassins with underneath fundamentalist views.
We should educate the women in the countryside on this aspect. Just
Boycott Muslim doctors for our females of child bearing age.
Where there are no choices like a caesarean or any abdominal
surgery by a Muslim doctor in an emergency or in the nights, on a Sinhala
woman, the family should subsequently demand to have a test to check the
fallopian tubes (HSG, they say) after a while from the hospital if cannot
afford to have it privately.
Therefore Sinhala patient should get the habit of inquiring the
details of the surgeon hereafter as a routine. The time to trust the doctors
has evaporated now.
This is a lesson that we Sinhalese should learn and adhere to and
spread country wide to the poor rural mass; not for a year or two or a decade
but pass down for whole our generations!
(Translation of a speech made by the Leader of the Opposition Hon. Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday, 11 June 2019 at his official residence on Wijerama Mawatha Colombo.)
Venerable
members of the Maha Sangha, clergymen of all other faiths, citizens of Sri
Lanka and friends,
The
terrorist attack that took place on the 21st of April is a watershed in the
history of this country. Today, a fear of terrorists who murder those who do
not subscribe to their religious ideology, has spread throughout the country.
Economic activities have been adversely affected. As was the case during the
war, parents are once again guarding schools. Today, religious observances have
to be performed under tight security – a situation that we did not experience
even during the war. We are unable to celebrate Vesak and Poson as we used to.
Devotees are searched before being allowed to enter places of worship.
There
is now mutual mistrust between the Muslim community and the followers of other
religions. This mistrust is now developing in a dangerous direction due to the
allegation that a Muslim medical specialist attached to the Kurunegala hospital
had due to extremist religious ideology, rendered women belonging to other
religions infertile. At a time like this, the leaders of the country and of the
Muslim community, should act in a very responsible and circumspect manner.
Two or three weeks after the bomb attacks, we saw
organised groups of people attacking Muslim owned business establishements in
certain areas obviously with a view to igniting a countrywide riot. But those
incidents ceased almost as quickly as they started due to resolute opposition
from the general public. There was strong opposition to these acts of violence in
the social media as well. We saw similar incidents taking place around 2014 in
the run up to the 2015 presidential election. On the 9th January 2019, we found
that both the perpetrators and victims of those incidents, were with the common
candidate. This time too they seem to have been aiming at a similar stunt, but
their attempt failed.
All
of us should understand that everything that we see happenning now, is directly
connected to the presidentail election that is due to be held in a few months.
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. 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. No confidence motions are
an integral part of the parliamentary tradition and a right exercised by the
parliamentary opposition.
When
a no confidence motion is 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. That is a tradition that applies to all members of
Parliament regardless of their ethnicity or religion. In years past,
no-confidence motions had been tabled against Muslim Speakers like M.A.Barkeer
Markar and M.H.Mohamed but at that time, nobody looked at them in religious or
ethnic terms.
This
time however, when a no confidence motion was tabled against one Muslim
Minister, all 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.
In
any case, the en mase resignations have resulted in the opposition’s
no-confidence motion being rendered void. Since public attention has been
distracted by the mass resignations, the government has managed to sweep many
other issues under the carpet. The Central bank bond scam has been forgotten. The
debt crisis has been forgotten. 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.
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 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. The ordinary people of this country want protection
from extremists terorists. The ordinary Muslim folk in this country want to
weed out the terrorists from their midst and to resume their normal lives.
Today,
a brutal terrorism that targets the followers of other religions has emerged
from within the Muslim community. Buddhists, Hindus and Christians are joining
hands in a common endeavour 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.
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. When
the former ministers who resigned came to explain matters to me in my capacity
as the Leader of the Opposition, I raised this issue with them.
My friend Mr
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.
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 reconcilation in Sinhala but spread the
message of communalism in Tamil. Islamic extremism has gained traction in this
country due to that kind of politics.
The spread of extremist ideologies among the Muslim
population in this country did not take place all of a sudden. 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. 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. Anyone who says that terrorism can
be crushed without such measures, is not being truthful.
Terrorism based on religion may be a new thing to us,
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.
As
in the case of Sri Lanka, religious extremism is the biggest enemy of the
worldwide Muslim community. This is the main tool used by imperialists to
destroy Muslim countries. 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.
Thank you.
May the blessings of the Triple Gem be upon you, God
bless you.
There was a time when Jews were hated by almost all
the Germans .After over 70 years of the war In Germany there hatred is still
prevailing , government requested Jews to refrain from wearing Kippah which is
the traditional cap to avoid confrontation.
In Sri Lanka we have no Jews but we have Muslims wearing
their Taqiyah which is s half round cap to identify themselves. Some people who
have become quite racist due to the recent incidents make frowned faces when
they they see a Musliman wearing Taqyah and utter Thamgiyah which
vengeance.
I am not a racist but I hate three wheel drivers who are a
menace to the motorists in Sri Lanka.
Quite a few three wheeler drivers wear taqiyah and it
Doubles dislikeness
My driver who is quite disciplined always makes comments
when three wheeler driver behaves erroneously on the road and comments.
Thambiyek”
Among Buddhist we are supposed to practice Marta and Karuna
Among Christians there is a saying they
In the Gospel of Matthew, an alternative for
“an eye for an eye” is given by Jesus: You have heard that it
was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth
for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not
resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on
the right cheek, turnto him the other also.
Shall we be ardent followers of our religion and think
The executive and the legislature have locked horns once again. This time around they are clashing over a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC). President Maithripala Sirisena has taken exception to the ongoing PSC probe into the Easter bombings and allied issues; he thinks the UNP is trying to manipulate the select committee process to pin the blame for the government’s failure to prevent the carnage on him. His apprehension does not look totally unfounded. The UNP has ignored the President’s call for doing away with the PSC.
The UNP will never forgive Sirisena for what he has done to it. The presidential inquiry he ordered into the Central Bank bond scams has ruined the UNP’s chances of winning elections, as evident from the crushing defeat it suffered at the local government polls last year. The UNP will not be able to live down the damning findings of the bond commission. Atop all that, the President has appointed another presidential commission to probe irregularities under the present administration. As things stand, its findings will be made public within the next few months. Now, the boot is on the other foot. The UNP must be saying, ‘Revenge is sweet.’
President Sirisena summoned a special Cabinet meeting last Friday, and reportedly told the UNP in no uncertain terms that he would not allow the PSC to question serving military and police personnel. The IGP, currently on compulsory leave, appeared before the PSC, last week, and gave evidence, which made the President squirm in his seat with embarrassment. The PM must be laughing up his sleeve.
Sirisena has since asked the military and police officers under him not to testify before the PSC. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has, in defiance of the presidential fiat, warned them that they have to turn up when summoned by the PSC, and noncompliance will be severely dealt with. These officers are now between the devil and the deep blue sea. They are like the grass that suffers when elephants fight. Let the Speaker, the PM and the President be urged to settle their scores without putting the police and military personnel in the crossfire.
The Speaker and the President clashed, late last year, following the latter’s abortive attempt to dislodge the UNF government. Their clash and the attendant legal battle rendered the country rudderless for weeks with the Speaker openly defying presidential orders and refusing to recognise the Sirisena-Rajapaksa government.
President Sirisena must be ruing the day he agreed to have his executive powers reduced. The hurriedly ratified 19th Amendment was aimed at strengthening Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s position. Sirisena objected to his powers being curtailed further, but it was too late. The current stand-off has demonstrated once again that even the Speaker is more powerful than the President.
Why the 19th Amendment, which has rendered the executive presidency, the be-all and end-all of the existing Constitution, virtually impotent, was allowed to become law without being approved by the people at a referendum is an enormous question. What the country now has is a parliamentary system of government for all practical purposes. Is it legal to effect such fundamental changes to the supreme law without the approval of the people, in whom sovereignty is said to reside? How advisable is it to leave the task of framing a new Constitution to the architects of the 19th Amendment, for they have resorted to constitutional jilmaat (which means ‘skilful deception’ according to the JVP) to further their political interests?
Now that the executive presidency has become a shadow of its former self and slid down the pecking order, thanks to the 19th Amendment, why should anyone who thirsts for real power try to secure it?
The JVP is drumming up support for what it calls a countrywide campaign to oust the incumbent government. With its chips down, thanks to its honeymoon with the UNP, it is desperate to shore up its crumbling image and prevent further erosion of its vote bank. Having failed to win at least a single local government body at last year’s mini polls and suffered a crushing defeat at last week’s Education Employees’ Cooperative Society election, it is obviously trying to bite off more than it can chew.
Whether this government should be ousted or not is a matter that is best left to the voting public. After all, the JVP leapt to the UNP’s defence when President Sirisena and his former boss, Mahinda Rajapaska, tried to dislodge the UNP-led government last year.
If the JVP is really fed up with the present dispensation it can move a motion calling for the dissolution of Parliament and seek the support of other parties to secure its passage so that there will be a general election. Why should the JVP waste time and energy and, above all, worsen traffic congestion by invading roads to hold protests when a legal remedy is available? President Sirisena would have succeeded in dissolving Parliament last year and holding a general election but for stiff resistance from the UNP, the JVP, the TNA and the SLMC. The SLPP is also calling for parliamentary polls. Why doesn’t the JVP give it a go?
The JVP has a history of sleeping with the two main parties alternately and taking them on afterwards. It joined forces with the SLFP to topple the UNP government in 1970, when it was instrumental in ensuring Mahinda Rajapaksa’s first election victory. Mahinda Wijesekera, the JVP student union leader at the Sri Jayewardenepura University, at that time, campaigned really hard for young Rajapaksa. The JVP took up arms against the SLFP-led United Front government, in 1971. After the UNP’s mammoth victory at the 1977 general election, the JVP honeymooned with Prime Minister (and later President) J. R. Jayewardene, who released its leaders including Rohana Wijeweera from prison. The JVP came to be dubbed Jayewardene Vijeweera Peramuna as a result. It staged its second uprising against the JRJ government about nine years later. It started playing political footsie with JRJ’s successor, Ranasinghe Premadasa, who became President in 1988, and then resumed its spree of violence in a bid to oust his government. In 1994, it threw in its lot with Chandrika Kumaratunga, albeit unofficially; 10 years later it joined her government and accepted Cabinet positions before pulling out of it one year later to embark on a campaign against that administration. In 2005, it backed Mahinda Rajapaksa in the presidential fray and a few years later sided with the UNP in a bid to bring down his government. In 2010, it went all out, together with the UNP, to defeat Mahinda in the presidential race, but in vain. It succeeded in its endeavour in 2015, when it supported Maithripala Sirisena, the dark horse. It started co-habiting with the UNP and the SLFP; the yahapalana government was a menage a trois. Now, it is trying to oust the UNP-led government!
What would be the situation if the JVP succeeded in ousting the government by any chance? It considers Mahinda Rajapaksa the devil incarnate and the SLPP a den of thieves. If the present dispensation falls due to JVP protests, the SLPP may form the next government. What will the JVP do in such an eventuality? A situation similar to what we experienced last October is likely to arise with the SLFP and the SLPP sharing power. Won’t the JVP have to join forces with the UNP again to stage protests?
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.
![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)
