{"id":74053,"date":"2018-01-26T07:40:23","date_gmt":"2018-01-26T13:40:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=74053"},"modified":"2018-01-25T08:31:04","modified_gmt":"2018-01-25T15:31:04","slug":"the-pohottuwa-is-in-danger-of-losing-the-lg-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2018\/01\/26\/the-pohottuwa-is-in-danger-of-losing-the-lg-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"THE POHOTTUWA IS IN DANGER OF LOSING THE LG ELECTIONS"},"content":{"rendered":"

DHARSHAN WEERASEKERA, ATTORNEY-AT-LAW<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The People of Sri Lanka are thoroughly frustrated with the present Government and the way the country is being run.\u00a0 The Pohottowa<\/em> is an option towards which they can turn in order to change what is happening.\u00a0 However, the Pohottuwa<\/em> cannot take such support for granted and must make a compelling argument as to why people ought to embrace it.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the Pohottuwa<\/em> has not done this so<\/p>\n

Instead, it is relying on a set of stock arguments for which Maithripala Sirisena has good counters.\u00a0 Meanwhile, Sirisena is using a clever tactic \u2013 i.e. the Bond Scam and the public\u2019s demand that the culprits be punished \u2013 to project himself as a \u2018reformer\u2019 and ask the public to give him the time and the mandate to mete out such punishment.\u00a0 In short, he is trying to distract the public from the real issue that is at the heart of this election.<\/p>\n

Sirisena\u2019s SLFP does not have to clobber the Pohottuwa<\/em> \u2013 it cannot hope to do so in the first place \u2013 but if the Pohottuwa<\/em> does not clobber the SLFP, the public will see it as a victory for Sirisena.\u00a0 And this all that Sirisena needs at the moment.\u00a0 He will take it as a reaffirmation of his purported \u2018January 8th<\/sup> Mandate,\u2019 and immediately push for the new Constitution.<\/p>\n

I have argued in previous articles and repeat here that, a new Constitution will solve all of Sirisena\u2019s (and friend Ranil\u2019s) problems, because it will help them to extend their \u2018reign\u2019 past 2020.[1]<\/a>\u00a0 In this article, I shall briefly explain the Pohottuwa\u2019s<\/em> stock arguments, the replies that I think Sirisena can give to them, discuss what I think is really at stake in these elections, and the \u2018Red Herring\u2019 or distraction that Sirisena is using to confuse the public, and finally offer some recommendations.<\/p>\n

THE ARGUMENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mahinda Rajapaksa is the heart and soul of the Pohottuwa<\/em>.\u00a0 So, in order to find out the Pohottuwa\u2019s<\/em> stock arguments it suffices to study MR\u2019s speeches on the campaign trail.\u00a0 I have looked at a number of them, and to the best of my knowledge he makes six arguments.\u00a0 He varies his emphasis one or the other of these arguments depending on the locale, but generally he touches on all six in any given speech.<\/p>\n

The six are:\u00a0 1) the skyrocketing cost of living; 2) the present Government has not done anything to develop the country but is merely completing projects that he started; 3) the present Government is determined to bring a new Constitution that will divide the country; 4) the economy is in shambles and crime is rampant; 5) the Bond Scam; and 6) Sirisena\u2019s character, i.e. he cannot be trusted.<\/p>\n

I focus here on a speech Rajapaksa had given in Hanguranketha and reported in the \u2018Divaina\u2019 of 22nd<\/sup> January 2018.\u00a0 I shall first quote a few of MR\u2019s words as reported in the article, and then the replies that I think Sirisena would make. \u00a0I should emphasize that the words I put in Sirisena\u2019s mouth are not actually his.\u00a0 They are what I think he or any reasonable person would say under the circumstances.\u00a0 I have taken some poetic license with the translations.<\/p>\n

Argument 1:\u00a0 Skyrocketing cost of living<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

MR<\/strong>:\u00a0 \u2018Pol elavalu labhatha?\u00a0 Athe salli thiyanavada?<\/em>\u2019[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018Are coconuts and vegetables cheap?\u00a0 Do you have enough money [even to buy essentials]?<\/p>\n

Sirisena<\/strong>:\u00a0 \u2018Ov, jeevana vivadama ihala gihin.\u00a0 Namuth eka mage veraddhak nevei.\u00a0 Mama Ranilta rate arthikaya bara dunna.\u00a0 Eka thamai veraddha.\u00a0 Mang then arthikaya aith mage athata aragena geevana viyadhama palanaya karanava\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018Yes, the cost of living is high, but that is not my fault.\u00a0 I handed over control of the economy to Ranil.\u00a0 That was a bad idea.\u00a0 From now on, I will be the one making the decisions on the economy.\u00a0 I can then bring the skyrocketing cost of living under control.\u2019<\/p>\n

Argument 2:\u00a0 Development<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

MR<\/strong>:\u00a0 \u2018Paarawal api heduwata passe haduwatha?\u00a0 Game carpet para kohomada?\u00a0 Ithin meyala kathava vitharai.\u00a0 Nama amathaka vela kiyala mama hathapuwa avurudu thunakata pass\u00e9 vivurtha karanava.<\/em>\u2019[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018Did anyone build a road after us?\u00a0 How is the carpeted road in your village?\u00a0 These people can only talk.\u00a0 They say that they forgot my name but after three years ceremonially open things (roads etc.) that I made.\u2019<\/p>\n

Sirisena<\/strong>:\u00a0 \u2018Ov, Mahinda Rajapaksage kale godak sanvardama veda una.\u00a0 Hebai meka mathaka thiya ganne.\u00a0 Mamath ekala Mahinda Rajapaksa arrnduwe kotas karuwek.\u00a0 Sri lanka nithahas pakshey lekam lesa Mahinda Rajapaksa arndive sanvardana veda pilivelalata mama vishala deshapalana kalamanakaranayak dunna.\u00a0 Mang kavadawath kiyuwe ne Mahinda Rajapaksa ugaye honda veda une ne kiyala.\u00a0 Mata e rajaya epa une eke thibba dushanaya nisa. Ekata thamai mama thamath viruddha<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u2018Yes, a lot of development work took place during the Rajapaksa era.\u00a0 But, remember this.\u00a0 I was an important member of the Rajapaksa Government.\u00a0 As Secretary of the SLFP, I was instrumental in creating the political stability that was essential for such development to take place.\u00a0 At any rate, I contributed my share to it.\u00a0 I never said that, nothing good was ever done during the Rajapaksa years.\u00a0 What made me turn against the Rajapaksa regime was its corruption.\u00a0 It is what makes me despise that regime to this day.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u00a0Argument 3:\u00a0 New Constitution<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

MR<\/strong>:\u00a0 \u2018Thavath venasakata kathiraya gahuwoth thunvana venesakata rata keli valata kadala dala illannne eelamata eha giya rata hadanda varamak.<\/em>\u2019[4]<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018What they are asking for now, under the pretext of another mandate for \u2018change\u2019 is a mandate to break this country into pieces and to create a country that goes beyond even the fondest dreams of the Eelamists.\u2019<\/p>\n

Sirisena<\/strong>:\u00a0 \u2018Mahinda Rajapaksa bana katha karanava.\u00a0 Eya rata bedana viyavasthavakata viruddhanam ai 2017 marthu 9 venida parlimetuva viyawasthadayaka sabhawak karana yojanawata atha issuwe?\u00a0 Eya vitharak nevei eyage mulu kandamama?\u00a0 Eyage minissu viyavastha dayaka kamitu vala digatama hitiya.\u00a0 Ithin rata bedana monawa hari venevanam ei e kamitu vala digatama hitiye?\u00a0 Aluth viyawasthavakata virudhanam ai swameevahansela kara vage apita than aluth viyavasthavak kisisethma oni ne kiyala thedi sthavarayak nogaththe? \u00a0Megolla hadanne egollonge patu deshapalana hethu mata ratata hondak kala heki viyavasthavak gene eke natara koranta.<\/em>\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Mahinda Rajapaksa is talking nonsense.\u00a0 If he is opposed to a so-called \u2018rata bedana\u2019 Constitution why did he raise his hand on 9th<\/sup> March 2017 to the resolution that converted the entire Parliament into a Constitutional Assembly?\u00a0 Not only him, but his entire group.\u00a0 His men were in the various committees tasked with preparing the reports that were to be the basis for the new Constitution.\u00a0 So, if these committees were formulating ways to \u2018divide the country\u2019 why did his men remain?\u00a0 If he is truly opposed to a new Constitution why didn\u2019t he take a firm stand against it from the start, like the venerable monks have done?\u00a0 He is only interested in advancing his selfish political goals.\u00a0 In order to advance those goals he will prevent the adoption of a Constitution that can do good to the entire country.\u2019<\/p>\n

Argument 4:\u00a0 Economy <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

MR<\/strong>:\u00a0 \u2018Ada<\/em> rata diha ballanta arthikaya kada vetila.\u00a0 Tharunayanta rakiya ne.\u00a0 Api goda thapu rata vinasha vela.<\/em>\u2019[5]<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018Look at the country today.\u00a0 The economy is in shambles.\u00a0 Young men and women can\u2019t find jobs.\u00a0 The country that we hauled out of the mud is destroyed.\u2019<\/p>\n

Sirisena<\/strong>:\u00a0 \u2018Ov, arrthikaya then vediya honda ne. hebai eka\u00a0 mage veraddak nevei.\u00a0 Mung isslella kiyuva vage mung ranilta arrthkaya bara dunna.\u00a0 Mung hithuva eya vede hariata korai kiyala.\u00a0 Den mamama me vede athata gannava.\u00a0 Chandeta pass\u00e9 mama vede karala pennannam.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018Yes, the economy is not doing very well.\u00a0 But that is not my fault.\u00a0 As I said earlier, I let Ranil handle the economy.\u00a0 I thought he would do a good job.\u00a0 Now, I will take the economy into my own hands.\u00a0 After the elections I\u2019ll show you just what I can do.\u2019<\/p>\n

Argument 5:\u00a0 Bond Scam<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

MR: \u2018Mulu lokema bankuvakata mehema gahapu nayakayo ne\u2026.etha parlimetuva visireuve neththam mevani horakamak sithuvenne ne\u2026.Me horokamata vagakiyyane kavuda?\u00a0 Ita pass\u00e9 komisamak damma Mahendran gena.\u00a0 Report eka dunnnatath pass\u00e9 arpahu meya horakam kala.\u00a0 Shuddha labe billion 9.\u00a0 komisama dala thibbata pass\u00e9 meyava thiyaganeema nisa thavath padukala.<\/em>\u2019[6]<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018In the whole world you can\u2019t find leaders who have perpetrated a bank-heist like this one\u2026.If the Parliament was not dissolved at that time, a robbery like this could have been prevented\u2026.Who is responsible for this robbery?\u00a0 Then they appointed a Commission to investigate Mahendran.\u00a0 Even after the report was out, this man continued to rob.\u00a0 The loss is 9 billion.\u00a0 Because he (Mahendran) was allowed to continue working even after the Commission was appointed the loss was even greater.\u2019<\/p>\n

Sirisena:\u00a0 \u2018Mama badumkara vanchava gena hoyanna janathipathi commisamak path kara.\u00a0 Eke varthava than evilla thiyenava.\u00a0 Mama eka nithi pathi departhumentuvata yavala thienava.\u00a0 Aparatha nadu thanne niti pathi.\u00a0 Eka ekkena kiana vitihata mata puluvanda nadu thanna?\u00a0 E kiyanne mata nithi pathitai athikaranayatai balapam korrotai kiyalatha?\u00a0 E vidiha deval mama korranne ne.\u00a0 Habei mama meka kiyyanam.\u00a0 Mama than \u2018Operation 2\u2019 ekata bahinava.\u00a0 E kiyanne badumkara vanchava vitharak nevei anith sialu vanchaval gane solaya balala eva karapu hamomo samajayenma athugala dala apayatama pannala danava.\u00a0 Eka koranta mata thava tikak kal oni.\u00a0 Echcharai<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2018I appointed a Presidential Commission to investigate the Bond Scam.\u00a0 The report of that Commission is now out.\u00a0 I have referred that report to the Attorney general\u2019s Department.\u00a0 Criminal charges are filed by the AG\u2019s Department.\u00a0 Am I to file cases on the say-so of this or that person?\u00a0 Does that mean I am to influence the AG\u2019s Department and even the Judiciary of this country?\u00a0 I don\u2019t do such things.\u00a0 But, let me say this.\u00a0 I have now begun Operation 2.\u2019\u00a0 That is, I am going to hunt down not just the perpetrators of the Bond Scam, but all the scams that preceded it, and no matter who is responsible I\u2019ll chase them out of society.\u00a0 I\u2019ll chase them to the very gates of hell if I have to.\u00a0 But to do this I need some time, that\u2019s all.\u2019<\/p>\n

Argument 6:\u00a0 Sirisena\u2019s character (the \u2018Hopper Argument\u2019) \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

MR:\u00a0 \u2018Eya kavuda kiyanna avurudu gananak marth ekka hiti nisa dannava.\u00a0 Minihata mage verathi pennila thienne arrppa kevata pass\u00e9.<\/em>\u2019[7]<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018I know what sort of man he is because I worked with him for many years.\u00a0 It seems he recognized my faults only after he ate hoppers with me (i.e. he broke bread with me as a friend and then stabbed me in the back!)\u2019<\/p>\n

Sirisena:\u00a0 \u2018Ov, mama etha re Makinda Rajapaksa ekka eka mesa ithan arrpa kala anith davase eyata viruddava satanata bassa.\u00a0 Habei eka kore mage hurda sakshiya annuva, ratata saha mulu sri lankiya janathawatama sevayak korranta.\u00a0 Etha mama Mahinda Rajapaksage arrnduwen elitaya arve naththum e dushitha arrnduwa thama pavathinava.\u00a0 Mama honda miniheks the naraka minihek the kiyala ithihasagnaya thiranay koravi.\u00a0 Eka gena Mahinda Rajapaksata kalabalavenna oni ne.\u00a0 Eyata thienne eyayi eyage vate hitiya minissui me ratata kalapu haniya gena hithala balanna.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018Yes, that evening I sat at the same table with Mahinda Rajapaksa and munched on hoppers, and the next morning turned against him.\u00a0 But I did that according to my conscience, in order to serve the country and the entire people of Sri Lanka.\u00a0 If I didn\u2019t take up the fight against Mahinda Rajapaksa that day, that corrupt regime will still be around.\u00a0 It is up to historians to decide whether I was a good man or bad.\u00a0 Mahinda Rajapaksa doesn\u2019t have to worry about that.\u00a0 He should instead reflect on the harm he and those around him did to this country.\u2019<\/p>\n

No doubt MR will have good rejoinders to Sirisena\u2019s claims, but the point is this:\u00a0 if we look at the two sets of arguments objectively, and especially from the perspective of an average Sri Lankan, say a villager or a government worker, MR\u2019s and Sirisena\u2019s arguments appear to balance each other out.\u00a0 At any rate, MR does not have a clear-cut or overwhelming argumentative advantage over Sirisena.<\/p>\n

To put it another way, if what is at stake in these elections are the points that MR raises, then Sirisena has little worry about.\u00a0 He can give, as good as he gets.\u00a0 So, why was he \u2013 indeed, why is he<\/em> \u2013 terrified of facing elections?\u00a0 To understand this, one must understand what is really at stake at these elections, and to that I turn next.<\/p>\n

THE CENTRAL ISSUE IN THESE ELECTIONS, AND SIRISENA\u2019S RED HERRING <\/strong><\/p>\n

In my view, the central issue in these elections is whether the SLFP vote-base will turn to the Pohottuwa<\/em>.\u00a0 If it does, Sirisena is finished. There\u2019s no question of Sirisena betraying the SLFP:\u00a0 he contested the Presidency as the candidate of choice of the UNP, so if he betrayed the SLFP it was in November 2015, that is, prior to the Presidential Elections.<\/p>\n

The persons who have really betrayed the SLFP \u2013 indeed continue to do so \u2013 are the 45 or so SLFP MP\u2019s\u00a0 who contested the 2015 Parliamentary Elections under the UPFA banner and then at Sirisena\u2019s behest formed a \u2018National Government\u2019 with the UNP.\u00a0 Sirisena\u2019s control over these 45 MP\u2019s makes it possible for him \u2013 and Ranil \u2013 to do whatever they want in Parliament, and is in fact the reason for all the governmental problems that have happened during the past two years.<\/p>\n

In short, those 45 MP\u2019s have allowed Sirisena to hijack the SLFP.\u00a0 What Sirisena dreads most is that, at an election, the SLFP voter will remember the aforesaid fact.\u00a0 If he does, he will vote against the SLFP and for the Pohottuwa, because there\u2019s no other option.\u00a0 So, Sirisena has to find a way to make the SLFP voter forget what those 45 SLFP MP\u2019s in the \u2018National Government\u2019 have done and are continuing to do to the Party.<\/p>\n

How will Sirisena accomplish this task?\u00a0 In my view, he has decided to resort to the mother of all Red Herrings, namely, to call fire down on himself and his closest ally (Ranil) in order to let his 45 henchman escape alive to fight another day.\u00a0 Sirisena is executing his plan in two steps, as follows:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. First, he throws an epic tantrum in the Cabinet, berates everyone, and says in effect that, he let Ranil make all the important economic decisions for the country including appointing the CB Governor along with the Finance Minister, that he (Sirisena) regrets doing this and is now going to use his full executive powers in order to bring the culprits including presumably Ranil to justice.[8]<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. He follows up the last point in a subsequent speech at a political rally, where he vows to dedicate his Presidency \u2013 indeed his very life \u2013 to hunting down all criminals, fraudsters and cheats (including especially the Bond Scam culprits) and eradicate corruption from this land.[9]<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    How will an SLFP voter react when he hears of Sirisena\u2019s antics above?\u00a0 I submit the following surmises are reasonable.\u00a0 First, if the voter is a hardcore SLFP\u2019er, that is, someone who already loathes Sirisena, he will say something like this:<\/p>\n

    \u2018What a lying sack of sh..!\u00a0 Without Sirisena, Ranil could never have done what he did.\u00a0 All of Ranil\u2019s important decisions on the economy were put to the Cabinet, and later to Parliament.\u00a0 Without Sirisena\u2019s support those measures will never have got the nod either in the Cabinet or the Parliament.\u00a0 Now, he wants to put everything on Ranil and escape scot free!\u2019\u00a0 \u2019<\/p>\n

    Second, if the voter is a \u2018moderate\u2019 SLFP\u2019er, that is, someone who still thinks that Sirisena is \u2018basically a decent chap, albeit one who has bitten off more than he can chew,\u2019 he will think something like this:<\/p>\n

    \u2018Whatever Sirisena\u2019s faults may be, Ranil is the real culprit behind the Bond Scam.\u00a0 It\u2019s Ranil and the UNP that have benefitted entirely from it.\u00a0 But, Ranil will sacrifice Ravi (Karunanayake) or some other patsy and get away.\u00a0 It may be, Sirisena has finally grown a backbone.\u00a0 So, why not give him a chance to bring Ranil to book?\u2019<\/p>\n

    I do not say that the above two positions exhaust the sentiments of SLFP\u2019ers towards Sirisen\u2019s antics, but the point is this.\u00a0 If Sirisena can get SLFP\u2019ers riled up over questions such as:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. How can we show that Sirisena is ultimately responsible for the Bond Scam?<\/li>\n
    2. How can we show that Ranil is the real culprit behind the scam?<\/li>\n
    3. What are all the ways in which Ranil can slip away without ever being held to account (for the scam)?<\/li>\n
    4. Can we trust Maithri to bring Ranil to book?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      To that extent Sirisena distracts the SLFP voter.\u00a0 And to the extent that he can deflect attention away from what his 45 MP\u2019s have done to the Party, to that extent he makes the SLFP voter forget that the Party has been hijacked.\u00a0 He hopes that, by pulling the wool over the eyes of SLFP\u2019ers in this way, he will be able to get even a moderate number of those SLFP\u2019ers to vote for the Party on 10th<\/sup> February 2018.\u00a0 A moderate number is all he needs.<\/p>\n

      RECOMMENDATIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n

      I hope my forebodings above are misplaced, and the Pohottuwa<\/em> cruises to a resounding victory over the SLFP.\u00a0 The stakes for the country are simply too high to wish for anything else.\u00a0 Nevertheless, it doesn\u2019t hurt to take precautions against potential disasters.\u00a0 Sirisena is a formidable adversary.\u00a0 He has twice out-maneuvered \u2013 or rather duped<\/em> \u2013 Rajapaksa.\u00a0 Rajapaksa has to make sure he doesn\u2019t get taken for a ride again.<\/p>\n

      Rajapaksa has to sharpen his message to its keenest edge.\u00a0 He has to hammer home to SLFP voter the single point:\u00a0 A VOTE FOR THE SLFP THIS TIME IS A VOTE FOR THE UNP<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      He should also play on the visceral hatred that many SLFP\u2019ers have for Sirisena\u2019s \u201845.\u2019\u00a0 At rallies, he should parade large cut-outs of the most prominent, or rather the most hated, of Sirisena\u2019s men, including the ones who were rejected by the voters in 2015 (precisely because they were seen as being Sirisena\u2019s henchmen) and yell \u2013 or have one of his undercard speakers yell:\u00a0 \u2018How much longer will you let these baboons thumb their noses at you!\u2019<\/p>\n

      Then, he should say something like this:<\/p>\n

      \u2018Me chanden theeranaya venne ranilui maithrii 2025 venethek innavada nedda kiyana eka.\u00a0 Bond scam gena then katha karala vedak ne ranilui maithrii balaye inna kang.\u00a0 Ekko mama, nathnam sirisena.\u00a0 Onna oya tika theeranaya karapalla. Umbalata sirisenava onnimum minihava thora ganilla.\u00a0 Habeei eka deyak kiyannam. Sirisena umbalage balaporottu kadakappal karala dammoth, aimath mage pitipasse anda anda enna epa.\u00a0 Umbalage veradde vipake umbalama bukthi vindapalla.\u00a0 Onna ochcharai kathava.<\/p>\n

      [1]<\/a> See for instance, The JO will betray the Sinhalas again re the new Constitution,\u2019 Dharshan Weerasekera, 30th<\/sup> October 2017, www.lankaweb.com<\/a><\/p>\n

      [2]<\/a> \u2018Ranil and Maithri can yell at the top of their lungs, we are not scared,\u2019 Udaya B. Yativella and A. M. Aththanayake, Divaina, 22nd<\/sup> January 2018, p.18<\/p>\n

      [3]<\/a> Divaina, 22nd<\/sup> January 2018, p.18<\/p>\n

      [4]<\/a> Divaina, 22nd<\/sup> January 2018, p.18<\/p>\n

      [5]<\/a> Divaina, 22nd<\/sup> January 2018, p.18<\/p>\n

      [6]<\/a> Divaina, 22nd<\/sup> January 2018, p.18<\/p>\n

      [7]<\/a> Divaina, 22nd<\/sup> January 2018, p.18<\/p>\n

      [8]<\/a> I am relying on the account of the tantrum reported in the \u2018Mawbima\u2019 of 21st<\/sup> January 2018, p.8<\/p>\n

      [9]<\/a> I am relying on the article in the Daily Mirror of 20th<\/sup> January 2018 titled, \u2018Will step down after sending corrupt to hell.\u2019\u00a0 P.1<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      DHARSHAN WEERASEKERA, ATTORNEY-AT-LAW The People of Sri Lanka are thoroughly frustrated with the present Government and the way the country is being run.\u00a0 The Pohottowa is an option towards which they can turn in order to change what is happening.\u00a0 However, the Pohottuwa cannot take such support for granted and must make a compelling argument […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-forum"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74053","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=74053"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74053\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}