சிறுபான்மையினரின் பிரச்சினையைத் தீர்க்க தமிழ், முஸ்லிம் தலைவர்கள் ஒன்றுபட வேண்டும்

Fri, 01/16/2015

நாட்டில் நல்­லாட்சி ஏற்­பட்டு சிறு­பான்மை சமூ­கங்­களின் பிரச்­சி­னைகள் தீர்க்­கப்­ப­டு­வ­தற்கு முதலில் சிறு­பான்மை சமூக அர­சியல் தலை­வர்கள் ஒன்று பட­வேண்டும்.இதற்­காக தமிழ்­தே­சிய கூட்­ட­மைப்பின் தலைவர் இரா.சம்­பந்­து­டனும் பேச்­சு­வார்த்தை நடத்­தி­யுள்ளேன். ஸ்ரீலங்கா முஸ்லிம் காங்­கிரஸ் தலைவர் ரவூப்­ஹக்­கீமு­டனும் விரைவில் பேச்­சு­வார்தை நடத்­த­வுள்ளேன் என கைத்­தொழில் மற்றும் வணிக அமைச்­சரும் அகில இலங்கை மக்கள் காங்­கிரஸ் தலை­வ­ரு­மான ரிசாத் பதி­யுதீன் தெரி­வித்தார்.

ஜனா­தி­பதி மைத்­தி­ரி­பால சிறி­சே­னவின் தலை­மை­யி­லான புதிய அர­சாங்­கத்தில் சிறு­பான்­மை­யி­னரின் பிரச்­சி­னை­க­ளுக்­கான தீர்­வுகள் தொடர்பில் வின­வி­ய­போதே அவர் மேற்­கண்­ட­வாறு கூறினார்.தொடர்ந்தும் அவர் கருத்து தெரி­விக்­கையில், நாட்­டு­மக்கள் ஜனா­தி­ப­தியின் 100 நாள் வேலைத்­திட்­டத்­துக்கு பூரண ஆத­ரவு வழங்­கி­யி­ருக்­கி­றார்கள். அரசில் இணைந்­துள்ள பல்­வேறு கொள்­கை­யு­டையோர் அனை­வரும் ஒரு மித்த கருத்­துடன் இந்­நாட்டில் மீண்டும் பொது­ப­ல­சேனா போன்ற அமைப்­புகள் மூலம் முஸ்­லிம்­க­ளுக்கு துன்­ப­க­ர­மான சூழ்­நிலை ஏற்­ப­டாது பாது­காக்­கப்­படும்.

கடந்த காலங்­களில் ஜாதிக ஹெல உறு­மய கட்­சியை முஸ்­லிம்கள் பிழை­யாக பார்த்­தி­ருந்­தாலும் அவர்கள் இஸ்­லாத்­தைப்­பற்றி தவ­றாக பிர­சாரம் செய்­தி­ருந்­தாலும் அவர்­களும் எம்­முடன் ஒன்­றி­ணைந்து இருக்­கி­றார்கள். எங்­க­ளுக்குள் நல்­லாட்­சிக்­காக நல்­லு­றவு உரு­வா­கி­யி­ருக்­கி­றது. வேற்­று­மை­களை மறந்து நாம் ஒன்று பட்­டி­ருக்­கிறோம்.

இதே போன்று பல கட்­சிகள் அமைப்­புகள் கைகோர்த்­துள்­ளன. அனைத்தும் நல்­லாட்சி, சக­வாழ்வு, நல்­லி­ணக்கம் என்­ப­வற்­றையே இலக்­காகக் கொண்­டுள்­ளன.
தமிழ், முஸ்லிம் அர­சியில் தலை­வர்கள் பேச்­சு­வார்த்­தைகள் நடத்­து­வது சதி­செய்­வ­தற்­கா­க­வல்ல. நல்­லாட்­சி­யையும் சக­வாழ்­ வி­னையும் உரு­வாக்­கு­வ­தற்கே. வடக்கு கிழக்கில் தமிழ் முஸ்லிம் சமூ­கத்தில் சில பிரச்­சி­னைகள் இருந்­தாலும் அவற்றை பேச்­சு­வார்த்­தைகள் மூலம் தீர்­த்­துக்­கொள்­வ­தற்கு நாம் உடன்­பாட்­டுக்கு வர­வுள்ளோம்.

புதிய அர­சாங்­கமும் தனது கட­மை­களைத் தொடர்ந்து அவற்றில் வெற்­றி­யீட்­டு­வ­தற்கு முஸ்லிம் அமைச்­சர்­களும் சமூ­கமும் பூரண ஒத்துழைப்பினை நல்கும். நாட்டில் முஸ்லிம் சமூகத்துக்கு ஏற்பட்ட துக்ககரமான நிகழ்வுகள் இனி ஒரு போதும் ஏற்படாதவாறு நல்லாட்சி நடைபெற நாங்கள் என்றும் அரசுக்கு பக்கபலமாக இருப்போம் என்று உறுதியளிக்கின்றோம் என்றார்.

Rapp Stepping Down: US Accused Of Not Giving Sri Lanka’s “White Flag Killings” Info

January 16, 2015 

The US government has been accused of not giving access to information that is required to investigate the ‘white flag case‘.

In an interview with the Foreign Policy magazine, Steven Ratner – a professor of law at the University of Michigan and ex-member of a UN Panel that examined the commission of mass atrocities that occurred in the final phase of the Sri Lankan war, made this remark as he commented on the issue of Stephen J Rapp -the US Ambassador at large for war crimes, stepping down after five and a half years of service.

Ambassador Stephen J. Rapp

Rapp’s departure has not yet been announced, and the war crimes prosecutor did not respond to requests for confirmation. But several sources familiar with Rapp’s plans confirmed that he is leaving and that the State Department has formally launched a search campaign for a replacement, the Foreign Policy magazine said.

“Rapp had little success forcing American intelligence agencies to share information they’ve collected about human rights abuses abroad,” Ratner said as he recalled a visit to Rapp’s office during the time Ratner was investigating war crimes in Sri Lanka on behalf of the U.N. panel set up by the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

He had been seeking information concerning allegations that were being levelled against the Sri Lankan officials about summarily executing senior rebel commanders after the United Nations brokered their surrender.

Ratner had heard a rumor that the U.S. Embassy had picked up some intercepts with information related to the case.

“They made it clear to us there were pretty strong constraints on what they were going to be able to share with us. . . In the end, they didn’t give us anything,” he said.

There are many accusations against the US government including pressing the case for accountability for crimes selectively and passionately and promoting the international prosecution of political rivals.

“In Sri Lanka, Rapp has conceded that it is unrealistic to expect that Colombo will assent to conduct investigations into mass war crimes by government forces during the bloody final months of the country’s civil war. But he has urged the government to at least exhume the bodies of victims in order to give their families some sense of closure,” the Foreign Policy magazine said.

Ambassador Stephen J. Rapp visited Sri Lanka from January 6-11 last year to meet with government and political leaders, civil society, and to tour former conflict zones.

Issuing a statement on his visit, the US Embassy Colombo last year said: “He heard about the progress made since the conflict, but also the Sri Lankan people’s continuing desire for reconciliation, justice and accountability.

“During Ambassador Rapp’s discussions, he listened to eyewitness accounts about serious human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, including those that occurred at the end of the war. In that context the government of the United States encourages the government of Sri Lanka to seek the truth through independent and credible investigations, and where relevant, have prosecutions.

“The United States remains committed to working with the Government of Sri Lanka to promote greater peace and prosperity for all of the people of Sri Lanka. It is vital that all sides come to an agreement on events, have appropriate redress, and move forward as a unified country that upholds the rule of law and respects the principles of democratic governance.”

தொழிலாளர்களின் லயன் வாழ்க்கைக்கு முற்றுப்புள்ளி வைக்க ஜனாதிபதியும் பிரதமரும் உத்தரவாதம் வழங்கியுள்ளார்கள்

 Fri, 01/16/2015 -

இந்த நாட்டின் பொருளாதாரத்துக்கு முதுகெலும்பாக உள்ள தோட்டத் தொழிலாளர்களின் இரு நூறு ஆண்டு கால பழைமை வாய்ந்த லயன் வாழ்க்கைக்கு முற்றுப்புள்ளி வைக்க ஜனாதிபதி மைத்திரிபால சிறிசேனவும், பிரதமர் ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்கவும் உத்தரவாதம் அளித்துள்ளார்கள் என துறைமுகம் மற்றும் கப்பல் துறை அமைச்சர் அர்ஜுன ரணதுங்க தெரிவித்தார்.

தொழிலாளர் தேசிய சங்கம் நேற்று அட்டனில் ஏற்பாடு செய்திருந்த தைப்பொங்கல் விழாவில் கலந்து கொண்டு பேசும்போதே இவ்வாறு தெரிவித்தார்.

அவர் தொடர்ந்து பேசுகையில்,

நாட்டில் கடந்த காலங்களில் நிலவிய சூழ்நிலை முற்று முழுதாக மாற்றியமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. மலையகம், வடக்கு, கிழக்கு உட்பட அனைத்து மக்களும் மிகவும் சந்தோசமாக வாழக் கூடிய உன்னதமான எதிர்காலம் தோன்றியுள்ளது. அதற்கு வாக்களித்த சிங்கள, தமிழ், முஸ்லிம் மக்கள் அனைவருக்கும் ஜனாதிபதியினதும், பிரதமரது சார்பிலும் மனமார்ந்த நன்றியறிதலை தெரிவித்துக் கொள்கின்றேன்.

ஜனாதிபதித் தேர்தல் காலத்தில் இன்றைய ஜனாதிபதியிடமும், பிரதமரிடமும் அமைச்சர் திகாம்பரம் சந்திப்புகளை மேற்கொண்டபோது, அவர்களின் தனிப்பட்ட தேவைகள் எதையும் கேட்கவில்லை.

அவர் தனது மக்கள் இரண்டு தசாப்த காலமாக வாழ்ந்து வரும் லயன் வாழ்க்கைக்கு விடிவு ஏற்படுவதற்கு ஏழு பேர்ச் காணியுடன் வீடுகளைக் கட்டிக் கொடுத்து கௌரவமாக வாழக் கூடிய வசதிகளைச் செய்து கொடுக்கும்படிதான் கேட்டுக் கொண்டார்.

அதை ஏற்றுக் கொண்டு ஜனாதிபதியின் தேர்தல் விஞ்ஞாபனத்திலும் உத்தரவாதம் வழங்கியுள்ளார்கள். எனவே, தோட்டத் தொழிலாளர்கள் வசதி மிக்க கிராமிய சூழ்நிலையில் வாழக் கூடிய காலம் நிச்சயம் உருவாகும்.

எனது நண்பர் திகாம்பரத்துக்கு கடந்த அரசாங்கத்தில் கொடுக்கப்பட்ட பிரதி அமைச்சர் பதவி போல் அல்லாது மலையக மக்களுக்கு உண்மையாக சேவை செய்யக் கூடிய பொருத்தமான அமைச்சை ஜனாதிபதி வழங்கியுள்ளார்.

மலையக மக்களைப் பற்றி சிந்தித்து முன்னாள் ஜனாதிபதி சந்திரிகா அம்மையார் தோற்றுவித்த தோட்ட உட்கட்டமைப்பு அமைச்சுக்கு திகாம்பரம் நியமிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளதால், அந்த மக்களின் நிலையை நன்கு அறிந்து வைத்துள்ள அவர் திறமையான சேவையை வழங்குவார் என்று எதிர்பார்க்கிறேன்.

மலையகத்துக்கு நல்ல தலைமைத்துவத்தை வழங்கி திகாம்பரம் சிறப்பான முறையில் வழிநடத்துவார் என்ற நம்பிக்கை இருக்கின்றது. எனவே, அவருக்கும், ஜனாதிபதி மற்றும் பிரதமருக்கும் தகுந்த ஒத்துழைப்பை வழங்கி மலையகம் மேலும் வளர்ச்சி காண வேண்டும் என்று கேட்டுக் கொள்கின்றேன் என்றார்.

Sri Lankan Airlines Cancels Flights To Mattala From Tomorrow

( January 16, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) SriLankan Airlines will cancel operating flights to the Hambantota International Airport at Mattala from tomorrow (Saturday) onwards, officials said on Friday, Colombo based, The Sunday Times reports.

“This is because the official carrier is losing massive amounts of money by operating flights to this new airport built at a cost of Rs. 27 billion in an area of 2,000 hectares by the previous regime,” an Aviation Ministry official said.

The move comes after expected changes at the national carrier following President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s defeat at the polls. His brother-in-law Nishantha Wickramasinghe who was airline chairman has already resigned.

The official said that Mattala is a white elephant and that few are using the airline from Mattala. He added that they haven’t taken a decision on Mihin Lanka, while industry sources say that Flydubai and Rotana Jet carriers that are using the Mattala Airport will also stop flights there when the national carrier stops flights. SriLankan flies to Beijing, Shanghai, Chennai, Jeddah, Male and Colombo from Mattala

No Ruler Or Ex-Ruler Can Be Given Immunity From The Law

By R.M.B Senanayake -January 16, 2015

R.M.B. Senanayake

This is the 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta of 1215.For the first time in history a King had to agree to be subject to law and to rule according to the law and not according to his fancy. King John tried to renege on the Agreement and consulted the Poe. The Pope said as he had signed under duress he was not bound to honor it. But the King could not back out without the risk of civil war.

The Magna Carta inspired political thinkers and freedom fighters in the West including the Founding Fathers of the American Revolution. The Rule of Law is now firmly established in the West. But not so in our country. PresidentMahinda and his Ministers and even the Provincial Ministers considered themselves above the law and indulged in violation even of the criminal law; but the Police overlooked these flagrant violations of the law. They failed to arrest them, produce them in Court or even investigate their offences. They did so because of the President’s influence over them. He even took the Attorney General’s Department under his direct control and his brotherGotabaya controlled the Police. So the Rule of Law disappeared and the applicability of the law came to be confined only

The new President in his election campaign exposed these violations and the corruption and promised to bring changes to the Executive Presidency at a minimum and even abolish it. But we hear there are discussion with the ex-President and other MPs who have pledged support to the new Government. They seem to be wanting an assurance that they will not be prosecuted for their offences of corruption and violations of the law. Does the President have the power to grant such immunity from the Law? No, he has no power to do and if he gives any such promises they are null and void. The new Government must allow those in charge of enforcing the law to do so without interference. Otherwise they will be committing the same wrongful practices and the pledge to introduce good governance becomes an empty promise. It is not a question of taking revenge as wrongly assumed by some. No, justice requires that all people should be treated the same way by the Law and to let off any offenders who have committed offences is not just. Whether the offences are against the domestic law or the International Law no person who has committed an offence should be excused. Even the pledge at the election campaign not to allow those who have violated the laws of war is not justifiable. When Members signed the various Declarations they accepted the legal obligation to comply with them. This participation and the assumption of legal obligations by states have been voluntary. The treaty rights generate corresponding legal duties upon state actors, to protect against, prevent, and remedy human rights violations. The treaty system definitively establishes the limitations on sovereignty, the validity of international supervision and accountability” Ref “The UN Human Rights Treaty System: Universality at the Crossroads” Professor Anne F. Bayefsky April 2001. Aren’t we obliged to comply with the Un Human Rights Commission? Can the President negate such an obligation? Will a lawyer who has studied International Law please clarify?

Sri Lanka’s New Government Lifts Travel Ban on Foreigners

 File photo: President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena

JANUARY 16, 2015 

COLOMBO:  Sri Lanka’s new government on Friday announced lifting a ban on foreign nationals visiting to the island’s former war zones and scrapped an economic embargo on minority Tamil regions.

President Maithripala Sirisena, just a week after taking office, removed the travel ban introduced by his predecessor three months ago, the defence ministry said.

"Since there is no war situation in the country and the life of the community is normal, it was decided to remove restrictions imposed on foreigners," the ministry said in a statement.

 

It said a ban on transporting unspecified goods to the minority Tamil- dominated Northern province, of which Jaffna is the capital, was also lifted with immediate effect.

An economic embargo on the Eastern province too was remove, said the statement issued by defence ministry spokesman Ruwan Wanigasooriya.

The same officer had in October declared that travel restrictions were imposed following information that “foreigners are trying to cause discord among ethnic communities.”

"When there’s a tremendous threat like that to our national security, we can’t just wait. We have to take action," Wanigasooriya said in October. The restrictions applied to foreign journalists too.

But the current government argued then, when in opposition, that the ban was to prevent Sri Lankan Tamils holding foreign passports from visiting the region to campaign against former leader Mahinda Rajapakse.

Rajapakse’s administration had also accused Colombo-based diplomatic missions as well as foreigners of trying to collect testimony from survivors to support allegations of rights abuses by security forces during the civil war which ended in 2009.

Rajapakse had refused to cooperate with a probe ordered by the UN Human Rights Council and had insisted that he will not allow foreign investigators to probe allegations that up to 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians were killed by his troops in the final months of fighting.

Since the end of fighting in 2009, no attacks have been blamed on the Tamil Tiger rebels, who at the height of their power controlled a third of the country’s territory.

The UN has estimated up to 100,000 people may have been killed in the separatist conflict between 1972 and 2009.

Sri Lanka to review China port deal amid security concerns

BY SHIHAR ANEEZ AND FRANK JACK DANIEL-COLOMBO Fri Jan 16, 2015

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's new government on Friday said it will review a $1.5 billion port deal with China Communications Construction Co Ltd over concerns about the Chinese company getting land on a freehold basis in a high security zone.

Sri Lanka's neighbour India has also raised security concerns over the project as a large portion of cargoes bound for India are transhipped through Colombo port.

"You cannot have land given on a freehold basis to another country in a high security zone. The project has to be completely looked at," Kabeer Hashim, Sri Lanka's new investment promotion minister, told reporters after taking office.

"When you sell land or give it in outright grant in a high security zone next to the port, it is a problem," he said.

New Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, during last month's presidential election campaign, said he would scrap the port project if his party came to power. Mithripala Sirisena, backed by Wickremesinghe's party, won the election to unseat former President Mahinda Rajapaksa last week.

Under the proposed deal, 108 hectares of land will be given to the Chinese firm to cover its investment costs, including 20 hectares on an outright basis and the rest on a 99-year lease.

An Indian diplomat who has knowledge of the project told Reuters the 20-hectare plot is a security concern because of the large number of India-bound cargoes that pass through Colombo port.

Chinese President Xi Jinping launched the port project, which will be built on reclaimed land in the capital, Colombo, when he visited in September last year.

Wickremesinghe's pro-business United National Party says some development deals struck by the previous government, which was heavily dependent on China for infrastructure, did not follow appropriate tender procedures and were not transparent.

The port development, which is to be built on 233 hectares of reclaimed land, would include shopping malls, a water sports area, a mini golf course, hotels, apartments and marinas.

India has become increasingly worried about China's influence in Sri Lanka. Rajapaksa's administration in November allowed a Chinese submarine and a warship to dock at Colombo, despite concerns raised by India. (Reporting by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Tom Hogue)

Wenasak: A Post-Election Reflection

by Bishop Duleep de Chickera

- on 01/16/2015 

Yesterday’s energy

Sri Lanka is still overwhelmed with the peoples’ energy that a few days ago brought the immeasurable gift of democratic regime change.

As the campaign heightened, one word; “ wenasak”- (Sinhala-“a change”) became a spontaneous and variable slogan or code, determined by the context in which it was used. There was no need to mention a name or colour or symbol; people simply wanted a change. Over 80% voted.

“Wenasak” was however possible due to a convergence of several democratic forces. Some of these were;

• The several opposition politicians who tirelessly monitored a deteriorating political culture and addressed matters of public interest.
• The determined vigilance of a cross section of Civil Society ranging from formal to informal groups who upheld the cause of good governance.
• The persistence of sections of the media, who investigated, exposed, wrote and spoke in circumstances of deceit, censorship and harassment.
• The dogged initiative of a small group of persons led by a senior Buddhist Monk who asserted that a primary cause of our crisis in governance; the executive presidency, can and must be abolished.
• Shrewd and carefully guarded political planning, in a culture infested with informants and surveillance that facilitated the emergence of a common opposition candidate and a rare show of consensus among several political parties to come together to back him all the way.
• The professional and sensitive role played by the Elections Commissioner and the IGP and their respective departments in circumstances of acute politicisation.
• The presence and expertise of teams of monitors and observers; both local and International.
• The street wisdom of at least one political party whose cadres provided a protective presence that contested voter intimidation and helped build public confidence on the ground.
• The quiet resilience of the people who affirmed their democratic right to come out in large numbers and vote, despite desperate attempts to manipulate their democratic freedom of choice, through the abuse of state resources and vicious propaganda.

Todays’ reward

This cluster of forces points to persons of conscience who placed the common good before self- interest. Many worked separately but all contributed to a common momentum. As some spoke and acted, others under pressure to give up were encouraged to renew their strength to persevere. The nation was not without persons of calibre.

Identity added to this impetus as more and more names and organisations stood up to be counted. People had understood that if “Wenasak” did not come now it would not come for a long, long, time hence. The result was an incredible non-violent peoples’ revolution. The sympathy of the world turned to admiration.

Tomorrows’ nation

These forces have proved that no matter how bleak the future of a nation may appear, regime change is possible and best from within. Waiting for external intervention invariably proves counter-productive. It neutralises hidden reserves of peoples’ energy, inevitably stimulated under oppressive regimes, and tends to divert a conflict in a more complex direction. It can also become an excuse for silence.

Just as this regime change took time, the change in social values and political culture that must follow will also take time. But tomorrow begins today. All who want a just, reconciled and safe nation are to sustain this momentum. The nations’ need of diverse human resources and skills; critics and visionaries; sages and activists, never ends. The forces that made “Wenasak”possible consequently remind us that if the nation is to embrace truth, justice, reconciliation and integration, both people and their elected representatives are called to continue to place the common good before self-interest.

They also teach us that none can do it all. In fact none should be allowed to, because it is when some imagine they can, that we return to where we desperately want to move away from.

With Peace and Blessings to all

A Candid Letter To Mr President, Maithripala Sirisena

By Percy Gajanayake –January 16, 2015

Dear Sir,

Please forgive me for not addressing you as His Excellency! I feel that you would appreciate my stance since you would realize that addressing a head of state as H.E. Is a hallmark of Executive Presidency! I think you would stand by this principle which you set by not addressing the people from the ‘paththiruppuwa’ as some of the pseudo kings did previously! Mr. President or ‘Honourable’ may be more acceptable.

What we all including you should realize is that this was not necessarily a personal victory but a triumph for human rights and against corruption. Some of the votes you got were people who really voted for you, while others were to Ranil/UNP, Anura Kumara & JVP, Rathana/Champika JHU alliance, Fonseka, CBK and the old-guard SLFP, Tamil and Muslim Minorities as well as anti corruption, anti executive Presidency, anti Rajapaksa, pro Human Rights, Pro Women and Children rights groups etc. What I would like to remind you is that without all these groups victory would have been only a daydream against Mahinda‘s charisma, popularity, misuse of state resources, support from China and the corrupt industry moghuls. What most people wanted was to get rid of the dictator and ultimately rid the country of the dictatorial executive presidency! When I asked people who will come to power, a majority said “we want a change”, a minority said Mahinda! some did say Maithripala, and I hope we did not change the pillow to cure the headache! After considering all the alternative persons to lead this battle, the joint opposition decided that you were the most appropriate vehicle to do this. However, I don’t underestimate your capacity to remain in the front seat, provided you drive and manoeuvre (not manipulate nor manipulated) according to the rules! We don’t want you or others to cross double lines as Namal and the sibs always did!

We see some dissent by your own people at the outset on your appointments of secretaries, Presidential advisors and heads. They may be the same old wolves in sheep’s clothing! Some with not so great track records! I think you need to get proper advise, not necessarily from the ‘vavulas’ (bats) who may hang around you who have other motives. The bats are a usual problem for heads of state anywhere! These are the ‘yes Sir, No Sir, three bags full guys like Gamini Senerath, etc. Mindfulness of these characters and manoeuvring around them is a sign of maturity! I am sure you will not be mislead as other heads of state anywhere in the world may get trapped into! Apparently, although hearsay, a top newly appointed pro MR official in the Inland Revenue a friend of Gamini Senerath has bragged “….our people are also included”?

I feel it was great when Maithri stated “Nahi werani werani. ….” ( revenge/ viciousness does not resolve viciousness, Compassion heals these feelings!) However Mr President and Mr Prime Minister please do no mix up revenge with accountability! The two are different entities. i.e. Legal, State or Social accountability including accountability to corruption and impunity cannot be dismissed as Compassion! We want you the new government accountable to the implementation of the law in investigating and prosecuting people who were/are not accountable! There needs to be a paradigm shift in the thinking in those in the government it’s officials, and support staff and the people at large. When the top is corrupt they allow the fry to be corrupt at a smaller scale to keep everyone happy! they And it is useful to keep the “files” to show in the process of blackmail!! The general public too is corrupt including professionals! Why did public servants including some doctors Maithree despised in the Health Ministry get on stages to support MR? Either they were seeking appointments or promotions, maybe they had files to hide as one Trade Union leader or maybe their tax files??? Is that corruption? Are they going to be made accountable? Whoever they are, whether they cross over or not!!

We want the new government to start acting against impunity, starting with sharks and whales, and ending with traffic violators whether they be Prado owners, three wheeler drivers or Jay walkers!!! I hardly see three wheel drivers or Jay walkers charged!! Are they not accountable?

There are many questions about Sarath Fonseka’s future! Of course his civil status has to be repealed be for any appointments to be given. Some say the President can pardon him? ? If Mr President pardons him there are two implications. The first is SF has to admit he is guilty to get the pardon (why should he if he was innocent?), The second issue is MS has to use his executive powers, which cannot do and should not do if he is against it!!

We the citizens who voted don’t want you to let us down. We are there watching you and creating our own impressions!

Sri Lanka has given itself a chance

Thursday, Jan. 15 2015, 

The surprising result of the presidential election in Sri Lanka would have received more attention if the terrible events in Paris had not captured our thoughts and fears.

The war between the Tamil Tigers and the government of Sri Lanka came to a bloody conclusion on the northern beaches of that beautiful island country in the spring of 2009. Tens of thousands dead, disappeared, incarcerated. The government dominated by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brothers was more about triumphalism than reconciliation, and it was quite prepared to weather the storms of international public opinion in the cause of consolidating power at home.

But the Rajapaksa brothers got greedy, and with their hunger for power came corruption. It was this more than anything that drove Health Minister Maithripila Sirisena to split with the President’s party and agree to run for the presidency. He was immediately supported by the opposition parties, including Muslim and Tamil groups. What was supposed to be a coronation for Mr. Rajapaksa turned into a horse race.

It speaks to the courage of the opposition, many senior public servants and important parts of the military that the election itself had an accurate vote count, and that the last minute attempts by the Rajapaksa clan to hang on to power were firmly rebuffed. While a majority of the Sinhala population voted for the them, a massive show of support from the Tamil and Muslim communities won the day.

Mr. Sirisena and his deeply experienced Prime Minister Ranil Wikremasinghe have been saying all the right things – reaffirming the need for reconciliation, the importance of the rule of law, and the need to deal with the corruption and abuse of the past – and that the challenges ahead are great.

The ultra-nationalist supporters of the Rajapaksa’s have not disappeared, however, and they will take to the streets at a moment’s notice. As in Burma, Buddhist religious leaders have long been highly politicized, and will continue to insist on the primacy of the rights of the majority population.

Pope Francis made a short visit last week and made the important point that the truth has to be the basis for reconciliation. The previous government fought off all international attempts to get to the truth about what happened in the conduct of the war, and internally made journalism a singularly dangerous profession. All those who insisted that a factual inquiry was essential in the necessary process of binding up the wounds of war – including this writer – were labelled terrorists. Now that the Pope has joined the ranks a reasoned dialogue can begin.

For a very long time the Tamil, Muslim, and Christian communities have been seeking ways for their rights and needs to be recognized. The majority have made it clear that outsiders will not determine the nature of the Sri Lankan constitution.

But what has happened these last few weeks is indeed remarkable, and creates possibilities for pluralism and greater prosperity that just a few days ago seemed remote. Sri Lanka has given itself a chance.

The mixed legacy of Mahinda Rajapaksa

The mixed legacy of Mahinda Rajapaksa

Fragments.Friday, January 16, 2015

Uditha Devapriya

People are remembered. They leave behind legacies. Those are remembered too. That they can be remembered for all the wrong reasons is another story, but the point is that giants rise and fall. When they fall, they usually leave behind a mixed legacy, with its share of critics and champions.

Winston Churchill, for example, is remembered for ending a war, but this does not preclude his critics from bemoaning his political legacy. People remember Qaddafi for quite a number of things as well, and not just his dictatorial rule. Even Prabhakaran, that megalomaniac despot, will be championed. There will be hurrah-boys and cheering squads no matter who the guy is. That’s natural. Can’t complain.

So how will Mahinda Rajapaksa be remembered? If there are so many things to remember him by, then what best encapsulates them all? And if there are lesser things he is known for, will they negative those greater victories he accomplished?

Mahinda’s legacy is mixed. He ended a war. He ensured peace. He ushered in investment sans the biggest obstacle foreigners had (the war, of course). That he abused and distorted the market courtesy of his brothers who got themselves involved in unholy deals with companies and banks is, though not peripheral, to be left for another debate altogether. For the time being, however, he will be remembered. And thanked.

He also did lesser things. Lesser acts. That’s natural, again. He’s frail, after all. There were massive abuses of power under him, and while I cannot really say that he oversaw them all, I have to admit that if he were the strong leader he projected himself as to everyone, he could have at least forced those who flouted laws to toe the line. Didn’t happen. The problem was especially so because, as one commentator put it to me recently, while Mahinda embodied strong leadership, he could not (tragically) make the transition from populist leader to statesman. Unlike S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike.

Still, remembrance doesn’t come naturally in a country where politicians promise everything and deliver nothing. There were leaders who promised rice from the moon. There were leaders who promised money to anyone and everyone who earned below a certain amount. There were promises of peace, reconciliation, and what-not, couched of course in hazy terms so that whenever they weren’t realised, the “ruler” could always fall back on the “I am as human and frail as my voters” excuse.

Mahinda didn’t do that. From day one, thanks largely to a coalition that supported him right till the end (save the JVP), he acted. All the way. He delivered. At a time when peace in name only remained the campaign signature of the opposition, he took a hard line against terrorists. That’s the main thing we remember him for. Not that there aren’t others. But they all pale into insignificance, naturally I suppose.

He also took a hard line against those who came from overseas, who abused our courtesy and piled up their demands on us, as though we were their serfs. I can never forget the day David Miliband and Bernard Kouchner visited Mahinda. Instead of affording them all the luxuries that his aides could come up with, he made them sit and wait. That’s class. Shows courage. Big time.

It’s still too early to tell whether he will be thanked for all these. Too early to see whether those minus-points will outweigh the rest. Personally, I don’t think so. He’s still popular, even among those who voted against him. To be fair, they didn’t actually vote against him: they voted against those abusers he had licensed and allowed free rein in his own government. This doesn’t absolve him, but the point is that he needed to lose. A third term, to be honest, would have tarnished his image even more.

He has handed over his party’s chairmanship to Maithripala Sirisena. We don’t know why. I am an optimist, however. I would like to think that he did this out of humility. Granted, it was not humility that sanctioned abuse and murder on a large scale, and most certainly not humility that provoked dissent from his own party.

He has his imperfections. He is corrupt. We all are. None of us is a lily-white angel, after all. If it’s about corruption, about large-scale pilferage, I know that some of those who were involved with Sirisena’s candidacy, especially those who went on a rampage against Mahinda (for no reason), have bigger and more horrendous allegations of power-abuse leveled at them. If at all for this reason, they lost even their own electorates to the man they were vilifying.

Mahinda Rajapaksa is a name etched across our history books. Don’t get me wrong. History records both good and bad. It will be the same thing with him, this much I know. But he still is popular. He shouldn’t try to make a comeback, at least not yet. He should gracefully retire to Medamulana and remain there, without echoing his less than dim predecessor and trying to make a saint of himself wherever he goes. We know him and know him well. That’s enough. At least for now.

So now, change has come. That’s inevitable. No-one’s immortal. There is still disappointment in those who cheered him. Natural, considering how he had projected himself as invincible all these years. This doesn’t license those diehard opposition loyalists who vilify him for crimes uncommitted, who conveniently forget the large-scale plunder of resources committed by some of those they now back. Doesn’t matter. We elected Maithripala Sirisena. We can trust him.

It’s difficult to picture someone else like Mahinda Rajapaksa within the past 50+ years here. Glancing at them all, I can come up with only two leaders who could gain this much popularity: the two Bandaranaikes. Like Mahinda, they were imperfect. Like Mahinda, they were kicked out, one unduly through murder and the other through a successor who for no rhyme or reason stripped off her civic rights.

But it’s time to reconcile and forgive. It’s time to move on. Mahinda Rajapaksa has realised this more than anyone else. I don’t know about you, but when all the Dumindas and Mervyns will be forgotten, there will be one name that will rise up. Notwithstanding all those diehard party loyalists who will blindly adulate or vilify him, he will stay and be remembered. Always.

Uditha Devapriya is a freelance writer who can be reached at udakdev1@gmail.com. His articles can be accessed at fragmenteyes.blogspot.com.

Times Are Moving Fast

By S. Sivathasan -January 16, 2015

S. Sivathasan

Bloodless Revolution and Counter Revolution

If Sri Lanka saw the first ‘Bloodless Revolution’ in April 1956, she saw her second in January 2015. Temple Trees was ‘stormed’ on 8 January and ‘royalty’ fled on the 9th. The flight was not without a try with a sinister stratagem that failed. Even after the regime is displaced, the dynasty lingers on.

Jim Corbett the hunter of man eating tigers of Kumaon, India says “A tiger is not dead till it is skinned”. After a regime is supplanted, its structure requires to be dismantled. Laments of the dynasty are not about its demise. Thoughts are on resurrection. Plots are about counter-revolution. The deposed President is not at ease twiddling his thumbs at Hambantota. His dreams are on a glorious morrow. The ‘Ancien Regime’ knows the possibilities of the electronic age. The ‘Nascent Regime’ should fly apace at supersonic speed.

France and Russia

Even in revolutionary times, history did not move with lightning speed. In the matter of dealing with royalty, France lumbered along. Louis XVI had a span of 42 months between the storming of the bastille on 14 July 1789, and his fate with the guillotine on 21 January 1793. Intervening in between were two episodes. Flight (horse carriage) to Varennes on 21 June 1791 and capture on 13 August 1792. Details illustrate post revolution happenings in slow motion. The revolutionaries hit back when counter revolution threatened them with Louis as the rallying point.

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Mr. President, Never Compromise Integrity

By Nagananda Kodituwakku -January 16, 2015

Nagananda Kodituwakku

For the first time after 1978 Constitution came into being, all Sri Lankan citizens were united in 2015 presidential election to elect the Executive President. People without a difference in cast, creed or ethnic difference placed absolute trust and confidence in you. However since elected to the office what people witness today is not appealing and naturally it creates doubt in the minds of the people about your credibility.

First and foremost it is questionable whether people want you to place any trust on the same decomposed elements in the governance of this island nation. Given the ground situation as it stands now, we understand that it is extremely difficult to fulfil the pledges you made to people to be realised in 100 days. Nevertheless, people want you to focus on your instinct and not to violate the enormous trust placed in you by the people.

Your pledge was for it to be not more than 25 members in your Cabinet but the implementation was a letdown having no such limit. Like me, most fellow citizens are absolutely disappointed with your current team selection. People observe that except for a few, others are totally inefficient and incompetent time wasters with no proven integrity and will to deliver.Read More