Democracy ! Democracy !! Where art thou ?

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.