{"id":57677,"date":"2016-08-15T23:39:28","date_gmt":"2016-08-16T05:39:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=57677"},"modified":"2016-08-15T15:59:55","modified_gmt":"2016-08-15T22:59:55","slug":"padayathra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2016\/08\/15\/padayathra\/","title":{"rendered":"Padayathra"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Charles.S.Perera<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

Democracy permits any peaceful manifestation of the people against a government to show their dissatisfaction\u00a0 of the way the country is being ruled. It is of course outside democracy for the people or groups of people or individuals to take up arms of any sort to manifest their dissatisfaction of the way they are being ruled by a government. That would be an armed rebellion or terrorism.<\/p>\n

In America there are individuals who show their dissatisfaction on issues that personally affect them by taking a gun and kill children in schools, or innocent \u00a0people on the street. That is because in USA there are many people who are psychologically ill. Some of them do not take guns but make very impertinent statements that harm countries. If such statements are against the people of the country though in favour of the government in place those are\u00a0 also a form of terrorism against the people who have no means of\u00a0 making\u00a0 the government\u00a0 hear their suffering.<\/p>\n

Someone that falls into that latter category is the present US Ambassador \u00a0Atul Keshup who made a very cheap and a derogatory remark. He had said:<\/p>\n

The United States is committed to the future of all of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka\u2019s presidential election of January 2015 marked a historic shift in the country\u2019s political direction and made possible a new relationship with the United States. Sri Lankan voters elected a new government built upon the pledge of good governance and national reconciliation and rejected an increasingly authoritarian rule by a government determined to erode democratic institutions\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

May be His Excellency the US Ambassador is also psychologically ill.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>(https:\/\/wenasakda.wordpress.com\/2016\/08\/14\/atul-keshap-should-leave-sri-lanka-cheap-and-trashy-politician-not-a-diplomat\/)<\/p>\n

However that is also a manifestation of ideas that fester the mind of an undiplomatic diplomat. These statements are also reasons for people to manifest their dissatisfaction against the \u00a0Yahapalanaya government which has allowed diplomats from USA interfere directly \u00a0into internal affairs of their country subjugating Sri Lanka to a foreign power.<\/p>\n

Now what is Padayathra ? It is also a manifestation of the people against a ruling government. It may be peaceful but it can be noisy as it is a gathering of large number of people.<\/p>\n

More precisely, Padayathra is a long walk lasting some times days organised to get all the people who have no other means to make their voices of anger heard by a stubborn , arrogant and an inefficient ruling class. It is quite\u00a0 a democratic and a legitimate right of the people. Ordinary responsible governments of the people take these manifestations seriously put right the wrongs the are doing and make the government acceptable to the people or leave the government for some one else \u00a0to put to right the wrongs they have done or they are doing.<\/p>\n

The recent Padayathra in Sri Lanka from the 28th<\/sup> to 31st<\/sup> July organised by the Joint Opposition of the parliament of Sri Lanka, was a great success, and it was surprising that Maithripala Sirisena \u2013the President \u00a0and Ranil Wickramasinghe the Prime Minister and his UNP cohorts were misinterpreting the well organised, well attended and well behaved \u00a0manifestation of the people. To ridicule it and put it aside as unimportant is to insult the people and a stupid attempt to underestimate the power of the people that unseated the \u00a0popular government of Mahinda Rajapakse to put in place a government of the UNP, SLFP,TNA, JVP and SLMC, expecting them to do better.<\/p>\n

What has happened is that the people who wanted a change for the better has got the worst possible government\u00a0 Sri Lanka ever had, which continues to burden the people with taxes, causing a rise of \u00a0unemployment, suspending\u00a0 development\u00a0 projects started by President Mahinda Rajapakse, selling public enterprises, and sign \u00a0agreements with India which would further aggravate unemployment, increase the cost of living, increase poverty and destabilise the \u00a0economic, and social conditions of the people.<\/p>\n

Instead of listening to the voice of the people raised in the Padayathra, Sirisena-Wickramasinghe-Chandrika sponsored Yahapalanaya government does not stop criticising the\u00a0 Padayathra. The UNP and SLFP Ministers open their mouths to criticise with a view to diminish the importance of\u00a0 the people\u2019s manifestation\u201d. They critise the \u00a0manifestantion for having allowed the people to dance,\u00a0 they say the number of participants were smaller than the numbers expected, they say that \u00a0manifestants hooted in front of the SLFP Head Quarters.\u00a0 Chandrika has called the police to guard the SWRD Bandaranayake memorial to avoid it being desecrated. These were done purposely to show that the manifestation had no effect on them or their government.<\/p>\n

The Government had ordered the police to stop the Padayathra at any cost, but due to the fact of its popularity with the participation of an un-expectedly \u00a0large number\u00a0 of people the Courts from whom the police had demanded \u00a0a ruling to stop the manifestation passing through towns \u00a0refused to issue such orders. \u00a0The stupidity of the government was such they even refused to give the ground on which the Padayathra was to end, despite the fact that it had been reserved well in advance.<\/p>\n

The Yahapalanaya Government with all their attempts to stop the Padayatra showed clearly to the people they are not democratic, they do not listen to the people, and the suffering of the people is not their concern and that they are bent on continuing their most disastrous government for five years whether the people like it or not.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course a manifestation of\u00a0 the people\u00a0 as it was with the Padayathra cannot be conducted silently, as it is a funeral procession. Shouting slogans, singing songs, certain misbehaviour at times, and wearing masks are normal pattern of a manifestation\u00a0 meant to last for long period of time.<\/p>\n

In France manifestations are worst. They wear masks representing the President and government Ministers. They burn effigies. They even dig the roads to unearth stones with which \u00a0to throw at the police.\u00a0 They break shop windows and set fire to cars.\u00a0 The farmers during manifestations drive their cattle\u201d on the streets, unload lorry loads of vegetables, fruits, potatoes, fish, \u00a0flour and grain, and spill\u00a0 thousands of litters of milk on the road .<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Padayathra Organised by the Joint Opposition was a great show of strength of the people who behaved through out the manifestation remarkably well.<\/p>\n

Another matter emphasised by the \u00a0opponents of the Padayathra was that a child cried out a political slogan. How can that be wrong, the parents who participated in the Padayathra may have come with their \u00a0parents and it is not using children for labour !\u00a0 In manifestations in big capitals in Europe, fathers carry children carrying flags on their shoulders.\u00a0 Mothers push their\u00a0 prams with their babies in<\/strong> them<\/p>\n

Unfortunately the Joint Opposition did not have the support of the faction of the SLFP which is with the President who is blind, deaf unable to see who is running the country he has only a big mouth with which to trash the\u00a0 ex President. There is no national government as such , and the SLFP which was\u00a0 formed by SWRD Bandaranayake as a political system against the capitalism of UNP have no right whatsoever now to form a pseudo national government with the very same UNP from which SWRD broke away.<\/p>\n

The worst of it is \u00a0that, \u00a0it is the UNP which is the dominant party in the Yahapalanaya, the SLFP is a weak appendage hanging on to UNP, TNA,JVP, JHU and SLMC, merely to keep their political advantage of\u00a0 having Ministerial positions. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Even the media is not taking a constructive role in informing the people of the dangers\u00a0 Sri Lanka is running without an opposition to Ranil Wickramasinghe, Chandrika, and Mangala Samaraweera.\u00a0 Little by little Sri Lanka is loosing its independence and sovereignty, being assimilated into USA and Western political system against China and Russia.<\/p>\n

It is the joint opposition that keeps informing the people of the dangerous political diversions \u00a0that are being taken by Yahapalanaya Government. Maithripala Sirisena as the President has lost his hold on the government run by Ranil Wickramasinghe .<\/p>\n

Maithripala Sirisena has already become a ceremonial President sent to represent Sri Lanka in International Forums and meet political leaders\u00a0 sympathetic to USA and Western political systems. Maithripala Sirisena as President has absolutely no power to stop where\u00a0 this government is \u00a0heading under Ranil Wickramasinghe<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Only opposition to this government\u2019s reactionary activities come from the Joint Opposition. The\u00a0 Joint Oppostion is the only hope the country has to come out of the abyss into which Ranil, Chandrika, Mangala are pushing our motherland.<\/p>\n

People like S.B.Dissanayake, Mahinda Samarasinghe, Sarath Amunugama are absolutely useless.\u00a0 They were rejected by the people and thanks to Maithripala Sirisena they have not only been taken to the Parliament but made Ministers as well. So they are absolutely indebted to the President and do every thing possible to stay on in power along side Sirisena what ever may happen to the country.<\/p>\n

S.B.Dissanayake who speaks as a saviour , asserting that he will not allow the sovereignty of Sri Lanka put in danger, says when asked why he does not support the Joint Opposition against eroding sovereignty of Sri Lanka say, SLFP is the party of the people. It has to remain\u00a0 strong and united.\u00a0 That would result in a secure undivided country. One thing we need to understand is that good diplomacy is not selling the country out.\u201d\u00a0 But the fact remains that these persons who are greedy for political positions\u00a0 refuse to stand aside when the country is in danger.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The President, and UNP Ministers state in meetings, at press conferences and in TV programmes that Yahapalanaya is a unique experience in that the main political parties with opposite views have joined together to form a government to give their best to the progress and development of the country. But in this unique experience as they\u00a0 like to say, the Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe\u2019s UNP views dominate.<\/p>\n

If in the Yahapalanaya government \u00a0SLFP section of the Government\u00a0 accepts every action taken by the UNP section headed by the Prime Minister \u00a0there would be no one to say halt to any actions taken by\u00a0 the Prime Minister which are not in the interest of the people. As Maithripala Sirisena has forbidden the SLFP Ministers to speak against the UNP , they obey the President for fear of loosing their Ministerial posts. Hence \u00a0the SLFP section of the Yahapalanaya government \u00a0does not oppose any action by\u00a0 Ranil Wickramasinghe the Prime Minister whether they are in agreement of those actions or not.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hence it is only the Joint Opposition the people have to look after their interests and speak against actions taken by the Yahapalanay government initiated by Ranil Wickramasinghe which are not in the interest of the country.\u00a0 That was the reason why the people rocked in massive numbers around the Joint Opposition to manifest in the Padayathra\u00a0 it organised.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Ministers of Yahapalanaya talks about democracy,saying that the country did not have democracy under the ex President. But the democracy of the Yahapalanayaa has a different meaning. Their democracy has paved way to a dictatorship-even the speaker of the Parliament is not independent and acts according to the Agenda of the UNP Leader Ranil Wickramasinghe, who in turn acts according to the Agenda of the USA and the West.<\/p>\n

Chandrika has no place in Sri Lanka as people have lost faith in her, \u00a0therefore she is building up her political stature by becoming a political agent of USA and the West. Ranil gets on well with Chandrika as Mahinda Rajapakse is their common enemy.<\/p>\n

The Bill on Missing Persons Office is an absolutely unwanted piece of legislature for the well being of Sri Lanka.\u00a0 It was enacted by Yahapalanaya to get closer to the USA and the West. We see from\u00a0 the\u00a0 USA and Western reaction to the passing of the bill on the Office for Missing persons that it is a legislation requested by the USA and the West to fulfil their agenda of making Sri Lanka a strategic political base for America against China and Russia, \u00a0and also for USA and the West to make good the promise they made to the Tamil Diaspora to allow them a \u00a0separate Tamil Eelam State separated from the South. A Kosovo in the Indian Ocean.<\/p>\n

Intelligent people of Sri Lanka, \u00a0at least\u00a0 all the categories of the Sinhala people, Buddhists , Christians, Catholics, and even free thinkers should join together to protect the rights of the Sinhala people.<\/p>\n

The Padayathra has opened the eyes of the people , and frightened the Yahapalanaya government and its supporters like the JVP and the TNA, and even those pseudo intellectuals and the English educated class\u00a0 became aware thanks to Padayathra that the ordinary mass of people are not ready to take things lying low. The power of the ordinary people is\u00a0 greater than\u00a0 their\u00a0 attachment to USA and the Western tilted politics.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

These pseudo patriots now know, because of the Padayathra that was able to get\u00a0 hundreds of thousands of people to participate that there is a considerable\u00a0 \u00a0opposition to \u00a0Yahapalanaya Regime\u00a0 amoung the people in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

The UNP Ministers and Maithripala Sirisena himself , and Chandrika minimises the importance of the Padayathra.\u00a0 Some count numbers\u00a0 of people who attended the \u00a0Padayathra. People who watched it saw the massive numbers in attendance but\u00a0 the UNP and\u00a0 its supporters make themselves pathetically ridiculous making numbers small and the length of the manifestation reduced to a few meters.<\/p>\n

The Yahapalanaya cronies refuse to accept that, whether the numbers who attended the Padayathra were small and the\u00a0 length of it was short or not \u00a0the importance is that there is a growing opposition to the Yahapalanaya and that they should instead of criticising the Joint Opposition, change their policies to be acceptable by the people who beginning to be tired of their heedless \u00a0steamroller political activities.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Charles.S.Perera Democracy permits any peaceful manifestation of the people against a government to show their dissatisfaction\u00a0 of the way the country is being ruled. It is of course outside democracy for the people or groups of people or individuals to take up arms of any sort to manifest their dissatisfaction of the way they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-charles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57677"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57677\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}