Enemies Of The President’s Promise: Doc 3
By Rajiva Wijesinha -December 30, 2014
Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha MP
Dayan’s point then was that Lalith too was part of the group aroundGotabaya Rajapaksa, that had decided after the 2010 election that the President should not make too many concessions with regard to a political settlement. This did not mean Lalith would set himself up consciously against the President, as even Gotabaya was to do with regard to the issues noted above. When he was ordered to move, he did so, as when he produced swiftly an Action Plan for the LLRC Recommendations, whichMohan had held up, presumably again on Gotabaya’s instructions. But he did not see any need to embark on any initiatives on his own that would take forward the commitments the President had made with regard to devolution or accountability.
And on occasion he went even further than Gotabaya in putting forward a mindset that seemed at odds with the official position of the government. Thus, at the launch of a book called ‘Gota’s War’, which suggested the primary responsibility of the Secretary of Defence for the victory against the Tigers, Lalith launched into a vast attack on India for its part in strengthening the Tigers during the eighties. And just before the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva in 2014, having been sent to lobby in the West, Lalith attacked what he termed the excesses of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in the eighties, and claimed that, were investigations of abuse in Sri Lanka to proceed, the IPKF atrocities too should be gone into.Read More
Under The Temple Tree
By Marlon Dale Ferreira -December 30, 2014
Marlon Dale Ferreira
Uncle Douglas, Aunty Mildred, Sana Boy and Titi Girl were all seated under the temple tree in their garden, enjoying mother nature’s beautiful star lit sky and discussing who to vote for come the 8th of January 2015. As with tradition over the years Uncle Dougie and Aunty Milly as they were fondly called and a whole load of Burghers, have always supported the ‘Greens’ and hence cast their votes in support of the United National Party.
“Aiyo child”, Aunty Mildred started off in true Burgher style. “Tell me Dougie” she continued “what to don’t know do to child, with the casting of the vote, beetle leaf or swan to ‘Kathire’ put? She asked him in a quizzical manner and their conversation then began.
For some of those brilliant Burghers who were left behind, perhaps may be pondering as to whom they could render their supportive votes to this time around with all the ‘hullabaloo’ taking place, This is in the hope of having at least the price of bread reduced by a few bucks, leave aside the reduction of the price of their favourite brew, the cost of their bottle of arrack.
As of now all Burghers will have to take a cue from Titi Girl who made a request to Sana Boy when she said “Sana Boy, mama telling, almyrah top and bottom gotten have for the five cent pieces, banku climb and take”.
Carl Muller the funniest Burgher writer who wrote a hilarious trilogy of books based on the lives of the Burghers such as “Jam Fruit Tree”, “Once Upon a Tender Time” and “Yakada Yaka” and also another good writer Emil Van der poorten, will hail as excellent writers of our era and this writer will self-claim that it will take him yonks to even get close to their fine art of journalism.Read More
