Maithri Vs Mangala: war on Foreign Policy
What Maithri ought to tell those pro-Mahinda groups that come to him is, accept the 8 January mandate, whereas what Dayan [ Jayatilleka] is now coming and telling Maithri is to accept defeated Mahinda’s voter base. That is where the fault lies.
by Upul Joseph Fernando
( June 22, 2016, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Some weeks ago, an application was received, requesting to allocate a hall of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute, to hold a conference. Maithripala Sirisena was mentioned as the chief guest in it, and this conference was organized by an officer of the Presidential Secretariat. The Kadirgamar Institute after receiving the approval forwarded same to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which comes under the purview of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mangala Samaraweera.
When permission was requested from Mangala to hold this conference, he read the list of speakers, and after seeing the name of Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka in it, he declined to grant permission. However, Mangala was not aware that this conference was being organized by the Presidential Secretariat. When Maithri was informed that Mangala had declined to grant permission, the former instructed to hold the conference at another venue. Thereafter, the BMICH was chosen to hold the conference.
The agenda of the Tigers
In any case, the foreign policies of Dayan and Mangala have come in for heavy flak in front of Maithri himself. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe too, has been castigated. On the same day, in an interview with a television channel Dayan made an announcement that Mangala and Ranil are working according to the agenda of the Tigers, while the Presidential Secretariat that organized this conference interpreted it as Maithri’s foreign policy. Now, it is Dayan who has become Maithri’s foreign policy theoretician.
At the last presidential election, Dayan worked with zest and zeal to make Mahinda Rajapaksa emerge victorious, while identifying Maithri and Ranil as puppets in the hands of the Tigers and the Western countries. It was Dayan who spearheaded the moves and was among the front-liners who inspired Mahinda to come back when the latter went and hid in Medamulana following his election defeat.
When the inaugural rally at Nugegoda was held based on the agenda to whip up support for Mahinda to return, Mahinda handed over his message to be read by Dayan. According to reports, it was Dayan who played a key role when preparing this message.The label of ‘traitor’ From that point of time Dayan attacked Maithri, Chandrika and Ranil by pasting the label of ‘traitor’ on them. Yet, at the BMICH, Dayan observed, it is Maithri who follows the best foreign policy. When Dayan was extolling Maithri, while at the same time attacking Ranil and Mangala, Maithri was listening to that tirade. What Dayan did then was exploding a political bomb – a bomb that could blast the government. This was a time bomb that could tear apart the Maithri-Ranil Government into two and Dayan maneuvered this well.
Whether he was a Trojan horse sent by Mahinda is a matter for conjecture. Dayan even before he left to attend the conference had met the Rajapaksas , it is reported. It was the Rupavahini television channel that gave the opportunity to Dayan to castigate Ranil and Mangala after the conclusion of the conference. Now, Dayan’s verbal onslaughts against Ranils and Mangalas are also backed by the license issued by Maithri.
At that conference however, a most intriguing incident took place.
One of the speakers was Dr. Jayadeva Uyanagoda who worked with commitment for Maithri to win and to defeat Mahinda. He made an attempt to defuse Dayan’s bomb. He said, the voters by electing Maithri on 8 January demonstrated his voter base. He divided the voters into three categories – the UNP votes, Civil society organizations and the minority votes. He emphasized but for these voter bases, Maithri had no other, and Maithri should take his stand there, he added.
In other words, what he said impliedly was, it is because Maithri is giving leadership to such a voter base, Maithri is recognized by Obama of America, Cameron of Britain, Abe of Japan, Modi of India and Angela Merkel of Germany, and because Maithri is representing the views of that voter base.
The pro-Rajapaksa groups
What he said was true. Maithri must win over the pro-Rajapaksa groups. H e must win over Dayan who is a clever foreign policy specialist and a top notch diplomat. Maithri, of course, must win over individuals like Dayan, but not by acquiescing in Dayan’s views, rather by making Dayan to accept his views.
Mahinda won over pro-Ranil groups and pro-Chandrika groups in this manner. A case in point is, Prof. Dr. G.L. Peiris. When he was with Ranil and Chandrika he was for federalism. Even Ranil did not speak about devolving of power as much as he. GL was a peace advocate and a staunch supporter of Western NGOs. In short he was a traitor according to the Mahinda groups. Yet, GL was taken in turning everything topsy-turvy.
After joining with the Rajapaksas, GL began furiously attacking the Western countries, the NGOs and Federalism from day one. Like how Dayan after aligning with Maithri is attacking Ranil and Mangala today, there was room for GL after aligning with Mahinda to attack Wimal and Hela Urumaya because they were his enemies. What GL did on the other hand was, he befriended them first and became patriotic.
That was to fall in line with and represent Mahinda’s voter base.
What Maithri ought to tell those pro-Mahinda groups that come to him is, accept the 8 January mandate, whereas what Dayan is now coming and telling Maithri is to accept defeated Mahinda’s voter base. That is where the fault lies.
In any event as soon as the conference was over, Maithri went near Uyangoda to have his tea. Whether that was to defuse Dayan’s bomb is not known yet.
( June 22, 2016, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Some weeks ago, an application was received, requesting to allocate a hall of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute, to hold a conference. Maithripala Sirisena was mentioned as the chief guest in it, and this conference was organized by an officer of the Presidential Secretariat. The Kadirgamar Institute after receiving the approval forwarded same to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which comes under the purview of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mangala Samaraweera.
When permission was requested from Mangala to hold this conference, he read the list of speakers, and after seeing the name of Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka in it, he declined to grant permission. However, Mangala was not aware that this conference was being organized by the Presidential Secretariat. When Maithri was informed that Mangala had declined to grant permission, the former instructed to hold the conference at another venue. Thereafter, the BMICH was chosen to hold the conference.
The agenda of the Tigers
In any case, the foreign policies of Dayan and Mangala have come in for heavy flak in front of Maithri himself. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe too, has been castigated. On the same day, in an interview with a television channel Dayan made an announcement that Mangala and Ranil are working according to the agenda of the Tigers, while the Presidential Secretariat that organized this conference interpreted it as Maithri’s foreign policy. Now, it is Dayan who has become Maithri’s foreign policy theoretician.
At the last presidential election, Dayan worked with zest and zeal to make Mahinda Rajapaksa emerge victorious, while identifying Maithri and Ranil as puppets in the hands of the Tigers and the Western countries. It was Dayan who spearheaded the moves and was among the front-liners who inspired Mahinda to come back when the latter went and hid in Medamulana following his election defeat.
When the inaugural rally at Nugegoda was held based on the agenda to whip up support for Mahinda to return, Mahinda handed over his message to be read by Dayan. According to reports, it was Dayan who played a key role when preparing this message.The label of ‘traitor’ From that point of time Dayan attacked Maithri, Chandrika and Ranil by pasting the label of ‘traitor’ on them. Yet, at the BMICH, Dayan observed, it is Maithri who follows the best foreign policy. When Dayan was extolling Maithri, while at the same time attacking Ranil and Mangala, Maithri was listening to that tirade. What Dayan did then was exploding a political bomb – a bomb that could blast the government. This was a time bomb that could tear apart the Maithri-Ranil Government into two and Dayan maneuvered this well.
Whether he was a Trojan horse sent by Mahinda is a matter for conjecture. Dayan even before he left to attend the conference had met the Rajapaksas , it is reported. It was the Rupavahini television channel that gave the opportunity to Dayan to castigate Ranil and Mangala after the conclusion of the conference. Now, Dayan’s verbal onslaughts against Ranils and Mangalas are also backed by the license issued by Maithri.
At that conference however, a most intriguing incident took place.
One of the speakers was Dr. Jayadeva Uyanagoda who worked with commitment for Maithri to win and to defeat Mahinda. He made an attempt to defuse Dayan’s bomb. He said, the voters by electing Maithri on 8 January demonstrated his voter base. He divided the voters into three categories – the UNP votes, Civil society organizations and the minority votes. He emphasized but for these voter bases, Maithri had no other, and Maithri should take his stand there, he added.
In other words, what he said impliedly was, it is because Maithri is giving leadership to such a voter base, Maithri is recognized by Obama of America, Cameron of Britain, Abe of Japan, Modi of India and Angela Merkel of Germany, and because Maithri is representing the views of that voter base.
The pro-Rajapaksa groups
What he said was true. Maithri must win over the pro-Rajapaksa groups. H e must win over Dayan who is a clever foreign policy specialist and a top notch diplomat. Maithri, of course, must win over individuals like Dayan, but not by acquiescing in Dayan’s views, rather by making Dayan to accept his views.
Mahinda won over pro-Ranil groups and pro-Chandrika groups in this manner. A case in point is, Prof. Dr. G.L. Peiris. When he was with Ranil and Chandrika he was for federalism. Even Ranil did not speak about devolving of power as much as he. GL was a peace advocate and a staunch supporter of Western NGOs. In short he was a traitor according to the Mahinda groups. Yet, GL was taken in turning everything topsy-turvy.
After joining with the Rajapaksas, GL began furiously attacking the Western countries, the NGOs and Federalism from day one. Like how Dayan after aligning with Maithri is attacking Ranil and Mangala today, there was room for GL after aligning with Mahinda to attack Wimal and Hela Urumaya because they were his enemies. What GL did on the other hand was, he befriended them first and became patriotic.
That was to fall in line with and represent Mahinda’s voter base.
What Maithri ought to tell those pro-Mahinda groups that come to him is, accept the 8 January mandate, whereas what Dayan is now coming and telling Maithri is to accept defeated Mahinda’s voter base. That is where the fault lies.
In any event as soon as the conference was over, Maithri went near Uyangoda to have his tea. Whether that was to defuse Dayan’s bomb is not known yet.
