Yahapalanaya
is a misnomer, it is a Sirisena-Ranil
Dictatorship.
The Present
Government of Sri Lanka is a Sirisena, Ranil and UNP Dictatorship. It is really the
UNP that governs under the label SLFP-UNP joint Yahapalanaya Government. It is
not a popular government though they speak of a 62 lakhs of the population
voting for them. But how was this 62
lakhs made up ?
Let us see.
For the
2015 Presidential election Maithripala Sirisena had the highest voting for him coming from the Tamils and the
Muslims. Maithripala Sirisena got 78 percent of the Votes in Vanni, 74 percent
of the votes in Jaffna,
81 percent of the votes in Batticaloa, and 71 percent of the votes in
Trincomalee.
And from
his own home District of Polonnaruwa Sirisena got only 57 per cent of the
votes. Even Ranil Wickramasinghe’s UNP
could muster only 55.93 per cent of votes from Colombo the UNP Stronghold for the Candidate
Sirisena. And they still talk of the 62 lakhs of popular vote to Presidential
Candidate Maithripala Sirisen
Recently
when the President Sirisena made an official visit to Jaffna the organisers of
the Northern protests against him said, “ that the President should not forget
that he got the highest votes from the North and the East in 2015, and it is in
return for those votes that they are now making demands for a Federal
Government, merging of the North and East, removal of the Sri Lanka Armed
Forces from North and East, and release the former LTTE suspects held in Prison”.
So much
for Sirisena Ranil Government for being a popular democratic Government of the people, for the
people , by the people.
It is in
reality a Government of Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickramasighe, for some
of the people, the Tamil Diaspora, TNA,the USA and the West, by Ranil,
Sirisena, Chandrika and the UNP.
The whole
SLFP-UNP set up Government is for the reconciliation with the Tamils, write a
Constitution to please the West led by USA, the Tamil Diaspora, and the
Tamil politicians led by the TNA.
When Dew
Gunasekara COPE report was about to be presented to the Parliament, the
President Maithripala Sirisena adviced by his Prime Minister dissolved the
parliament. That was because the COPE report prepared under Dew Gunasekara to investigate the Central Bank Bond Scam was
supposed to have been an overwhelming accusation against the leadership of the
UNP, and Arjun Mahendran appointed on the Recommendation of the Prime
Minister as the Governor of the Central
Bank Bond Scam.
When there
were multiple accusations against the
Governor of the Central Bank and the Government on the Central Bank Bond Scam, the Prime Miniter appointed Messrs Gamini Pitipana, Mahesh Kalugampitiya,
and Chandimal Mendis- three UNP loyalists
as a Three Member Committee to investigate into the accusations against the
Governor of the Central Bank Arjuna Mahendran.
The Committee reported that there was no evidence that the Governor of the Central
Banka had direct participation with regard to the activities of the PDD and the Tender
Board Committee.
No one was
satisfied with the report of the Committee and the Parliament directed the COPE
under JVP MP Sunil Handunetti to make a fresh investigation. This report which
was ready to be submitted to the Parliament was delayed on the demand of the
UNP members of the COPE who made an unusual demand to include a series of foot
notes to the COPE report, thus
mitigating the seriousness of the findings of the COPE. This report of the COPE
hence did not serve the purpose for which it was made.
Finally the
President Sirisena was compelled to appoint a Presidential Commission to
investigate into the Bond Scam. Some did not
expect any thing new to come of
it. But the Commission (PCol) took an unexpected turn with the appointment of
the Additional Solicitor General Dappula De Livera and Deputy Solicitor General
Milinda Gunatilleke to question the
witnesses giving evidence before the Commission. They were two uncompromising
investigators which turned tables on the pseudo Yahapalanaya Regime itself.
The
witnesses coming before the PCol, on intelligent and forceful questioning by
the De Livera –Gunatilleke duo elucidated overwhelming evidence that forced the
award winning Finance minister of the
Government to tender his resignation from the government, nevertheless
without resigning from his membership in the Parliament.
The turn of
events with the investigation by the Presidential Commission became dangerous both
to the Government and to the Prime Minister when the Ministers Kabir Hasshim,
and Malik Samarawickrama were summoned before the PCol. The path was being
cleared to rope in before the Commision the key figure of the Government who
was the Minister in Charge of the Central Bank. Some one had to do some thing lest the Prime
Miniter himself would be question by the indomitable De Livera-Gunatilleke duo.
Burt
surprisingly ,some unknown hand had moved and perhaps the Commission had
suddenly been asked that the two Ministers Kabir Hussain and Malik
Samarawickrama should not be subjected to questioning before the Commission. As
an extension to this decision of the Commission not to question the two Ministers,
it was being said that the Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe may be called
before the Commission. Ranil Wickramasinghe immediately made a statement to the
press that he is ready to face the Commission.
But
again perhaps the same hand that stopped
the Dew Gunasekara COPE report being presented to the then Parliament, moved to
stop the further sittings of the Presidential Commission of investigation into
the Bond Scam, and the Prime Minister was thus saved from being investigated on the role he
played in the Bond Scam.
Now the
Prime Minister will not be asked to explain why he took over the Central Bank
under his Ministry ? Why he recommended for appointment a citizen of Singapore as the Governor of the
Central Bank, and why he appointed a
three man Committee to absolve Arjuna Mahendra from any accusation for any part
he played in the Bond Scam ? He need not even explain why he appointed Arjuna
Mahendra as a Counsel to Prime Minister, despite a “sword of Democles-the Bond
Scam” hanging over his head ?
Are these
arrangements a part of a Sirisena –Ranil
Chintanaya hell bent on calling their government a “Yahapalanaya” ?
Where is
“democracy” hiding in this utterly obnoxious
SLFP-UNP joint Government ?
Let us not
talk about Bribery and Corruption in the pseudo democracy, which robs the
people right and left continuing to call
the previous Government of Mahinda Rajapakse was corrupt and continuing to allow
the Yahapalanaya police force the FCID to accuse and imprison harmless
Ministers, Administrators and men and women who had any connection to Mahinda
Rajapakse government.
The whole
Parliament is in the complete control of the UNP. The Speaker defends the
members of the Parliament according to which political Party they belong. He recognised TNA the
official Oppositon, appointed Opposition
Whip from JVP, while refusing to accept a 54 member joint Opposition the
Official Opposition of the Parliament.
What is left with this Sirisena
–Ranil Government to call it a Yahapaalanaya ?
As Malinda Seneviratne says the
apologists to this governments are now reduce to an “At Least Thesis” in the
tired game of comparison”.
Let’s see even in passing bills in Parliament how the Sirisena- Ranil pseudo Yahapalanaya white-washes
their Dictatorship with a brash colour to fool the people, calling it the colour of Democracy. Of course
in the Parliament the Speaker holds the “brush”.
It is best read
in the article, “ Attorney General in
the Dock” by Malinda Seneviratne in his face book.
The question is
whether, “……Over and above all of this, the negligence of Attorney
General Jayasuriya points to scandalous deceiving of the Speaker and
demonstrates an unwillingness on his part to represent and act for the people
in the Republic of Sri Lanka”. Was it deceiving the Speaker, or whether the
Speaker allowing himself to be deceived ?
SAITM
problem too had a easy solution but this government does not want to
solve it making it another factor to smudge the image the people have of
Mahinda Rajapakse. This is another affront to democracy, clouding their
Dictatorship.
Yesterday the Maha Sangha issued a
statement that they are not only against the writing of a new Constitution, but
also making any Amendments to it or withdrawing
the executive powers of the President. But Ranil wants to cover his
nudity by blaming the Media for making this
report , when the Malwatte Mahanayake Thero he says is away from the country.
From the beginning of this government
labelling it is Yahapalanaya, the
President had been acting as a Dictator, issuing a letter to one of the
candidates of the General Elections of 2015,
that he will not be appointed Prime Minister even if he were to be elected. Thereafter,
sacking the General Secretaries of the SLFP and the UPFA, just before the
General elections.
President Sirisen’s role is evident ,
he is there to help Ranil Wickramasing to continue the government with the UNP
Agenda, that is whay he brings back Chandrika to politics against Mahinda
Rajapakse.
Making Sarath Fonseka a Field Marshal and making him a Minister was
purely to enable him to attack Mahinda
Rajapakse and make statements against him in the Parliament. The governments
spokesman Rajitha Senaratne is completely out side democratic norms
issuing incorrect statements thus insulting the media.
Latest news is that of the, “ appointment of
Chandrika Kumaratunga as an SLFP organiser for Attanagalla raised even more
eyebrows. Kumaratunga had, for all intents and purposes, retired from active
politics after serving for eleven years as Sri Lanka’s fourth Executive
President. She still serves the party in the capacity of patron”.
This is an obvious
choice to have a loud mouthed critic to bash President Mahinda Rajapakse at
future political rallies
After Lasantha Wickramatunga was
assassinated his friend Sonali Samarasinghe fled the country saying that her life was under threat.
Now Anika Wijesuriya who gave
evidence before the PCol about the use of an apartment by the family of the then Finance Minister Ravi Karnanayake,
the rent of which had been paid for by one of the accused in the Bond Scam, fled
the country as she had been receiving calls threatening her life by an associate of the former Minister.
Strange, formally it was the Armed Forces that were accused for assassinations
or threatening lives of media personnel
and now it is ex-Ministers of the Government.
The latest acts of this Dictatorship is the purge of party organisers in
preparation for a forth coming Local
Government elections. Here too the Dictator wants his rival –Mahinda Rajapakse
out.
The reaction to the
President’s decision has been muted, at least from the mainstream SLFP.
“The only minister to speak out was
Labour and Trade Union Relations Minister John Seneviratne. Seneviratne stated
that it was sad that some party organisers who had served the party for a long
time had been expelled without even giving them reasons for their dismissal”.
In January,2015 the people voted at least 62 percent
of them for a change, and what have they
got today- a right Royal Dictator ship.
Are the people satisfied with what they have got ?
Haven’t the people fallen from the frying pan
directly into the fire ?
If nothing is done at least by those Members of this
Parliament who have some feeling of
affinity to a man- SWRD Bandaranaike,
who knew that UNP would be the end of Sri Lanka, and wanting to save the
country from devastation walked away from the UNP and formed the SLFP to save this country, its Buddhist
Culture, its belonging to the teaching of Theravada Buddhism, which had been
preserved until today the 19 October,2017.
It may all end up this month if the Parliamentarians
will not wake up to the danger that is inherent in the Yahapalanaya Government
which is in reality a Sirisena-Ranil Dictatorsip.
If any SLFP members with any affinity to SWRD
Bandaranayake’s vision of 1956 are still there in this Parliament they should
end this Sirisena-Ranil-Chandrika Dictatorship using the label “ Yahapalanaya” ,
by not providing a two third majority in the Parliament to allow this
government to write a new Constitution to replace the present Constitution of
1978.