Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge to lose her civic rights?

There is a move to quash the civic rights of the ruling Sri Lanka Party’s Senior Patron and former President Chandrika Kumaratunga, ‘Lanka Dissent’ learns through reliable sources.

After retirement as head of state, Mrs. Kumaratunga spent most of her time overseas and kept away from politics, before coming into the limelight once again as a result of her controversial speech at the first delegates’ conference of the SLFP Mahajana Wing on June 12th.

Thereafter, Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon told the media that he would propose to the party’s Central Committee to suspend the ex-president from SLFP membership for her remarks concerning the party and President Rajapaksa.

Again, delivering the Felix Dias Bandaranaike Memorial Oration on June 26th, she made a scathing attack against the prevailing political situation.

Now, according to reliable sources, quashing her civic rights has been mooted to the president by senior government leaders and a group of senior lawyers in the SLFP as a means of preventing her possible comeback to politics to challenge the present regime.

These lawyers have reportedly handed over a document to Mr. Rajapaksa about how an ongoing Supreme Court hearing against Mrs. Kumaratunga could be used for this purpose.

This case relates to the ex-president’s alleged use of executive powers to handover 140 acres of prime land from Battaramulla, owned by the Urban Development Authority, to a businessman.

http://www.lankadissent.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=390:govt-move-to-quash-chandrikas-civic-rights&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50

Had UNP won in 2005, Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle would have been alive today

First things first, let me take this opportunity to condemn the ruthless act by terrorists and express my deepest sympathies to the family members of Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle. Two of us had one key similarity. He too, just like me, was a lawyer turned politician. His loss will be felt, not just by SLFP but by all of us. I wish Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle’s soul rest in peace.

Having done that, I cannot help wondering if UNP had won the Presidential Election in 2005, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Parami Kulatunge, Nadaraja Raviraj, T. Maheswaran and 5,000+ others would have been alive today.

Also, if Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe had won the Presidential Election in 2005, Sri Lanka would not have been the failed state what it is today. People of this country could have happily celebrated Sinhala Tamil New Year too, being able to buy the essential food items at affordable prices. They would not have to mourn for untimely deaths.

Unfortunately, now the whole nation suffers because of the wrong decision they took in 2005, being blinded by a set of shallow promises – never meant to be fulfilled and used as gimmicks only to win an election.

To the ordinary people of this country since 2005 November, it would have been like attending to a series of funerals. They only see ‘SUDU KODI’ (white flags) everywhere as if the country had entered a ‘BHEEMA SAMAYA’. It always happens in countries governed by incompetent, selfish and power hungry leaders. Ask citizens of Zimbabwe.

When President Rajapakse, after winning the Presidential Election largely due to the indirect support of tigers – for whatever the reason, decided to enter the war path in 2005, deviating from the successful negotiations of the previous UNP government, the true patriots of the land, the international community and basically every rational thinking individual was against it. Given the last 30 years horrid experiences of war, one does not have to be a defence expert to predict the fallacy of the decision to go for war. It could have only harmed the war ridden nation for 30 long years.

If power blinds an individual absolute power blinds him absolutely. In spite of all indications that staring war is seriously damaging to the nation, and serious warnings by those who know the destruction a war can make a blind decision was made to make a blind war.

Today morning Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle became the latest victim of the war madness of the post 2004 era. No doubt who did it, but nevertheless everybody who willingly supported the war madness, has to be responsible for his untimely demise. It is fruitless going on blaming the terrorists. After one puts the snakes to one’s ‘odokkuva’ what is the use of shouting ‘kanavo, kanavo’?

What lessons Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle’s demise teaches us? Let me list few.

Number One - It is dangerous to monger war. You yourself can be the next victim.

Number Two – There is a huge difference between a country governed by a competent experienced leader and an incompetent and selfish leader only interested in the welfare of his own family. (Nobody can deny the two year period under Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasnghe was the most peaceful and most economically successful period that we ever knew for a long period. Why? Because Mr. Wickremasinghe was an experienced and intelligent leader whose first concern was the people of this country, and not his family)

Number Three –You have to use your brains and think long term when exercising your vote. Otherwise when you realize the mistake it would be too late. (Had the majority of the people used their brains in 2005 Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle would have been alive today, a coconut would have cost no more than Rs. 20 and the county would not have been a failed state.)

Number Four – It is scaring to be ruled by a government who cannot even provide security to a high ranking minister. Better not rely on such a weak government.

Number Five – It is high time the country should have somebody who is strong enough to run it properly and bring peace. So better not be fooled for the second time too. Any idiot can present a set of shallow promises but only and experienced and wise leader can deliver.

We only wish the people, irrespective of their ethnic, religious and political differences, will make the right decision next time to select a strong leadership that can bring peace to this land and prevent untimely deaths like that of Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle. That would be the greatest respect we can pay for Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle.

Mahinda Chinthana on Rupavahini and Dr. Mervin Silva

The continuing brutal attacks against the Rupavahini corporation employees expose the nudity of current regime in the most pitiable manner. How can one trust an incompetent government who cannot even stop such attacks against innocent victims in broad daylight to fight terrorism and bring peace to this country? How can they catch Prabhakaran, if they cannot catch even a ‘delipihi-kaaraya’ at Orugodawatte?

Let me deviate from the popular opinion by not focusing criticism at a single individual. Doctor Dutugemunu certainly played and most probably continues to play a role in this drama, but to quote Adolf Eichmann, he is only a cog in a larger machine. Little can be achieved by replacing one cog, when the necessity is to dispose the mechanism before it does irrecoverable damage to the society we live.

When Minister Mervin Silva played that now infamous havoc at Rupavahini, many inaccurately took it a part of personal agenda.  Demonstrating his true self, he talked filth making insulting and sexually connoted references to former minister Mangala Samaraweera’s parents and was apparently outraged when Rupavahni, a TV station puppet-controlled by the very government he is a part of did not broadcast it. (In fact, the station did him a favour by not broadcasting the speech, but surely brain is a not fully functional organ in Dr. Mervin Silva’s anatomy)

A simple and straightforward explanation but, if that were the case, given the unprecedented and enormous damage this incident caused not only to the government and the party but to the President himself (as the one who first brought his ‘game miniha’ to politics!) the immediate rational reaction would have been a formal request or failing that a stern order to resign. That was how disciplined and responsible political world behaves elsewhere.

Had we witnessed any call for resign? Forget that. Had we seen something even like a reprimand for Doctor Dutugemunu for all what he did? (Mind you, it is not the first instance he or his son got into similar troubles!)

No. We have witnessed nothing of that sort. Mervin Silva is still a minister, and surprisingly continuous to be the SLFP organizer for Kelaniya. He yields the same power he had before the incident. Nothing had ever changed.

What does this imply? One possibility is that nobody in this country is man enough to warn Mervin Silva. The very people who give ‘pora talks’ about killing Prabahkaran within deadlines seem to be sheepishly kneeling in front of Doctor Dutugemunu. If that is the case, this is the turn of Malaka Silva to send some women’s attire to the spineless political leaders who treats his father like deity, patiently tolerating all his acts of violence against innocent people. Time for them to change their ‘amude lensuvas’ to some sexy lingerie from House of fashion or Odel.

 Image: With good friends at higher places it looks like Mervin is asking “API KAATADA BAYA?”

The other, more logical possibility is what Doctor Dutugemunu is doing is part and parcel of Mahinda Chintana. The original document missed most of the actual deliveries we were about to get (like incredible price hikes, electric shock treatments and weekly bomb blasts in South) so this too can be a late annexure.

Yes, he does some damage but he there is nobody better than him to distract people from their more pressing day to day issues. Imagine if not for Mervin, what would have been the headlines of national dailies. Which leader in government likes to see headline about rising prices of essential commodities or bomb blasts day after day? So Mervin provides them a perfect shield, by creating a safety margin between people and issues. What more the leaders of the already failed state can ask for? And for those who are even ready to team up with TMVP ex-terrorists for their political survival, Mervin Silva is more like a ‘poos petiya’.

The latest victim of the violence was Arunasiri Hettige, an Assistant Director and a pro-JVP union leader. He was attacked by two unidentified men at Kotikawatte on Friday who dragged him by legs and slashed his neck with a sharp instrument. He was lucky. Had the injury been half an inch above he would have been with Sripathy now.

Ironic is that the same people like Hettige who was part of a political party that played a key role in bringing the current regime to power, but it would be too harsh if anyone to call it poetic justice. Right of opinion is something everyone is a democratic society enjoys, and it is pathetic if one were to be assaulted for protesting the uninvited and uncivilized petty performances of a pathetic individual at their own premises.

Finally, it is the duty of all right thinking men and women to stand by the Rupavahini staff at this difficult moment. This is not a moment to think about political divisions.

Remember the words of Pastor Martin Niemöller.

WHEN THEY CAME FOR ME, NOBODY WAS LEFT TO SPEAK UP.