{"id":83366,"date":"2018-11-17T11:57:42","date_gmt":"2018-11-17T17:57:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=83366"},"modified":"2018-11-20T05:33:00","modified_gmt":"2018-11-20T12:33:00","slug":"yahapalana-as-a-puppet-regime-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2018\/11\/17\/yahapalana-as-a-puppet-regime-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"YAHAPALANA AS A PUPPET REGIME Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

17.11.18 \u00a0\u00a0revised 19.11.18<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Yahapalana government of 2015 has been described as a puppet\u00a0\u00a0 government, dancing to the tune of America. USA has come into Sri Lanka very late, but it has been interested in Sri Lanka for a long time. \u00a0USA was the natural successor to Britain, when Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948. USA was the world\u2019s leading nation after World War II ended. (1939-1945). But Sri Lanka continued its link with Britain. Our legal appeals went to the Privy Council in London.<\/p>\n

USA however established a quiet presence in Sri Lanka. In the 1950s there was the magazine \u2018Free World\u2019 and the United States Information Centre. Althea Gibson, Martha Graham and Duke Wellington visited. .Sri Lanka\u2018s strategic location in the Indian Ocean was important to USA and US would have hoped to gain control of the island someday.<\/p>\n

The first three Prime Ministers, D.S, Dudley and Sir John were not a threat to\u00a0 the west, but\u00a0\u00a0 SWRD Bandaranaike, with his tilt to China and Russia\u00a0 was seen as a threat . SWRD was\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 promptly assassinated. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, also very independent minded, was\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 to be assassinated as part of a coup. She survived. The JVP was started in her time.<\/p>\n

Things improved for USA when J. R. Jaywardene (\u2018Yankee Dickie\u2019) became the next Prime Minister. He turned to the USA. He allowed the Voice of America to beam out from Sri Lanka and was planning to let USA bring its 7th Fleet into Trincomalee.\u00a0\u00a0 America\u2019s aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk, accompanied by other ships of the 7th fleet came to Colombo.<\/p>\n

JR\u00a0 introduced the Open Economy. \u2018The level of corruption in this country now will be unlike anything we have seen before\u2019 commented Ralph Pieris. \u00a0Open Economy\u00a0 brought in\u00a0 foreign\u00a0 companies. They\u00a0 set up their factories on prime agricultural land. Open economy also brought in foreign goods, which killed our fledgling SMEs. Inexpensive local pasta vanished, replaced by expensive, not so good foreign pasta which took just as long to cook.<\/p>\n

With the emergence of Open Economy policy and foreign policy of the 1977\u00a0 government, various forms of foreign interference including various meddlesome NGOs started emerging, said S. Akurugoda . Foreign interference in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka was minimal prior to 1977. After 1977\u00a0 there was interference from the foreign diplomatic corps based in Colombo notably US, France, Germany and Britain, \u2018as never seen before\u2019, he said.<\/p>\n

JR introduced Presidential rule to Sri Lanka. In 1978, he became Sri Lanka first Executive President, holding enormous powers, sans checks and balances. These powers were hidden all over the 1978 Constitution. The stage was set for dictatorial rule. The stage was also set for puppet rule.<\/p>\n

Sri Lanka\u2019s strategic geopolitical position acquired a new importance with the rise of China. Sri Lanka is in a \u2018super position\u2019 though it is not a \u2018super power\u2019, observed analysts. Sri Lanka\u00a0\u00a0 could not be ignored nor could it be antagonized.<\/p>\n

USA therefore decided to create a pliable Sri Lanka, with an accommodating government, set in place by regime change. USA has been doing this for years in other countries said analysts. The US routinely uses complaints of corruption and bad government, to bring about \u2018regime change\u2019. \u00a0USA is now building partnerships where the other country provides the manpower and the money. USA no longer has the strength to wage wars by itself, simultaneously, all over the world.<\/p>\n

The motivating force behind the US\u00a0 foreign policy is not\u00a0 the America we see,\u00a0 said analysts,\u00a0 There is an invisible force,\u00a0 recently dubbed the \u2018Deep state\u2019, consisting\u00a0 of a small group of\u00a0 \u00a0super rich persons, \u00a0most of them Jewish, who\u00a0 control the elite banks and\u00a0 businesses of the world, and \u00a0therefore also need to control \u00a0\u00a0the world economy. Politics is just one part of this game. This \u2018Deep state\u2019 came briefly \u00a0into public view in the USA when Kennedy was assassinated in the 1960s.<\/p>\n

Political power in Sri Lanka moved from UNP hands to SLFP hands in the last decade of the 20th<\/sup> century .President Chandrika Kumaratunga was not a problem for USA but Mahinda Rajapaksa who became President in 2005 was seen as an obstacle to US plans.\u00a0 Rajapaksa was a strong leader who can elevate the nation to greater heights as seen with the progress in just four years amidst a war, observed Manisha Fernando. It is during Rajapaksa\u2019s time that oil exploration was started. The emergence of a strong political leader with links to nations such as China and Russia, Cuba and Libya was not to the liking of the west, she said.\u00a0 Further Rajapaksa was not prepared to listen to America and do as America said. He had to go.<\/p>\n

The role played by the US embassy, since 2009, to bring Rajapaksa rule to an end is now in the public domain, especially after Wikileaks. The first US managed project in Sri Lanka was to stop Mahinda Rajapaksa from securing a second presidential term, at the 2010 January polls, said analysts.<\/p>\n

US put forward Sarath Fonseka as the rival candidate for the 2010 election. USA put together a coalition to support him. Thanks to Wiki Leaks, the entire world knows how US brought pressure on the Illankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi-led Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to throw its weight behind General Fonseka.\u00a0 But even before Wikileaks, US involvement was known. In 2010, Sunday Observer<\/em> ran a headline, \u2018west behind moves to regime change\u2019. \u2018There are individuals working as puppets to western big powers\u2019 added the media.<\/p>\n

This US plan failed. Fonseka\u00a0\u00a0 lost, Rajapaksa won. Fonseka lost because many Sri Lankans saw Fonseka as a tool of the US government and western interests, said one critic. \u00a0They feared that if Fonseka came, there will be external interference in Sri Lanka on an unprecedented scale.\u00a0 We see a clear alignment of political forces here. Those who work for foreign masters are with Fonseka, while forces concerned about the long term interest of Sri Lanka re rallying solidly behind Rajapaksa, said the media.<\/p>\n

The US plan failed in 2010 but an almost identical project succeeded in January 2015,\u00a0 when Maitripala Sirisena, the \u2018common candidate\u2019, defeated Rajapaksa. The role of the US in the regime change of 2015 is now well known, Thanks to Wiki Leaks, confidential US diplomatic cables that dealt with US efforts to form a political grouping capable of defeating Rajapaksa, is in the public domain. The US played a critically important role in forming the coalition under the \u2018swan\u2019 symbol. However, US had to withdraw a project called ‘Election Support through Voter Education\u2019, using local NGOs after the Sri Lanka government objected.<\/p>\n

Opinion polls conducted in the five weeks prior to the election showed an overwhelming 80% of the electorate recognized the 2009\u00a0\u00a0 war victory and the peace it brought as a major benefit and gave the credit to Rajapaksa. About 36% of the voters also gave Rajapaksa credit for the mega development projects.<\/p>\n

The USA also succeeded in getting the \u2018minorities\u2019 to vote for Sirisena. The north and east voted for Fonseka and then Sirisena. Sirisena won on the minority vote. The US also put pressure on the SLMC to join a coalition, comprising the UNP, JVP, and TNA. \u00a0The Sinhalese are now\u00a0\u00a0 resentful of the power that the minority communities have displayed over the destiny of the Island, said Chandraprema.<\/p>\n

Sirisena won the presidential election mainly on\u00a0\u00a0 Tamil and Muslim votes. The Prime Minister\u2019s media division reported that though Sirisena got about 80% of the vote from the north and east, a survey had shown that 33% of the people there had not even heard of Sirisena before.<\/p>\n

Sirisena\u00a0\u00a0 won only 6 of 16 major districts apart from North, East and Nuwara Eliya districts.\u00a0 Gampaha was won only by a whisker. Puttalam win was only due to the Muslim vote there.\u00a0 Sirisena got around 75% of the Tamil and Muslims votes and about 65% of the Christian votes.\u00a0 Sirisena polled around 65 to 80% of the vote in the large urban centers of Colombo.<\/p>\n

Sirisena was not a popular choice. After the election the SLFP discovered \u2018the deep visceral dislike that the SLFP voters at the village level had for Sirisena.\u2019 Sirisena came from a family of successful rice millers in Polonnaruwa. His brother Dudley Sirisena established the Araliya group of companies\u00a0\u00a0 in 1969.\u00a0 It first sold Araliya rice then expanded into real estate, tourism, automobile, construction, and engineering. The Sudu Araliya hotel, in Polonnaruwa, where I once stayed and a new five star hotel in Nuwara Eliya are his.<\/p>\n

Initially President Sirisena was happy to belong to Yahapalana. When the 1st<\/sup> anniversary of the Yahapalana government was celebrated at Matara on 19.8.16. TV camera showed President Sirisena turning round after his speech\u00a0\u00a0 and seeking the approval of Mangala Samaraweera and Ranil Wickremasinghe.<\/p>\n

However, Yahapalana was not popular even at the start. At the 65th anniversary of the SLFP, in 2016 the audience sat with long faces. As soon as President Sirisena finished speaking, within minutes the audience had got up and left. This could be contrasted with the enthusiastic crows seen standing at Mahinda Rajapaksa gatherings and the Pada yathra.<\/p>\n

USA needed a political party that would readily perform the functions of a puppet government. The most suitable party was the UNP, under the present leadership. \u00a0JR had turned the UNP firmly towards USA.\u00a0\u00a0 Its potential leaders, Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake, who could not be easily manipulated, were assassinated. President Premadasa was also assassinated. Ranil Wickremasinghe became Prime Minister in 1993 and head of the UNP in 1994.<\/p>\n

If not for the violent deaths of Lalith Athulathmudali, Gamini Dissanayake and Ranasinghe Premadasa, it is most unlikely that Wickremesinghe would have become the leader of the UNP and, consequently, the Prime Minister, said analysts.\u00a0 But Ranil Wickremasinghe has admirers. \u2018Cassandra\u2019 commented on the poise, calm and stature projected by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. He sits there calm and unruffled both in appearance and stance, cried. Cassandra .<\/p>\n

The UNP was never a majority party in Sri Lanka. Therefore the puppet government needed a second party as back up. This was already in place. Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna emerged as an important component of the puppet government. JVP is a CIA venture set up in the 1970s during Sirimavo Bandaranaike government. It unleashed two armed uprisings against the ruling governments in 1971 and 1987. Because it killed twice, it is unlikely to emerge as a ruling party. Its role is to collect disgruntled votes that may otherwise go to the opposition.<\/p>\n

The JVP had been deeply involved in the both the 2010 and 2015 regime change projects sponsored by the US. Today it is associated with the UNP and is referred to as Rathu Ali . Even though the JVP masquerades as an opposition party, they are an integral part of the Yahapalana collective, observed analysts. JVP mounts attacks on the government with the approval of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. \u00a0In the first days of the Yahapalana government, JVP cadres took over the functions of the police and raided\u00a0various government and private premises searching for evidence of wrongdoing by the previous government.<\/p>\n

JVP has fully cooperated in every anti-democratic measure taken by the Yahapalana government. It was the JVP that provided the two thirds majority that the government needed to change the electoral system and avoid holding the Provincial Council elections. The JVP leader was a member of the Committee of ministers, politicians and NGO activists formed to oversee the work of the FCID. The Urgent Response Unit of the Anti-Corruption Committee was placed under the personal supervision of JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake.<\/p>\n

Anura Kumara Dissanayake spoke at a function I attended in 2018. He said that Sri Lanka was poor and insignificant. We have no important resources, only a few minerals and graphite, but no gas or petroleum.\u00a0 This was intended to create low self esteem.<\/p>\n

The puppet government also has the support of the Tamil parties. While masquerading as opposition political parties, the JVP and the TNA have supported every anti-democratic action taken by Yahapalana government in the past three years, said Mahinda Rajapaksa \u00a0\u00a0The TNA and the JVP were included in the all-powerful National Executive Council which functioned over and above the Cabinet. When\u00a0an\u00a0Anti-Corruption Committee was formed under the leadership of the Prime Minister for the purpose of persecuting and jailing members of the previous government, the JVP and TNA were once again given prominent roles.<\/p>\n

The SLFP remained a strong opponent of puppet rule, so President Sirisena was instructed to kill off the SLFP or neutralize it in some way. He did so by taking the SLFP MPs into the UNP and turning them into \u2018Nil Ali\u2019 to the utter contempt of the SLFP voters. They hooted at the party headquarters. There was also the ugly spectacle of two SLFP Presidents, Maitripala Sirisena, (present President) and Chandrika Kumaratunge, (past President), sneering and criticizing a third SLFP President, Mahinda Rajapaksa<\/p>\n

What the west did not anticipate was that the public would demand a fresh party, brand new. The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna was born due to this demand.\u00a0 Usually political parties are formed by interested persons who need a political party to climb to power.\u00a0 In the case of the Pohottuwa, it was the other way round. The electorate demanded a new party, and the politicians had to oblige. They wanted Mahinda Rajapaksa to lead it. But\u00a0\u00a0 there was a\u00a0 warning.<\/p>\n

When Mahinda Rajapaksa visited Kirivehera in kataragama after becoming Prime Minister,\u00a0 the sangha told him \u2018don\u2019t make the mistakes that you made last time.\u2019<\/p>\n

Pohottuwa created world history when it became the first political party in a mature democracy with a well-established two party system to dislodge the two established political parties to become the largest political party. Pohottuwa attracted the full spectrum of Sri Lanka voters, rich and poor, town and village, English speaking and Sinhala speaking, westernized and non-westernized, without any encouragement at all. How it performs in the future remains to be seen, but one thing is sure. This Pohottuwa will eventually kill off the SLFP. That may be a good thing.<\/p>\n

The SLFP always had problems of image. Its leadership was radala, (SWRD, Sirimavo and Chandrika), but its membership was not. SLFPers were never quite sure what they were. They were not communist, they were not socialist, they were not capitalist, so what were they? They will be happy to leave the SLFP, but Pohottuwa must deliver.<\/p>\n

Yahapalana Phase One came to an end in a spectacular manner. In October 2018, President Sirisena removed Ranil Wickremasinghe from the office of Prime Minister and installed Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister. Ranil Wickremasinghe refused to go. He installed himself in Temple Trees and issued statements from there.<\/p>\n

President Sirisena then made a statement to the country. In this statement the President openly admitted that he had allowed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe to usurp the power of the President. You have acquired my powers to do what you did.\u00a0 I silently gave you that power in gratitude as you took leadership to bring me to power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sirisena said he was getting rid of Ranil Wickremasinghe because\u00a0\u00a0 Ranil was exceeding his limits. Ranil was running the country, arrogantly, the way he wanted.\u00a0 He ignored collective decisions, and made individual decisions. Ranil was ruining the country, Sirisena said and gave a long list of what Ranil had done wrong.<\/p>\n

Wickremesinghe and his group of close friends, described as a \u2018samanala group\u2019 conducted themselves as if shaping the future of the country was a fun game they played, said Sirisena.\u00a0 The committee set up by Ranil Wickremesinghe to manage the economy was totally fraudulent. The decisions made by that committee were fraudulent. It was a major challenge to abolish it, continued Sirisena. As an alternative to that committee, I established the National Economic Council. Wickremesinghe took steps to prevent the Commission from functioning. The monthly payment to its head was stopped by Ranil.<\/p>\n

Sirisena referred to the Land Ordinance Special Act , which was presented to the Cabinet\u00a0 in September 2018.\u00a0 If this was passed by the Cabinet and then by Parliament, all the land in Sri Lanka could be bought outright by foreigners.<\/p>\n

When I decided to visit the Central Bank and meet the staff of the Bank, Ranil Wickremasinghe suddenly came to my residence and asked me, The Central Bank belongs to me, why do you want to go there \u00a0continued Sirisena.<\/p>\n

The UNP had strongly objected to the commission to investigate the Central Bank bond issue. \u2018They asked why I appointed this Commission. The IGP did not hand the investigation to the Criminal Investigations Department. \u2018In this plot, there is a wide range of information which has not been disclosed to the public.\u2019<\/p>\n

The Commission on Bribery or Corruption and Attorney-General\u2019s Department recommended\u00a0 amendments to the Bribery Act, \u00a0to speed up the bond scam inquiry. We\u00a0 drafted the amendments to the Act at the Presidential Secretariat and sent to Parliament, but Parliament has \u00a0postponed the approval of the Amendments Act indefinitely\u00a0 concluded Sirisena.<\/p>\n

An important feature in the Yahapalana puppet movement is the appearance of the Maha Sangha as an opposing force. The Yahapalana puppet government has a \u00a0formidable \u00a0opponent in the Maha sangha. I have never seen the Maha sangha so angry ever before. \u00a0The Bhikshu Peramuna of 1956 was merely forceful,\u00a0 not angry. This time the sangha are very, very\u00a0 angry. They repeatedly\u00a0 called\u00a0\u00a0 media conferences, where\u00a0 they \u2018gave it tight\u2019\u00a0 to Yahapalana .<\/p>\n

The Maha Sangha,\u00a0 it must be pointed out,\u00a0 are\u00a0 citizens of Sri Lanka , with all rights and privileges\u00a0 enjoyed by citizens. They can vote at elections, speak at meetings\u00a0 and have the right\u00a0 to study and\u00a0 comment on political issues. The argument that the Maha sangha should only deal with Buddhist matters and keep quiet about everything else cannot be accepted. That argument has been concocted to silence the sangha.<\/p>\n

When the UNP went in delegation to Asgiri and Malvatu, they were listened to by a panel of monks, not\u00a0 the Mahanayake alone. Television news showed the monks trooping in. A group of nine\u00a0 monks held a press conference at SLFI, Colombo on November 3. 2018.\u00a0 This came on television news.<\/p>\n

At this press conference, \u00a0Ven. Kadawara Gnanaratana said , \u2018We support Mahinda Rajapaksa. He is rejected only by USA and European countries. The public \u00a0\u00a0also support Mahinda Rajapaksa. \u00a0\u00a0The Mahanaykes and sangha\u00a0 also support him\u2019. Ven. Kotapola Amarakeerthi said that Ranil was picking up from where the\u00a0\u00a0 Portuguese and British had left off. Ven Hegoda Vipassi said \u2018they are all the time talking of new Constitution, new Constitution . We say if\u00a0 necessary bring in amendments. This constitution is to\u00a0 create a federal state.\u00a0 President appointing Mahinda Rajapaksa was a timely, brave decision. Ven. Devalagama Dhammaratana,\u00a0 sangha nayake of Hambantota said\u00a0 Hambantota lands were to be taken over, they had already measured them.. About 100 temples and their lands were included in this takeover.<\/p>\n

Television news regularly carried\u00a0 interviews\u00a0 with the sangha. Here is a selection of utterances..\u2019The public do not want Yahapalana, Licchavi, Wifi or Laptop.\u00a0 They want food\u2019, said Ven Nitiyawela Palitha of the Sri Lanka Maha Bodhi Sangamaya, bluntly.<\/p>\n

The 2015 election was the result of a conspiracy, said Ven. Medagoda Abhayatissa. Foreign countries were interfering with Sri Lanka said Elle Gunawansa and Elle Medhananda. Western countries have penetrated\u00a0 deeply into our government, they control the\u00a0 Speaker and\u00a0 Ranil. They have brought in money and given bribes to MPs, said Elle Gunawansa.<\/p>\n

The government is unpopular,\u00a0\u00a0 nava rajayak bihiwewa, said Ven Kirimbaruwe Gunananda. \u2018. \u00a0We\u00a0 need a person who can save the country. We must support Mahinda Rajapaksa\u2019, said Ven Kumbalwela\u00a0 Upatissa . Ven Kollupitiye Mahinda of Kelaniya temple, made a long speech which was\u00a0 televised. He said our culture and our nations is\u00a0 under siege. He had voted for Yahapalana at the last election and regretted it. He now\u00a0\u00a0 supports Mahinda Rajapaksa .<\/p>\n

Ven. Bellanwila Dharmaratana criticized Ranil Wickremasinghe by name, saying he had promised ten things to the TNA. Medagama Dhammananda\u00a0 and Medagoda Abhayatissa\u00a0 criticized the JVP. The real image of the JVP\u00a0 has now emerged they said. JVP had said that it was only after a society had completely rotted that socialism could come in. All that will be left then will be the worms, the \u00a0monk remarked, contemptuously. Yahapalana wants to reduce this country to dust,\u00a0 they added.<\/p>\n

The monks spoke very disparagingly of the NGOs, calling them \u2018NGO karayo\u2019 .Ven. Vendaruwe Upali said \u2018now it is NGO\u2019s voice that is important, not ours. Also\u00a0 the voices of India, America, and UN HRC. This is very dangerous\u2019.<\/p>\n

Jathika Niyojitha Maha Sangha Samuluva spoke out against\u00a0 the 20th<\/sup> amendment, saying that it was a device to create a federal state not abolish the presidency. Tri nikaya Maha Sangaratane had issued a 16 point statement against it.<\/p>\n

Ven. Athureliye\u00a0 Ratana said\u00a0 the assassination plot should\u00a0 not be dismissed.\u00a0 It should be taken note of.\u00a0 He also said ‘this government is far more corrupt than the previous government.’\u00a0 Elle Gunawansa said at a\u00a0 Yuthukama meeting, \u2018this is the last chance to save the country, use your vote wisely.\u2019<\/p>\n

The Yahapalana puppet government has come as a rude shock to a complacent Sri Lanka . It has been a wakeup call. There is now\u00a0 a\u00a0 call for a\u00a0 \u2018strong leader\u2019. Until now Sri Lanka\u00a0 never wanted a strong leader, they wanted a leader they could push around.<\/p>\n

The Anunayake of Asgiriya Chapter Ven. Wendaruwe Upali\u00a0 said that a Hitler type of person was needed in Sri Lanka today. Susirith Mendis pointed out that the Anunayake was not talking of Nazi Germany and\u00a0 Auschwitz. He was voicing the public demand for a strong effective leader to\u00a0 save Sri Lanka\u00a0 and Buddhism. \u00a0\u2018Rata godaganna ekadipathi palanayak ona\u2019, said a critic. \u2018 Pavula godanagana palanayak neve, rata godanagana palanayak\u2019. (Derana news 24.10.18)\u00a0 Ella Gunawansa\u00a0 advised, \u2018next time, use your brain and\u00a0 vote not for party but for a person who can get us out of this mess. This is our last chance.<\/p>\n

This unpopular puppet government is\u00a0 scared of elections. Yahapalana delayed the\u00a0 local government elections,\u00a0 postponed the Provincial Council Election and now are trying to\u00a0 stop a general election Several Yahapalana MP have gone to Supreme Court on a Fundamental Rights application\u00a0 to stop\u00a0 Parliament being dissolved and a general election called. However, the country wants a general election. They want this puppet government out.<\/p>\n

Prof. S.Ratnajeevan H. Hoole,\u00a0 a member of the Election commission\u00a0\u00a0 filed a Fundamental Rights petition seeking an Interim Order restraining the Elections Commission from proceeding to take any steps to conduct the Parliamentary election upon the virtue of the proclamation issued by President. He believes that the order to conduct elections is illegal and therefore the Commission should not proceed with conducting the Parliamentary Election. it was observed that Hoole, a member of the Election Commission\u00a0 was actually objecting to the holding of\u00a0 an election.<\/p>\n

Opinions were expressed after the performance in Parliament \u00a0on \u00a015.11.18 and 16.11.18, when the Speaker arrived escorted by police, with Ranil Wickremasinghe arriving just before, like a Peramuna rala, to get a vote of no confidence against Mahinda Rajapaksa passed.<\/p>\n

S Akurugoda\u00a0 said the entire Sri Lankan community is aware of what has happened in the parliament on that day. The country\u2019s President had no other alternative but to reject the so-called \u2018No Confidence Motion\u2019 which was said to have been passed by the Parliament, since the entire act of the Speaker was against the normal parliamentary procedures when taking up such issues.<\/p>\n

Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharadhipathi Ven. Prof. Kollupitiye Mahinda blamed the Speaker for what happened. Ven. Yatamalagala Sumanasara Thera, the Executive Director of Daham Handa Centre, Pattivila, \u00a0said it was necessary to carefully study the reasons behind the current situation in Parliament.\u00a0 The only\u00a0 solution is to call for a General Election. There is no other solution,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But Yahapalana is not prepared to go that easily. They hope that outsiders will come in and protect them. Global Tamil Forum (GTF)wanted the international community to come in. CAFFE \u00a0said the intervention of a third party is needed to solve the conflict in Parliament there could be bloodshed and the loss of life if a third party does not intervene and help resolve the conflict between the top politicians in Parliament. The third party was not named.<\/p>\n

Akurugoda pointed out that Foreign diplomats in Colombo, notably US held secret visits to discuss \u2018undisclosed\u2019 matters concerning the internal affairs of Sri Lanka.\u00a0\u00a0 These countries didn\u2019t utter a single word against the undemocratic, unconstitutional and mega level corruption issues which took place under the\u00a0 Yahapalana government they installed, but started to complain soon after the removal of Ranil Wickremasinghe, said Akurugoda.<\/p>\n

The ethnic basis on which the puppet government rests was made clear. Leader of All Ceylon Makkal Congress, Rishad Bathiudeen hailed Speaker Karu Jayasuriya for his courageous stand against anti-democratic forces.\u00a0 Global Tamil Forum\u00a0 accused President Sirisena of illegal transfer of power from a sitting Prime Minister, proroguing the Parliament without consulting the Speaker and dissolving Parliament without any legitimate explanation. Sri Lanka has been a quasi-democracy where the Tamils were oppressed.<\/p>\n

Global Tamil Forum said\u00a0 A broad spectrum of small but significant political parties representing different community interests and political philosophies \u2013 such as the Tamil National Alliance, Tamil Progressive Alliance, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, All Ceylon Makalu Congress, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and Jathika Hela Urumaya could collectively promote constitutional democracy\u2019<\/p>\n

Postscript.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some argue that Sri Lanka is now in an utter state of chaos. Parliament has become rowdy, administration is at a standstill, and businesses are moving out. All because President Sirisena acted wrongly in removing Ranil Wickremasinghe from the post of Prime Minister. That is not so.<\/p>\n

President Sirisena has given his reasons for removing Ranil Wickremasinghe and has now stated firmly that he will not reappoint him. This was of course obvious to everybody except those who were relying on Ranil Wickremasinghe to gain their objectives. TNA\u2019s Sampanthan had pleaded with Sirisena, \u2018please don\u2019t do that Sir,’ and UNP MPs said \u2018give Ranil Wickremasinghe another chance.’ (Sunday Times 18.11.18 p 15).<\/p>\n

President Sirisena has made a smooth transfer of power\u00a0\u00a0 in accordance with the Constitution .He removed one Prime Minister and cabinet and substituted another Prime Minister and cabinet ensuring that there was no break in government. Ranil Wickremasinghe as the sitting\u00a0 Prime Minister had an obligation to go to Supreme Court\u00a0 to contest the matter, if the appointment was illegal, He did not do so.<\/p>\n

President Sirisena then dissolved Parliament and called for elections. The date for the next general election was announced. President Sirisena\u2018s action were welcomed by the public but not by the USA supported puppet government. Yahapalana went to courts to stop the dissolution of Parliament. The present uncertain situation is a direct result of this. Yahapalana alone is responsible. Supreme Court has given a \u2018stay order\u2019. That does not mean that Parliament carries on as usual. Parliament is frozen.<\/p>\n

It is argued that President Sirisena\u2019s actions were unconstitutional because he has violated the 19th<\/sup> amendment.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 There is no 19th<\/sup> amendment today.\u00a0 The 19th<\/sup> amendment clauses are now a part of the Constitution of Sri Lanka and they have to be read along with the other clauses.\u00a0\u00a0 While clause 70\/1\u00a0\u00a0 (19th amendment) says President cannot dissolve parliament for 4 \u00bd years, clause 33\/2 says he can. Clause 33\/2 says In addition to the powers, duties and functions expressly conferred or imposed on, or assigned to the President by the Constitution or other written law, the President shall have the power to summon, prorogue and dissolve Parliament\u201d. (33\/2 and 33\/2\/e)<\/p>\n

Something else is under attack here, the inalienable rights of the citizens of Sri Lanka. Clause 3 states In the Republic of Sri Lanka sovereignty is in the People and is inalienable. Sovereignty includes the powers of government, fundamental rights and the franchise.\u201d Clause 3\/4\/e then elaborates, The franchise shall be exercisable at the election of the members of Parliament\u201d. Clause\u00a0\u00a0 70\/1 is a violation of this primary clause, which is also a guiding principle of the Constitution.<\/em> I do not think any other constitution in the world has a crippling clause such as 70\/1.<\/p>\n

There has been a smooth, (if sudden) transfer of government power. Section 42\/4 says \u2018The President shall appoint as Prime Minister the Member of Parliament, who, in the President\u2019s opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of Parliament.\u2019<\/p>\n

The present argument that the majority of the MPs in Parliament are against Mahinda Rajapaksa is a weak argument and everybody knows it. The anti-Mahinda Rajapaksa \u2018majority\u2019 vote does not come from a formal Parliamentary coalition. The \u2018majority\u2019 comes from MPs, representing separatist movements. These MPs have expressly come to Parliament\u00a0\u00a0 to divide up the country. It is nonsense to argue that they are a part of \u2018the confidence of Parliament\u2019.\u00a0 \u00a0(Continued)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS 17.11.18 \u00a0\u00a0revised 19.11.18 The Yahapalana government of 2015 has been described as a puppet\u00a0\u00a0 government, dancing to the tune of America. USA has come into Sri Lanka very late, but it has been interested in Sri Lanka for a long time. \u00a0USA was the natural successor to Britain, when Sri Lanka gained independence […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kamalika-pieris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83366","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=83366"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83366\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}