Post Rajapaksa: Gullible People Are Being Mercilessly Abused
Nagananda Kodituwakku
In his 2005 Election Manifesto Rajapaksa, when campaigning for the Presidency for the first time, with full support of the JVP, promised to the people to abolish the Executive Presidency (page 97 – 2005 manifesto).
Then again in his 2010 manifesto, when contesting for the second term,Rajapaksa promised to take ‘whatever measures’ needed to eliminate frauds, corruption and malpractices. But what he did after elected to the office was completely the opposite.
For instance, he made the Auditor General redundant and irrelevant. For the last few years the Auditor General has not been able to audit public offices and publish its annual report, as no one seems to be taking him seriously. This disrespect to the office of the Auditor General has opened floodgates for mass scale corrupt practices running into billions of rupees.
After winning the mandate for a second term Rajapaksa wanted to strengthened his grip on power and he was determined to change the supreme law of the land, the Constitution, for his private benefit of contesting for office for another term.
In fact, President Rajapaksa refused to take oath until all impediments are removed from the Constituion, guaranteeing him to contest for a third term. Arguably, the most despicable act committed by Rajapaksa taking the country’s legislature and the Judiciary for ride merely to satisfy his greed.
In his election manifesto (2010) Rajapaksa promised to restore Rule of Law and Independence of Judiciary, but what he did after re-elected to the office was completely the opposite. Showing his all mighty power, summoning of Judges of the Apex Court to the President’s House became a common occurrence.
