President gets ‘Sellam Nagaradhipathi’ to harass Dhammika!
- Friday, 19 December 2014
President Mahinda Rajapaksa is getting one of his stooges, Hambantota mayor Eraj Ravindra Fernando alias ‘Sellam Nagaradhipathi’ to harass notorious casino businessman and transport ministry secretary Dhammika Perera, reports say.
A few days ago, ‘Sellam Nagaradhipathi’, accompanied by his thugs, had gone to Bayliss Casino at McCullum Road, Colombo and created chaos there, pushing away deal tables and other equipment. As the security guards there could not bring the situation under control, they had sought police protection. Police evaded it by saying they could not act since there was no complaint. Later, Dhammika has told DIG Anura Senanayake and he has gone there alone.
The president has got ‘Sellam Nagaradhipathi’ to teach a lesson to Dhammika, after believing a businessman who had told him that Dhammika had given an additional Rs. 100 million to the UNP election campaign by buying a Rs. 50 m worth of a property owned by a key UNP figure for Rs. 150 m.
Rajapaksa Family Dynasty And Namal’s Business
Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha MP
Enemies of the President’s Promise: Dopey 2
Another consequence of the electoral system from which we now suffer is that simple name recognition is generally enough to ensure election. Often voters, having selected the candidate from their constituency, use their other two preferences on those whose names they know. Obviously posters put up all over the electoral catchment area help in getting one’s name known, but there are other easier reasons too for some individuals to get votes. So film or sports stars do very well at elections, as do those who obtain publicity for other reasons, through eccentric behavior, or even by being jailed, as happened with a relatively unknown character from the opposition in the 2010 General Election.
And of course if one’s father or mother or brother or uncle is already an established politician, then one is more likely to pick up the loose preferences of a large number of the voters. In short, the children of well known politicians start with a built in advantage. Contrariwise, in the past, when candidates were chosen for particular electorates, they had to establish themselves in that area, as individuals with some connection with the constituency they wanted to represent. Now however they simply have to command patronage in order to get their names on the electoral lists. So in recent years there have been increasing numbers of children standing for election, and many of them have done very well. Whereas Mahinda Rajapaksa had to prove that he was the most able of his siblings to step into his father’s seat, and whereas he lost elections under the first past the post system and was not in Parliament for several years, Namal had no difficulty in getting nomination for the Hambantota District, and in topping the list there on preferences at the election. And he will surely be able to get enough preferences in any future election to stay in Parliament, even if the SLFP becomes less popular in the District than another party.Read More
