ELECTIONS IN AFGHANISTAN

December 14th, 2018

ALI SUKHANVER

Zalmay Mamozy Khalilzad had been the highest-ranking Muslim American in the George W. Bush administration. His diplomatic services with reference to the countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan have been so marvelous that he remained ‘the blue-eyed boy’ of every US government. At present he is working as Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation at the US State Department. Mr. Zalmay Khalilzad is an Afghan by birth that is why now the Trump administration has given him this fresh assignment of looking into the Afghan affairs on behalf of the US State Department. This assignment is in fact a mission of securing a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Afghanistan. It is being hoped that Mr. Zalmay Khalilzad would succeed in finding out a viable solution to the Afghan issue. In continuation to his new assignment he is visiting the region now-a-days and his sole purpose is to speed up the peace efforts in Afghanistan. According to different media reports, Zalmay Khalilzad has expressed his desire of having a peace agreement with the Taliban before the upcoming Afghan presidential elections which are expected on 20th April 219. There are rumors that these elections could be delayed for some time because President Ghani does not find the law and order situation of the country suitable for the elections.

Experts on Afghanistan Political affairs are of the opinion that President Ashraf Ghani is apprehending Taliban’s influence and interference in the election process. In spite of President Ghani’s all possible efforts and in spite of all US’ struggle, the influence of the Taliban could not be minimized in the Afghan social and political set-up. The Taliban were there, they are there and they would be there in near and far future. According to a report prepared by BBC , the Taliban are now in full control of 14 districts (that’s 4% of the country) and have an active and open physical presence in a further 263 (66%), significantly higher than previous estimates of Taliban strength. ‘In Afghanistan, about 15 million people – half the population – are living in areas that are controlled by the Taliban. Taliban fighters, whom US-led forces spent billions of dollars trying to defeat, are now openly active in 70% of Afghanistan,’ says another report. In short the Taliban are a reality which could not be and must not be ignored. Any effort of throwing them out of the Afghan scenario would simply effect the law and order situation badly. It is just his day-dreaming if President Ashraf Ghani thinks that by postponing the elections, he would get time for wiping-off the Taliban influence from the Afghan society.

As far as the role of Taliban in the social and political scenario of Afghanistan is concerned the people of Afghanistan rank them as the ‘sons of the soil’. No doubt they are a group of people with a particular philosophy of their own but they do belong to the Afghan lands. In spite of the fact that the western media has ever been defaming them as a group of ‘miscreants’ and a ‘gang’ of foreign supported ‘terrorists’ but the people of Afghanistan have a different view about them. If they were really the terrorists and criminals they could not have achieved unprecedented success in the battlefield as well as in the recent diplomatic ventures in Russia and central Asia. The fact of the matter is that the Taliban have never accepted the interference of the foreign forces in Afghanistan. Since day one they have been fighting against the foreign invaders and intriguers. The only target they have set before them is to kick out the foreign forces from Afghanistan by creating all possible hindrances and hurdles in the way of the foreign invaders. If Zalmay Mamozy Khalilzad is really serious and sincere in settling the matters in Afghanistan he must keep in mind that no such effort could ever be successful without involving the Taliban. It is another reality that the Taliban could never be pressurized by use of force; the only way to deal with them is to convince them to join peace-talks. But at the same time it must also be kept in mind that the Taliban do not have a very pleasant and positive experience regarding the peace-talks, arranged in the past. They are always deceived and betrayed. Let us hope this time history does not repeat itself.

PSD PLAYING “PANDU” BALLS AND PRESIDENT ALSO

December 14th, 2018

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

When I was walking in Galle Face Green today ,  I saw officers of the Presidents’ Security Divisions ( PSD) playing balls ( cricket ) in Galle face. About 100 security lower- rankers were undergoing physical  training in the vicinity.

I have seen Green Berets guards Guarding American president undergoing training with officers, and noted  that they never dreamt of playing  base ball” during training sessions .

I was standing just 20 meter away when President Premadasa was blown into pieces near Galwala .I observed that untrained Mohideen in military fatigue shadowing him with no of the other Green Berets watching people nearing the President.

When there is a threat to the president as confessed by one Rohan Kumara and connivance of a DIG can we afford to have PSD playing balls” ?

President has been  out more than three times in the play of politics after playing  No Balls  by the opposition.

President should also try not to play no balls” and advise his protectors to stop playing in public and be ready to protect him with their lives .

 

අස්ඩක්ගේ උප්පැන්නය

December 14th, 2018

ආචාර්ය වරුණ චන්ද්‍රකීර්ති

මම නාට්‍යයක් බලන්න ගියා.

දවල් ද?

ඔව්.

(තිරය විවර වෙයි)

v  මචං අර හුණුවටය කියන්නේ මහ පිස්සු කතාවක්

o   ඇයි උඹ එහෙම කියන්නේ?

v  නියම අම්මා හොයන්න පුළුවන් ද රවුම් ඇඳලා?

o   උඹ හිතන්නේ කොහොම කළා නම් හරි කියලා ද?

v  උප්පැන්නේ බැලුවා නම් හරිනේ.

o   උප්පැන්නේ හොර එකක් නම්?

v  ඒ ගැන වදවෙන්නේ මොකට ද? හරියට සීල් ගහලා අනුමත කරලා තියෙනවා නම් ඒක තමයි වලංගු.

o   හ්ම් …

(තිරය වැසෙයි) තිරය පිටුපසින් බුදු අම්මෝ!” කියා හඬක් ඇසෙයි.

ඒ මොකාද බං?

අර රවුම ඇඳපු එකා වෙන්නැති.

හ්ම් …

ජාතික ගීතය වාදනය වන්නට විය.

අපි සිංහයාට බයයි නංගියේ …!”

 

 

Six lawyers and a monk: importance of impotence

December 13th, 2018

C. Wijeyawickrema, LL.B., Ph.D.

Introduction

[six lawyers= AG/DSG+2 AC judges +Magistrate+ Senior St. Co.+ private attorney monk= Ven. Galabodaatte Gnanasaara]

Inspire public trust and confidence”

Nobody disputes the motto of the Supreme Court (SC) and the Court of Appeal (CA) copied above, which is applicable universally to any court of law in the world. The question, however, is that judges entrusted with this noble task are mere mortals, not saints. For example, a recent case handled by these two courts in Sri Lanka did not make lot of people (specially Sinhala Buddhist) comfortable. The decision given by CA on the contempt of (Homagama magistrate) court case against the BBS leader Ven. Galabodaatte Gnanasara (GG) is laden with several minor (factual) and two major (legal) problems. Subsequently, the petition submitted to the SC seeking its permission to make an appeal was dismissed by it in a very unfortunate manner, reminding one the famous rule of natural justice, not only must justice be done; it must also be seen to be done.” One of the judges who disallowed the petition was an active opponent of BBS in the recent past when he was an officer of the (publicly anti-BBS), Sri Lanka Bar Association.

In America, there are hundreds of law school law journals, in which one can find essays critically analyzing court decisions. Such scholarly work helps everybody, including the judges. In USA, continuing education is mandatory for judges.  I do not know if Sri Lanka has law journals or if there are any good faith efforts by legal professionals to dissect court decisions. For such service one does not even have to be a lawyer. If democracy requires voters to be vigilant, an intelligence check on judges’ decision-making process is a healthy sign of a people-centered judicial system.

Today, we see only one such effort from an applied law (efficacy of law) perspective. Public interest lawyer Nagananda Kodituwakku has challenged former CJs, SC judges, AG’s Dept., and Bar Association officers for improper and unprofessional behavior. He is not afraid of contempt of court threats, but other lawyers are afraid to sit next to him at SC proceedings because they fear such ‘bad association’ could affect their pocket book sooner or later when they appear with their clients. Ravaya’s Victor Ivan has written a courageous (documentary) book, the silence of the court,” which disclosed antics of the legal establishment from lower to the highest level. Then there are examples of rash outbursts by juvenile politicians, who spoil the cake. There is no question that some of our courts of law are under severe stress, partly due to their own misbehavior. Only one name, Victor Tennekoon, former CJ, left his job with his and his court’s dignity intact.

I began to write this essay, long before the political crisis started after, the October 26, 2018 bombing of his yahapalana prison by prisoner Maithripala Sirisena himself, which dragged both SC and CA into dirty political arena. What this means is that courts are compelled to weigh political facts (not law) and make subjective judgements on whether the president acted fairly and not arbitrarily. Inherent in this task is the reality that one side to the dispute will be unhappy and angry with the judges! Despite these darker clouds on the horizon, I think what I wanted to write must proceed because it is an important story the country should not forget.

Background to BBS case

The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers”- Shakespeare

A discussion of background information relating to this case is helpful in our task of analyzing the decision of CA in its objective and subjective context. Many statements in the judgement reveal the judges’ personal ‘bias’ (prejudice) against the accused in his role as the leader of BBS. The behavior of the AG’s dept. during yahapalana years, has given people an impression that it is a politically bias agency operating against the Buddhist monks targeting those who are actively engaged in socio-political problems created by the politician class (black-whites). It looks like that the anti-Buddhist arrogance of this agency is contagious, going against the Sinhala Buddhist heritage in the island. For example, in the case that sent Ven. Galabodaatte Gnanasaara to jail, the public record of the Court of Appeal, mentions AG as Hon. AG,” and Ven. Gnanasaara (GG) just as Galabodaatte Gnanasaara.” Why did it not cite GG as Ven. GG?” (or at least as monk GG). Is this a trivial matter? I do not think so. Do they treat other religious clergy the same disrespectful way, in the rare case of one of them become an accused? (rarely, because they do not fight publicly on social issues).

How does this attitude operate at the street-level or one step above? On 19th November 2018, at the old parliament building, a small group of monks came to hand over a petition to president Sirisena appealing him to pardon Ven. GG. A man from president’s office came out and told the monks that they could see the president at the end of December! After this crazy response, the police used tear gas and water canon to disperse the crowd. Later, at a meeting arranged by Tilanga Sumathipala, the president apologized to the monks, and said that he was not informed of the monks’ arrival to hand over the petition. Neither was he consulted by the police before using tear gas against the monks. How shoddily some officers of the government (judges and/or court clerks, civil officers, police officers in this case) treat the monkhood in the country is evident without doubt. The monks experience more than other sections, the dirty side of suddage nithiya.

Balu kuudu (dog cages) and AG’s Dept.

Ven. Bengamuwe Nalaka said recently (Oct. 2, 2018) that the AG’s Dept. and the police intentionally fabricated a false case against Ven. Ganansara. The public record is that the officers of the Bar Association also hated BBS. In fact, the latest news (Oct. 5) is that SC judge Prasanna Jayawardena (with Nalin Perera agreeing and Eva Wanasundara opposing) who decided against Ven. G’s appeal was an ardent ‘enemy’ of BBS when he was VP of the Bar Association. This is against the principles of natural justice. He should have recused from hearing this appeal. More importantly, unless a full bench of SC is activated, BBS case now has no judicial option, despite the fact courts only implement the judicial power of the people of Sri Lanka.

Monks and laymen are careful not to add the courts into this allegation. Their formula is perhaps based on what Mrs. Chandrika said some time back that balu sena will be put in balu kuudu (dogs and dog cages).” As discussed later in this essay, if the AG’s Dept. studied the facts of the case carefully using the video clip evidence, the CA would not have made the two fatal errors in its judgement that I have found.  AG’s Dept. should have advised the court not to proceed with the case. But this was a case of lawyers from different state entities working in collaboration to fix from their perspective, a notorious monk, and their biased minds must have missed the legal theories supporting the monk. It also depends on how these lawyers as citizens of this country view, sometimes critical, role monks have played in the 2500-year old history of this island. The history records how a king of Kandy wanted to kill Weilivita Sri Saranaka Sangaraja for opposing and agitating for his ouster. A person who has knowledge of the Sinhala Buddhist heritage cannot appreciate the roles played by monks such as Migettuwatte Gunanada, Gangodawila Soma or presently, Ven. GG.

It is no secret that ever since BBS started (May 2012) its militant Buddhist movement (militant in Gandhian and MLK (USA) sense), not just anti-Buddhists but the entire black-white political establishment in the country, including the officers of the Bar Association, hated it, and wanted to ‘kill” it just like somebody killed (December 2003), the previous Buddhist awakening started by the late Ven. Gangodawila Soma. Ven. Soma got trapped due to his human weakness (a desire to get a worthless Ph.D., secretly arranged, via a Sinhala Christian Russian agent), and the whole country knew very well that enemies are waiting in the dark to get Ven. Gnanasara ‘trapped,’ sooner than later. The monk himself knew about this danger and of late acted cautiously both as a private individual and as the BBS leader, but tear drops fell on his arm from one of the helpless soldiers worshipping him after the Homagama magistrate re-remanded them on war crimes charges, the monk’s heart melted taking momentary control over his brain!

Ironically, law recognizes this kind of emotional reaction known as the defense of grave and sudden provocation, but the monk was destined to be disallowed that universal benefit. A judge who understands almost mechanically (like we brake automatically at traffic red lights) the application of this defense in a murder trial, depending on his perceptions and attitudes may not realize the applicability of that defense in the case of a monk devoted his life to protect Sinhala Buddhist lost rights in the country. Even if AG Dept. either forgot or ignored the relevance of this defense to this accused’s case, the judges of CA have a statutory to examine the applicability of this defense in mitigating his punishment. The facts in this case would have taken a totally different shade if the accused was given the benefit of this universal defense.

Law is [not] an ass

I read the decision of the Court of Appeal (CA) on this case, and the moment I saw how the case was listed on the CA website, I was greatly perturbed. I found two factual errors made by the two CA judges, that go to the heart of the prosecution’s case. Law is not an ass, but some lawyers and judges make law an ass, because they too are human.  It was only a few days ago that Ms. Sugandhika Fernando revealed that the Bar Association president U. R. de Silva, in his pep talk to a new set of female lawyers preached that they should use one or two of their 64 mayams (feminine tricks?) to get favors (such as early hearing dates for their clients) from judges. What a disgrace to womanhood and to the legal system!

The USAID recently commenced a million-dollar project to ‘modernize’ (to Americanize with its notoriously defective justice system?) the justice system in Sri Lanka. They even gave a separate grant to the SL Bar Association. American help to modernize can mean different things to different people. A coherent, open, responsive and effective justice program (CORE) means what?  Are they giving computers or try to brain-wash targeted personnel? Would they promote legal scholars or lawyers writing critical analyses on court decisions that they think incorrect?

I felt the CA decision was defective, and I think the BBS monk should file a fundamental rights violation case against the CA, because the SC had already refused to give permission to file a normal appeal. I wonder how SC did not see the two glaring errors that I saw in the CA judgement. If a monk like Ven. GG could be treated like this what must be happening to hundreds of others?  Depending on how one looks at the role of BBS as a national movement, one could decide whether the monk is politically guilty or not, but a court of law must be objective and decide cases based on facts, in this case facts are in the public domain.

Naked title

Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Vs.Hon. Attorney General-Hon. P Padman Surasena (P/CA), Shiran Gooneratne (decided on August 8, 2018).”  This is how the Court of Appeal website lists the case against the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) leader Ven. Gnanasara. He was given a punishment of 19 years of rigorous imprisonment for ‘insulting’ the Homagama magistrate Ranga Dissanayake. In another recent case, a complaint by a monk relating to the pollution of Tissawewa, decided on September 4, 2018, the listing style was Venerable Halmillawe Saddhatissa Thero and others Vs R. M. Wanninayake and others-Hon. Mahinda Samayawardhena. (J).” In each case a monk was involved in a public affair. It was not about rape or murder by a monk.  In the first case, what was the reason that the term ‘Hon.’ was used for the legal eagles while the monk’s name was cited nakedly as ‘Galagodaaththe Gnanasara?’ Who made this decision?  Who decides who is a ‘Hon.’? The Hansard is full of ‘Hons.’ But one reason why a monk is addressed as ‘Venerable,’ is because his robe represents part of the Triple Gem in Buddhism.

It was because of this national norm, that in the previous case of monk Vatareka Vijitha, the magistrate did not ask the monk Gnanasara to stand in the accused’s box. On this incident, the lawyer for the monk Vatareka, Maithri Gunaratane, now a new political party leader, complained that the magistrate was violating the human rights of his client by allowing the accused to sit in a separate chair instead of the hira kooduwa!  Another female Tamil magistrate went beyond this, and arranged a chair covered by a white cloth for an accused monk to sit, and there was no objection from the Tamil lawyers.  Thus, reasonable judicial discretion is a prerogative of judges. In this regard, one must note that the Homagama magistrate, used his discretion to report the Ven. Gnanasara to the Court of Appeal, because, he said that he did not have authority to impose a punishment, severe enough, for the criminal offence committed by the monk!

Hon vs. Ven

Coming back to the Hon-Ven issue, only such scenario in the world (if one video tapes the ceremony of how a layman becomes a monk) where a son worships his mother first, and a few minutes later that mother in turn worships her son, is associated with the concept of monkhood in Buddhism, which was above the kingship of Sinhale for 2500 years. The queen of England is below a monk in Buddhist hierarchy of politics. Semantics apart, if Judges are ‘Hon.’ and the AG is ‘Hon.’ irrespective of the fact whether the holders of the respective positions are qualified, honest or moral, the same standard or same courtesy should be applied to the concept of monkhood. Lowering the dignity bestowed upon one concept (the yellow robe), intentionally, inadvertently or due to stupidity or ignorance, automatically lowers the dignity offered to the other (learned counsels wearing a black coat with a pocket on the back) especially, when it happens next to each other in the same sentence.

Judges cannot be immune from the currents and cross currents occurring in Sri Lanka, especially since 1978. The thinking that courts decide cases within the framework of case law and legal case books, was abandoned as far back as in 1954 in the landmark case of Brown Vs. Board of education, when extra-judicial sociological evidence was accepted by the U.S. Supreme Court in overruling its own 70-year old previous decision. Besides, judges are human and can never be objective because everything in this world is relatively linked to a continuum running from subjective to objective. courts need to understand that they are part of the society and bound by the societal norms. If somebody attached to the CA thinks that calling or citing the name of a monk without the traditional honorific is acceptable, he should be required to attend mandatory continuing education classes. It is no different from other incidents such as the title, Budunge Rastiyaduva, or Mrs. Chandrika’s radio drama, Nirvastram Paraman Sukan.

Two Fatal errors

Publicly disrespecting a monk without using the honorific Ven could be an unfortunate attitude of some judges, but it is no reason to suspect the specific intent of the two judges who handled this case. Instead, one must see if there are specific facts which are clearly erroneous. It is now an accepted fact that even an eye witness account could be different from reality. Thus, several persons witnessing an incident could ‘see’ it differently, depending on their status of mind, ideology, perception, angle of vision, distance etc. Referees of football games now use video footage as a recording of absolute truth for instant correction of their mistakes. Placebo effect means mind has controlling power over matter.

Videotaping (and CCTV) technology has become a savior of life and liberty in the modern world. The CA decision states that (1) the monk Gnanasara did not apologize to the magistrate and (2) he called the AG dept lawyer a ‘napunsakaya.’  But the video clip attached prove otherwise.  It shows the monk apologizing to the magistrate not once but twice in no uncertain terms. The intention to insult a court is a deciding element in a contempt of court hearing, and the CA judgement is unacceptable with this contrary, concrete evidence. The derogatory term was used as ‘this napunsaka government,’ and not as ‘this govt lawyer.’

http://lankacnews.com/%e0%b6%a5%e0%b7%8f%e0%b6%ab%e0%b7%8f%e0%b7%83%e0%b7%8f%e0%b6%bb-%e0%b7%84%e0%b7%92%e0%b6%b8%e0%b7%92-19-%e0%b7%80%e0%b7%83%e0%b6%bb%e0%b6%9a%e0%b6%a7-%e0%b7%84%e0%b7%92%e0%b6%bb%e0%b7%99%e0%b7%8a/

It is strange why the monk’s lawyers did not present this video tape clip as evidence.  It is also strange why two monks who gave evidence on behalf of the monk said contradictory stories, which the judges used against the accused monk. The evidence used by CA was what the three lawyers said in the court and not the video tape recorded at the scene when it took place.  Lawyers are not supposed to coach prospective witnesses to tell lies, but under an adversarial system of litigation, lawyers have a duty to examine the witnesses in advance, assess them, and decide not to use them if their evidence is going to harm the accused instead of helping hm. The use of such evidence by a court to impute criminal intention is a case of cutting pork on a leg of pork.

Balu Theendu and BBS

When S B Dissanayake was sent to jail for branding SC decisions as balu teendu (decision by dogs?), his intention was crystal clear. He did not apologise. Or, the pending case against Ranjan Ramanayaka for condemning the court system as corrupt, his purpose in doing that is not clear. When Nagananda Kodituwakku goes to SC with briefs against SC judges, Chief Justice or the AG, no one said his purpose was not noble. The way BBS monk was trapped using clause 105 of the constitution is unique. The magistrate Ranga Dissanayake had a dialogue with the monk and the monk accepted his mistake, gave an explanation as to why he had to talk and apologized twice and went on to ask the judge in the Gandhian style to impose appropriate punishment for his behavior. All this is on the video clip. The magistrate could have fined him, imprison him for the day, warn him or sent him to jail for a longer duration. The magistrate was aware that he was dealing not about a solitary monk, but a kind of national entity. He would have settled it in a casual manner, if not for the intervention of the AG dept lawyer Dileepa Peiris and the JVP-connected lawyer Upul Kumarapperuma, who appeared for the wife of an allegedly disappeared person, Ekneligoda.  With their intervention, the magistrate lost his judicial independence and discretion. A minor incident became a national issue.

The facts of the case, the reaction of the magistrate as recorded on the video, do not justify his subsequent opinion, that the monk should be punished severely, and for that purpose monk’s behavior should be reported to CA, because he has no power to impose a punishment like 19 years of rigorous imprisonment. In S.B. Dissanayake’s case the complaint was by ordinary citizens, perhaps motivated by partisan politics. In BBS case, it was instigated by two biased lawyers who found a golden opportunity to trap the monk for his work in exposing the black-whites’ game. It is clear from the evidence gave by the magistrate that he had to make a case in narrating what had happened, so that he could justify why he wanted to report the incident to CA for severe punishment instead of a lighter punishment that he could have given then and there. The lawyer for the monk argued on this basis, but CA refused to accept it. The million-dollar question is why the court did not see the video clip, which makes court’s position untenable!

Objective/Subjective Test

It is a common belief that a judge usually has an opinion formed already about the case pending before him and gathers facts and evidence that he wants to justify his decision. Often, words and statements in the judgement provide hints as to the way a judge’s mind was working. The following are examples reflective of the subjective nature of the judgement (the statements copied from the judgement are categorized; my comments are in italics below each category).

  1. High quality of lawyers as witnesses

[Magistrate] was severely cross examined; [SSC] was severely cross-examined at length; [private attorney] faced continuous questioning by the accused’s attorney.

The judgement states the three lawyers who gave evidence against the monk faced three different levels of testing. What did the judges expect to achieve by these adjectives on cross examination of the witnesses? Did the court mean that the accused’s side faced only mild/soft cross examination ?

Dileepa Peiris and Upul Kumarapperuma corroborated magistrate’s evidence.

The three lawyers who were directly responsible for the filing of the case are not going to do anything different than corroborating!

  1. accused corroborated Magistrate’s evidence

accused’s lawyer and his two witnesses denied accused saying impotent but accused admitted it

accused’s two witnesses lied

accused lied

These statements demonstrate that the monk was honest, but his lawyer made some technical errors. For example, no lawyer will use/call witnesses who will put the accused in trouble.  Unless the court is determined to teach a lesson to the accused, these are so trivial in a case like this. This is not a murder trial.

  1. accused said magistrate was a good magistrate

why then magistrate gave bad evidence against him?

When AG’s lawyer asked this tricky question, the monk could not give an answer. But CA used it against the monk. This change of magistrate’s mind was due to the two lawyers who influenced the magistrate to act at the time of the incident. The issue was not a good magistrate became a bad magistrate. The issue should be why the monk’s mind changed at that moment. It was his lost of hope for whom he considered as national heroes and sudden loss of his mind and body control, triggered by the tear drops fell on his hand. See how one incident could be twisted to get the outcome one wants!

  1. address was not in the form of plea

not a peaceful dialogue

addressed the court in high tone being emotionally aroused

accused tried to intimidate magistrate to reverse his order

this is white man’s law. We do not accept this law. Therefore, give bail to these war heroes

The monk did not intervene when the case was being heard. He did not disrupt that case. He spoke after it was over and the remand prisoners were taken out.  The video clip does not justify, what the court was imagining. Again, was this an incident/offence warranting a rigorous jail term of 19 years? Unlike what S.B. Dissanayaka or Ranjan Ramanayaka said the remark about the white man’s law is a political comment not directed at courts or judges.

  1. impotent government’s some officers/impotent officers (obscene words)

sit-down, you, impotent state lawyer (to Dileepa Peiris)

this type of treacherous government officers

The monk was accused of uttering these words. Other than the words directed at Dileepa Peiris, there was no insult to an individual but to the government in general. Napunsakaya in Sinhala usage does not mean impotent in its biological English language meaning, but as one who is a puppet without principles in its sociological context. A barren person is not called a napunsakaya in Sinhala. A man acting like a woman and vice versa is called a napunsakaya. Judges should have obtained experts’ advice in this regard.

http://www.colombotoday.com/54927-23/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwUhCS25hhE

  1. JVP connection/protection of Buddhism

AC went on to state that lawyer Kumarapperuma (Ekneligoda’s wife’s lawyer) said that he was not anti-Buddhist and that his links with JVP (he contested 2015 election as a JVP candidate) has nothing to do with the truthfulness of the evidence he gave. He was the only non-state lawyer against the accused. By this statement CA whitewashes Kumarapperuma’s evidence used as another corroboration of magistrate’s evidence.

  1. Only lawyers can address the judges in court

CA was clearly erroneous here. Any accused can represent himself in a court of law; Any person can address a court with permission. The accused monk even though he has no direct link with this case was representing the close relatives (their wives) of the remanded war heroes. They went to his temple and begged the monk repetitively to do something for their relatives in remand for months without any charges filed against them. The monk was the only outlet they had to disclose the political nature of the arrests. After all, there are some doubts as to whether Ekneligoda is hiding in Dubai. His disappearance is used for political purposes by a napunsaka government.

Conclusion

Any reasonable person watching the video clip attached cannot help but have doubts about the way the Court of Appeal handled the BBS case, and the harsh punishment given to a public service monk.

The president has referred the appeal for his pardon to AG for advice. An AG’s Dept. who went overboard to fix this monk cannot expect to be impartial in this regard.

Therefore, the lawyers of the monk need to make either a fundamental rights appeal or a fresh appeal to the president to release the monk from prison. There are strong reasons to doubt the legality and reasonableness of the CA decision. (cwije77@outlook.com)

Adrenalin and Sri Lankan Society

December 13th, 2018

Dr Sarath Obeysekera 

I read much about Adreline –the hormone produced within your body .

I am citing the definition of Adreline from the from English Dictionary.

adrenalin

hormone produced by the body, for example when you are frightenedangry, or excited, that makes the heart beat faster and prepares the body to react to danger.

Here is no simple one-to-one relationship between a specific emotional reaction and a specific endocrine reaction but consistent relationships are demonstrable between adrenalin output, behavioral efficiency and emotional reaction.”

I have read about leaders in the world and also the people who have led companies to the pinnacle of success who may have reacted under the influence of the Hormone Adreline .Leaders who may have been confronted by oppressive and aggressive opponents may have taken some decisions under influence of Adreline .He was angry and forceful when he gave orders to his generals to fight against Hitler’s aggression.

I myself enhance my thinking power and decision making capabilities when I am confronted by aggressive forces.

Stalin who led Russia to win the Hitler’s aggression would have happened under the influence of Adreline ?

In today’s context in Sri Lanka we should look at the decisions made by the Leader of the country. He may have taken the decisions under influence of Adreline .According to his latest statements expressed to the media, he may have admitted that he made some wrong decisions.

The decisions made by the Supreme Courts today may have infused some Adreline to the politicians, You may note the action they may take in the future to prove my point.

Quote from Web

  I had an interesting experience this weekend where I was very pleasantly buzzed off a few drinks, and an emergency came up that required me and a couple other people to jump into fast and complex action for a fairly prolonged period. I felt completely sober and could focus and act “together” in a way that I know I normally cannot when I’ve had more than two drinks. I could remember first responder training stuff that I normally have trouble with in sober non-emergencies. Based on the reports of people around us and the (good) outcome, I do not think I was just feeling sober but then I am when I haven’t had a drink at all.”

Some of my friends expressed the same experience. We know we weren’t actually sober, but we definitely felt like it and could act as if we were. It’s gotten me very interested in how adrenaline works, exactly, and how it behaves when your system is already altered – what makes me feel like I’m sober when a sudden shock pops up, and how valid is that perceived sobriety? I know my BAC was the same, of course, but I was more coordinated and quicker with reactions than I am when I haven’t had a drink at all.

I suggest that the Leaders who run the country raise Adreline by consuming few drinks rather than staying sober.

I am quite positive that being a teetotaler is a good thing as far as health is concerned, but few drinks once in a while in order to raise your  Adeline .

Then it will be easier for the leaders to take sensible decisions??

Quote

Alcohol’s Effects on Adrenal Glands

Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol keeps your heart healthy, reports the Harvard School of Public Health. However, the benefits of drinking alcohol evaporate when a person’s drinking crosses the line from moderate to excessive. This has detrimental effects on many organs in the body, including the liver, cardiovascular system, digestive system and kidneys. The adrenal glands are located near the top of each kidney, says Medline Plus. They produce essential hormones that are vital to bodily functions. Unquote

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

 

 

 

අම්මේ තාත්තේ, පුතේ දුවේ, මාමේ නැන්දේ, නංගියේ මල්ලියේ, හිටි හැටියේම  කවුරු දිනුවත් ඔබ …

December 13th, 2018

පාලිත ආරියරත්න බෙන්තර භීම මණ්ඩලයේ සිට

  1. රට බෙදීමේ කුමන්ත්‍රණ වලට එරෙහිවන්න
  2. නපුන්සකයන් සමග ප්‍රජාතන්ත්‍ර වාදී ජයක්ග්‍රහණ සැමරීම නවත්වන්න  
  3. සැම තැනකම ඉන්නා  තරුණයන් සමග නිදිවැදීමට සිතනා පුද්ගලයන් පිටුදකින්න
  4. බොරු සමාජ වාදීන් පිටුදකින්න
  5. නපුන්සක විවාහ නීති හා ගණිකාවන්ට බලපත්‍ර ලබාදීමට කටයුතු කරන දේශපාලන පක්ෂ පිටුදකින්න
  6. පන්සලට හාමුදුරුවන්ට ජාතිවාදීන් කියා අන්තවාදීන් කියනවිට උන්හට අත්පොලසන් නොගසන්න
  7. රට බෙදීමට කටයුතු කරන කොටි මානසිකත්වය ඇති දේශපාලකයන් ආනොවඩන්න
  8. පින් පෙට්ටිය පින් කැටේ මහා බැංකු හොරුන්ගෙන් බේරගන්න
  9. ඉතිරිව තිබෙන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාව හරි සිංහලයා වෙනුවෙන් තබා ගන්න
  10. මග එන 20 වෙනි ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාව සුනු විසුනු කරන්න
  11. යුධ විරුවන් මාරක මානව හිමිකම් බොරු නඩු වලින් බේරගන්න
  12. විදේශ හා පරවැසියන් හට කත් නොඅදින්න

13, මවුබිම පවා නොදෙන්න

  1. බුදුදහම රැකගන්න
  2. රට අනාගමික කිරීමට ඉඩ නොතබන්න
  3. එල්. ටි. ටි සතුරන් හදුනාගන්න
  4. නරුම එන්. ජි. ඕ. කපුටන් පලවා හරින්න
  5. ජනාධිපති හා අනිකුත් ඝාතන සැලැස්මවල් යට නොගහන්න
  6. විදේශ බලවේග හදුනාගන්න
  7. සිංගප්පුරු හොර ගිවිසුම් වැනි ගිවිසුම් අහෝසි කරන්න
  8. ආගමට හැරවීමට එරිහි වන්න
  9. ශ්‍රී ලන්කන් කියා ජාතියක් නොමැති බව සිතාගන්න
  10. සර්වාගමික ගුන්ඩුව පිටුදකින්න
  11. හොරු අලන්න
  12. තනි පුද්ගලයෙකු පෙන්නා ඔහු මත්තේ තබා සිහල බොදු සංස්කෘතිය පහර දීමට ඉඩ නොතබන්න
  13. හොර හෙළ උරුම කාරයන් හදුනා ගෙන ගමෙන් පන්නා දමන්න
  14. චන්ද ක්‍රමය වෙනස් කරන්න
  15. මොන ජනවාර්ග  හිටියත් රටේ ප්‍රධාන තීන්දු තීරණ ගත යුත්තේ රටේ නියම උරුමක් කාරයින් බව සිතා ගන්න එය එංගලන්තයේ වුවද එසේ බව දැනගන්න
  16. නොදැනුවත්ම රට දැය සමය විනාශ කිරීමේ කුමන්ත්‍රණ වලට හසු නොවන්න
  17. ජාතික සතුරන් හඳුනා ගන්න
  18. සට කපට දේශපාලකයින් පිටි දකින්න
  19. රට දැය සමය සුරකින සැබෑ නායකයෙකු තෝරාගන්න
  20. අන්තර් ජාතික ගුණ්ඩු වලින් රට බෙරාගන්න
    34. මුස්ලිම් හා දෙමල අන්තවාදයෙන් ඔබගේ මේ හෙළ බොදු රට බේරගන්න
  21. ඔබට අයත් ගහා කොළ, සතා සිවුපා, අඹු දරු සම්පත් නොරටුන් ක්‍රමක් ක්‍රමයෙන් නීති විරෝධිව ඩැහැ ගන්නා බව දැනගන්න
  22. අද ඔබ දමනා අලි රතිඤ්ඤා වෙඩි හෙට කොටි බෝම්බ වී ඔබගේ දරුවාම මරු තුලට ගන්නා බව සිතාගන්න
  23. හිස එක තැනක කඳ තව තැනක ඇති මිනිස් කවන්ද රුප (මිත්‍යා ආගම් හා ත්‍රස්වාදී අදහස් නිසා ) ඔබ හට දැකගැනීමට හෙට අනිද්දාම ඔබටම හැකිවෙන බව සිතාගන්න
  24. නොරටුන්ගේ ආගමික චින්තන නිසා ළමා විවාහ අනාගතේ වැඩිවෙන බව සිතාගන්න  
  25. වතු රාජ්‍ය , ඉඩම් මංකොල්ල ,මහජන දේපල විකිනීමට එරෙහිවන්න
  26. සමහර සිව්රු ඇඳ ගත් දේව දත්තයන් එහලින් කිසැම කටයුත්තකටම පක්ෂ නාමයෙන් ආවඩනා බව සිතා ගන්න
  27. බොරදියේ මලු බාන පුජකයන් සිටිනා බව දැනගන්න
  28. කාන්තා නිදහස කියා ගණිකා නිදහස වපුරන පෙර ගණිකා සේවය කල දේශ පාලිකාවන් සිටිනා බව දැනගන්න
  29. විස කවා පොවා අපිව විනාශ කිරීමට මාන බලන කණ්ඩයම සිටින බව දැනගන්න
  30. රුපියල් සත නොව ඩොලර් කුට්ටි ගිලිනා උන් සිටින බව දැනගන්න
  31. රටේ බලය ලබාගැනීමට තම මුදල් යෙදවීමට කැමති ධන පතියන් නොයෙක් දේ කියමින් (ශ්‍රීලන්කන් අලුත්ම ජාතියක් හදමින් )පාරට ඇවිත් බව දැනගන්න
  32. නොයෙකුත් වාද අරන් බුදුදහම අපේ රටින් තුරන් කිරීමට මන බලන ආගමික විකුර්ති කරුවන් දහස් ගානක් පොකුරු ගැසී මාන බලන බව සිතාගන්න

47.ධර්මය විකුර්ති කොට දේශනා කරන හාමුදුරුවරු සිටින බව මතක තබා ගන්න

  1. තම ආශාව මුදුන් පමුණුවා ගැනීමට බොරු ආගම් බුදුහමට සමාන කරන පච ආචාර්යවරු මහාචාර්ය සිටිනා  බව දැනගන්න
  2. සිංහලයන්ගේ නිහතමානී බව අයුතුලෙස යොදා ගෙන රට ඇල්ලීමේ නොනවතින කුමන්ත්‍රණයක් තිබෙන බව දැනගන්න
  3. නව සිංහල බොදුව්‍යවස්ථාවක් ලිවීමට කාලය ඇවිත් බව සලකන්න

ඔබ සැමට බොදු ධජය එසවීමට වාසනාව ලැබේවායි ප්‍රාර්ථනා කරමි!!!

තෙරුවන් සරණයි !

පාලිත ආරියරත්න

බෙන්තර භීම මණ්ඩලයේ සිට

 

Hold a Referendum

December 13th, 2018

Dr P.A.Samaraweera

The Supreme Court has ruled that the President’s decision to dissolve Parliament was unconstitutional. The verdict was also that if he wants to dissolve Parliament before four and a half years, there must be a resolution passed by two thirds majority in Parliament.

Now that the Supreme Court has given a decision, it is best that the President goes for a Referendum to hold a general election. Referendums are not new in Sri Lanka. In Dec 22nd 1982 , President JR held a Referendum to extend the life of Parliament by 6 years. The life of the then Parliament was to expire in August ’83. So he went for a Referendum as he feared he would lose the two third majority he had in Parliament. Dr Gunadasa Amarasekara, Convenor of the Federation of National Organisations, as well called on the President to hold a Referendum for a general election, in case the Supreme Court rules against the dissolution of Parliament. 

According to the constitution, the President has the power to call for a Referendum on matters of national importance. Thus public opinion can be tested by a Referendum. Recently, the UK held a Referendum with regard to Brexit. A Referendum would be the best, as President Sirisena and PM Mahinda Rajapakse are in favour of a general election, while the UNP, TNA and the JVP are hesitant and scared of an election. As it is, the general feeling is that the people are for a general election as they are fed up with Ranil and his cohorts. This group is working on a western agenda backed by the TNA and separatists. 

Dissolution of Parliament unconstitutional – Supreme Court

December 13th, 2018

Courtesy Adaderana

The Supreme Court announces verdict stating that the gazette notification dissolving the parliament is not in accordance with the constitution. The seven-member judge bench unanimously made this judgment stating that it was illegal to dissolve the parliament before its 4.5 year term limit.

Sri Lanka was on the edge, ahead of the crucial Supreme Court ruling on President Maithripala Sirisena’s controversial sacking of Parliament and call for a snap election that pushed the country into unprecedented political turmoil.

As many as 13 petitions were filed against the President’s November 9 order sacking the 225-member Parliament, almost 20 months before its term was to end, and setting the election date for January 5.

The petitions have been filed by political parties including United National Party (UNP), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) and the All Ceylon People’s Congress.

Organisations and activists such as the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), Attorney Aruna Laksiri and also a member of Elections Commission Prof. S. R. H. Hoole have also filed petitions.

The Supreme Court on November 13 had issued an interim order ruling Sirisena’s gazette notification as temporarily illegal and halted the preparations for snap polls. The hearing in the case was concluded last week as the court reserved its judgment.

The judge bench consisting of Supreme Court Justices consisting of Chief Justice Nalin Perera, Priyantha Jayawardena, Prasanna Jayawardena, Sisira de Abrew, Vijith Malalgoda, Buwaneka Aluwihare and Murdu Fernando commenced hearing the petitions on the 4th of December.

On the final day of hearing of the petitions, President’s Counsel S. Kanageswaran, representing the leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) R. Sampanthan, presented submissions on behalf of the petitioners.

He stated that the impunity conferred to the President of the country, under Article 35 of the Constitution, in civil or criminal proceedings has been inhibited to a certain extent by the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.

Pointing out that the 19th Amendment to the Constitution has made provisions to file lawsuits under Fundamental Rights against the executive and administrative actions of the President, he said that the official activities of the President can be queried before the court.

Hence, the dissolution of the Parliament is also an official activity carried out by the President, it can be challenged before the court under the Fundamental Rights provisions, President’s Counsel Kanageswaran had further said.

The rest of the attorneys appearing on behalf of the petitioners also presented submissions in this regard.

The petitioners had presented submissions before the court in response to the submissions of the intermediate petitioners.

Presenting submissions before the Supreme Court on the 5th of December, the Attorney General had stated that in accordance with Article 38 (02) of the Constitution, the Supreme Court does not have the legal authority to hear these fundamental rights petitions filed against the parliamentary dissolution.

The Supreme Court last Friday (Dec. 7) concluded the hearing of the petitions filed challenging the Gazette notification dissolving the Parliament after four consecutive days of court hearings.

Meanwhile, the interim order issued by the court, suspending the Gazette notification on the dissolution of Parliament, was extended until the verdict is delivered in the case.

President Sirisena has said he will accept the Supreme Court’s ruling on the petitions filed against his gazette notification dissolving Parliament.

I look forward to the constitutional interpretation of the Supreme Court. Whatever it may be, I will take future political decisions accordingly, to the best interest of our motherland, not to the benefit of any person, group or party,” the president tweeted on Sunday.

His remarks were apparently aimed at Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) with whom Sirisena was running the national unity government since 2015.

The partnership ended on October 26 when Sirisena fired Wickremesinghe, triggering the political standoff.

Since ousting Wickremesinghe, Sirisena has highlighted the shortcomings” of the ex-premier in a bid to justify his sacking and dissuade his reinstatement.

The president has already said he has no intention of making Wickremesinghe prime minister again no matter what the outcome of the case.

Both Wickremesinghe and Rajapaksa claim to be the rightful prime minister. Wickremesinghe says his dismissal is invalid because he still commands a majority in Parliament.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has officially conveyed that the House does not recognise Rajapaksa as the legal prime minister until he proves his majority.

The United National Front (UNF) coalition led by Wickeremesinghe has moved three no-trust motions against Rajapaksa.

The motions came to be adopted after the speaker summoned Parliament, in a direct confrontation with Sirisena.

අප රනිල්ට සහාය දුන්නේ අලුත් ව්‍යවස්ථාවකට, ජාත්‍යන්තර අධිකරණයකට ලිඛිත පොරොන්දු මතයි…

December 13th, 2018

lanka C news

රනිල් වික‍්‍රමසිංහ මහතා අගමැති කිරීම සදහා සහයෝගය ලබා දීමට තිරණය කලේ ලිඛිත පොරොන්දු කිහිපයක් මත බව දෙමල ජාතික සන්ධානය කියයි.

නව ව්‍යවස්තාවක්, ජාත්‍යත්නර අධිකරණයක් ඇතුළු ඉල්ලීම් එසේ ඉදිරිපත් කර ඇති බව දෙමල සන්ධාන පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත‍්‍රී ධර්මලිංගම් සිදදාර්ථන් මහතා සදහන් කරයි.

Save the country from TNAs Treachery – Part VIII

December 13th, 2018

BY A.A.M.NIZAM – MATARA

Political parties in Sri Lanka other than the SLPP/SLFP have become afflicted with the chronic disease of election phobia. During Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Presidency the mere mentioning of elections legs of UNPers used to shiver as they were so fearful of facing the people in elections as there is a saying that even a calf that mingles with pig lings would eat excreta the TNA, JVP and other fringe political groupings have developed this fear due to their association with election phobic UNP.

Recollect your memories and remember how many times Ranil Wickremasinghe led his UNPers to Courts seeking injunction orders against holding elections.  Despite all this he had lost 29 elections.  The treacherous TNA has now become fearful of elections due to the possible political wipe out they are facing from the rival political groupings, despite the electoral advantage they used to enjoy as pointed in my previous article that the JEEPPOs got  only 6 sears with 4,87% of votes while  the TNA got 16 seats with only 4.62% of votes in the 2015 August elections. Now the excuse being presented by these bluff masters   is that they would agree to hold an election under a legitimate government. But when Ranil Wickremasinghe e had a so-called legitimate government he did his utmost to postpone elections. It should also be mentioned that circumventing Supreme Court rulings these enemies of elections adopted many shameless methods to postpone elections and the people had to wait for over three years to  get their members elected to local government  institutions  and they are now without elections for 6 Provincial Councils for more than one year.
From the inception of Ranil Wickremesinghe Govt in 2015, the TNA has pursued a non – confrontational, conciliatory approach towards the regime. Despite TNA parliamentary group leader Sambandan becoming the leader of the opposition with only 16 seats against Joint opposition’s 54 seats the TNA has co-operated with the Govt in many ways like voting for the Budget etc.  The TNA even voted against the no confidence motion brought by sections of the opposition against Ranil Wickremesinghe. Despite much criticism from hawkish elements on either side of the ethnic divide, the TNA has adopted this collaborative relationship with the ruling regime for the primary purpose of enacting a new Constitution. The TNA has been hopeful that a new Constituted formulated through a consensual approach with the full participation of the Tamil MP’s .

Reports indicated that the TNA had demanded for a written assurance to fulfil their demands to extend their support for the petition calling to appoint Ranil Wickremasinghe as Prime Minister.  .It said that a meeting between Ranil Wickremsinghe and a group of TNA parliamentarians was held today (Tuesday 11th December) and this demand for a written assurance has been presented at this meeting.  The report stated  that Ranil has agreed to give this written assurance before the parliament meets tomorrow (Wednesday) which was described by certain prominent UNPers as divisionary and misleading claim. .  It further stated that a party leaders meeting is also to be held tomorrow morning to decide to extend support or not on the proposal to appoint Ranil Wickremasinghe as Prime Minister. Despite all these convenient denials when that the requested e voting was taken this evening all TNA members voted in favour of the proposal confirming that the requested assurance had been given.

The TNA demand for a written assurance included:

  • Expeditious to be taken the adoption of the Federal and Secular const4itution;
  • Merge Northern and Eastern provinces;
  • Take expeditious to release all former terrorists amount 12,000 whom the TNA refers to as political prisoners;
  • Repeal the PTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act);
  • Return all lands under occupation of security forces and drastically reduce security forces in the North and East;
  • Devolve Police and Land powers;
  • Curb settlement of outsiders in the North and East and erection of new temples and planting of Bo-Trees;

The Terrorist grandpa Sambandan with the formulation of a new constitution has dedicated himself to the task of achieving political equality for Tamils through this envisaged constitution and n meetings with International leaders, diplomats and senior official of western countries and India ,the TNA leader terrorist grandpa has consistently and continuously requested, rather urged them that the Govt should be compelled and pressurised to enact the new Constitution ensuring equal rights and power sharing arrangement to the Tamils but this dream has now being shattered by the October revolution and realization his dream can only be achieved by re-installing a Ranil government,

Top of Form

In English.

Why it has been requested to give the premiership to Ranil again (Caption)

Box 1) The Federal demon jumps out – vomits Sumanthiran.

Box  2) To ban construction of Temples in the North and East.  Requests support of Tamils.

Box 3) I also do not like this National Flag – Sumkamthiran.

Box 4) To make the country secular by amalgamating the North and East

Footnote :

Although the UNPers who  say  their blood is green even if they were cut into pieces  and they would become slavish on behalf of their party, the Northern separatists only dedicate their self for a Separate Country

Unlike other political parties representing the Muslim and Up-Country Tamil communities the TNA did not s eek ministerial office in this Government. The TNA cannot show the fruits of cooperation by way of jobs, development schemes or projects because it does not have ministerial portfolios. The TNA has only sought to redress Tamil grievances and accommodate legitimate Tamil aspirations (non-existing and illusory)   through cooperation with the Govt. Although there had been some progress in issues like return of military held lands back to civilian owners and release of Tamil detainees etc there is little progress in the prized objective of the TNA namely Constitutional reform or a new Constitution. To the TNA in general and for Sambndan it was a single item political agenda -a new Constitut5ion.

The political analysts opine thus the TNA will face the prospect of further political decline within its constituency due to its continued cooperation with the Govt without gaining anything on the Constitutional front. The TNA is in a dilemma. Either it gets the Govt to deliver the new constitution o which has become illusory now or it must exit from its current stance of lending constructive support to Ranil Wickremasinghe and the UNP.

It is against this backdrop that TNA leader Sambndan had separate meetings with President Sirisena  and ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe last month. Sambndan urged both to revive and renew the Constitution making process. Both assured the opposition leader that the Constitutional Assembly Steering Committee would be convened after the re-allocation of portfolios to cabinet ministers, state ministers and deputy -ministers. Now that the scientific re-shuffle” is over the TNA expects the President and Ranil to demonstrate their bona fides by delivering the new Constitution which is a dead subject at present.

It is learnt reliably that despite the lull” in the convening of the Constitutional Assembly steering committee, considerable progress has been made in drafting by the management committee co-chaired by Jayampathy Wickramaratne ( a staunch pro-separatist) and Sumanthiran despite mounting opposition in the South from the Maha Sanga, the patriots and the masses in general.

Sumanthiran in an interview given to a Tamil TV on April 21st, 2018 made an announcement t that if the Govt does not deliver within a reasonable period of  time the TNA would launch ay non – violent protest campaign to demonstrate to the world at large that the Govt is not fulfilling its promises about formulating a new Constitution. According to informed Tamil sources the TNA game-plan was urging the Govt to show progress on the Constitutional front by convening the Steering Committee and working on a Constitutional draft in May and early June. Meanwhile the chief constituent of the TNA the Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Katchi(ITAK) will hold its biennial party convention in late June,  and  if the Govt does convene the Steering Committee and there is forward movement by that time the ITAK convention will approve and endorse the efforts through a resolution. If on the other hand the Govt does not move forward and defaults on its assurances before early June, the ITAK Convention would pass a different resolution calling or large -scale non – violent direct-action protest the Government’s inaction and drawing the attention of the world. Thereafter the TNA also would meet and ratify the ITAK resolution and it would be followed by the launch of a non – violent protest amounting to a civil disobedience campaign on Gandhian lines of Ahimsa” and Satyagraha”.

. In 1961 the ITAK/FP launched a Satyagraha” campaign that paralysed the work of Kachcheris in the Jaffna, Mannar, Vavuniya, Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts. (There were no Mullaitheevu or Kilinochchi districts then). The campaign lasted for weeks and was finally crushed by Madam Sirimavo Bandaranaike Govt through the deployment of the armed services and the house arrest of prominent Tamil leaders. Prior to the commencement of the campaign the  ITAK held its party convention and passed a unanimous resolution calling for a non – violent campaign.

Likewise, the ITAK convention in 2014 during the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime also passed a resolution calling for a massive non – violent protest campaign. The ITAK was planning to launch its campaign in January 2015 and began preparing. Thousands of headgears known as Gandhi caps” had been stitched. The Congress party in India launched many non – violent campaigns under the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi against  British rulers during the colonial period. All Congress volunteers participating in the non – violent campaigns wore the Gandhi caps. The ITAK which has a history of being inspired by Gandhian ideals and methods planned to stage a non – violent campaign with volunteers wearing Gandhi caps then. However, the political situation changed in November with former president Mahinda Rajapaksa calling for an early election. The TNA backed the common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena who defeated the former President on January 8th, 2015. Thereafter the TNA shelved the idea of a non – violent campaign as unnecessary and commenced it co-operative phase with the new President and Government.

Now due to the forced shelving of the Constitution by the October revolution the TNA may be compelled to launch a non – violent campaign again. According to TNA sources have said that the campaign unlike in the past would not be confined to Tamils alone and it would seek to embrace all shades of opinion supportive of greater devolution in a new Constitution. By this the ITAK/TNA will seek to De-ethnicise” the quest for a new Constitution and greater devolution.

(Let us vote for the UNP to segregate and divide the country)

They have also said protest demonstrations would not only be held in Sri Lanka but will held simultaneously in all international cities in the West with substantial Tamil Diaspora concentrations and in India ,Malaysia, South Africa, Singapore and Mauritius. The idea of holding protests  overseas  they have said is to draw attention to the legitimate Tamil cause and enlist international support for a new Constitution.

Should we allow this kind of blackmail? If a Ranil Wickremasinghe or UNP government stays by that time they would also extend their fullest support for this plan and they also would participate in it.  Let the TNA launch this plan and it should be curbed with all might and with no sympathy and wipe out this blackmailing and threats forever as our gallant war heroes did on 18th May 2009.  It could be successfully and certainly done under a government of Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa the second Dutugemunu of Sri Lanka.

(To be continued)

 

CROWISM OR CROINSM?

December 13th, 2018

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

I was taken aback during my walk today along the walking path by the side of the parliament when I saw a very strange banner .I was under the impression that the banner was quite a sarcastic, with an innuendo that the people sitting in the parliament, spending colossal amount of public money, are cronies who have been elected by the people of this country .They meet and fight with each other’s like crows fighting for a piece of bread picked by one of their members.

Banner also carries a slogan in Sinhala with a meaning Establishment of an artistic exhibition to build a public opinion /movement against social injustice, crime and corruption

Along the green fence installed by SLLRDC to prevent crocodiles who are protecting the parliament, was also decorated with white long banners with word Crowism and artificial crows with a white neck tie perched.

I personally do not approve what has happened on a Friday 26th October giving two days in the weekend ,some breathing time to the citizens in the country to fathom what happened to us all of a sudden. It is like your teen daughter comes home and tells the parents that she is pregnant .You are lost and helpless and you have no clue what to do.

The banner may have originated due to incidents taken place in the parliament a 26th Friday

Criminal activities carried out by MP’s was visible and the President himself admitted that parliament is full of corrupted people .Most of the MP’s are also involved in criminal activities which are  taking place in the country.

I went home and perused the dictionary to find the real English meaning of the word Crowism

I am not sure whether the Crowism originated in America .Dictionary provides following

a practice or policy of segregating or discriminating against blacks.

Also called Jim′ Crow′ism, jim′ crow′ism.

The systematic practice of discriminating against and segregating black people, especially as practiced in theAmerican South from the end of Reconstruction to the mid-1900s.”

  1. Upholding or practicing discrimination against and segregation of black people: Jim Crow laws; a Jim Crow town.
  2. Reserved or set aside for a racial or ethnic group that is to be discriminated agains

Does it mean that a movement is needed in Sri Lanka to segregate that people who are corrupted ad criminals? ( it does not mean that all blacks are criminals )

Does that mean that all the members sitting in the parliament beyond the fence are corrupted and involved in criminal activities? We should rise against them and form a movement to fight against them?

I wonder whether we really need a parliament.

I am eagerly waiting to visit the art show depicting the real meaning of Crowism in Sri Lankan Context.

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

An Answer to the despicable attempt made by a bunch of Sri Lankan students studying abroad to tarnish the country: Exposing Crippled Minds

December 13th, 2018

Punsara Amarasinghe Institute of Law and Politics Scuola Superiore Sant Anna Pisa, Italy

A group of students studying abroad have recently published a statement claiming that they are really gutted about the political situation in Sri Lanka and their claim seems to indicate that this patriotic bunch of kids are extremely concerned about preserving the democratic values of island. In a way their empathy on the democratic institutions in Sri Lanka is correct as Sri Lanka stands as one of oldest democracies in Asia. Nevertheless, a serious doubt of the honesty regarding the statement made by those self-proclaimed democratic loving Sri Lankan student studying abroad emerge in examining the substance of their statement. The statement was released two days after the appointment of Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa as prime minister by President Sirisena on 26th of October and 32 students studying in North America, United Kingdom and Australia have signed in their statement by condemning the action taken by president Sirisena . Moreover, in the given statement their demand was very much focused on sacking former prime minister Ranil Wickramasinghe as an outrageous act, yet they have been honest in acknowledging the fact that yahapanana government was an utter failure. The statement states

Despite some success, the government of national unity led by president Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickrmasinghe has filed to stand by many of its commitment on democracy, corruption and justice. Yet this failures do not justify an illegal power grab

In these students those who have released the statement have explicitly mentioned the chaotic situation made by yahapalanaya government, yet they are adamant about the occurred power transition as total undemocratic and illegal move. Being a student of constitutional law, my argument is that why these bunch students writing from abroad failed to mention a word about the legitimacy of appointing Mr. Wicramasinghe in 2015 January without the clear majority in the parliament. The doggy attitude of this bunch is purely visible in their manner to disdain Mahinda Rajapaksa by claiming that he has no confidence as the representative of the people. The statement indicates as follows

Mr.Rajapaksa does not have the confidence of a majority of the representatives of the people

The pivotal question that I wish to raise is that whether they are aware of how much he has been accepted as the representative of the people. The local elections held in February 2018 simply gave a message to Ranil and Royal College gang about the pulse of the people in Sri Lanka.Above all this group has not stated a word about how effective it is to dissolve the parliament to assess the real strength of people.

In ascertaining the motives behind this so called democratic loving young Sri Lankan scholars studying abroad, it becomes important to look at the background or cultural upbringing of this group. Being a graduate from Faculty of Law, University of Colombo I have had known some of the characters during my undergraduate days there. One of the pioneers of this group named Sanjayan Rajasingham currently studying at Yale University happened to be my batch mate at law faculty.

Even though I have no personal grudge against him I vividly recall his reluctance in seeing Sinhalese Buddhist ideology as the backbone in Sri Lankan society. We often argued about this and every time his reaction on Sinhalese identity or role played by Buddhist monk in nationalist movement was rather cynical.

Ironically he remained silent on the evangelical movement functioned in University of Colombo as a clandestine group and later he became one of its leaders. Rajasingham or his famous uncle Sumanthiran had never questioned about why their favorite destination the US still keeps the phase In God we trust or why still constitution of Norway give a prominence to Christianity. Their antagonism was always shown to our 9th Article in the Constitution which gives prominence to Buddhism.

Apart from Sanjayan Rajasingham another pioneer in this student movement functioning abroad is Gehan Gunatilleke currently studying for PhD in Oxford was another obnoxious character I knew at law faculty who was once or twice invited by V.T Thamilmaran (Former Dean of Law Faculty) for a guest lecture. Like his infamous grandfather Godfry Gunatilleke at MARGA institute of Sri Lanka, Gehan too has been a NGO activist in Sri Lanka. In his writing and public speeches the depiction of Sinhalese nation and Buddhism always has been a majoritarian evil that tries to trample the minorities.

It is not an exaggeration to mention that those who are writing against their ethnicities in favor of minority rights always get best academic opportunities in the West as protectors of liberty and freedom. Having associated number of characters studying for PhDs or other higher level of education in Western universities I am aware of how they have got such opportunities.

The simple rule is as long as you criticize your home government and pretend as a victim of it, you get the full package of stipend and many more benefits. I am certain our learned friends who have issued this statement about the undemocratic nature of the power transition may have already received the acceptance as heroes from their universities. Nevertheless, the challenges looming before us is whether we have strong intelligentsia representing the national interests in the country to resist this young Christian evangelical distorted minds studying abroad.

The lack of role models who inspire their students to be patriotic and apathy for English education have simply cornered our Sinhalese Buddhist university students  and this provides the platform for this emerging anti nationalist characters to badmouth on Sri Lanka as a failed state. The list of the students that have issued this joint statement simply reflects the power of Colombo based evangelical Christian elitism in action.

The parents of this kids have had completely dependent on foreign NGO money and inculcated the same pro-Western anti nationalist, anti-Buddhist mind set among them and now they have reached their turn to tarnish the image of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka pledges support for protection of refugees at the 2019 UNHCR Global Appeal

December 13th, 2018

Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to UN Geneva

At the 2019 Global Appeal of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) held in Geneva today, Sri Lanka expressed its earnest desire that the commitments made by the international community to the recently adopted Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) would remain on course, emphasizing transforming the Compact into meaningful, practical measures would help address the protection needs of millions of people who remain helpless and in need”.

Addressing the Conference, Ambassador A.L.A. Azeez, the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka in Geneva echoed optimism that, at a time when the principles and values of international cooperation have come under immense pressure”, the GCR has emerged as a rallying point for multilateralism and solidarity”, as reiterated in the UNHCR’s Global Appeal Update, and highlighted the more pronounced role of UNHCR in this context.

At this Global Appeal, Sri Lanka pledged a modest financial contribution to the UNHCR’s 2019 programmes, in continued appreciation of the role and contribution of UNHCR and in earnest expectation that the UN Refugee Agency would be ‘empowered’ to deliver more strengthened assistance and protection as part of its mandate.

In his address, Ambassador Azeez also conveyed Sri Lanka’s appreciation for the support extended by UNHCR under national resettlement programmes in partnership with stakeholders, as well as for the UNHCR’s important role with regard to assistance for returnees.

The full statement made by Sri Lanka at the event is attached.

Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to UN

Geneva

12 Decembe 2018

Why doesn’t the Government arrest Ranil immediately on the serious findings of the Bond Commission Report in addition to the following unlawful and un-Constitutional actions and crimes

December 12th, 2018

Dr Sudath Gunasekara 

2018.12 10

Such as

1 Defying the President’s order in sacking him and illegally occupying the Temple Trees and thereby misusing State property.

2  Calling for and canvassing international intervention in  the present crisis a making of his own.

3 Conspiring to overthraw the legitimately appointed Cabinet and the Government by the President,  the Head of the State  and acting against public interest  and causing political, social and economic  brake down  to the country and thereby causing billions of losses to the country

4 Engaging in conspiracies and coups against the legitimate government, the Head of the Sta, th epeople and the country with foreign Diplomats by regularly summoning them to Temple Trees and conspiring with them to overthraw the Government and thereby committing high treason against the State.

5 Engaging in conspiracies to divide the coutry in to politically oriented ethnic enclaves  such as Tamil  North, East and Central and Muslim south East by enacting a  new Constitution on Nov 6th 2018  that was averted thanks to the swift and timely actions of the President.

6  Signin illegal treaties and agreements with Foreing countries even without Cabinet approval that are detrimental to   national interest, its economy  and security, selling nation’s Ports, Harbours Airports and lands to foreigners.

7Appointing Paskaarlingam, a man who wa sdeprived of his civil rights as Advisor to the Ministry of Finance  and  Arjun Mahendran as another Advisor to the Prime Minister after he was removed as Governor Central Bank

8 Leasing out Hambantota Port for 99 years to China.

9 Covering and hiding Arjun Mahendran   without   allowing the authorities to arrest him

he has committed against the State as Prime Minister from  Jan 8th 2015

This step will be the shortest  and the best strategy to get out of the present political imbroglio in the country. If the ex-Prime Minister of Malaysia could be arrested, why cant the Sri Lanka Government  do the same thhing?

No sooner this is done the following chain of reactions will follow.

1The debate on the majority problem for the Government in Parliament will cease to exist thereafter

2 Karu Jayasuriya want be able to conduct UNP properganda  work from at State expense   under the guise of  conducting sessions in Parliament.

3 Karu J the UNP Speaker (rather the Speaker for the UNP in  Parliament) who made the Parliament a big joke and a mockery and after that has converted it to a UNP Head quaters, will either have to resign or say good by to politics with his dreams of becoming the Predisentt of this country and making his son-inlaw the Prime Minister.

4 The UNP will be left leaderless and will run into disarray beyond recovery.

5 Sajith, Navin, Rajitha, Ravi and even Champaka will begin quarrelling for its leadership and it will split in to pieces and that will be the end of the UNP as a political party and it will become a forgotten chapter of the political history of this country therafter unsung and  unwept

6 Whoever wins the leadership those disgruntled will join MR’s Government consolidating its majority until the next election comes an deven thereafter consolidationg  political satability in the country.

7 Political destitutes like the JVP and Hela Urumaya (Champika brand) and cancerous communal  day dreamers who depend on UNP for their msurvival will disappear in political wilderness.

8Thereafter even the Courts will have to accept MR as the legitimate Prime MInister

MR then can go on either until the 4 and ½ year period ban imposed by the 19 A   is complete or in the event of the SC decides dissolution is in order, then he can request the President to issue a new Gazette  fixing the dates for the election and go for elections and he will win the election with at least a 2/3 majority if not more in the new Parliament so that he will have a strong Government under which he can have a new constitution  incorporating all the aspirations of the Bhumiputras, fully restoring the independence and freedom we lost to the British in 1815. Whatever election that follows the UNP will get routed out like in 1956 . Thw maximum number of seats it could will be around 30,  if they limit the number of seats 196 to represent the196 elctorates,  after abolishing the so-called National list, the heaven  of political ring worms who eat in to the pith of the democratic tree and  have converted representative democracy in to a big joke in this country.  If the existing preferance system is also abolished and the qualifying percentage is also increased to the original 12 % the Muslim and Tamil who opt to contest alone  might together get about 20  seats  and I can guarentee the anachronistic and politically cancerous JVP  (the Jatiya Vinasa kirime Pakshaya)  will get none.

I also annex  the first article I posted under this subject as to  why repeatedly I make this request  from the President

Punish all those who have masterminded the Central Bank gang robbery ASAP.

Posted on February 15th, 2018 (published in Lankaweb)

Dr Sudath Gunasekara

15.2.2018.

As I was listening to yesterday’s (14) 7 pm Hiru news bulletin, I saw Dr. P. Mahanamahewa explaining in detail how to deal with Arjuna Mahendaran in case if he does not turn up at the CID Office before the 15th. Today is 15th but still Mahendran, the third accused as I have stated before has not turned up.  Leaving aside the legal intricacies, my question is, are we going to leave it at that and  forget the trilions of immediate losses caused to the country and all the spill over  serious                      effects on the country’s econonomy   for decades to come. Suppose he never comes back and escape the Sri Lankan Government, then what next?

If that happens on whom are we going to fix responsibility regarding this mega robbery which has completely ruined a nation with spillover effects on the nation’s ailing economy for decades and generations to come?

How the conspiracy was hatched and carried out AND BY WHOM

The whole country knows it was Ranil Wickramasinha who brought Arjuna Mahendran to Sri Lanka and got him appointed as the Governor of the Central Bank in spite of strong objections raised by the President, as the Head of the State

It was he who invited him to come offering the Governorship of the CB

It was he who got the CB under him as pre-planned from the Finance Ministry.

It was he who took full responsibility for his selection and insisted that Mahendran should be appointed, when the President objected for his request to appoint his buddy

Taking the Central Bank under him from the Finance Ministry was the first conspiracy and crime committed by Ranil to ensure that this mega robbery will be carried out to its perfection with impunity.

I have no doubt Ranil did all this knowing that Mahendaran was not even a citizen of this country and therefore he cannot be taken to task by the Government of this country  once he send him out after the job is over. This clearly proves beyond all reasonable doubts that Ranil was the master mind behind the CB scam and he is the man who planned and got it implemented from the beginning tot the end.

Therefore he is definitely the Accused no 1 in this mega robbery.

When the matter was raised in Parliament it was Ranil who defended him in the House on 17th March 2015

It was also Ranil who introduced the new system of Bond auctions as revealed by Arjuna Mahendran before the commission in his evidence

It was also Ranil who got the President to dissolve Parliament in August 2015 a day before the Dew Gunasekara COPE Report was to be presented to Parliament and thereby criminally avoided the Report being debated in Parliament.

(This lapse led to the second Bond Scam the subject of the present debate)

He also appointed his own commission of Party lawyers and got Mahendran exonerated before the President appointed his Commission

Then he also wanted Mahendran appointed for a Second term which the President refused and got Coomaraswamy appointed

After that Ranil appointed Mahendran to another high post under his Ministry disregarding and ignoring his highly questionable role in the CB scam and also ignoring the President, probably thinking that it was he who got Mr Sirisena elected as the President, which is partly true.

When he was asked to give evidence before the Commission he got the Commissioners to send him a list of questions to be asked AT THE INQUIRY in advance carefully prepared, so that he can come prepared to answer them, perhaps designed to exonerate him.  This is like the Commissioner of Examinations sending the Question papers to a candidate and accepting his answer scripts at the examiners home and pass him with distinction.

He also got Ravi Karunanayaka the Finance Minister his confidante and Deputy Leader of the UNP to instruct all State Banks to bid at the auction at lower interest rate ( 9.5%) so that Ajun Aloysius, who was perhaps advised in advance either by Mahendran his father-in-law who was living with him in his home  or jointly by Ranil and Mahendran asked  him to quote 12.5 % interest as pre-planned.

He was also responsible for increasing the 10 Billion to 40 Billion as Mahendran has revealed in his evidence before the Commission

It was also he who got Sujiiva Serasinha, the Author of the famous Book on CB SCAM, appointed to the COPE as a member.

It was also he who sent Mahendran to Singapore when dark clouds were gathering over the sky.

(It is beyond comprehension how and why a suspect of such a crime was allowed to leave the country, unless there was some powerful intervention behind it). Ranil should know better than anybody else as to how he left Katunayaka Airport without any problem. Ranil knows better than any if Mahendran is arrested and grilled by the CID and by people like Dappula Livera and Kodagoda he will spill out all the beans and the entire gang of Alibaba and 40 thieves and all others who have jointly conspired, aided and abetted in different ways assigned to them by the leader, like writing books, adding foot notes and those benefitted directly or indirectly will be exposed.

He also has taken full responsibility in Parliament and before the President as well for all actions of Mahendraran which makes him responsible before the law for all crimes Mahendaran  has committed.

In this backdrop I don’t think this man will ever come to Sri Lanka. The perpetrators must have done their homework so that he could be kept in hiding safely forever.

Why can’t the President or law enforcing authorities take action against Ranil taking these commitments as serious crimes he has committed against the State and take action accordingly? Of cause one could argue that he cannot be treated under that law as he has not duly singed a bond in court to that effect. Can’t it be accepted as a verbal bond under common law interpreting all what he has done as commissions and omissions against public interest?   I am sure what I have said here could be converted to legal jargon to frame the charges

Therefore the citizens of this country who are the owners of the Central Bank should demand the President to at least now arrest the Golden brain, whoever it is, that conspired, planned and executed this crime with a gang of thieves and who is also doing everything he could, under the sun to protect Mahendran his erstwhile friend for nothing but shear political and personal gain. I don’t think anybody needs to name him. The President should know it better than anybody else. So I leave it to him to decide. I do not know whether he will take the correct decision. But as responsible citizens it is our duty by the country and its people to raise these issues for public debate. If he takes the correct decision on this issue at least now I have no doubt that he will at least partially emerge out of the abysmal political mire in to which he has fallen, not because of anybody else’s fault, but only of his own fault and lapses and lack of far sight.  It will also open the doors for an entirely a new political culture in this country, free from corruption and misgovernment, which the people of this country have been desperately dreaming for decades.

As I rate it

First accused Ranil Wickramasinha

Second Arjun Mahendran and

Third Ravi Karunanayaka

I leave it to the AG to list the others in order.

The President has to take the lead  in this matter  more than any other as  he is also partly rsponsible for most of these crimes committed by him as the Head of the State at that time.More importantly before he is gunned down by these elments, going by serious statements issued by  different people, with or without foreign intervention.0

It is only the direct intervention by the President   that can save the from

Those of you who read this will know many more involvements and finer points than this. I beg your pardon for shortcomings in this note.

The background for his selection

Mahendrans are Ranil’s Family friends and strong UNP supporters. Mahendran is also said to be hisschool mate at Royal. He has been appointed to several posts includinf the Sri Lanka  Ayojana Mandalaya,  even in 2001 when Ranil became PM. During that time he also appointed Charless Mahendran, Ajun’s farther to the UN.  While he was there he is supposed to have given some vital secret information to Ranil bypassing Chandrika, over which Chandrika got damn annoyed and dissolved the Parliament making room for the 2004 General Elections that routed Ranil’s Government and sent him to the opposition. It is in this backdrop one has to understand as to why Ranil brought Mahendran to the Central Bank

 

නලීන් ද සිල්වා, ගුණදාස අමරසේකර සහ ගණනාථ ඔබේසේකර – වෛද්‍ය රුවන් එම් ජයතුංගට පිළිතුරක්

December 12th, 2018

ගීතාංජන  

වෛද්‍ය රුවන් මංගල ජයතුංග මහතා විසින් “නලීන් ද සිල්වා, ගුණදාස අමරසේකර සහ ගණනාථ ඔබේසේකර” යන ලිපි ශීර්ෂය යටතේ කෙටි ලිපියක් ලංකා වෙබ් ෆෝරමයේ පල කොට තිබිණි. එම ලිපියට සන්නයක් (comment ) සපයමින් ම විසින් පහත දැක්වෙන අදහස් සටහන් කලෙමි.

කිසිදු අගක් මුලක්, හේතුභුතයක් නැති මෙම ලිපිය ඔබ ලීවේ කුමකටදැයි පාඨක අපට සිතා ගත නොහැක. (සැබවින්ම මෙය ලිපියකට වඩා මඩ comment එකක් යයි කීවොත් වඩාත් නිවැරදිය) වෛද් රුවන් එම් ජයතුංග යන නමින් ලියා ඇති නිසා මෙය මෝඩයෙකුගේ හුදු උද්ධච්ච ප්රලාපයක් යයි කියා අපට බැහැර කලද නොහැක. සැබවින්ම මෙය ඔබ නොලීවානම් වඩා හොඳ යැයි මට සිතෙන්නේ, මෙහි ඔබ කියා ඇති කිසිවක් බුද්ධි විෂයක වශයෙන් විශ්ලේෂණයකට භාජනය කර නැති නිසාවෙනි.

උදාහරණයක් ලෙස ඔබ කියා ඇති මේ කාරණය ගෙන බලන්න. නලීන් සිල්වා සහ ගුණදාස අමරසේකර යනු බටහිර ලෝකය සියළු අයහපතේ මූලය ලෙස සිතන්නෝය.” තවත් කරුණක් ගෙන බලමු. නලීන් සිල්වා සිතන්නේ බටහිර ලෝකයට ඔහු බින් ලාඩ්න් කෙනෙකු කියාය. නලීන් සිල්වා ජීවත් වන්නේ ඔහු විසින්ම සදාගත් මනංකල්පිත විශ්වයකය. අතින් ගුණදාස අමරසේකර පොළවේ පය ගසාගෙන සිටින්නෙකි. එහෙත් ඔහු තදින්ම කුමන්ත්රණ න්යාය විශ්වාස කරන්නෙකි.” මේ චෝදනා ඔප්පු කිරීමට මෙතැනින් ඔබ්බට කෙතරම් කරුණු ඔබගෙන් අප බලාපොරොත්තු වෙනවාද? එම වාක්යයනට අමතරව කිසිවක් ඔබ කියා නැත්තේ ඔබගේ එම වාක්යයන් දේව වාක්යය ලෙස අප පිළිගනීවි යැයි ඔබ සිතූ නිසාද? ඊළඟ ඡේදය ඔබ ලියා ඇත්තේ දැඩි වෛරයකින් බව අපට පෙනේ. එය ඔබම නැවත කියවා බලන්න.

ගුණදාස අමරසේකර යනු ශ්රී ලංකාව නම් කුඩා දිවයිනට පමණක් සීමාවූ හිටපු දන්ත වෛද්යවරයෙකි. ඔහු ගැන අනුරාධපුරයෙන් එහාට මිනිසුන් දන්නේ නැති තරම් . නලීන් සිල්වා උසස් අධ්යාපනය ලබන්නේ බටහිරය. ඔහුට බටහිර රටක විශ්ව විද්යාලයක තනතුරක් අවශ්යව තිබුණි. එහෙත් ඔහුට බටහිර ලෝකයේ තැනක් ලැබෙන්නේ නැත. ඔහුගේ බටහිර විරෝධයේ ආරම්භය එතැනය. එහෙත් ගණනාථ ඔබේසේකර යනු බටහිර ලෝකයේ ගරුත්වයට පාත්වූ ධීමතෙකි. ඔහු නලීන් සිල්වා සහ ගුණදාස අමරසේකර මෙන් ජෝකර් කෙනෙකු නොවේ.”

ඔබගේ බොහෝ චෝදනා කිපීමෙන් ගන්නාලද, හුදු ව්යාපනයන් මගින් කල නිගමනයන්ය (based on hasty generalizations). ඇතැම් චෝදනා වැදගැම්මකට නැති මඩ ගැහීමේ චේතනාවෙන්ම කල ඒවා බව පෙනී යයි. එම චෝදනා එකින් එක වෙන වෙනම ගෙන, බුද්ධිමය වශයෙන් කරනු ලබන විශ්ලේෂණයක් මගින් පාඨකයිනට ඔප්පුකොට පෙන්වීමට ඔබ සදාචාරාත්මකව බැඳී සිටී. වෛද් රුවන් එම් ජයතුංග මහතාණෙනි, ඔබ විසින් එල්ල කර ඇති මෙම චෝදනා ඔප්පු කර පෙන්වන ලෙස ඔබ ඉදිරිපිට ඇති මෙම අභියෝගයට මුහුණදී, බුද්ධිමය සාකච්ඡාවක් තුලින් ඔප්පුකොට පෙන්වන ලෙස ඉල්ලා සිටිමි. එසේ නොකළහොත් ඔබ හුදු මඩ ප්රචාරකයෙකුගේ තත්වයට වැටෙනු ඇති බව මෙහිදී සඳහන් කරන්නේ කනගාටුවෙනි.”

පළමුවෙන්ම කිව යුත්තේ මා මේ පිළිතුරු ලිපිය ලියන්නේ වෛද්‍ය රුවන් එම් ජයතුංග මහතාට ගැරහීමේ අරමුණින් වත්, නින්දා අපහාස කිරීමටවත් නොවන බවය. එමෙන්ම එතුමා සතුරකු, විරුද්ධ වාදියකු සේ සලකා විවේචනය කිරීමටද නොව. මා මෙම ලිපිය ලියන්නේ සමස්තයක් ලෙස ගත් කල, ඔහු මෙන්ම ඔහු වැනි තවත් අය විසින් නියෝජනය කරනු ලබන දේශපාලන ආස්තානයට පිළිතුරු සැපයීම කාලෝචිත යැයි සිතූ නිසාවෙනි. ඊට අමතරව මෙම ලිපියෙන් අරමුණු කරන්නේ, අද ශ්‍රීලංකාව තුල මෙන්ම, විදේශ ගතව සිටින්නාවුද, දේශපාලනය පිලිබඳ විමිසිලිමත් වූත්, ඒ පිලිබඳ විවිධවූ මත දරනාවුත් අය අතර ඇති එක්තරා ප්‍රවනතාවක් වන, ආචාර්ය නලින් ද සිල්වා මහතාට සහ දොස්තර ගුණදාස අමරසේකර මහතාට පහර ගැසීම හා පරිභව කිරීම තුලින්, ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ජාතික ගැටලුව පිළිබඳව වඩාත් මධ්‍යස්තවුත් සාධාරණවුත් මත දරන්නේ තමන් යයි ලෝකයාට ප්‍රකාශ කිරීමේ විලාසිතාවට අනුගතවූ සියල්ලන්ටද ආමන්ත්‍රණය කිරීමේ අරමුණිනි. මේ විලාසිතාව සමාජ දේහය තුල කෙතරම් ඔඩුදුවා ඇත්දැයි කිවහොත්, නලින් සිල්වා මහතාගේ හෝ අමරසේකරමහතාගේ මතවාද මොනවාද කියා කිසිවක් සොයා නොබලාම, ඒ පිලිබඳ හැදෑරීමක් නොකොටම ඔවුන් ප්‍රතික්ෂේප කොට හෙලාදකීමේ ප්‍රවනතාවක් තිබේ. මා වටා එවැනි මිතුරන්ද සිටී.

මෙම ප්‍රවනතාවේ තවත් සැඟවුණු අරමුනක්ද පවතී. එනම් ඊලාම් වාදී සංකල්ප වලට, රට බෙදීමේ දර්ශනයට, වෙනම රාජ්‍යය සංකල්පයට, සම්ප්‍රදායික නිජභූමි සංකල්පයට එරෙහිවූ මතවාද දරන චින්තකයිනට පහර ගැසීම හා ගැරහීම, ශ්‍රී ලංකාව බෙදා වෙන්කිරීමේ ව්‍යාපාරයට මිලියන ගණනින් මුදල් යොදවන බටහිර ආයතන වල අවධානය දිනාගැනීමේ කෙටි ක්‍රමයක් ලෙස මෙම පරිභව කිරීම ඇතැමුන් විසින් යොදා ගැනීම එම යටි අරමුනයි.

කෙසේ වුවද, නලීන් ද සිල්වා සහ ගුණදාස අමරසේකර යන අය ගණනාථ ඔබේසේකර සමග සැසැඳීම වෛද්‍ය රුවන් එම් ජයතුංග මහතා විසින් මොන පදනමක් මත සිදු කළා දැයි පාඨක අපට නොතේරෙන බව පැවසිය යුතු ය. නලින් හා අමරසේකර මහතුන් ගනනාථ මහතා සමග සැසඳීම හරියට ඇපල් හා දොඩම් සැසඳීම හා සමානය. මේ දෙවර්ගයම පලතුරු ගණයට අයත් වනවා සේම, අපගේ ප්‍රස්තුතයට මුල් වී ඇති පුද්ගලයින්ද බුද්ධිමතුන් ගණයට අයත් වුවත්, නලින් හා අමරසේකර මහතුන්ගේ ග්‍රහණයට නතුවූ විෂය කරුණු හා ඒවායේ බුද්ධිමය විශ්ලේෂණය ගනනාථ මහතාගේ කාර්යයට හසු වූ බවක් අප අසා නැත. නමුත් මේ තිදෙනාම එකම විශ්ව විද්‍යාල මාතාවකගේ දරුවන් වීම සුවිශේෂ කරුණකි.

මෑත කාලයේ, එනම් පසුගිය වසර තිස් පහක පමණ කාලයේ නලින් ද සිල්වා සහ ගුණදාස අමරසේකර යන නම් රටතුල ආන්දෝලනයකට ලක්වන්නෙත්, ඔවුන්ව අප හඳුනා ගන්නේත්, සිල්වා මහතා විශ්වවිද්‍යාල කථිකාචාර්ය වරයෙකු ලෙස නිසා හෝ අමරසේකර මහතාව කවියකු හා ලේඛකයෙකු ලෙස නිසා පමණක්ම නොවේ. ඔවුන් වැඩිපුරම ආන්දෝලනයකට ලක්වන්නේ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ජාතික ප්‍රශ්නය පිළිබඳව ඇතිවූ කතිකාවතේ දේශීය ජනයාගේ, විශේෂයෙන්ම සිංහල ජනයාගේ අපේක්ෂා සහ අයිතීන් පිළිබඳව අදහස් දැක්වූ වියතුන් ලෙසය. මෙය කිරීමේදී මොන තරම් නිදා අපහාස ඔවුන් විසින් වින්දාද කියා අපි දනිමු. ඒ නින්දා අපහාස විඳීම තවමත් නිම වී නොමැත. මෙසේ ඔවුන් තම මතවාදී අදහස් ඉදිරිපත් කලේ බෙදුම්වාදී මතවාදී ආධිපත්‍යය විසින් මුළු මහත් ශ්‍රී ලාංකික සමාජයම බුද්ධිමය වශයෙන් හිරිවට්ටා, ගොලුකොට, ප්‍රතිතර්ක විරහිතව ගොලුවී සිටි කාලයකදී වීම විශේෂයෙන්ම සඳහන් කල යුතු කරුණකි.  

නලින් ද සිල්වා සහ ගුණදාස අමරසේකර මහතුන් විසින් එය කෙතරම් සාර්ථක හා සාධනීය ලෙස කලාද කිවහොත්, ටික කලකින්ම ප්‍රධාන පෙලේ ඊලාම් වාදී න්‍යායාචාර්යවරුන් පසුබැස යාමටත්, සාකච්චා මේස වලදී ගොත ගැස්සවීමටත් ඔවුහු සමත් වූහ. එපමණක්ද නොව, නලින් ද සිල්වා මහතා විසින් ඊලාම් පෙරහරේ පෙර ගමන් කරුවෙකු වූ කුමාර් පොන්නම්බලම්ට ඉදිරිපත් කල අදටත් වලංගු ප්‍රශ්නය වූ, දෙමල ජනතාවට මුහුණදීමට සිදුව ඇති, එහෙත් සිංහල ජනතාවට නොමැති, හුදු දෙමල වීම නිසාම සිදුව ඇතැයි කියන සමාජ දේශපාලන අසාධාරණකම් නම් කරන ලෙස දිගින් දිගටම එල්ල කල ප්‍රශ්නයට මැරෙන තුරුත් පිළිතුරු දී ගත නොහැකිව, පොන්නම්බලම් මහතා ඔහු කිරිපොවා හදාවඩා ගත් ත්‍රස්තවාදීන් අතින් ඝාතනයට ලක්ව  මිය ගියේය. ඔහු පරලොවදී තවමත් ඊට පිළිතුරු සොයනවා නොඅනුමානය. ඉන් සිල්වා මහතා ලෝකයට ඔප්පු කර පෙන්වූයේ බොරුව මත පදනම්වූ සටනකට, රට තුල නොමැති ප්‍රශ්නයකට, පිළිතුරු සොයාගත නොහැකි බවය. එම හෙළිදරව්ව සමස්ත ඊලාම් ව්‍යාපාරයේම උපක්‍රම නැවත සලකා බැලීමට ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ සතුරනට බලකර සිටි බව නොරහසකි.

එවන් සේවාවක් ඔබ කර තිබේද? ගනනාථ ඔබේසේකර මහතා කර තිබේද? මට නම් කරනවා තබා සිතා ගැනීමටවත් නොහැක. ඉංග්‍රීසි භාෂාවේ සිට මානවවිද්‍යාවට හුවමාරු වූ ගණනාථ ඔබේසේකර මහතා අතින් හරිනම් එය සිදුවිය යුතුව තිබූ කාර්යයකි. නමුත් ඔහු අතින් එය සිදුවූ බවක් මම නම් අසා නොමැත. ඉතිහාසය පිලිබඳ හෝ මානවවිද්‍යාව පිලිබඳ බුද්ධි විෂයමය වශයෙන් පෙර සූදානමකින් තොරව, තමන් ලැබූ අධ්‍යාපන හා බුද්ධිමය ශික්ෂණයට පරිබාහිර කාර්යයක නියැලුණු නලින් ද සිල්වා සහ ගුණදාස අමරසේකර මහතුන් අතින්, පෘතඃජන පුද්ගලයින් ලෙස අනේක වැරදීම් සිදුවී ඇතුවාට සැකයක් අප තුල නොමැත. එහෙත් ඔවුන් කල දුෂ්කර කාර්යයයේ ශ්‍රේෂ්ට බව අප වටහා නොගන්නේනම් ශ්‍රී ලාංකිකයින් වන අප අතිශය අකෘතඥ ජාතියක් වනවාට නොඅනුමානය.

වෛද්‍ය රුවන් එම් ජයතුංග මහතාණෙනි, ඔබ මෙවැනි අදහස් පල කිරීමක් කලේ, ජාතික ප්‍රශ්නය පිළිබඳව ඔවුන් විසින් පල කල අදහස් එම කරුණ අරභයා ගනනාථ ඔබේසේකර මහතා විසින් පල කල අදහස් වලට පටහැනි නිසාද? නැතහොත් ගනනාථ ඔබේසේකර මහතා වඩාත් වැදගත් අදහස් ජාතික ප්‍රශ්නය පිළිබඳව දක්වා තිබෙන නිසාද? විවිධ කරුණු පිළිබඳව ඔවුන්ගේ මත වල වෙනස්කම් තිබිය හැකි වුවත්, මා දන්නා පරිදි ජාතික ගැටලුව පිළිබඳව එවන් විවෘත මත ගැටුමක් ඔවුන් අතර හටගෙන නොමැත.  අවම තරමින් සමාජයේ අවධානය යොමුවන තරමේ මතවාදී ගැටුමක් මා දන්නා පරිදි අසා නොමැත.

ඔබ මෙසේ කියයි. “නලීන් ද සිල්වා සහ ගුණදාස අමරසේකර යනු බටහිර ලෝකය සියළු අයහපතේ මූලය ලෙස සිතන්නෝය.”නලීන් ද සිල්වා සහ ගුණදාස අමරසේකර බටහිර ලෝකය සියලු අයහපතේ මුලය ලෙස කියා ඇති බවක් මම නොදනිමි. එසේ වුවද බටහිරින් එන සියලු දේ අවිචාරයෙන් ඔහු ප්‍රතික්ෂේප නොකරන බව රුපවාහිනී චැනලයක සාකච්චාවකදී නලින් ද සිල්වා මහතා විසින් කියනු මා අසා ඇත. එමෙන්ම ශ්‍රී ලංකාව අරභයා බටහිර සතු ප්‍රතිපත්ති ඔවුන් විවේචනය කර ඇත. එමෙන්ම, බටහිර දර්ශන වාදයේ ඇති පුහු බව පිළිබඳව ඔවුන් විවේචනය කර ඇත.

නමුත් කෙසේවුවද ශ්‍රී ලාංකිකයින් ඇතුළු නුතන මිනිසා සතු බොහෝ අයහපත්වලට මුලය බටහිර දර්ශන්වාදයේත්, විශේෂයෙන්ම නුතනවාදී දර්ශනයේත් ගැබ්ව ඇති බව ඔවුන් කියා ඇත. එය ඔවුන් පමණක් නොව, බොහොමයක් බටහිර විචාරකයින්ද පවසා ඇති, අද වනවිට දර්ශනවාදී ක්ෂේත්‍රයේ අවිවාදයෙන් පිළිගත් කරුණකි. එය ඔබ නොදැන සිටීම ඔබගේ ඉහතකී ප්‍රකාශයට හේතු වුවා නම්, එය ඉතාම අවාසනාවන්ත තත්වයකි. පහත දැක්වෙන්නේ එවන් කතිකාවතකට සම්බන්ධවී සිටි සහ සිටින බටහිර හා අනෙක් වියතුන් කිහිප දෙනෙකි.

යුරෝපීයයන් වන Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, එමෙන්ම බටහිරදී විචාරකයින් ලෙස කීර්තියක් දිනාගත්තද ආසියානුන් වන Edward Wadie Said (originally Palestinian), Homi K. Bhabha (originally Indian), එමෙන්ම ප්‍රංශ ජාතිකයෙකු වුවත් Martinique හි උපන්, Frantz Fanon. එමෙන්ම ආජන්ටිනියානු චින්තකයකු වන Enrique Dussel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrique_Dussel

එපමණක් නොව වෙනත් ක්ෂේත්‍ර වල සිටින බටහිර බටහිර බුද්ධිමතුන් හා දේශපාලන විචාරකයින් පවසන්නේ, බටහිර දේශපාලනය හා දර්ශනය මුළුමහත් මානව සංහතියම විනාශය කරා රැගෙන යන බවය. Paul Craig Roberts ගේ ලිපි  https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/

 

එමෙන්ම Marshall Berman, David Harvey and Noam Chomsky යන අය විසින් ප්‍රකාශයට පත් කර ඇති දුසිම් ගණන් වන පොත් පත් හා ලිපි ලේඛන.

 

එමෙන්ම ඔබ වෛද්‍යවරයෙකු නිසා නුතනවාදී විද්‍යාවේ සුසමාදර්ශ පිලිබඳ විචාරයක යෙදෙන Paul Feyerabend ගේ Against Method ඔබට ඉතාම රසවත් කියවීමක් වනු ඇතියි මම සිතමි. 

 

ඉහතින් සඳහන් කලේ බටහිරින් එන යුරෝකේන්ද්‍රීය ප්‍රවාද වලින් යුරෝපයටත්, ලෝකයේ අනෙකුත් කලාප වලටත් ඇති හානිකර ප්‍රතිපල පිළිබඳවත් ඒවායේ ඇති දාර්ශනික බංකොලොත් බවත් පිළිබඳව සාකච්චා කර ඇති බටහිර අර්ධ ගෝලයේ සිටිනා කිහිප දෙනෙකු පමණි. එනයින් ගත කල තත් කාලීන ලෝකයේ බොහොමයක්  අයහපත් තත්වයන්ට මූලය බටහිර දේශපාලනය හා දර්ශනවාදී සංකල්ප බව සිතන්නේ නලීන් ද සිල්වා  සහ  ගුණදාස අමරසේකර පමණක් නොවන බව ඔබට වැටහෙනු ඇත. 

 

ඔබගේ ඊළඟ ප්‍රකාශය බලන්න. “ගුණදාස අමරසේකර යනු ශ්‍රී ලංකාව නම් කුඩා දිවයිනට පමණක් සීමාවූ හිටපු දන්ත වෛද්‍යවරයෙකි. ඔහු ගැන අනුරාධපුරයෙන් එහාට මිනිසුන් දන්නේ නැති තරම් ය.” ගුණදාස අමරසේකර ගැන ඔබ දන්නේ දන්ත වෛද්‍යවරයෙක් ලෙස පමණක්ද? ඔහු ලේඛකයෙක්, කවියෙක් ලෙස ඔබ දැනගෙන සිටියේම නැතිද? කෙසේ වුවත්, ඔබ මේ ගැරහීම අමරසේකර මහතාට කරන්නේ ඔහු දන්තවෛද්‍යවරයෙක් නිසාවත්, සාහිත්‍යධරයෙක් නිසාවත් නොවෙයි නේ. ඔබ ගරහන්නේ ඔහු ශ්‍රී ලංකා දේශපාලන ඉතිහාසයට කර ඇති දායකත්වය බරපතල ලෙස ඔබට බලපෑ ඇති නිසා නේ? එයින් වැටහෙන්නේ කුමක්ද? අමරසේකර මහතාගේ අයිතිහාසික සුවිශේෂතාව වන්නේ ඔහු දන්ත වෛද්‍යවරයෙක් වීමවත්, සාහිත්‍යධරයෙක් වීමවත් නොව, ඔහුගේ දේශපාලන මතවාදී දායකත්වයම නොවේද?  

 

පළමුවෙන්ම අපට ඇතිවන ගැටලුව වන්නේ, ලංකාව තුල පමණක් දැන සිටීම කිසියම් පුද්ගලයෙකුගේ බුධිමය වටිනාකම අඩුවීමට හේතුවන සාධකයක්ද යන්නයි. වෛද්‍ය රුවන් එම් ජයතුංග මහතානෙනි, මම දන්නා පරිධි, ඔබ පිළිබඳව දන්නේ අපි පමණි. එය කිසිසේත්ම ඔබගේ වටිනාකම අඩුකොට සිතීමට මට නම් හේතුවක් නොවේ. අමරදේව, සරත්චන්ද්‍ර, නන්දා මාලිනි ගැන දන්නේ අපි පමණි. බටහිර ඔවුන් ගැන නොදත් පමණින් අපට ඔවුන් වටින්නේ නැතිද? බටහිර ඔවුන් පිලිබඳව නොදන්නා නිසා අප ඔවුන්ව ඉතිහාසයේ කුණු කූඩයට දමන්නෙමුද? 

 

ඔබ කියා ඇති පරිදි අනුරාධපුරයෙන් එහාට අමරසේකර මහතාව දන්නේ නැති කරුණ පිළිබඳව කියන්නේ නම්, මා කිව යුතු වන්නේ ඇත්තටම ඔවුන් ගැන දන්නේ අනුරාධපුරයෙන් මෙහා ඔබ වැනි අයට වඩා අනුරාධපුරයෙන් එහා අය බවය. සැබවින්ම, ඊළාම්වාදී පෙරගමන් කරුවන් සියල්ලෝම ඔවුන් පිළිබඳව දන සිටියහ. බටහිර INGO සහ ඔවුන්ගෙන් මුදල් ලබන ලංකාවේ ක්‍රියාත්මකවූ NGO ඔවුන් ගැන දන සිටියහ. එපමණක් නොව තමන්ගේ බත් පතට වැලි දමන අය ලෙස නලීන් ද සිල්වාට සහ ගුණදාස අමරසේකරට ඔවුහු වෛර කළහ. මේ පිලිබඳ දෘශ්‍යමය වශයෙන් හොඳම උදාහරණය නම්, එක්තරා රූපවාහිනී වැඩසටහනකදී නිමල්කා ප්‍රනාන්දු විසින් ප්‍රකට කල ගුණදාස අමරසේකර පිලිබඳ ‘ඇගේ වෛරයයි.’ නිමල්කා විසින් හෙළි දක්වනලද ‘ඇගේ වෛරය’ හටගන්නේත්, ඉන් විශද කරන්නෙත් වෙනත් කිසිවක් නොව, ගුණදාස අමරසේකර මහතාගේ අදහස් විසින් තමන්ගේ බත් පතට වැලි දැමෙන නිසාවෙන් ඇය තුල හට ගන්නා භීතිය හා ද්වේශයයි. අනික් හේතුව නම් බෙදුම්වාදී මතවාදයට එරෙහිව බලවත් තර්ජනයක් එල්ලකරන   අමරසේකර වැනි මතවාදීන් වෙත පෙරලා පහර ගැසීම වෙනුවෙන්, හා රට බෙදීමේ කර්තව්‍යය වෙනුවෙන් නිර්ලෝභී ලෙස නාය යාමට සැදී පැහැදී සිටි ඩොලර් කඳු තමන්ගේ දිසාවට නාය යාමට සැලැස්වීම මෙම පහර දීම තුල සැඟවුණු නිමල්කාගේ ඊළඟ අරමුනයි. එකල නිමල්කා ප්‍රනාන්දු රෙද්ද උස්සගෙන දැඟලුවේ ඩොලර් භක්තියෙන් විනා මානව භක්තියෙන් නොවන බව ඇත් දැකීම් අඩු තරුණයින් වූ අපිට පවා ඉතා පැහැදිලිව පෙනුනි.  

 

ඊළඟට ඔබ මෙසේ කියයි. “එහෙත් ඔවුන් තම දරුවන් උසස් අධ්‍යාපනය සඳහාද ජීවත් වීම සඳහාද යැව්වේ බටහිරටය.” නලින් ද සිල්වා හෝ ගුණදාස අමරසේකර මහත්වරුන්ගේ දරුවන් විදේශ ගතවී සිටිනවාදැයි මම නොදනිමි. විදේශ ගතවී සිටියත් මට නම් එහි වරදක් නොපෙනේ. එකල පැවතී හින්දු හා ජයින දර්ශනවාදී පදනම පැරදවීමට උවමනාව තිබූ නිසා බුදුන් වහන්සේ පවා ආලාර කාලාම, උද්දකරාම පුත්ත වෙත ගිය සේක. උන්වහන්සේ එසේ ගියේ, එකල පැවතී අග්‍රස්ථ දාර්ශනික සංස්ථා අභිභවා යාමට විනා එම දැනුමේ සිසුවකු වීමට නොවේ. එනයින් ගත් කල බටහිර දර්ශන වාදයේ යහපත හා අයහපත තේරුම් ගැනීමට නම් අප බටහිර දැනුම උකහා ගැනීම අවශ්‍ය වෙයි. වත්මන් ඇමෙරිකාවේ කෙතරම් චීන සිසු සිසුවියන් ඉගෙන ගන්නවාද කියා ඔබ දන්නවා යයි මට සැකය. තම අනාගත පරපුර චීනය විසින් දහස් ගණනින් අධ්‍යාපනය සඳහා ඇමෙරිකාවට එවන්නේ යම්කිසි හේතුවක් නිසා විය යුතුය. අනික බටහිර දැනුම තුල පවා කෙතරම් ජයග්‍රහණ මානව සංහතිය ලබා තිබෙනවාද. මගේ මතය නම්, ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට ආදරය කරන සියලු දෙනා හැකිනම් ලෝකයේ සියලු කලාපවල සැරිසරා දැනුම උකහා ගත යුතුය. එම දැනුම අපගේ දැනුම් සම්භාරයට ආදේශ කරගත යුතුය. නොවැදගත් යයි හැඟෙන දේ ඉවත් කොට එම දැනුම අපේ කර ගත යුතුය. මෙහි වරදක් මට නොපෙනේ.

ඔබ කරන මේ ඉහත ප්‍රකාශය එනම් නලීන් ද සිල්වා සහ ගුණදාස අමරසේකර තම දරුවන් උසස් අධ්‍යාපනය සඳහාද ජීවත් වීම සඳහාද යැව්වේ බටහිරටය” යන්න සාධාරණද කියා සිතා බලන්න? සුද්දාට අපව විවෙච්චනය කර කර, අපට උඩින් සහ යටින් වල කප කපා, ලංකාවේ ජීවත් විය හැක, ලංකාවට පැමිණිය හැක, ඉඩකඩම් මිලදී ගත හැක, ව්‍යාපාරද කල හැක. ජීවන මාර්ගය සලසා ගත හැක. නමුත් අපට, නලීන් ද සිල්වා , ගුණදාස අමරසේකර නොහැක. ඔබ සතුව සුද්දට එක ප්‍රතිපතියකුත් අපට තවත් ප්‍රතිපත්තියකුත් තිබෙන්නේ ඇයි? එසේ තිබිය නොහැක. එය අසාධාරණ ය.

ඔබ භාවිතා කරන ඉහත තර්කය ඉතා පැරණි තර්කයකි. එය භාවිතා කලේ එංගලන්තය ප්‍රංශය වැනි යටත්විජිත වාදී මව් රටවල් තමන්ට පමණක් සීමා කර ගැනීමට උත්සුක වූ, යටත්විජිත වාදීන්ට තම මනස හා සිරුර ක්‍රීඩා භාණ්ඩයක් ලෙස භාවිතා කිරීමට ඉඩහළ, සහ දැනටත් ඉඩහරින, රටක්, සංස්කෘතියක්, පවුලක් හෝ රැකගැනීමට දෙයක් නොමැති, අමරසේකර මහතාගේ වචනයෙන් කිවහොත් ‘තුප්පහියන්’ එහෙම නැතිනම්, හෝමි කේ. බාබා ගේ වචනයෙන් කිවහොත් ‘hybrid’ සුළුතරය වන කොළඹ ලුම්පන් සුලුතරයයි. බටහිර ජීවත් වන වෙනත් ආසියාතික, ලතින් ඇමෙරිකානු හෝ අප්‍රිකානු ජාතීන් අතර එවැනි ප්‍රශ්න නැත. ඔවුන් ඔවුන්ගේ මව් රට වල අයිතීන් සඳහා බටහිර රටවල සිට සටන් කරති. ඔවුන් බටහිර විවේචනය කරමින් එහි ජීවත් වෙති. හොඳම උදාහරණය වන්නේ පලස්තීන ජාතික Edward Said ය.

වෛද්‍ය රුවන් එම් ජයතුංග මහතාණෙනි, ඔබගේ තර්කය අනුව ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට ආදරය කරන අයට බටහිරට යාමට සදාචාරාත්මක අයිතියක් නොමැත. එවැනි අය බටහිරට ගොස් තම රට වෙනුවෙන් සටන් කිරීම කුහක කමකි. නමුත් එම අයිතිය ඇත්තේ රට බෙදීමට සටන් කරන අයට පමණි. එනම්, ඊලාම් වාදීන්ට පමණි.  මොන තරම් කුහක තර්කයක්ද. ඔබගේ මේ ලිපිය බටහිර රටක තිබෙන තුන්වන ලෝකයේ රටවල ව්‍යසන ඇතිකිරීමේ අභිලාෂයෙන්ම මුදල් සපයන ආයතනයක් දුටුවානම්, ඔබට අලුතින්ම NGO ආයතනයක් විවුර්ත කරදී, ඩොලර් මිලියන ගණනින් මුදල් සපයනු ඇත. ඔබ මේ ලිපිය ලිවීමේ අරමුණ එයම නම්, මා එය විවේචනය කලාට අනේ දෙවියනේ මට සමාවෙන්න.   

බටහිර මේ දිනවල බහුලව ක්‍රියාත්මක වන සරණාගතයින් හා විදේශ සංක්‍රමණිකයන්ට එරෙහිව තැන තැන හටගත් සුදු මිනිසුන්ගේ විරෝධතා වලට ප්‍රති විරෝධය දක්වමින් පැවතී උද්ඝෝෂණයක තිබුණු සටන් පාටයක් පිළිබඳව ඉන්දීය දේශපාලන විචාරක ශෂී තරූර් (Shashi Tharoor) වරක් සඳහන් කලේ ඔහු දුටු විදේශීය සංක්‍රමණිකයන් හා සරණාගතයින්ගේ සටන් පාටයක මෙලෙස සටහන්ව තිබූ බවකි. “WE ARE HERE BECAUSE YOU WERE THERE” සාධාරණයි නේද ජයතුංගමහතාණෙනි? බටහිර ජාතීන් අපේ රට වලට විත් අපව කාබාසීනියා කල නිසාත්, අපේ සාරය උරාගෙන ගොස් අපව බංකොලොත් කොට ඔවුන්ගේ රටවල් ගොඩ නගපු නිසාත්, අපිට ඔවුන්ගේ රට වලට ගොස් ධනය ඉපයීමේ තහනමක් තිබිය නොහැක. අනික අපේ රට වල් බටහිර ජාතීනට තවමත් විවුර්තයි නේ? බ්‍රිතාන්‍ය යටත්විජිත කරණය තුලින් ඔවුන්ගේ යටත් විජිත් ජාතීන් නූතන යුගයට රැගෙන ගියාය කියා උදම් අනන අපගේ කොළඹ ජීවත්වන ඉංග්‍රීසි තෙපලන ආත්මයක් නැති අයගේ තර්කයට කදිම පිළිතුරක් පහත දැක්වෙන වීඩියෝවෙන් දැකගත හැක. කරුණාකර එය නරඹන්න.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL2Pa8OMML-D8geRbVpuEaxEZeCn0sZt41&time_continue=19&v=f7CW7S0zxv4

කෙසේ වුවත් ඔබ කියා ඇති පරිදි නලින් ද සිල්වා සහ ගුණදාස අමරසේකර යන අය හුදු ජෝකරයන් වන්නේ කෙසේද යන්න අප වැනි හුදී ජනයාගේ පටු දැනුම පුළුල් කර ගැනීම සඳහා කියා දෙනමෙන් වෛද්‍ය රුවන් එම් ජයතුංග මහතාගෙන් අප උදක්ම ඉල්ලා සිටිමු.

ඊළඟ චේදයෙන් ඔබ මෙසේ කියයි. ප්රිංස්ටන් විශ්ව විද්යලයේ මහාචාර් ගණනාථ ඔබේසේකර අන්තර් ජාතික කීර්තියට පත්වූ උගතෙකිගණනාථ ඔබේසේකර පිලිබඳව එංගලන්තයේ, ඇමරිකාවේ, කැනඩාවේ මෙන්ම ප්රංශයේ සිටින මා හඳුනන මනෝ විද්වතුන් අදහස් පළ කොට ඇත. උදාහරණ ලෙස එංගලන්තයේ ආචාර් ස්ටීවන් හීත්, ඇමරිකාවේ ආචාර් රොජර් බෘක්කැනඩාවේ මහාචාර් රිචඩ් ලේලොන්ඩ් , කැනඩාවේ වෛද් එරික් ස්මඩ්ජා යන්නවුන් මා සමග ගණනාථ ඔබේසේකර  ගේ කෘතීන් ගැන කතා කොට තිබේ. එහෙත් ගුණදාස අමරසේකර පිලිබඳව මා සමග කතා කොට ඇත්තේ දිවයින පුවත්පතේ පාඨකයන්නලීන් සිල්වා පිලිබඳව මා සමග කතා කොට ඇත්තේ විදුසර පුවත් පතේ පාඨකයන් .” මෙය කියැවු මා තුල ඇතිවූ හැඟීම් මා මෙහි සටහන් නොකරමි. කෙසේ වුවද ඔබගේ මෙම ලිපිය මහාචාර්ය ගණනාථ ඔබේසේකර මහතා ට දැකීමට ඉඩ සලසන්න. ඔහු විසින් ඔබට ප්‍රින්ස්ටන් විස්වා විද්‍යාලයේ පශ්චාත් උපාදියකට රෙකමදාරුවක් ලබා දීමට තරම් එය හේතු වීමට ඉඩ ඇත. මා මෙලෙස පවසන්නේ මීට සමාන දේවල් මීට පෙර මා දැක ඇති නිසාවෙනි. 

අවසානයේදී ඔබ මෙසේ කියයි. මේ ත්රිත්වයෙන් ලංකාවට වටින්නේ ගණනාථ ඔබේසේකර . අනෙක් දෙදෙනා ඉතිහාසයේ කුණු කූඩයට යාමට නියමිතය.” මෙය හාස්‍ය ජනක ප්‍රකාශයකි. ඔබ මෙහි සඳහන් කරන්නේ මොන ඉතිහාසයේ කුනුකූඩය ගැනද වෛද්‍ය රුවන් එම් ජයතුංග මහතාණෙනි?  එය මොන කුණු කුනුකූඩයද යන්න ඔබ පැහැදිලිව සඳහන් කල යුතුය.  මන්ද, විවිධාකාර ඉතිහාසසයේ කුණු ගොඩවල් තිබිය හැකි නිසාවෙනි.

ජයතුංග මහතාණෙනි, ඉතිහාසකරණය (historiography) යනු ඉමහත් සංකීර්ණ කර්තව්‍යයකි. එය දේශපාලන කර්තව්‍යයකි. ඉතිහාස කරණයේ යෙදෙන පාර්ශ්වයට අනුව, ඉතිහාසයක ආඛ්‍යානය වෙනස් විය හැක. ඔවුන් දෙදෙනා වැටෙන්නට නියමිත වී තිබෙන්නේ ශ්‍රී ලංකාව පිළිබඳව ඉන්දියාව විසින් රචනා කෙරෙන ඉතිහාසයක ඉන්දියානු කුණු කූඩයටද, බටහිර කුණු කූඩයටද එහෙමත් නැතිනම් ඔබේ කුණු කූඩයටද? කරුණාකර මට අනුමාන කිරීමට ඉඩ දෙන්න. මේ ඔබ සඳහන් කරන්නේ ඔබේ කුණු කූඩය ගැන නේද රුවන් මංගල ජයතුංග මහතාණෙනි? කෙසේවුවත් ඔබට මෙන්ම අපටත් කුණුකුඩ තිබෙන බව අමතක නොකරනු මැනව.

මෙයින් කියවෙන්නේ ඔබේ කුණු කූඩය සහ මගේ කුණු කූඩය අතර අහසට පොලොව මෙන් වෙනසක් පවතින බවය. ප්‍රිය ජයතුංග මහතාණෙනි, කරුණාකර ඔබගේ කුණු කූඩයේ සිටින අන් අය කවරෙක්දැයි නැවත පරීක්ෂා කර බලන්න. ඇතැම්විට, වැරදීමකින් දුටුගැමුණු, දෙවෙනි රාජසිංහ, විමලධර්මසූරිය, අනගාරික ධර්මපාල, මුනිදාස කුමාරතුංග, කන්නන්ගර, අමරදේව වැනි අයත් එහි සිටීමට ඉඩ ඇත. එවැනි අය එහි සිට ඔබට හමු වුවහොත්, කරුණාකර ඔවුන් කහ වතුරෙන් සෝදා, ඔබගේ බුදු පහන ලඟින් තැන්පත් කොට, හැමදා සවසට මල් පහන් තියා වඳින්න. ඔබ එසේ කිරීමට අකමැතිනම්  අපගේ කුනුකූඩ අප දෙදෙනා අතර හුවමාරු කර ගැනීමට හෝ එකඟ වන ලෙස ඉල්ලා සිටිමි. එවිට මගේ කුණු කූඩයේ සිටින බොහෝ අය ඔබගේ බුදු පහන ලඟින් තැන්පත් කොට නිති පතා නැමදීමට ඔබට හැකි වනු ඇත.  

ප්‍රිය ජයතුංග මහතාණෙනි. මා ඔබ තරුණයෙක්ද, වියපත් අයෙක්ද කියා නොදනිමි. නමුත් ඔබගේ ලිපි වලට අනුව, ඔබ අවම තරමින් මැදි වයසේ පසු වෙතයි මා සිතමි. ඔබගේ අදහස් තුලින් මා ඔබ තුල නලියන ශ්‍රී ලාංකිකත්වය දකිමි. ඔබතුල සිටින ගැමි තාරුණ්‍යය වටහා ගනිමි. නමුත් ඔබගේ මතවාදී අදහසකට මගේ ඇති මතවාදී වෙනස නිසා ඔබව සම්පූර්ණයෙන් බැහැර කිරීමට මම මැළි වෙමි. මන්ද, ඔබගේ අර ඉහත කී ගැමි තාරුණ්‍යයේ ඇති කලහකාරී බුද්ධිමය කුතුහලයට මම ආදරය කරන නිසාය. අහෝ, අප රැක ගත යුත්තේ මොනවාද, බැහැරකළ යුතේ මොනවාද කියා ඔබ වැන්නන් නිවැරදිව දකින්නේ නම්, ඉමහත් තර්ජනයට ලක්ව ඇති ශ්‍රී ලංකා මාතාවට විශාල හයියක් නොවේද?  ඒ පිළිබඳව නැවත සිතා බලන්න.

ඔබ ඉදිරියේ පවතින බව මවිසින් මීට පෙර සඳහන් කල අභියෝගය තවමත් වලංගු අභියෝගයකි. නලීන් ද සිල්වා, ගුණදාස අමරසේකර මහතුනට එරෙහිව ඔබ එල්ල කල චෝදනා හා අපකීර්තියට ලක් කරන ප්‍රකාශ ඔප්පු කිරීම හා සාධාරණී කරණය කිරීම ඔබගේ සදාචාරාත්මක වගකීමකි. එම ලිපි ඔබ විසින් ඉදිරි දිනවලදී ලංකා වෙබ් ෆෝරමය තුල පල කරනු ඇතැයි අප අපේක්ෂා කරන අතර, එවන් කතිකාවතකට මුල පිරීම තුලින් සත්‍ය කුමක්ද යන්න හෙළි කර ගැනීමට අප සැමට ඉන් මහඟු අවස්තාවක් උදා වෙනු ඇත. ඔබට ස්තුතියි

අපි අනාවැකි කිව්වට පිළිගත්තේ නෑ

December 12th, 2018

දේශනයක් ඇසුරෙන් ලීවේ හර්ෂනී අර්සකුලරත්න

“අද අගමැති ප්‍රමුඛ ආණ්ඩුවක් තිබුණත් රාජකාරි කටයුතු කළ නොහැකියි. මේ තත්ත්වය යටතේ තවදුරටත් රට අගාධයකට වැටීමට ඉඩනොදී ගලවගන්න අවශ්‍ය නම් ස්ථාවර ආණ්ඩුවක් අත්‍යවශ්‍ය වෙනවා. නව ආරම්භයක් අත්‍යවශ්‍ය වෙනවා. රට තුළ තිබෙන වාතාවරණය වෙනස් කළ යුතු වෙනවා.

ඒ වගේම පත්වන ආණ්ඩුවට ශක්තියක් වගකීමක් හා නායකත්වයක් මෙන්ම පුළුල් ආර්ථික දැක්මක් තිබිය යුතුයි. පසුගිය ආණ්ඩුව රට වට්ටවා ඇති ආර්ථික අගාධයෙන් ගොඩ ගැනීමට ඒ නිසා මූලිකවම කළ යුතු වන්නේ රට තුළ ස්ථාවරයක් ඇතිකොට නව දැක්මක් හරහා ආර්ථිකයට සම්බන්ධ අයට නව බලාපොරොත්තු ලබා දීමයි.

මේ ගැන සිතා බලා ජනාධිපතිවරයා ගත් උත්සාහයට මා අවංකවම ස්තුතිවන්ත වෙනවා. නව අගමැතිවරයා පත් කිරීම හරහා බිහිවුණු කෙටිකාලීන රජයකින් මේවා සාර්ථකව ඉටු කරගැනීමට නොහැකි නිසයි ජනාධිපතිවරයා හැකි ඉක්මනින් පාර්ලිමේන්තුව විසුරුවා ආණ්ඩුවක් පිහිටුවීමට ජනතාවට බලය දීමට සූදානම් වුණේ. එය එසේ වූවා නම් ජනතාවට අවශ්‍ය ලෙස නව ආණ්ඩුවක් පත්කරගෙන පවතින අඳුරු කාලය ජනවාරි 05දා වනවිට අවසන් කරගන්න හැකියාව තිබුණා.

රටේ අස්ථාවර භාවය කෙටි කාලයක් පමණයි එවිට පැවැතීමට නියමිතව තිබුණේ. එහෙම වුණා නම් ඒ කෙටි කාලයෙන් පසුව රටේ ආර්ථිකය හරි දිශානතියකට ගෙන යා හැකි වුණා. අවාසනාවන්ත ලෙස නීතිමය අභියෝග එල්ල වීමත් සමඟ රට කෙටි කලකින් ස්ථාවර කරගැනීමේ අවස්ථාවත් ගිලිහුණා.

මෙහෙම දිගින් දිගටම සිදුවුණොත් රට දැවැන්ත අර්බුදයක් කරා ගමන් කරයි. මේ අර්බුදය තව තවත් දීර්ඝ වුණොත් රටේ ආර්ථිකයට දැවැන්ත පරිහානියක් සිදුවෙන්නේ.

රටේ මෙවැනි ආර්ථික අර්බුදයක් ඇතිවන බවට පෙර පැවැති ආණ්ඩුවට අපිම විටින් විට අනතුරු ඇඟෙව්වා. ඔවුන් ඒවා කනකටවත් ගත්තෙ නෑ. පසුගිය වසරේ ජූලි මාසයේදී අපි අනාවැකි කිහිපයක්ම පළ කළා. මේ වනවිට ඒවා සත්‍ය වෙලා. අපි එදා කිව්වා මෙරට විදෙස් සංචිත අඩුවෙමින් පවතින්නේ, මේක භයානක තත්ත්වයක් කියලා. එවිට විවිධ අය ඒක බොරු කිව්වා. 2014 වර්ෂයේ අගවෙද්දි ඇමෙරිකානු ඩොලර් බිලියන 8ක් රටේ තිබ්බා. ඒක 2017දී ඇමෙරිකානු ඩොලර් 7 දක්වා අඩු වුණා. හරිනම් මේ වෙද්දි විදෙස් සංචිත ඩොලර් බිලියන 12ක් රටේ පැවැතිය යුතු වුණා. විවිධ ආකාරවලට ඒවා එවකට ආණ්ඩු විසින් කාබාසිනියා කරලා දාද්දි අපි පැවැසුවා හැකි ඉක්මනින් වැඩි කරගන්න කියලා. කියන දේවල් ඔවුන් ඇහුවෙ නෑ. මේ තත්ත්වය තුළ රුපියල මස්තබාල්දු වෙයි කියලා අපි කිව්වා.

ණය ශේ්‍රණිගත කරන ෆිච්, මුඩීස් වැනි ආයතන ඔවුන්ගේ වාර්තාවලින් මෙරට ශේ්‍රණීන් පහත හෙළයි කියලා. ඊට මුකුත්ම නොකර දේශපාලනික හේතූන් මත එහෙම කරනවා කියලා චෝදනා කළා.

ඒ වගේම අය වැය පරතරය ඉහළ යන බව පෙන්වා දුන්නා. රට තුළ ව්‍යාපාර කඩා වැටීම නිසා ඔවුන් ගෙවන බදු ප්‍රමාණයන් අඩුවෙනවා, රටේ බහුතර ව්‍යාපාර කඩාවැටෙන බව අපි කිව්වා. 2018 වසරේ දෙවැනි හා තෙවැනි කාර්තුවලදී ලැයිස්තුගත සමාගම් සෑම එකකම ලාභ 10%කින් අඩුවෙලා තිබ්බා. මේක අපි දැක්කා, ඒ වගේම කිව්වා. මේකට කිසිම පිළියමක් යෙදුවෙත් නෑ.

රජයේ ආදායම් අඩු වුණාට රජයේ ගෙවීම් අඩු වුණේ නෑ. කළයුතු ගෙවීම් කරද්දි පරතරය වැඩි වෙනවා. එවිට ගන්න ණය ප්‍රමාණය වැඩිවෙනවා. ගෙවිය යුතු පොලී අනුපාත වැඩිවෙනවා.
ඒ වගේම රටේ අනෙකුත් ශේ්‍රණිගත කිරීම්වලින් පහළට යන බවත් පැවැති ආණ්ඩුවට අපි පෙන්නලා දුන්නා. නීතියේ ආධිපත්‍ය සම්බන්ධව දකුණු ආසියාවේ 1 වැනි ස්ථානයේ සිටි ශ්‍රී ලංකාව 3 වැනි තැනට වැටුණා. ලෝකේ 48 වැනි තැනෙන් 68 වැනි තැනට වැටුණා.

ආර්ථික නිදහස සම්බන්ධව දකුණු ආසියාවෙන් 1 වැනි ස්ථානයේ සිට 2 වැනි ස්ථානයටත් ලෝකයෙන් 90 සිට 102 වැනි ස්ථානයටත් වැටුණා.

ජාත්‍යන්තර තරගකාරීත්වය සම්බන්ධව දකුණු ආසියාවේ 1 වැනි ස්ථානය හිමි කරගත් අපි 2 වැනි තැනට වැටුණා. ලෝකයෙන්ම 68 වැනි තැනින් 85 වැනි ස්ථානයට වැටුණා.

ට්‍රාන්ස්පේරන්සි ඉන්ටර්නැෂනල් ආයතනයේ එළි දක්වන දූෂණ ප්‍රත්‍යක්ෂය සම්බන්ධව දකුණු ආසියාවේ අපි හිටියේ 2 වැනි තැන. අපි 2018 දී 3 වැනි තැනට වැටුණා. ලෝකෙන්ම 85 වැනි තැනේ හිටිය අපි 95 වැනි ස්ථානයට වැටුණා.

මේ විදියට හැම පැත්තකින්ම රටේ ආර්ථිකය දිගින් දිගටම කඩා වැටෙමින් තිබුණා. අපි වසරින් වසර මේ කඩා වැටීම සිදුවූ ආකාරය පෙන්වා දුන්නා. මෙහෙම වෙලා අද අපි අමාරු තත්ත්වයකටයි ඇද වැටිලා තියෙන්නේ.
මෙතැනදි තවත් එක් ලොකු ගැටලුවක් තිබුණා මීට බලපාපු. ජාත්‍යන්තර මූල්‍ය අරමුදලට අනුව අපට අපේ රටේ ආර්ථික ප්‍රතිපත්ති වෙනස් කරන්න බැහැ. අපිත් ජාත්‍යන්තර මූල්‍ය අරමුදලෙන් ණය ගත්තත් අපි ඔවුන්ගේ ප්‍රතිපත්තිවලට එකඟ වුණේ නැතිවයි වැඩ කළේ. මෙවර වුණේ එහි ප්‍රතිපත්ති අනුව වැඩ කරලා දරුණු ප්‍රපාතයකට ඇද වැටුණා.

ඒ වගේම 2014 අගවෙද්දි රුපියල් ටි්‍රලියන 7ක් වුණු ණය බර 2018 සැප්තැම්බර් අගවෙද්දී රුපියල් ටි්‍රලියන 12ක් දක්වා වැඩි වුණා.

දළ දේශීය නිෂ්පාදිතයට සාපේක්ෂව 2014දී තිබුණු ණය බර 71% සිට 90% දක්වා වැඩි වුණා. බැඳුම්කරවල තිබූ පොලී අනුපාත සියල්ල අපට ඉසිලිය හැකි ස්ථානවලයි තිබුණෙ. සියලු පොලී අනුපාත තිබුණෙ තනි ඉලක්කමෙන්. මාස තුනේ භාණ්ඩාගාර බිල්පත්වලට ගෙවූ පොලී අනුපාතය 5.6%යි.

අවුරුදු 30 භාණ්ඩාගාර බැඳුම්කරවලට ගෙවපු පොලී අනුපාතය 9.3%යි. එහෙම තිබුණු පොලී අනුපාත සියල්ලම බැඳුම්කර වංචාවෙන් පස්සෙ ඉතා ඉක්මනින් ඉතා දරුණු ලෙස ඉහළ ගියා.

ඒ වැඩිවීම හරහා අපේ රටේ අය-වැයට දරුණු පීඩනයක් එල්ල වුණා. එයින් පසුව අපිට පෙනුණේ ඒ තත්ත්වය මඟ හරවාගන්න බැරි තත්ත්වයක් බව. ඉන් අනතුරුව දිගටම පොලී අනුපාතය ඉහළ ගියා.

පොලී අනුපාතය ඉහළ ගියාම අපට හිතාගන්න පුළුවන් කෙතරම් පීඩනයක් රටේ අය වැයට දැනෙනවද? අපේ රටේ ජනතාවට දැනෙනවද කියලා. 2014 අග වනවිට නිවෙසක් හදන්නට අයෙක් යම් පොලී අනුපාතයකට ණයක් ගත්ත නම් ඒක 10%යි. නැත්තම් 11%යි වුණේ. අද ඒක 17%යි. මෝටර් සයිකලයක් ලීස් කළා නම් ඒ කාලෙ ගෙවිය යුතු පොලී අනුපාත වුණේ 12%යි. 13%යි. අද 22%, 23%, 24%යි.

එසේ පොලී අනුපාතය ඉහළ ගියාම තිබෙන පීඩනය, අවදානම වැඩියි. ව්‍යාපාරවලට පාඩුයි. ඒවා කරගෙන යන්න බැරි තත්ත්වයක් එනවා.
ඒ විතරක් නෙවෙයි බොල් ණය වැඩි වුණා. සියලු බැංකු පෙන්වා දුන්නා ඒ අයගේ ආයෝජන කලඹවල බොල් ණය වැඩිවෙමින් පවතින බව. ඒ කාලෙ රාජ්‍ය සම්පත් කුණු කොල්ලයට විකුණන්න පටන් ගත්තා. මොකද? වෙන විකල්පයක් නැහැ.

2014 වර්ෂයේදී සියලු බදු එකතු කළ විට රුපියල් ටි්‍රලියන 1යි තිබ්බේ. රුපියල් ටි්‍රලියන 1ට තිබ්බ බදු බර 2018 වනවිට ටි්‍රලියන 2 දක්වා අවුරුදු 4කින් ඩබල් කරලා තියෙනවා.
දේශීය සහ විදේශීය නව ආයෝජන නතර වුණා. අලුතින් ආයෝජන ආවෙ නෑ. මේ බව කොළඹ වටේ ගිහින් බැලුවොත් පේනවා.

බැඳුම්කර මගඩිය නිසා දැවැන්ත මූල්‍ය දූෂණ පවතින බව ලෝකයටම හෙළි වුණා. එයත් විශාල බලපෑමක් මෙරට ආර්ථිකයට එල්ල කළා.

අපි ඒ අනාවැකි සමඟම ඊට පසුව සිදුවන දේවල් ටිකත් කිව්වා. ව්‍යාපාර තවදුරටත් කඩා වැටෙන බව අපි පෙන්වා දුන්නා. ආණ්ඩුව බලාපොරොත්තු වන ආදායම ලැබෙන්නේ නැහැ කියලත් අපි කිව්වා. විදෙස් ආයෝජකයන් ඉක්මනින්ම තමන්ගේ ආයෝජන පාඩුවට හෝ විකුණා මුදල් රැගෙන පිටරටවලට යන බව අපි පෙන්වා දුන්නා. ශේ්‍රණිගත කරන ආයතන ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ශේ්‍රණීන් පහළ හෙළන බව අපි කිව්වා.

ණය බරතාව තවදුරටත් ඉහළ යන බව අපි පෙන්වා දුන්නා. රුපියල තවදුරටත් කඩා වැටෙන බව අපි සඳහන් කළා. පොලී අනුපාතය ශීඝ්‍රයෙන් වැඩිවන බව කිව්වා. කොටස් වෙළෙඳපොළ කඩා වැටෙන බව, රැකියා ජීවනෝපායන් දස දහස් ගණනින් අහිමි වන බව අපි කිව්වා.

මේ සියලු දේ අපි සිදුවීමට පෙර කිව්වා. අවසානයේ එයම වුණා.

මේ තත්ත්වය තුළ ජනාධිපතිතුමා ඔක්තෝබර් 26 වැනිදා ඒ ආණ්ඩුව වෙනස් කළහම අපට කළ යුතුව පැවැති දේවල් තිබුණා.

ණය උගුලෙන් ගැලවෙන්නට නම් ආර්ථිකයට නව පණක් දිය යුතුව තිබුණා. ඒ කියන්නේ ආර්ථිකය හසුරුවන අය පමණක් නෙවෙයි ආ
ර්ථිකයේ කොටස්කරුවන්ව යළි පුබුදුවාලීම අවශ්‍යයි.

මේ ආර්ථිකමය කටයුතු එක රැයකින්, ක්‍ෂණයකින් සිදුවන දේවල් නෙවෙයි. ඒ සඳහා හරි විදියට යොමු වූ විට ඒවා කෙරෙන්න පටන් ගන්නවා.

එහෙම කරගෙන යද්දී යම් සාධක තිබෙනවා. ඒවා ගැනත් සිතීමට අවශ්‍යයි.

මෙහෙම කරන්න නම් රට තුළ ස්ථාවර ආණ්ඩුවක් තිබීම අවශ්‍යයි. අපට මැතිවරණයක් අවශ්‍යයි. ඒ ඔස්සේ ස්ථාවර ආණ්ඩුවක් බිහිකර ගැනීමයි කාලීන අවශ්‍යතාව. කවුරු වුණත් කමක් නෑ. ස්ථාවර ආණ්ඩුවක් තියෙනවා නම් මේ ආර්ථිකමය ප්‍රතිපත්ති රටට ඔබින විදියට ගොනු කරලා ඒවා හරහා වාසි ලබා ගන්න අපිට හැකි වේවි.

ආණ්ඩුවේ අනවශ්‍ය වියදම් කපා හැරිය යුතු බව අපි යෝජනා කළා. මෙවැනි විසඳුම් හරහා රුපියල ස්ථාවර වේවි. පොලී අනුපාතය අඩු වේවි. ව්‍යාපාර වැඩිවේවි. ආයතනවලින් සේවකයන්ට රැකියාදීම ඉහළ යාවි කියලා අපි සැලසුම් සහිතව ක්‍රියාවට නැංවිය යුතු දේ ගොනු කරලයි තිබුණේ.

රටට මෙහෙම වෙද්දී ජනාධිපති නව අගමැතිවරයෙක් කැබිනට් මණ්ඩලයක් පත් කළා. එවැනි කෙටි කාලීන ආණ්ඩුවකින් සැලසුම් සාර්ථක කරගන්න බැරි බව තේරුම් ගත් ජනාධිපතිවරයා හැකි ඉක්මනින් පාර්ලිමේන්තුව විසුරුවලා නව ආණ්ඩුවක් පිහිටුවා ගැනීමට ජනතාවට බලය දීමට යොමු වුණේ. පාර්ලිමේන්තුව විසුරුවන්න නොවැම්බර් 09දා ජනාධිපතිතුමා ගැසට්ටුවක් නිකුත් කරලා 2019 ජනවාරි 05දා මැතිවරණයක් පවත්වා නව රජයක් පිහිටුවන්නට එතුමා කටයුතු කළා.

ඒ ඔස්සේ සිදුවෙන්න තිබුණේ මොකක්ද? ජනතාවට ඕන විදියට නව ආණ්ඩුවක් බිහිවී ඒ ආණ්ඩුවට මේ තීරණ අරගෙන ඉදිරි කටයුතු කිරීමේ හැකියාව ඇති වෙනවා. කෙටි කාලයක් තුළ ප්‍රශ්නවලට මුහුණදීලා ජනතාවට දෙන්න පුළුවන් වුණා නව හැඟීමක්. අවිනිශ්චිත තත්ත්වය ඉවරයි, ඉන් පසුව අපට ඉදිරියට යන්න පුළුවන් කියලා.

මට තියෙන අත්දැකීම් හරහා මම මේ කියන්නේ. වසර 9ක් මේ රටේ මහ බැංකු අධිපතිවරයා ලෙස සේවය කරන්න මට පුළුවන් වුණා. ඒ කාලෙදි අපේ රටේ ඇමෙරිකානු ඩොලර් බිලියන 24ක්ව තිබූ දළ දේශීය නිෂ්පාදනය ඇමෙරිකානු ඩොලර් බිලියන 79 දක්වා වැඩි කර ගැනීමට හැකි වුණා. අපේ සංචිත ඇමෙරිකානු ඩොලර් බිලියන 2.6 සිට බිලියන 8.2 දක්වා වැඩි කරගන්න අපට පුළුවන් වුණා. අපේ රුපියලේ අව ප්‍රමාණය සිදුවුණේ වසරකට 2.8ක් පමණයි. දැන් දවස් දෙක තුනකට සැරයක් 2.8ක් රුපියල අව ප්‍රමාණය වෙනවා.

2006 වර්ෂයේ සිට 2014 වසර දක්වා අපි දැවැන්ත අභියෝගවලට මුහුණ දුන්නා. ඒවා අපි බොහොම හොඳට කළමනාකරණය කර ගත්තා.

එවැනි වාතාවරණයක් අපට ඇති කරගන්න පුළුවන් වුණේ අපි බොහොම කල්පනාකාරීව රටේ ආර්ථිකය කළමනාකරණය කරපු නිසයි. අද එහෙම තත්ත්වයක් නෑ. අපට දැන් අවශ්‍ය නැවත වරක් මේ රට ස්ථාවරත්වය කරා ගෙන යන්න.

දේශනයක් ඇසුරෙන් ලීවේ
හර්ෂනී අර්සකුලරත්න

We don’t accept confidence motion: Keheliya

December 12th, 2018

Sheain Fernandopulle Courtesy The Daily Mirror

UPFA MP Keheliya Rambukwella said that they don’t accept the motion of confidence presented and passed in support of United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe in Parliament today.

Addressing a news briefing, MP Rambukwella said they were not in a position to accept anything done and said in ‘an illegal and undemocratic parliament’.

Anything passed in this parliament becomes null and void. That is the very reason why we have been boycotting the parliamentary sessions,” Rambukwella said.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has been partial and bias to the UNP and acted according to their agenda in Parliament which is undemocratic,” the MP said.

He added that the Speaker had violated the Democracy, the Standing Orders and the Tradition of parliament when considering his recent tactics.

That’s why we reiterate that the only solution to resolve this prevailing political impasse is to let people elect their representatives by way of a general election,” he said.

TNA says its support was conditional

December 12th, 2018

Kelum Bandara Courtesy The Daily Mirror

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said today that its support for the vote of confidence on United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was conditional to the granting of power devolution to the north and the east, the release of political prisoners and the land.

TNA MP for Jaffna district Dharmalingam Sidaththan told Daily Mirror that his party extended conditional support for Mr. Wickremesinghe to get the required majority to become the Prime Minister.

Mr. Sidaththan said these were usual demands of the TNA right throughout.

We asked for power devolution. It means the constitution making process should continue,” he said.

Also, he said there were lands to be released in the north.

It is not only the lands held by the military but also the private lands earmarked by the archaeological authorities. Besides, there are private lands held by authorities as national parks. All land issues should be addressed,” he said.

He said the TNA put forward a condition that all development work in the north should be coordinated with his party.

Executive, Legislature, Judiciary can’t resolve prevailing crisis: Dullas

December 12th, 2018

Sheain Fernandopulle Courtesy The Daily Mirror

While claiming that the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary can’t find a solution to the prevailing political impasse, UPFA MP Dullas Alahapperuma said it was only the people who could bring to an end this crisis by way of a General Election.

Addressing a news briefing, he said these three pillars of democracy had failed to end this crisis which had almost reached its climax.

The prevailing political crisis has become worse and none of these three have been able to sort this out. The only option left is to go for a general election and let people elect their representatives,” MP Alahapperuma said.

The UNP is saying that the solution to resolve this crisis is to have a presidential election. The presidential election won’t become an effective method whatsoever to end this political turmoil. It would only make it worse,” MP Alahapperuma added.

He further said that the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary comprise of 1, 225 and 335 members respectively whereas there are nearly 16 million people who have the franchise.

Therefore, it is apparent that people should be given the opportunity by way of a general election to resolve this crisis by which the country can start a new political chapter,” he added.

Meanwhile, he said the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) had no moral rights to be in the Opposition in Parliament because they voted in favour of the motion of confidence presented in support of Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday.

The TNA should forgo their post in the Opposition if this Parliament is to continue any further,” he added.

TNA throws its weight behind Ranil Vote of Confidence in ousted PM passed

December 12th, 2018

By Saman Indrajith Courtesy The Island

Avote of confidence in ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, taken up in Parliament, yesterday, was passed with 117 MPs voting in favour of it and no votes against it as government MPs continued their boycott of the House.

All UNF MPs voted for the motion. The JVP MPs who were present abstained from voting. TNA MP Siavashakthi Anandan too abstained from voting while his party members voted with the UNP.

The motion extending support to Wickremesinghe was presented to Parliament by UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa. It had been signed by MPs Sajith Premadasa, Ravi Karunanayake, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, Lakshman Kiriella, Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, Palany Thigambaram, Mangala Samaraweera and Rishad Bathiudeen. The vote of confidence said: “That this House resolves that Ranil Wickremesinghe, Member of Parliament, commands the confidence of Parliament to function as the Prime Minister.”

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UNP leader Wickremesinghe thanking TNA leader R. Sampanthan after the latter’s grouping voted for the UNP in parliament yesterday (pic by Kamal Bogoda)

Moving the motion for debate MP Premadasa said that it should be taken up for a vote yesterday itself. He spoke for nearly one hour. The motion was seconded by MP Mangala Samaraweera.

TNA MP Mavai Senathiraja, too, spoke in favour of the motion. JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that his party had nothing to do with the motion. MPs Ravi Karunanayake and Gayantha Karunathilaka too spoke for the motion and debate came to an end around 2.50 pm.

Thereafter the motion was put for a vote.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya announcing the results said that the motion had been approved by 117 MPs and Wickremesinghe commanded the confidence of the Parliament to function as the Prime Minister.

Wickremesinghe thanked all those who had voted for the motion and sessions of parliament were adjourned around 3.05 pm till 1 pm on Dec 18.

Petition filed seeking Quo Warranto over Ranil’s MP seat

December 11th, 2018

Courtesy Adaderana

A petition has been filed with the Court of Appeal requesting the court to issue a Writ of Quo Warranto preventing Ranil Wickremesinghe from being a Member of Parliament.

The petition has been filed by Sharmila Gonawala, the Co-President of ‘Women for Justice’.

Leader of the United National Party (UNP) Ranil Wickremesinghe, UNP General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam and the Secretary General of Parliament are among the four respondents named in the petition.

The petitioner states that according to the provisions of the Constitution, it has been interpreted that MPs who engage in businesses by entering into contracts with state institutions are deemed disqualified from holding a set in Parliament.

She further states that she has received information that MP Ranil Wickremesinghe is a shareholder of Lake House group and that Lake House Printers and Publishers PLC, a company in that group, is engaged in the business of printing of check leaves for the state-owned Bank of Ceylon and People’s Bank.

The petitioner hence argues that by doing business after entering into contracts with Bank of Ceylon and People’s Bank, as a shareholder of Lake House, Ranil Wickremesinghe has become ineligible to hold a seat in parliament.

She states that as per Constitutional provisions, under this condition Wickremesinghe is not qualified to hold office as a Member of Parliament (MP).

The petition also refers to a similar petition which had been filed by the then deputy minister Dilan Perera and Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe in 1999 against UNP MP Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, who lost his seat as a result.

A response to Henry (USA)

December 11th, 2018

Asoka Weerasinghe Kings Grove Crescent Gloucestd,m Ontario.

This response to Henry’s (USA) pertinent question to my response to Canadian High Commissioner David McKinnon’s meeting with former LTTE terrorists in Mullaitivu, recently.
He asks: “Is there a possibility that newspapers in Canada will give due publicity to letters such as yours.”
The answer is : Yes Henry.  During my involvement on this Eelam War file from August 1983 to  August 2013, I have had just over 200 letters of mine published in – The Ottawa Citizen, The Ottawa Sun,   The Globe  & Mail (Toronto),The Toronto Sun, The Toronto Star, Evening Telegram
(Newfoundland), the Gazette (Montreal, Quebec), The Whig Standard  (Kingston, Ontario), The Windsor Star (Windsor, Ontario), The Province (Vancouver, British Columbia), Star India Journal (Toronto, Ontario), MacLeans  (Weekly News Magazine, Toronto), National Post (Toronto), and Embassy (Ottawa, Ontario).
 
The bottom line was, if our Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa, responded to the news items on Sri Lanka which appeared in these newspapers and the trash they published of Eelam propagandists, then I wouldn’t have taken my precious time writing letters, when I could have got on with my life.  If they could show 25 letters that were published by them during my efforts of 30 years, we all would be happy.  Perhaps, they were under strict orders from their Foreign Ministers not to get involved in letter writing.  This I do not know.
The next question that would prompt Henry (USA) to ask me is – “Do you think Canadians read your letters?”  My answer would be, “I like to believe so for several reasons.  When I meet non-Sri Lankan Canadians, they want to discuss the whole Tamil issue and to elaborate on what I wrote,”
My wife who was Federal Government public servant, had gone to another Federal Department for a meeting and showed her ID to the Security Guard.  He had looked at it, jotted her name, looked up at her and asked, “Do you know this person Asoka
Weerasinghe who writes letter to The Ottawa Citizen.”  She had said “Yes, he is my husband.”  Pat comes the request: “Tell your husband that I haven’t read letters from him about the Tamils  recently.  Ask him to keep writing, as I want to know the otherside of the Tamil Tigers in Canada story.”
The Editor of the Windsor Star phoned me one day on a letter that I wrote as a response to a one page article Logan had written.  The question was  “How much funding do you get from the Sri Lanka Government to write these letters.” “:Not a penny” I said. ““I don’t believe you,”  he responded.  “How many researchers  have you employed to write these informative letters.”  “None” I said.. “I do all the research myself.  And I have  a vast library to help me with my writings.”  “I don’t believe you Mr. Weerasinghe, but I will publish your long response.” he said.
The long letter appeared as a middle spread on Monday, September 1984, titled –Separatists terrorists rend peaceful isle of Sri Lanka. in the Windsor Star.
I hope this explanation helps whether I am wasting my time with my letter/essay writing
on the Tamil Eelam separatist war in Sri Lanka.  This was most I could have done for my Motherland who nurtured me during the first 19 years of my life. I didn’t have a heart to turn my back on her.  No way!
Asoka Weerasinghe
Kings Grove Crescent
Gloucestd,m Ontario.
11 December 2018

I feel a burning need to talk about Sharmini Sereasinghe.

December 11th, 2018

Diannah Paramour Australia

Ayubowan

I feel a burning need to talk about Sharmini Sereasinghe.

I guess she’s been sheltered her entire life from the hard facts surrounding Sri Lanka’s grandiose yet terrifying history.

Those whose blood soaks the white sands are that of soldiers who gave their lives in service, in service to save everyone, including her.

As if her article a few years back defaming and insulting the Monks wasn’t enough, now the nasty pen scribbles away yet more hate.

In regards to His Excellency Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa I think she must be so immensely jealous of him that she sees no other recourse other than humiliating herself with her nasty words against him.

You all know, even the enemy knows that we all touched his feet for his bravery in ending the terrorist war.

With his hands towards the international community to help, alas Sri Lanka was alone in her darkest days, it took only sheer bravery to stop the war.

As to his brother Goatabya Rajapaksa, it was his brains outstanding ability for strategy and empathy for all concerned that allowed the kidnapped citizens to be released, it was not his fault that people died, when terrorists unleash their evil, of course people will die after all it was a war zone.

The combination of the two Rajapaksa brothers does not make for a dictatorship, it will be a strong bind that the people understand, when some are still running a mockery of their dedication to you all, unwise mouths like Sharmini dare to flap out ugly words against them, I’m astounded.

As to her continual condemnation of Sri Lankan Monks….

What’s her genuine problem?

Does she seek to strip every single tradition of reverence until nothing is left except a dust bowl of lost opportunities?

Just remember your ancestors and how with dignity your Kings lay their heads down for evil colonial execution.

Does that kind of ultimate gift to Serendip only exist in storybooks?

Or are you prepared to be brave enough to speak up in protection of your Monks and all those who died in the war?

Does Sharmini wish for every Monk to be vanished in some ‘tragedy’ or do they change their direction to help her bit by bit dismantle Sinhala Buddhism?

We have a saying down here:

‘Never pick up mud from the ground and throw it in your own face’

Yes Sharmini you have done just this.

Please, I think deep down she might be a kind person but I’ve yet to see one inch of foresight.

If….

‘Whoever holds the sacred Buddha tooth relic, rules the country’

Then move out of their way Sharmini and stop trying to sell articles by insulting those who meant you no harm.

Without the Rajapaksa brothers bravery you too would be dead right now, in my eyes you are a traitor to the Pearl of the Indian Ocean and all her people.

Trust me, this is not the way to bring about reconciliation and long lasting peace.

Peace be with you Sharmini, just try it for once.

You are a very rude disrespectful little girl, your family must be extremely ashamed of you.

 

From:

Without prejudice

Diannah Paramour

Australia

Lankan political imbroglio could delay or even shelve efforts to enact a new constitution

December 11th, 2018

By P.K.Balachandran/Daily Mirror/newsin.asia

Colombo, December 11: The on-going political and constitutional imbroglio in Sri Lanka could put on the backburner or even shelve, efforts to give the country a brand new constitution.

The new constitution had been on the anvil until October 26, when a political tsunami struck the country. It was on that day that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was summarily dismissed and replaced by Mahinda Rajapaksa, touching off a series of actions ,both political and judicial which resulted in an unprecedented  breakdown of the government.

The new constitution was meant to take care of many pending issues, such as the powers of the Executive Presidency and the question of devolving power to the provinces, a core issue for the minority Tamils.

Lankan political imbroglio could delay or even shelve efforts to enact a new constitution

According to Lal Wijenayaka, Chairman of the Public Representations Committee of the Constitutional Assembly” (which comprises all members of the present parliament), a draft of the new constitution had been prepared and distributed to all MPs in October.

But it could not be taken up for discussion because of the political turmoil precipitated by the unceremonious and unexpected  sacking of Prime Minister Wickremesinghe on  October 26 by President Maithripala Sirisena.

The entire series of events since October 26 is now a subject of litigation in the Supreme Court. In case the Supreme Court allows parliament to be dissolved (as desired by President Sirisena), the draft constitution prepared by committees appointed by the dissolved parliament will have to be abandoned.

Assuming that members of the new parliament are sufficiently interested in having a new constitution, the entire process will have to re-started from scratch.

If the coalition led by Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) emerges as the single largest grouping, the chances of the constitution-making process getting re-started and ending successfully will be dim.

The constitution will have to get two thirds majority to be passed. But getting this will be a tall order, given the sharpening of the conflict between Rajapaksa and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in recent weeks over the sacking of the Ranil Wickremesinghe government.

Lal Wijenayaka said that the draft constitution presented to the existing parliament was based on consensus on all issues except two: (1) the question of keeping, or abolishing or diluting the Executive Presidency and (2) electoral reform.

Apparently, there was consensus even on the touchy issue of power-sharing with the periphery, namely, the provinces.

Perhaps this was why the United National Party (UNP) led by Ranil Wickremesinghe reportedly assured the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) that the draft constitution will be presented in parliament before February 2019.

On the now controversial 19 th.Amendment (19A), Wijenayaka said that the contents of 19 A were not questioned at any stage in the drafting of the constitution because it had diluted the President’s powers and enhanced those of the Prime Minister and parliament by common consent and that too very recently.

Executive Presidency

However, the Executive Presidency and the 19A have become extremely contentious now. These issues have brought the country to a standstill. Sri Lanka is now without a Prime Minister and a Council of Ministers, thanks to a Court of Appeal injunction.

A Presidential gazette proclaiming parliament’s dissolution and the ordering of fresh elections has been stayed by the Supreme Court.

Parliament may continue to exist or may be dissolved at any time. It will be for the Supreme Court to decide on this but there’s no knowing as to when it will pronounce its verdict. Sri Lankans are truly on tenterhooks.

Given the nature of President Sirisena’s actions from October 26 onwards, the United National Party (UNP) headed by former Prime Minister Wickremesinghe seems to want a total abolition of the Executive Presidency in line with the Joint Opposition’s 2015 Presidential manifesto. The Joint Opposition was led by the UNP.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) and the two major Muslim parties also want the Executive Presidency to go given its potential to turn Presidents into dictators and also its dismal record in solving the Tamil question.

Suresh Premachandran of the Eelam Peoples’ Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) says that though directly elected and sometimes elected with critical support from the Tamil population, Sri Lanka’s Executive Presidents have ignored the Tamils after getting elected. Therefore, the directly elected Executive Presidency has been of no use to the Tamils, he asserts.

M.A.Sumanthiran, spokesman of the TNA, says that a parliamentary system will be good for the Tamils.

In a parliamentary system the Executive will need parliament’s support on a daily basis, and Tamil MPs can get multiple opportunities to play an influential role in shaping the decisions of the Executive,” he explained.

However, there are popular forces which are in favor of a strong Executive Presidency such as the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLFP) led by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

According to the SLPP and its allies, a strong Executive Presidency helps make quick decisions in a perpetually divided polity like Sri Lanka’s. It gives the Executive, the wherewithal to carry out rapid economic development and effectively meet threats to national security emanating from within the country and outside.

SLPP members say that terrorists and separatists could not have been defeated and economic regeneration could not have taken place (between 2006 and 2014 end) but for an effective and powerful Executive President like Rajapaksa.

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) led by President Sirisena is also in favor of retaining the Executive Presidency. It wants the 19A to be tweaked to give the Executive President the teeth he now lacks. Much of his power had been taken away by the Independent Commissions set up under the 19A.

Some of the issues relating to the Executive Presidency are now before a seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court and its verdict is eagerly awaited not only to get out of the present predicament but also to secure guidance on what could be done in regard to the draft constitution.

A key issue before the Supreme Court is whether the Presidential act of dissolving Parliament is justiciable. Related to this is the scope and nature of the legal immunity granted to the President when his actions are challenged in court.

While it is agreed that a litigant can challenge the executive and administrative actions of the President, can he challenge a political action such as the dissolution of parliament? Is it not a prerogative of the President to summon, prorogue and dissolve parliament? How can dissolution of parliament accompanied with an order to hold fresh elections be seen as being undemocratic” when it recognizes the sovereignty of the people, it is asked.

The counter argument to this is that there is nothing anywhere in the constitution to suggest that the framers intended the President to have the freedom to act in violation of constitutionally entrenched clauses.

The 19 th.Amendment had clearly set limits to Presidential power.

Unbridled discretionary powers given to a President will only give rise to populism and misuse of power for aggrandizement. It will replace constitutionalism by crude populism. The stability of States and political systems is critically dependent on constitutionalism. Mature democracies either circumscribe discretionary powers or do away with them altogether, it is argued.

Also, Sirisena’s act of dissolving parliament can be deemed a violation of the peoples’ will as expressed in the August 2015 parliamentary elections, even if fresh elections are ordered to secure a fresh mandate.

The distinction between a political act and an administrative act has been made to prevent judicial overreach”. But in a case like the one facing Sri Lanka today, the political act of dissolving parliament can be seen as a violation of the constitution since it explicitly breaks relevant articles of the constitution.

No political act which violates the constitution can be condoned or kept out of the purview of the Supreme Court which is the final arbiter in constitutional matters.

Admittedly, the drafting process of the 19A was chaotic. It was not debated in a cool and calm manner. It did not adhere to contemporary norms of transparency and public consultation.

But ultimately, there was a consensus and a compromise. In the  end, the 19A neither took the Rajapaksa nor the Wickremesinghe line. The former wanted most Presidential powers retained, and the latter wanted as little of them as possible. The compromise came about when the Supreme Court insisted that any fundamental change in the 1978 constitution should be subjected to a two thirds majority vote in parliament as well as a referendum.

But the net result of all this is that Sri Lanka today has neither an Executive Presidential system nor a Westminster style parliamentary system. This has thrown the doors open to conflicts of the type it is facing now.

(The images at the top are those of Tamil leaders C.V.Wigneswaran, M.A.Sumanthiran and R.Sampanthan from left to  right)

“චේ” සමරන “කන්නන්ගර” නොසමරන ලංකාවේ අපි…….

December 11th, 2018

චාමර ලක්ෂාන් කුමාර

මේ සටහන ලිවීමට පෙලඹවූයේ එංගලන්තයේ සිටින මනීෂ චාමර අමරසේකර තම මුහුණුපොත ගිණුමට තැබු සටහනක් මා තුළ ඇතිකළ කම්පනයයි. සැතපුම් දහස් ගණනක් ඈතින් සිටිය ද තවමත් රට තොට සිදුවන දෑ පිළිබඳ උනන්දුවෙන් සිටින්නකු වන මනීෂ කොටා” තිබු සටහන සැබැවින්ම, සංවේදී එකක් ම විය. ඔහු ලියා තිබුණේ නිදහස් අධ්‍යාපනයේ පියා ලෙස සැලකෙන සී ඩබ්ලිව් ඩබ්ලිව් කන්නන්ගර මහතා පිළිබඳවය. චේ ගැන පොස්ට් දුටුවෙමි. සැමරුම් උත්සව පාපැදි සවාරි දුටුවෙමි. ඔහු ලංකාවට හෝ මෙහි මිනිසුන්ට කළ දෙයක් මා නම් අසා නැත. පසුගිය 13 වැනිදා නිදහස් අධ්‍යාපනයේ පියා වන කන්නන්ගර මහතාගේ 132 වැනි ජන්ම දිනය යෙදී තිබිණි. සැමරුම් නැත. පොස්ට් නැත. නිදහස් අධ්‍යාපනයේ අයිතිකරුවන් වී සිටින අන්තරයට අදාළම නැත. කැම්පස්වල චේ ගේ රූපය ඇතිමුත් කන්නන්ගරගේ රූපය නැත. ඔහු නිදහස් අධ්‍යාපන පනත හඳුන්වා දෙන විට ජවිපෙ, එජාප හෝ ශ්‍රීලනිපය බිහි වී වත් නැත. බණ්ඩාරනායකලා, සේනානායකලා, රාජපක්ෂලා, ඉල්මහ විරුවන් සමරන රටේ එතුමා ගැන පුවතක්වත් පළ නොවීම කනගාටුදායකය. එතුමා නොසිටින්නට අද බහුතරයක් අයට චේ සමරන්න තියා චේ වචනයවත් කියවීමට හැකියාවක් නොතිබෙන්නට තිබිණි. ලංකාව වටේ ඇති අනිත් රටවල සාක්ෂරතාව බැලීම පමණක් මා කියන දෙය තේරුම් ගැනීමට ඉවහල් වනු ඇත.” (උපුටා ගැනුම අවසන්).

මේ රට වෙනුවෙන් කිසිදු සාධනීය මැදිහත් වීමක් සිදු කර නොමැති පුද්ගලයන් සැමරීමට දින ගණන් කාලය කා දමන රටක පිටු ගණන් කඩදාසි කොළ නාස්ති කරන පැය ගණන් තම මාධ්‍ය අවකාශය අවභාවිතාවේ යොදවන රටක සී ඩබ්ලිව් ඩබ්ලිව් කන්නන්ගර වැනි මාහැඟි සේවාවක් මේ රට වෙනුවෙන් කළ පුද්ගලයකු අමතක වීම යනු එක් අතකින් විමතිය දනවන කාරණයක් ම නොවේ. තාක්ෂණයෙන් ඩිජිටල් වූවත් සංස්කෘතියෙත් තවමත් ගල් යුගයේ ජීවත් වන ශ්‍රී ලාංකිකයන්ගේ සැබෑ ස්වභාවය මෙයයි. එසේ කියා ආචාර්ය සී ඩබ්ලිව් ඩබ්ලිව් කන්නන්ගර වැන්නකු පහසුවෙන් අපට අමතක කළ හැකි ද යන්න පැහැදිලි ප්‍රශ්නාර්ථයකි. ඒ ඔහු මේ රට වෙනුවෙන් කර ඇති අද්විතීය මෙහෙවර දෙස අවධානය යොමු කරන ‍කලය.

වචනයේ පරිසමාප්ත අර්ථයෙන්ම දැවැන්ත විප්ලවයක් කන්නන්ගර මහතාගේ මැදිහත් වීම තුළ මෙරට සමාජ දේහය තුළ සිදු විණි. නිදහස් අධ්‍යාපන පනත හඳුන්වා දෙමින් අධ්‍යාපනයට ප්‍රවේශ වීමට ඇති අයිතිය ඈත ගම්බද දරුවන්ට ලබා දීම තුළ සිදු වූ විප්ලවය පිළිබඳව අටුවා ටීකා ටිප්පණි පැවසීම අවශ්‍ය නැත. කැලේ පිපුණු මල් කැලේම පර වී නොයන්නට එය ඉඩ සැලසුවේය. තවත් සරලව කිවහොත් නිදහස් අධ්‍යාපනය නොතිබිණි නම් ඈත ගම්වල අති බහුතරයක් දෙනා අධිපති ගෙවල්වල මෙහෙකරුවන් වන්නට ඉඩ තිබිණි. මේ සියලු අර්ථයන් ගෙන බලද්දී ආචාර්ය සී ඩබ්ලිව් ඩබ්ලිව් කන්නන්ගර යනු දැවැන්ත යුග පුරුෂයෙක්මය.

1945 ජූලියේදී නිදහස් අධ්‍යාපන පනත සම්මත වීමෙන් පසු කන්නන්ගර මහතා සභා ගැබෙන් පිටතට පැමිණෙද්දී ඔහු අසලට අමුත්තෙක් කිට්ටු විය. ඒ එවකට කොළඹ ඉන්දියානු මහකොමසාරිස්වරයා ලෙස කටයුතු කළ එච් එම් ආනේ මහතාය.

අයියා අපේ රටේ ඉපදිලා මේ වගේ පනතක් ඉදිරිපත් කළා නම් දෙවියන්ට වගේ සලකනවා.” ඔහු කන්නන්ගර මහතාට අත දෙමින් එසේ පැවසුවේය. ඉන්දියානුවන් එසේ කරන බව පැවසුව ද අපේ අය නම් කන්නන්ගර මහතාට 1947 මහ මැතිවරණයේදී ඉහළම සැලකිල්ල දැක්වූයේ ඔහුව පරාජයට පත් කරමිනි. නිදහස් අධ්‍යාපනයේ පියා ගෙදර යවමින් ධන කුවේරයකු වූ විල්මට් ඒ පෙරේරාව රටේ ව්‍යවස්ථාදායකයට පත් කිරීමට තරම් පස්යොදුන් කෝරලයේ ජනතාව එදා අකෘතඥ වී තිබිණි.

දේශපාලනඥයකු ලෙස කන්නන්ගර මහතාගේ අගය වැඩි කරනුයේ ඔහු එය තම පැවැත්ම වෙනුවෙන් කිසිදා භාවිත නොකළ කෙනකු බැවිනි. වසර විස්සකට වැඩි කාලයක් රටේ ව්‍යවස්ථාදායකය නියෝජනය කළ ද පෞද්ගලිකව ලාභ උපරීම කරගැනීමේ අදහසක් ඔහුට කිසි දිනක නොතිබිණි. ඒ නිසාම ජිවිතයේ සැඳෑ කාලය සතුටින් ගෙවීමට තරම් හැකියාවක් ඔහුට නොවීය. 1961 ඔක්තෝබර් මස 26 වැනි දින නියෝජිත මන්ත්‍රී මණ්ඩලයේ කථානායක ආර් එස් පැල්පොල මහතා වෙත කන්නන්ගර මහතා යැවූ ලිපිය අපට පෙන්වා දෙනුයේ අවංක දේශපාලනඥයකුගේ ශෝකාලාපය මිස වෙනෙකක් නොවේ. ජීවත්වීම සඳහා තමනට පිං පඩියක් ඉල්ලමින් කන්නන්ගර මහතා යැවූ ඒ මුල් ලිපියේ කොටස් දෙකක් මෙසේ උපුටා දක්වමි.

 

සී ඩබ්ලිව් ඩබ්ලිව් කන්නන්ගර
නො 36
තිඹිරිගස්යාය පාර
හැව්ලොක් ටවුම
කොළඹ 06

1961 ඔක්තෝබර් මස 26 දින

ශ්රී ලංකා නියෝජිත මන්ත්රී මණ්ඩලයේ කථානායක ගරු ආර් එස් පැල්පොල මැතිතුමා වෙතයි

රජයේ ඉහළම රාජ් සභාවල සියවස් කාලකටත් වැඩි කාලයක් සේවය කිරීමෙන් පසුව මා දැනට පත්වී තිබෙන අසරණ තත්ත්වයන් නිසා හදිසි මූල්යමය ආධාරයක් අපේක්ෂාවෙන් මෙම ඉල්ලීම ඔබතුමා වෙත ඉදිරිපත් කරන බව ගෞරවාන්විතව දන්වා සිටිමි.

මගේ මේ ඉල්ලීම ඉදිරිපත් කිරීමට හේතු සාධක වශයෙන් පහත සඳහන් වැදගත් කරුණු කිහිපය ඔබතුමා ඉදිරියේ තැබීමට අදහස් කරමි.

ආයෝජනවලින්, නිවාසවලින්, ඉඩකඩම්වලින් හෝ වෙනත් ප්රභවයන්ගෙන් මට කිසිදු පෞද්ගලික ආදායමක් නොලැබෙන බැවින් මා වසර ගණනාවකම යැපුණේ මගේ මිත්රයින්ගෙන් හා හිතවතුන්ගෙන් ලැබුණු පරිත්යාගවලිනි. මගේ සෞඛ් රැකගැනීම සඳහා කළ යුතු අත්යවශ් වියදම් වෙනුවෙන් ගෙවිය යුතු බිල්පත් දිනපතා ගොඩගැසෙමින් පවතී. මිත්රයන්ගෙන් හා නැදෑයන්ගෙන් සහනාධාර යැදීම සියවසකින් තුනෙන් එකක් තරම් වූ කාලයක් තිස්සේ රජයේ ඇමැති තනතුරක් දැරූ මා වැන්නකුට කිසිසේත් තරම් නොවන බවට ඔබතුමා එකඟ වනු ඇත යනු මාගේ විශ්වාසයයි.

රජයෙන් ක්ෂණික සහනයක් අපේක්ෂාවෙන් මගේ මේ ආයාචනය ඔබතුමා වෙත ඉදිරිපත් කරන්නේ අද මා මුහුණ පා සිටින අවාසනාවන්ත තත්ත්වය නිසාම බැව් සැලකුව මැනවි. එසේම සියවස් කාලකට වැඩි කාලයක් තිස්සේ මගෙන් කිසියම් ගෞරවයකට හා පිළිගැනීමකට ලක් වූ සේවයක් ඉටු වී ඇති බව මා අදහස් කරන නිසාත්ය.

වගත් මෙසේම ඔබතුමාගේ යටහත් කීකරු සේවක,

සී ඩබ්ලිව් ඩබ්ලිව් කන්නන්ගර

(මුල් ලිපියේ කොටස් දෙකක් පමණි)

ජාතියට දේශයට නිදහස් අධ්‍යාපනයේ ආශීර්වාදය ලබා දුන් ආචාර්ය සී ඩබ්ලිව් ඩබ්ලිව් කන්නන්ගර ඇමැතිතුමාට අවසානයේදී අත් වූයේ එවන් දුක්ඛදායක ඉරණමකි.

මේ ඉල්ලීමට ප්‍රතිචාර දක්වමින් එතුමාට පාර්ලිමේන්තුවෙන් රුපියල් දස දහසක පාරිතෝෂික මුදලක් ගෙවූ අතර, පසුව මසකට රුපියල් 500 බැගින් පින් පඩියක් පිරිනැමිණ.

පසුව බලයට පැමිණි රජය යටතේ එම මුදල රුපියල් 1,000 දක්වා වැඩි කරන ලදී. මේ ආකාරයට දුක්ඛිත දිවියක් ගෙවූ කන්නන්ගර මහතා 1969 සැප්තැම්බර් 23 වැනිදා මිය පරලොව ගියේ තවත් අමතක කර දමනු ලැබූ පුද්ගලයකු වශයෙනි.

සී ඩබ්ලිව් ඩබ්ලිව්. කන්නන්ගර වැනි පරමාදර්ශි දේශපාලනඥයන්ගෙන් ආදර්ශ ලබා ගන්නවා වෙනුවට අපේ බහුතරයක් දේශපාලනඥයන් පෙලඹී ඇත්තේ ඊට පිටුපෑමටය. ඒ වග පෙන්වීමට උදාහරණ අනන්තවත් සැපයිය හැකිය. එජාප හා ශ්‍රීලනිපය නියෝජනය කරන ඇමැතිවරුන් දෙදෙනකු හබරාදුව ප්‍රදේශයේ එකම පාරක් දෙකොනින් විවෘත කර රට හිනස්සවා තවම ගතව ඇත්තේ දින කිහිපයකි. සිනාසීම වෙනුවට මෙම කාරණය දේශපාලනඥයන්ගේ කාර්යභාරය කුමක් විය යුතු ද යන්න සිතා බැලීමේ අවස්ථාවක් අපට ලබා දෙයි. 1948 සිට ක්‍රියාත්මක ජනප්‍රිය දේශපාලන සංස්කෘතියෙන් පිට පැනීමට තවමත් අපේ දේශපාලනඥයන්ට නොහැකි වී ඇති බව පීත්ත පටි කපමින් කරන මේ මාදිලියේ විවෘත කිරීම්වලට තවමත් ඔවුන් සම්බන්ධ වීමෙන් පෙනී යයි. ජනතා කැමැත්ත දිනු දේශපාලනඥයකුගේ කාර්යභාරය විය යුත්තේ පීත්ත පටි කැපීම, ඡන්දදායකයන්ගේ මඟුලට, අවමඟුලට සහභාගි වීම නොව රට හා එහි වැසියන් වෙනුවෙන් ප්‍රතිපත්ති සම්පාදනයයි. මෙසේ පීත්ත පටි කැපීමට යෑමෙන් සිදු වනුයේ ප්‍රතිපත්ති සම්පාදනයට ඇති කාලය අපතේ යෑමකි. ප්‍රාදේශීය හා පළාත් සභා මට්ටම නියෝජනය කරමින් ඒ ඒ තලවල දේශපාලනඥයන් කොතරම් සිටිය ද පාරක් විවෘත කිරීමට වීදි ලාම්පු විවෘත කිරීම වැනි සරල කාරණාවලට පවා සම්බන්ධ වීමට කැමැත්ත දක්වන ජාතික තලයේ දේශපාලනඥයන් අතිබහුතරයක් මේ රටේ සිටිති. පීත්ත පටි කැපීමට දක්වන උනන්දුව ප්‍රතිපත්ති සම්පාදනයට හා සමාන්තර වෙනත් රටවල සාර්ථකත්වයේ අත්දැකීම් ගැන කියැවීමට ඔවුන් වැය කළේ නම් සැබැවින්ම මේ රට සුරපුරයක් බවට පත් වී බොහෝ කල්ය.

හුදු ප්‍රදර්ශන කාමයට අමතරව වරප්‍රසාද පසුපස හඹා යෑමට වත්මන් දේශපාලනඥයන් තුළ ඇති කැමැත්ත රටේ දේශපාලනය තවත් දුර්වර්ණ ගන්වයි. දේශපාලන බලය හා වරප්‍රසාද අතර ඉතා කිට්ටු සම්බන්ධතාවක් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව වැනි දේශපාලන වශයෙන් අව-සංවර්ධිත රටක පැහැදිලිවම දැකගත හැකිය. සාමාන්‍යයෙන් දියුණු යැයි සම්මත රටවල බලයට පත්වීම යන යෙදුම හෝ දේශපාලන ශබ්ද කෝෂය තුළ දක්නට නොමැති අතර ඒ වෙනුවට ඇත්තේ ‘කමින් ටු ඔෆිස්’ නොඑසේ නම්: කාර්යාලයට පැමිණ රාජකාරි කටයුතු ඇරැඹීම යන්නය.

බොහෝ රටවල් ‘කමින් ටු ඔෆිස්’ කියද්දී අපි තවමත් ‘කමින් ටු පවර්’ යනුවෙන් කියමින් සිටින්නෙමු. එය, අපට ගැටලුවක් වුවද දේශපාලනඥයන්ට නම් වරප්‍රසාදවලින් තොරව පැවැත්මක් නොමැති බව දිගින් දිගටම පෙනෙන්නට තිබීම අතිශයින්ම කනගාටුදායකය.

 

 

C.W.W. Kannangara and the attitude of University Students who have benefited from free education.

December 11th, 2018

Chandre Dharmawardana

What happened to CWW Kannagara happened to many legislators of limited means of that era who worked selflessly, without thinking of how they are to fend for themselves when they reach old age. They died poor although they were expected to maintain a high social standard. In deed, it is an irony that some segments of Sri Lankan’s commemorate Che Guevera but pay scant attention to Kannangara. Similalrly, some Tamils commemorate Prabhakaran, a man who butchered more Tamils than even all the Sinhalese Kings put together, as stated by a Tamil writer named Sebastian Rasalingam:

http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=63836

Militant students are cultivated by  political leaders who were/are  themselves misguided by their blind support for Marxist ideologies.  When I was in charge of the Vidyodaya University, I proposed that the main Hall at Vidyodaya University, used mostly by the Arts students, be named Kannangara Hall, but the student leaders strongly objected and name it Lenin Hall, almost out of spite for my suggestion. Even the “marxism” of the students was hollow. It is/was more driven by the idea of gaining some status and power “(Thathvaya)” in the campus by aligning with some political party. The JVP slogans claimed that the degree can come later – after the revolution.

The students also held a one day strike against me when I denounced their action in an interview with an editor of the Daily News. Most of the teaching staff also remained mute, perhaps in fear of the student leaders, or to curry favour with them.

The Vice-Chancellor of the unified single university covering all the campuses was Mr. Sumanadasa who did the bidding of student leaders, or the bidding of Mr. Paskaralingam who was the Permanent Secretary for Education at that time. He had no policiy of his own.

The attitude and ideology of militant students was set by Philip, N. M. Perera, Colvin and others who were inspired by Marxist Ideology and saw little value in the traditional values and ideologies of the country nourished in Buddhism.

Philip Goonawardena was the main Marxist leader who considered that some national values should be supported –  but mainly for political-strategy reasons.

While they brought important socialist values of equality, such values  actually existed in early Buddhism and Jainism. The Marxitst brought in the immoral idea that the “end justified the means”, and that violent methods of political struggle – revolutions modelled of the Russian revolution or that of Che Guevara are necessary.

Actually, CWW Kannangara was originally opposed to free education. It was A. Ratnayaka who consistantly pushed it (as is clear from the Hansard record), and personally convinced Kannangara (the Minister) of its value and importance. N.M. Perera and other Marxist revolutionaries opposed it, and N. M. Perera even wrote a book explaining that free education should be introduced ONLY AFTER THE SOCIALIST REVOLUTION. He argued that the militancy of the working class, necessary for the revolution, will be mollified by free education which will be used   by the capitalist class to create a “brain-washed” middle class.

D.S. Senanayake and others also opposed it stating that it is an extremely expensive extravagance. He was the prime minister and he could have killed it, but did not do so as he probably decided to allow it on a trial basis. The country actually became prosperous during DS Senanayake’s time, even with the  war, and during the Korean war, by selling rubber and other exports needed by war conditions, and hence free education stayed on. In 1956 a large amount of foreign capital left when SWRD threatened to nationalize them.

The British reduced buying tea from Sri Lanka and switched to buying more from South Africa. Meanwhile the leftists began a series of crippling strikes, hoping to capture power by revolution. The rupee began to tumble. Then came the more dangerous game of Language-policy conflicts that inflamed the country in race riots.

SUGGESTION FOR A BETTER LANKA

December 11th, 2018

By Poet in the Wilderness

The present by force occupant of Temple Trees

Seems to have a mindset of the Nineteen Forties

Foreign powers are his Masters dark

Our lives are too precious for his Royalist lark

 

Move over and let those who truly love Lanka fair

Take Lanka to success and joy rather rare

Remove forever the ghostly nightmare

And allow rule by those who truly care.

 

HAVE THE DEBATE AND ACTIONS FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AND POLITICAL CRISIS GONE BEYOND THE LIMITS?

December 10th, 2018

BY EDWARD THEOPHILUS

Information published in print and electronic media regarding the debate and actions for the constitutional and political crisis in Sri Lanka show that they have gone beyond the limits.  How many people of Sri Lanka are interested in these matters is difficult to estimate? Few people as a percentage of population in Sri Lanka purchase English, Sinhala and Tamil newspapers and read this information. According to my estimate a less than 0.001% of people are used internet.  In this situation it is quite clear that gossips are dominating in the country than true information.

According to news media I feel that the issue has gone beyond the limit and unnecessary issues are emerging to degrade the quality, discipline and knowledge of people in the country.  If there is a problem incurred, it is the responsibility of the relevant authority to resolve the problem without delaying and considering the spreading of the issue, the relevant authorities need to quickly act to resolve the problem and there is no exception to executive, legislative and the judiciary.

Mental condition of a person can be assessed only by a medical expert, who has knowledge, skills and experience in the subject area.  As an ordinary person, I have a doubt whether the judiciary could decide of such matter looking at the face on it rather than deeply investigating the matter. How long it will take to decide? And is it worth to spending so much of resources to it.  Sri Lanka has wasted so much of resources for this matter and the country cannot afford for it.

When I look at the issue from outside the historical experience in UK between King John and his cabinet comes to mind. Is the current crisis in Sri Lanka is like King John issue in the UK?

When we critically looking at the issue it is quite clear that Sri Lanka needs a partial dictatorship to give political leadership to the country.  Singapore became a developed country under the partial dictatorship and many Asian countries had similar leadership.  If the executive authority of the country goes to the parliament, there is doubt that more problems would be arisen.  At this time ordinary people in the country must be careful and make intelligent decisions to save the motherland.

Finally, I have a feeling that Late Dr NM Perera was quite correct because the constitution of the country is good for the layers to argue in the court but not for the ordinary people to depend on it for governance.  Sri Lanka a new constitution after abolishing 19th amendment.

Why do they all want Ranil Wickramasinghe  back,  fear of  discovery of secret dealings, corrupt activities or revelation of Bond Scam Beneficiaries  ?

December 10th, 2018

By Charles S.Perera

Since Maithreepala Sirisena was elected to the high post of the President of Sri Lanka some of us did  not speak well of the President. It was because he sold his mother political party to join a group of vindictive traitors led by the most unloved political leader of the UNP- Ranil Wickramasinghe, to be their common Presidential candidate to become a  rival candidate against  President Mahinda Rajapakse,  after  erasing the memory of  27 years or more of loyal , trusted political bond he had cultivated in a political party in which he  matured for 47 years since he was a young boy of 17 years.

Maithripala Sirisena after he was elected President of Sri Lanka became fondly attached to Ranil Wickramasinghe first through his natural Sinhala Buddhist character of gratitude for having given him the chance to be the President of Sri Lanka, where as Mahinda Rajapakse to whom he was devoted as the President of the SLFP and companion in politics did not so much as made him the Prime Minister despite all the qualifications he had.

President Maithripala Sirisena was so happy to accept Ranil Wickramasinghe as his friend.  He made him his Prime Minister immediately after  taking oath as the President of Sri Lanka. All the UNP supporters were immensely pleased and accepted the President as  one of theirs and praised his goodness. Rajitha Senarathne, Mangala Samaraweera , Ravi Karunananayake , Chandrka Kumarathunga, JVP, the TNA and the rest were singing hosannas in praise of him.

Sirisena provided  a chance for the UNP to come back to have political power again which they would have never got  through an election. Those who knew that it was an unholy alliance was most critical of Maithripala Sirisena, but others thought it was a chance for Sri Lanka to get away from a family rule to experience real democracy in action.

Beside being a criminal of ill-famed Batalanda torture camps Ranil Wickramasinghe was thought of by his supporters as a  corruption free clean political wizard with a mindful of  economic projects to make Sri Lanka the paradise of  Asia.  Some thought that with Ranil back in politics investments will  pour in from the Western countries which  had been in the fore front for the regime change to take UNP back into  politics after 20 years of political isolation.

There were a combination of political errors by President Mahinda Rajapakse and a perfect political strategy, perhaps put in place by the Western and Indian secret services, which helped fishing out Maithripala Sirisena from the President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s own camp to make him the Presidential candidate of the opposition. They did not do that because of any love or for any special qualities they thought Maithripala Sirisena possessed to be the President , but they believed that an ordinary farmer’s son would be naïve, and could be made to dance to their tune if he is elected President. (Reminds one of the French  film Le Dinner de Cons).

President Maithripala Sirisena thrilled from the unexpected turn of events which made him  the President of Sri Lanka ,  placed his entire  confidence on Ranil Wickramasinghe and the UNP, Rajitha Senaratne, Chandrika Kumaratunga and the rest,  without being aware of the secret political plot they were hatching behind his back, to make him their cat’s paw to arrive at their objective of eventually make Ranil W as the Prime Minister take over the powers of an executive President.

Maithripala Sirisena’s  critics blamed him for his endless foreign trips enjoying the benefits of power that had been thrust  on him , allowing Ranil and his UNP Ministers to do what they want while he is away,  enjoying the apparent friendly hospitality he received in various Western and other  countries  he visited  invited by them and received by them  with great honour  acclaiming him as a  saviour of democracy  who has assured the human rights of the minorities in Sri Lanka.

Maithripala Sirisena was in the meantime made the President of the SLFP which he abandoned in November, 2015 to embrace his enemies providing them with political power which  had escaped  them for a considerable period of time. Though the former President very generously relinquished his Presidency of the SLFP to the new President of Sri Lanka , it was not enough and far too  late for Mahinda Rajapakse to make it a gesture  to set right his past error of not having accepted to make the General Secretary of the  SLFP his Prime Minister.

President Maithripala Sirisena was not ready to forgive his former  chief and political companion for denying him the rightful place in the Government after his loyal service to the Party and the government  for a considerable number of years. Therefore, President Sirisena would  not allow Mahinda  Rajapakse to replace  Ranil Wickramasinghe as the Prime Minister  in the future, and did all he can to thwart the ambition of a defeated President to come back to power as the Prime Minister by winning the General election of August,2015.

President Sirisena wrote to Mahinda Rajapakse that even if he were to win the elections by a majority at the general elections, he will not be made the Prime Minister as there were  qualified seniors in the SLFP suitable to take that place.

President Sirisena out to take revenge from Mahinda Rajapakse, became a close friend and confidant of  his Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe. Ranil Wickramasinghe was in the meantime slowly and gradually grabbing the powers of the executive president and making himself powerful to openly defy the orders of President Sirisena, collecting around him  money launderers, homosexuals, dentists of doubtful honesty, knaves who will do any thing to please him, sexually depraved Buddhist party leaders, un-socialist Marxists and even made a citizen of Singapore a friend of LTTE financier Raja Rajaratnam Arjun Mahendran his old pal from Royal College the Governor of the Central Bank.

Finally when President appointed another Governor to the Central Bank, Ranil Wickramasinghe still employed the ex-Governor of the Central Bank Arjun Mahendrn  as advisor to the Prime Minister.  Ranil Stole the Central Bank with the Bond Scam  assisted by  its Governor Arjun Mahendran and a year after the first, he staged another  Bond Scam of which not much is heard.

These daylight robberies of the Central Bank made Ranil  and the UNP  immensely rich, rich  enough to make Temple Trees his private abode, and challenge the President to turn him out if he dares.   Ranil has the baking of the Western Embassies, India and apparently the Sri Lanka Judiciary as well.

Ranil- the Prime Minister simply ignored  President Sirisena whose powers Ranil had reduced through the introduction of 19A to the Constitution, and started acting on his own without consulting the President. He signed a Contract of 1000 pages with Singapore and no one still knows what it contains. He then agreed with the Prime Minister of India Modi to sell the East Container terminal to India together with the Trincomalee Oil Tanks. Ranil sent his partner in Bank theft Arjun Mahendran to Singapore. He is being searched by the Sri Lanka CID in  Singapore where he apparently  remains invisible” to investigators and even to the Interpol.

Finally after three and a half years when a plot to assassinate the President and the former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse came to light, and DIG Nalaka Silva was proved by voice recordings revealed to the press as the man behind the assassination plot, and that the IGP was covering up DIG Nalaka Silva, President Maithripala realised that he had been duped through out the past three and a half years by Ranil Wickramasinghe  and his gang of plotters. He realised that Ranil as his Prime Minister had been and is a greater danger, than Mahinda Rajapakse ever was.

With that realisation,  at the first opportunity he had to appoint another Prime Minister, when the UPFA section of the Yahapalanaya Government withdrew from the Yahapalanaya Cabinet of Ministers dissolving the coalition partnership of the Yahapalanaya, he called upon Mahinda Rajapakse who President Sirisena had earlier  thought was a rival to fear, but yet  knew having worked with him that he is a reliable  patriotic Sinhala Buddhist politician , to be his Prime Minister and  form a government together even at this late stage.

That broke loose the hell under Ranil Wickramasinghe and his den of political plotters and thieves, who refused to give into the President and vowed  to replace the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse and his Ministers sworn in by the President , by Ranil Wickramasinghe and his thieves and plotters of the UNP,  TNA,JVP and JHU.

But Ranil Wickramasinghe along with all his  former Ministers- all of doubtful honesty  including the Speaker of he House, TNA, JVP, and  his other supporters are up in  arms against the new Government of the President  headed by the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse  and his cabinet of Ministers. Ranil Wickcramsinghe has become the hero of every one of them,  and they all want him back as the Prime Minister.  Sajith Premadasa refused to lead the UNP vowing his loyalty to Ranil .

This along with strange judgments given first by the Supreme Court and then by the Appeal Court,  numerous unconstitutional decision and No Confidence motions  passed in an illegally constituted Parliamentary sessions have challenged the Constitutional decisions taken by the President. The Courts have in extra ordinary judicial decisions ordered the Constitutionally sworn in Prime Minister and his Ministers to stop carrying out their official functions until a final decision is taken by the Courts in a future unmentioned date.

Why do the UNP, JVP, TNA and the rest of the allied parties insist that they want Ranil Wickramasinghe back as the Prime Minister ? What is the catch, do they fear the consequences of another Government  taking their place discovering   their corrupt activities, and lay before the people evidence of their betrayal of the country by theft, complots, and hidden agreements with minority political parties such as TNA and JVP, with individuals ,  and with other countries, or do they fear the revelation  of the names of those who benefitted from the Bond Scams  ?

They have to win over the Judiciary to hide their three and a half years of utter corrupt activities which have no equal.  This reason  for the  desire to have Ranil Wickramasinghe and no other as the Prime Minister has no meaning unless there is some thing they have to hide at all cost which have  not been  revealed before. Is the Judiciary a party to this complots ? After all the case before them is not so complicated as the Courts seem to make it out, for them to take  such a long period of time take a decision. Every thing seem to be cut an dry even some one with a brain the size of a pea nut” will not take such a long time to understand and take a wise decision.

As a  political figure Ranil Wickramasinghe has proved more than once that he has nothing that he himself can be proud of, nor has he done any thing that the country could be proud of him.

Rajitha Senarathna swears he will not remain silent until Ranil Wickramasinghe is brought back as the  Prime Ministers, and made to sit  in Parliament, in the seat meant for the Prime Minister.

But why this craze for Ranil Wickramasinghe ?

Ranil Wickramasinghe is a  criminal of the ill famed  Batalanda torture camps,  where the Commission report  points its finger at Ranil Wickramasinghe’s role in the torture camp as questionable. Ranil Wickramasinghe  is a political coward beyond question as he willingly consented to sign a CFA prepared by Solheim and Prabhakaran without informing either the President, nor the Parliament, rather than carry out a military operation against terrorism, he even discouraged President Mahinda Rajapakse’s successful military operations against terrorism.

Ranil Wickramasinghe was a traitor who ordered  the police to raid an army safe house  in Millenium City resulting in the assassination of  army secret agents,  Ranil Wickramasinghe was a thief who organised the Central Bank Bond Scam having planted his agent as the Governor of the Central Bank. Ranil Wickramasinghe is a sly underhand dealer who secretly negotiated and signed a trade Agreement with Singapore without having informed the President or the Parliament.

Ranil Wickramasinghe is not a democrat  but a cowered who would swim against the current when he is accused for wrong doings and failure of his government to keep promises made to the people. Ranil Wickramasinghe is a dictator in his own party not allowing any capable leader to arise to lead the Party despite its failure to keep intact the party’s past reputation.  He manipulates even the Parliament presenting a legislation, and changing it completely at the Committee Stage.

Ranil Wickramasinghe is such a slave of the west, he got  his Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera at the Geneva Council Session to accept to sponsor  along with  America its  Resolution against Sri Lanka Armed Forces for war crimes and violation of Human Rights.

Ranil Wickramasinghe is responsible for  agreeing with TNA and the West  to write a New Constitution to Sri Lanka removing the hitherto held special place for the protection of Buddhism, and allowing  to change the Name of Sri Lanka into Orimitta Nadu under  a  Federal System of Governance.

Is this the man that UNP, TNA, JVP and the rest of the Tamil and Muslim Parties want to lead the Country as their Prime Minister ?

The people do not want Ranil Wickramasinghe any more playing any political role inside the Parliament or outside of it. He is not an honourable man who would  resign in the face of wide criticism.

Is he and his supporters prepared to face the people and know what the people think of them ? 

Then resign and face an Election. The Judiciary is independent but it  too should allow sovereignty of the voice of the people be  heard ?

My observations and concerns of your meeting the former LTTE fighters in Mullaitivu,

December 10th, 2018

 Asoka Weerasinghe  Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . Canada

December 10, 2018

High Commissioner David McKinnon
Canadian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka
33A, 5th Lane
Colpetty, Colombo 3
Sri Lanka.

Dear High Commissioner David McKinnon:

I was a bit chafed to see your photo with former LTTE fighters in Mullaitivu in the latest TAMIL GUARDIAN.  The text below the photo read:

The former NPC member, T.Ravikaran met with Canada’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka today and urged action on ongoing Tamil concerns.

The continued occupation of land, the Buddhisation of the North-East (that got my goat. I am a Buddhist and former President of Ottawa Buddhist Association,  and will comment on it later), the disappeared and political prisoners were discussed during the meeting.”

So the photo is proof-positive that you are one more Canadian diplomat who is pushing the Canadian envelope to get involved in the internal affairs of this little sovereign nation.  Sri Lanka, which happens to be my Motherland,  is not even a colony of ours,  So what the heck is this all about?  Canadian Tamil votes for your employer?  Phew! Man, this is not right…this isn’t kosher…this is not cricket!

Mr. High Commissioner, can you imagine one of Sri Lanka’s High Commissioners meeting with the First Nation people’s Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence who was on a hunger strike, protesting  that their human rights had been violated by the Canadian Government.  Just wondered what your comments would be if that had

happened.  Well, I suppose our Secretary to the Foreign Minister would have summoned the Sri Lanka High Commisioner to rap him/her knuckles and admonish the diplomat for poking his/her nose into Canada’s internal affairs and shown our displeasure and give the diplomat the third degree and that if it happened again would be declared  a persona-non grata and put the Sri Lanka High Commissioner on the first plane to the coconut palm fringed Katunayake International Airport.  Ha! What disingenuous double-standard by Canada.  Not Canadian, is it!

I for one, a Sri Lankan-Sinhalese-Canadian  who has stomached and endured the arrogance, bullying, attitude of We-are-holier-than-Thou, and lying through our teeth, to secure the mono-ethnic separate, racist Tamil State, Eelam for the Tamil’s,  and resent all of this.

Let’s not kid us and pull wool over our eyes.  Please don’t challenge Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese men and women’s intelligence.

Permit me to elaborate my observations of our Politicians of all three major political parties, the Liberal, Conservatives and NDP.  Here are some incidents that have got my goat,

1:  Arrogance – Judy Sgro, the Liberal Minister of Immigration and Citizenship  announced in Parliament, that she doesn’t need to get permission from the Sri     Lankan Government to set up an Immigration Office in Jaffna to siphon Tamils  who were affected by the Tsunami and bring them over to Canada and not the      Sinhalese who were the most affected.

Damn arrogance I thought and in a letter told her not to embarrass Canada as  Sri Lanka Government had every right to close that Canadian Immigration        Councillor office in Jaffna and kick her out of the island.  Remember how  we treated France’s General De Gaulle?

I advised her in a letter to go back to college and take the  Introductory Course on  International Diplomacy 101, which will do her and Canada a lot of good;

2: Bullying –  After Prime Minister Stephen Harper got into a hissy-fit and boycotted  the Commonwealth Conference held in Colombo, as he was  concerned about alleged Human Rights violations in Sri Lanka.  So he sends his emissary Minister Deepak Obhrai to  represent him and Canada   And he had a Mission to garner every federal Tamil vote in the Greater Toronto Area for his Conservative Party at the next Federal election.

So what did he do?  He flies into Jaffna, I believe accompanied by our Canadian High Commissioner, and then got back to Colombo by land transport. The reason we were told was  because the plane that they were going to be brought back let them down.  But when asked from the Canadian Mission the name of the Company that they had contracted to provide the return flight, I did not get an answer.

But here is what killed  Canada’s slimy-truth.  Deepak Obhrai had an entourage with Him on the return by land transport, and among them was a photographer and a wreath with a printed sign of sympathy for the Tamil Eelamist Terrorists who died in battle  with the Sri Lankan Government soldiers at Elephant Pass, Obhrai deliberately ignored the fact that there were two armies at war, the Tamil Tiger terrorists  and Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces who were defending the Island’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity, and the other soldiers who died at battle were Sri Lankan, mainly Sinhalese soldiers. That’s how the Canadian Government  was so disingenuous with this public act. It was a case of vomiting-sick.

When he was requested by a Sri Lankan Government Officer not to lay the wreath, Deepak Obhrai  put on a cloak  of a  Canadian High School Bully, and laid  the wreath anyway. and the photographer clicked his Camera to show proof what he did for the GTA Tamil-separatists when he returned  saying See what I did for you all, now give us, Conservatives your Vote at the next federal election!.”

 When Obhrai was questioned why he did it, his explanation was that Elephant Pass  was a neutral spot to lay the wreath.  That was not only foolish, he was asinine. I pointed out to him in a letter that Elephant Pass was the Eelam War Theatre where three major battles were fought and the Sri Lankan Army got a good pounding in one of them..  Damn! Western Pinocchio-Bullies, I say, who wants to hurt my Motherland, unfairly. O!   No, no..don’t even try it.  If you do  you will hear my voice loud and clearly like the Westminster’s BIG BEN’s noon hour ding-dong chime” I say to the  Canadian politician-bullies.

3. We are Holier than Thou – Conservative Minister Jason Kenney, after a stint in Sri Lanka on January 7, 2013, meeting the Sri Lankan Government Officials to discuss how to curb Tamil human smuggling, switched his mask to, I am the son of an Anglo-Saxon Evangelical  Preacher Man, preaching to Sri Lankans about Human Rights violations during a 27 year long bloody Tamil Tiger Terrorist Eelam War which Canada aided and abetted, And that We are Holier than Thou”, all that Evangelical Blarney BS when Amnesty International had already pinned Canada onto their Human Rights Violator Rogues Gallery,was despicable, uncouth and sick.  Especially, when on that very day when the First Nations Peoples Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence was on a hunger strike on Victoria Island, a stone’s throw away from Kenney’s parliament office, for the very reason that Canada has violated their human rights.”  What nonsense is all this High Commissioner, McKinnon?  I am not impressed, not a bit.

If I was the President  of Sri Lanka then, I would have told Minister Jason Kenney;

 Listen, my son, why don’t you take the first flight  home to Canada,  and help eradicate your Government’s Human Rights violations of  the peoples of the First  Nations, like Chief Theresa Spence.  They  need you more than my people.  We can look after ours.  Once you   solve your Country’s Human Rights violations, then come to me and I   will listen to you.  Until then, please keep off your feet from my island’s kabook soil.

 You can now take my leave and hurry back home to Canada. Those  First Nations peoples of yours need you.”

4; Lying through our Teeth:  It was during the Tamil Blarney Gong Show that  took place in the Parliament’s chambers on the evening of 4 February 2009,  called by Jack Layton, the leader of the NDP.  It was supposed to be an Emergency Meeting on Sri Lanka, with a packed Gallery of Sri Lankan Tamils.  What a stupid hoot.   I watched it on CPAC.

It was on this afternoon that Liberal’s Terrible Lying Five, Robert Oliphant, Jim Karygiannis, Derek Lee, Judy Sgro and Albina Guarnieri, charged  Sri Lanka of Genocide”.  What tosh, what garbage, what poppycock, what buckets of dead capelin from the shores of Newfoundland’s Middle Cove Beach, what strings of baloney hanging from Deli stalls in Byward  Market.

They were off the mark by lying miles as they were not capable even of gathering Nuts in May…Nuts in May, even though they were taken to a field to harvest nuts, as they couldn’t distinguish a nut from a stone.  The Word Genocide has no place in Sri Lanka as this stupid five wouldn’t be able to reconcile the fact that on 19 May 2009, when the Tamil Tiger Terrorists were annihilated  militarily, how come the Sri Lankan, mainly Sinhalese  soldiers, rescued 295,873 Tamils from the clutches of the Tamil Tigers who marched them from the west coast to the east coast for 30 Month under the Jaffna-Killinochchi scorching sun like unwashed cattle.

They were not shot dead by the Sri Lankan soldiers, as that would have been easy.  But they didn’t. Genocide” my foot.  Nor were they starved to death when they were housed in  temporary refugee camps and the Government of Sri lanka prepared a million meals a day to feed the Tamil Refugees hearty breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

Do you know what High Commissioner, a good percent of the cooks were army soldiers.  Genocide” my foot.  The Liberals Terrible Five were a nasty bunch.

Do you know what Mr. High Commissioner, if my late Mother was alive, it wouldn’t have mattered to her whether the Liberals Terrible Lying Five were Canadian parliamentarians, she would have marched every one of them by their ears to the Parliament’s kitchen sink and forced them to wash  their  lying mouths with Carbolic soap.  She didn’t liked liars.

And now to deal with the Northern separatist Tamils  complaining to  you about Buddhisation of the North and East.”

 If you have any inclination to get involved with this comment, my advise to you is don’t even touch it with a barge pole.  If you do you will be skating  on thin ice. Here is why!.

I suppose Ravikaran did not brief you that in ancient  times the  north and east of Sri Lanka were spotted with Buddhist temples  When I say ancient”, I mean Sinhalese-Buddhist culture goes back for over 2,500 years,  Canadians might have difficulty to comprehend it when Canada is only 151 years old since Confederation, and we have a Department of Heritage to preserve our 151 year old heritage,  So let’s not get involved in tinkering with Sri Lanka’s over 2,500 year old Heritage, when we have absolutely no business there.

So what is Ravikaran belly aching about!

Among scores of ancient Buddhist shrines and sites did he not brief you about the Muhudu Maha Viharaya which is over 2000 years old in Pottuvil, in the Ampara District and built by King Kavan Tissa?

Ravikaran’s Tamils are trying to claim that the North and East is theirs.  And that’s hog wash.  There were 74 ancient Buddhist shrines and Archeological sites in the Trincomalee District, and 55 such ancient Buddhist  shrines in the Batticaloa and Ampara Districts

Didn’t Ravikaran brief you that the Seruwila Mangala  Raja Maha Viharaya in the Trincomalee District was built in the 2nd century BC by King Kavan Tissa.   So what were the Tamils belly aching about asking you to stop Buddhisation” which got my goat.

Well, if I were you, High Commissioner David McKinnon, I would keep your nose out of this nonsense as you might feel the simmering winds of the unnatural Sinhalese Buddhist wrath wafting within the walls of your offices in Colombo.  Their anger will be visceral.

And they will charge you with cultural genocide as we in Canada have been accused of  by the indigenous peoples  with the forced Residential Schools policy.  And the cultural genocide by the white-man of the Beothuks in Newfoundland when by 1829, with the death of Shanawdithit  the Beothuks were officially declared extinct after suffering epidemics, starvation, loss of access to food sources and the slaughter by white English and French fishermen and traders.

Remember Mr. High Commissioner that the Tamils have a Motherland to return to. It’s India’s Tamil Nadu just 18 salt water miles from the northern tip of Jaffna peninsula of Sri Lanka where 80 million Dravidian kith and kin of theirs live.  And the Sinhalese Buddhists as well as Christians are indigenous to Sri Lanka which is their Motherland..

So High Commissioner David McKinnon, as a diplomat, you have a choice of either to get involved in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka which is high-hypocrisy and  an act  of colonial like condescension which is none of your business to act like a pseudo-viceroy.

The active involvement like going and meeting former Tamil Tiger terrorists in Mullaitivu and discussing  ongoing Tamil concerns  that cannot be justified in any manner. The eagerness of Canada to get involved in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka is explicable.  Or keep your nose out of trouble, and not expose yourself to a possible embarrassing event like the David Gladstone syndrome of 1991.

May be that you will be troubled by my frank discussion here, and want to reject all what I had to say.  But I pray, that you will  not open a window for me to tell you”Didn’t I tell you so!”

And, by the way, my enthusiasm for the heritage and culture of Canada was recognized by the Mayor of Ottawa and was the recipient of the Annual prestigious  City of Ottawa, Appreciation Award for Arts and Culture in  2003.

And my resentment of a Fundamentalist Christian decapitating the large Buddha Statue on the front lawn of my Buddhist Monastery, Hilda Jayewardenaramaya at 1481 Heron Road, is documented in the Ottawa Citizen of. May 1, 2018. He is been charged by the Ottawa Police.  Little wonder why and how I reacted to the former Tamil Tiger T. Ravikaran’s belly aching to you about Buddhist sites in the North and East.  You bet, it will be so in the future too.

Have a magical holiday season and hope that Santa will be good to you and keep well.

Sincerely,

Asoka Weerasinghe (Mr.)


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